Telefunken TC 400 hifi cassette deck repairs
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- Опубликовано: 5 сен 2024
- This video shows in great detail how to clean dirty record/play switches and potentiometers, how to clean the tape path including pinch roller, and how to restore a bad pinch roller.
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Sankyo, Alps, Nichicon ... all the great names 😁
Красивая дека, стильная, ничего лишнего!👍
Excellent video! Very enjoyable.
I have a few of those same BASF cassettes that my brother recorded some jazz albums for me on. They sounded then as now, warm and lovely.
Looked like a bit of dust on the cassette deck back plate I had seen,,,when u were cleaning the heads,,Capstan and pinch roller. Otherwise,,very useful video of cleaning a bad pinch roller with windex window cleaner instead of isopropyl alcohol,,,and of course it had to b sand papered as it was shiny,,,causing tape playback troubles.
At least I have a few windex window cleaning containers to clean pinch rollers of a few stereo cassette players I've repaired recently too.
Nice machine. Looks and sounds like a great deck.
Even if it's German instead of Japanese, I see a lot of similarities in its look and built with the Technics RS M-5 I used to have as a kid, so I guess indeed that a lot of stuff is outsourced to Japan. But a very nice looking one, pleased to see it functioning so well :-)
The general layout of parts was very similar on different manufacturers cassette decks from the late 70s onwards. This arrangement makes the most sense if you don't have any special features in your cassette deck. JVC remained different for quite some time as they mirrored this basic arrangement so that mechanism and transformer were on the right and the electronics were on the left.
Thanks
I discoverd your channel a week ago and i really happy your job, i know my english is not perfect i hope you understand, greattings from Poland, It's nice if you mentioned or even introduced the Unitra equipment from those years to the workshop, maybe it was not the best, but at that time it's good that something was there at all, I didn't complain, have a nice christmass
I know Unitra, it seems like they made some good equipment, but so far I have not seen any Unitra equipment in person.
@@DrCassette Where się you from?
@@Photographic486 I live in Northern Germany.
@@DrCassette Not too far from Poland
Very nice demo on pinch rollers, thsnk you .
12:20 And that's why I use rubber renue when it comes to cleaning pinch rollers.
that is a very nice deck.
Excellent. I love the cassettes decks. This video is very usefull. Greetings.
Prima erklärt , bin grad an einer legendären Aiwa TPR-950 Boombox dran . Verwende auch Kontakt 60/WL... .Was ich immer noch mache , Tonköpfe Wellen usw entmagnetisieren . Habe einen Superentmagnetiserer von Conrad gekauft . Schönes Fest und ein guten Rutsch ins 2020........vom Fordcapri79 ...P.S. Abbo iss raus . Danke uss Zürri
Tatsächlich musste ich den A/W-Umschalter nach dem Video nochmal mit der Kombination Kontakt 60/WL nachbearbeiten, das Tuner 600 hat nicht ausreichend gewirkt. Entmagnetisieren habe ich bislang mangels Entmagnetisierer noch nicht gemacht, macht das wirklich einen hörbaren Unterschied?
@@DrCassette Ja , ist deutlich hörbar ...von Analogis Model demag habe ihn von Conrad Schweiz Grüsse
@@DrCassette habe auch keinen. Naja, wenn's tatsächlich einen Unterschied machen soll, werde ich mir wohl auch einen zulegen. Habe hier noch einen alten Nordmende Radiorecorder, der noch nie gepflegt, aber häufig genutzt wurde, der klingt trotz mittlerweile sauberem Kopf immer noch dumpf.
Thank you for a very educational video, especially the pinch roller cleaning section. At 7:50, when you're cleaning the record level controls, we see empty holes marked "HC1000" - searching for pictures of "Telefunken HC 1000" shows a model that is almost identical to yours. Having only a DIN input/output seems limiting. I have a Beocord 6000 cassette deck with a DIN connector, but it also has a switch that allows me to set the Level to "DIN" or "LINE" mode....
Indeed there was a version of this cassette deck available in a "softline" plastic case with rounded edges and corners, called the HC 1000. Quite a popular style in the late 70s in Germany. I too had a Beocord cassette deck many years ago with switchable input sensitivity. A very useful feature.
It's Telefunctional. 😀 that deck is beautiful!
I enjoy your videos, because my hifi experience originated during the time these decks were made. One suggestion though: Maybe you can invest in better sound recording equipment to better illustrate the sound of the decks? At the moment the sound is somewhat tinny on the quite good quality sound system I use when watching RUclips videos.
I use my Samsung S10 for recording videos, and it does a very good job recording the sound. The way it sounds in the video is the way it sounds in reality. You have to keep in mind the amplifier on my workbench is connected to just the little white speakers you see in the background. Obviously those won't produce any deep bass. I would not like to add any further complexity to my video recording setup, such as a separate audio recorder. I want to keep things easy so that I can concentrate on the repair work.
Very nice deck and good job, like ever!
Thank you :)
@@DrCassette alot of those panasonics you have were the gears were wrecked i have 3d printed gears for them as I wanted mine to be fixed.
A nice basic machine in very good shape. Interesting to see it has Dolby System instead of High Com.
This was the time when Telefunken had just introduced HighCom, so it was only found on their high end decks. This entry level model still only has Dolby.
When I worked in the Hi Fi trade customers were often confused when it came to DIN standards and some retailer were.
I always stocked all the attenuated leads and the crossover DIN cables for direct deck to deck transfers.
Quite a nice deck al things considered.
Interesting, I don't think I have ever come across a crossover cable for dubbing. All I have are standard DIN cables and these passive adaptor cables.
@@DrCassette It has to be a crossover cable because otherwise you would have output to output on a parallel cable. The same with the inputs, it would be input to input on a parallel cable. So it need crossover and attenuation. Its as a bit of a pain but a company did make a clever little adapter with variable attenuators built in. They had stereo phono inputs and outputs so you would just use phono to DIN cables and connect them how you liked.
Yes, I know why a crossover cable would be needed for direct dubbing. I just never saw one so far ;)
We never got Telefunken in the UK or if we did, it passed me by !
Very nice deck. Seems to have been well looked-after as it's in very nice condition considering it age. Yes, often companies would outsource part of the manufacture process, and then use local assembly and logistics. The only way to get round higher import tariffs, or to place the naughty little 'Made In..' badge on front!
Another reason in the case of Telefunken was that their management still felt responsible for the factory workers. They knew they had to cut production cost, but they didn't want to close factories, so the final assembly in Germany was a good compromise. The dirty work of closing most factories was done later by Thomson after they took over Telefunken in 1983. The original Telefunken management was still reluctant then, so soon after the purchase Thomson management came to Germany and fired all of the original Telefunken managers. Afterwards, Telefunken, like many other German manufacturers, went downhill and never recovered.
@@DrCassette Indeed, a very good point. Thomson also did the same with Ferguson here in the UK, but that was much later on. I've always been a fan of European made electronics as growing up we had an ITT HiFi system, and a Salora TV, and I had a Grundig radio cassette recorder in my room. Some of the items I still have and, of course, they still work! :)
Can I use 1,000 grit sandpaper? For sanding the pinch rollers.
The handwriting of "2266" on top of the cassette assembly is definitely from the Far East. Without further info I would have guessed it to be written by a Chinese. But when combined with the other clues you found, Japan is also my bet. Great instructional video.
Thank you :)
It must be from Japan. Neither Korea nor China at the time would have been able to produce a high quality mechanism like this.
I have a question, is water bad for pinch rollers, I have used a very very damp q tip, so that's there little water on there and have cleaned the pinch rollers and have had no problem
Water is not bad for pinch rollers if you dry it off after applying it. I just don't think it cleans very well.
Das war sehr lehrreich für mich (z.B. 400er Schleifpapier). Danke dafür und schöne Weihnachten für dich.
Danke, gleichfalls! :)
Never saw a lot of Telefunken equipment here in the UK, although I do remember seeing their TVs for sale back in the 80s. Given that deck has everything labelled in English I would presume they exported that model to the UK or the US at some stage, but I don't remember ever seeing them for sale. Nice deck though, I always love a good analogue VU meter.
In the late 1970s it became fashionable for German manufacturers to label their equipment in English, even if it was made only for the domestic market. It made equipment look more "professional".
Sure wish I knew these cleaning methods back in the 80’s when my decks were eating tapes.
Yes, in a lot of cases tapes were just eaten because they eventually stuck to dirt deposits in the tape path...
The older Japanese vintage electronics are pretty decent....I have and have had quite a lot of those. That bieng said ...the german made stuff that I have had has been excellent too..mostly vintage though.....😁
If you want German made electronics you don't have much of a choice other than to go with vintage equipment, most of the German electronics industry had disappeared by the mid 90s... ;)
a good looking one
I personally use a 3.5mm jack to DIN , works perfectly.
I feed the signal from my phone.
The Cassette Player looks similar to my Telefunken Hifi Studio 1M. It has the same pianokeys on the front :)
It is very well possible it uses the same mechanism. I also have a Telefunken TC 450, it too uses this mechanism.
16:06 a german cassette deck and german cassette decks sound best when used with german cassettes! 👍 :-)
Looks like a perfectly fine mid-range cassette deck. It's got really cool design as well :)
I have just 2 questions about the pinch rollers in general. Is it so hard to find new replacements? I mean not only for audio cassette decks, but also VCRs? Also, what do you think about cleaning the pinch roller with dish soap? I read through forums and that's what some recommend.
Thank you!
Audio cassette pinch rollers are available for some models, but they are very expensive. I have bought only one replacement so far, it was okay, but not great. So I try to restore pinch rollers whenever possible. I also have a collection of salvaged pinch rollers. I have not yet replaced a lot of pinch rollers in VCRs, but it seems like those are much harder to get. I don't think I have seen replacement parts kits on Ebay yet (like the ones for audio cassette decks).
Alcohol does attack rubber, so it is not ideal for cleaning, but I very much doubt that water and soap are going to do a good job. There is even potential for further problems, if you use too much soap and don't get it out of the rubber properly, the pinch roller will be slippery. Not good. I prefer to use chemicals that quickly evaporate rather than water.
Nice deck, when i see bridgerectyfer from aeg, i replace those, because on my telefunken hifi studio 1 they are time bombs, they like to fail after all those years in use, like the frako caps 😁
Hmm, I have heard that some of the old German made rectifier bridges tend to cause trouble. Maybe I should replace those too...
Nice deck, I didn’t know alcohol would dissolve rubber. Always thought it was a gentle cleaning product. A product you should never is paint thinner, it dissolves everything, causing plastics to melt like glue.
Yes, paint thinner, also acetone, should be kept well away from hifi equipment :D
I owned a TC400 brand new at the end of the 70s. It was different from this one, because mine was equipped with Telefunken´s proprietary HiCom noise reduction, which was somehow compatible with Dolby B. The parts were all made in Japan, but was assembled here in Brasil, where I live. Mine was a very good recorder, was the first I was capable of reaching 18khz with Type 1 tapes and 20kHz with Type 2 and Type 3 tapes (-=_3dB) which is a good mark even for today´s standards. However, the sound i heard coming out of the TC400 was quite different from what the instruments showed. The treble was not good, the mids were muffled and the overall sound was poor compared to the Akai and Pioneer decks I owned at that same time and at the same price tag. Maybe it is due to the HiCom noise reduction, I don´t know. Despite all that, Telefunken made a very good product and it was a pity they didn´t continue to make audio products with this level of quality. The tapes I recorded on it are sounding good until now, more then 40 years after they were recorded.
Are you sure you are not confusing the TC 400 with the TC 450? That was the model that had HighCom. HighCom was not at all compatible with Dolby, it was a totally different and much more effective system. Seems like there may have been something wrong with your deck, the TC 400 shown in this video sounds very good.
It was indeed a TC400 and with HiCom, I still have the purchase documents. I think this model was made only in Brasil, because the user´s manual that can be seen in www.hifiengine.com/hfe_downloads/index.php?telefunken/telefunken_tc_400_pt.pdf is in brazilian portuguese, where one can read that it comes with HiCom. The compatibility with Dolby was said (in advertising) by Telefunken to be "relative" when playing back tapes recorded with Dolby B in other machines, but not vice-versa. In my opinion, the HiCom worked very well when recorded and played back on the TC400. The only problem was that there were no other k-7 players in Brazil equipped with HiCom, so you had to stay with Telefunken models. That was why I gave up this model and used Akai, Alpine, JVC and Pioneer instead. However, I kept the TC400 for more then a decade and when it was sold was still working perfectly well.
Very interesting, I didn't know Telefunken had production facilities in Brazil. Looking at the manual, your TC 400 seems to have been quite different from my TC 400. For playback of cassettes recorded in other decks with Dolby B or prerecorded cassettes with Dolby B, the HighCom cassette decks had a switch labeled DNR or DNR Expander, which basically was Dolby B just for playback.
Telefunken tried the Brazilian market but could not face japanese nor brazilian companies. Its operations here ended when the brand was acquired by Gradiente in 1989. A pity, because their products were well designed and built. Yes, you´re right about the Dolby compabitiliby, I didn´t remember well the informations. Regards.
Interesting that Telefunken stayed in business in Brazil for so long. Maybe it was independent from the European consumer electronics branch of the company. Because the European consumer electronics branch was sold to Thomson in 1983, and Thomson was known for shutting down everything that wasn't profitable. In 1989 Telefunken here in Europe was already mostly gone...
Schönes Deck, da lernt man auch wieder dazu, wer wann wo was gefertigt hat! Wegen dem DIN Adapter: Ich habe mal davon gelesen, dass es vielleicht garnicht so doof wäre, sich selbst einen Adapter zu bauen, bei dem man noch ein Poti dazwischenschleift, um, einfach nochmal nachregeln zu können. Kann mir schon vorstellen, dass das ganz gut funktioniert...
Und hast du jetzt eigentlich schon mal wieder ins HiFi-Forum oder so geschaut?
Ach ja, falls das kein Problem wäre, könntest du bei so "Hörproben", wie am Schluss, einfach den Line oder Kopfhörer Ausgang direkt in die Kamera einschleifen oder mitm Rechner aufnehmen und nachträglich ins Video einfügen? Dann würde das noch besser rüberkommen, als übers Kameramikrophon :D
Irgendwann muss ich mich mal damit befassen, die Werkbank etwas kompatibler mit DIN-Anschlüssen zu gestalten, damit ich nicht immer Adapter zusammensuchen muss. Eine Adapterbox mit Poti könnte da hilfreich sein. Oder den CD-Player mit normgerechtem DIN-Ausgang nachrüsten, das könnte auch ein interessantes Projekt sein :D
Ins HiFi-Forum habe ich nicht geschaut. Das ist so lange her, dass ich das letzte mal dort aktiv war, und ich habe auch nicht wirklich die Zeit dafür... nicht böse gemeint ;)
Wenn ich das Ausgangssignal der Geräte direkt ins Video einblenden wollte, müsste ich einen separaten Audiorecorder verwenden, da ich die Videos mit einem Samsung S10 aufnehme, das ist einfach viel praktischer als mit einer großen Videokamera. So einen Audiorecorder habe ich (Tascam DR100), unmöglich ist es also nicht, würde aber zusätzlichen Aufwand machen.
@@DrCassette Ich würde einfach gleich eine Box bauen mit verschiedenen DIN-Eingängen. Dann hast du nicht nur den CD-Player sondern kannst alles hernehmen.
Ja, da hast du recht....
Do you recommend using gummi fledge on the pinch roller?
I don't know what that is?
Have you ever tried a product called 'Rubber Renue' for use on dried and slippery rubber?
I know about Rubber Renue, but it does not seem like they sell it here in Germany.
Hello, I have Rubber Renue - difficult to say if it is worth the money though!? However, with careful 'roughing up' of the pinch roller and cleaning like DrC did, is about as good as it gets.
hello, I follow your channel. I have a telefunken tc 400 deck cassette tape, but the Brazilian version, already with HIGH COM, the mechanism is very similar to this video model. I'm having problems with Wow and Flutter, replacing the belt and the problem got worse. can you help me with what may be the problem?
If the belt is fine (not too loose and not too tight), the problem is either caused by the capstan bearing which you should be able to lubricate with some general purpose machine oil (sewing machine oil) or by the motor.
That was awesome
Thank you :)
Hi DrCassette, I sent you a message on Twitch, in your whispers. It is about a little offer on a 3 head dual capstan. :O Maybe it could be fun. I don't know.
din line in out 250mv
For cleaning pinchrollers i use rubber renew 👍
I would be very careful with what chemicals I put on the pinch roller. If any traces of the chemical remain on the pinch roller, they will get onto the tape you play, possibly causing damage.
@@DrCassette never had a problem with rubber renew products or similar components like printer roller cleaner. Not even with pinch rollers in my DAT decks which are totally different animals 😁
I want to get one of these printer roller cleaners to try and see how well they work for restoring idler wheels. But as I said, I would not feel comfortable with putting such a product on a pinch roller...
Hello Perfect
Hey Im having an issue the 450M, on record, there seems to be multiple issues
1. Output of music is very very low and the noise level is insanely high compared to the music
2. The output levels do not push past -20, even if both the left and right channel knobs are all the way to the right, it's output is really low
What could be causing this?, At first I considered azimuth but now I'm starting to think it could be another issue
Are describing the playback of a recording you previously made, or are you describing the sound output while the cassette deck is making a recording?
@@DrCassette while I am making a recording
@@getzapped313 Ah okay, that is normal, there is no signal output through the DIN connector in record mode. There is some signal still bleeding through, but of course it's very quiet.
@@DrCassette I don't understand how that is normal, there's a lot of noise even after recording on play back and the overall sound is very tinny. The recording threshold stays only at -20db to -10db. Could it be from using to a DIN to RCA cable?
@@getzapped313 Well you said it was _while_ making a recording...
Anyway, if playback of a recording sounds bad, the first thing to check is that the cassette you use to record on is good and that the heads and tape path are clean. Using a DIN to RCA adapter will result in the playback level being slightly lower that usual, but not much. Have you made sure the input signal into the DIN jack for recording is low enough to not overload the input of the cassette deck?
Looks head alignment need adjustment little bit to get optimize sound.
Absolutely not! You did listen to the deck playing at the end of the video? It sounds perfectly fine!
Which part of Germany living at ? I am from Sri Lanka
I live in Northern Germany.
👍🎄👍
Telefunken TC 400 made by Funai Japan
Are you sure? How do you know?
Dear DrCassette
I know it exactly, that Telefunken TC 400 made by Funai.
I am a collector of many many Hifi Devices, too and have many Hifi Tape decks etc,
so i identificed, thatmany another Devices are made by Funai, too...
You can see Devices are from Funai : The Order Number of Printed Circuit Board are 7 Digits, beginning with 161....
A Telefunken Service Technician had confirm, that TC400 and many many other Devices
labeled Telefunken,are produced - under telefunken Specification - by Funai..
The Telefunken TC 400 is most similar with Telefunken HC 1000 and Uher CG 310 too
Another Funai Devices labeled Telefunken: TC 450/M ,HC 1000, RC 100,RC200. RR100 and many more.
Funai produced Hifi , Video Devices etc for many other Brands...
Blaupunkt HC 60, XC 240
Nordmende Stereo Recorder 6000
UHER CG 310. 321, 343, 344
Siemens RC 532 Saba CR 833 , 836
Teac V 30
Universum CT 2307, 2316, 2317, 2318, 2361, 2345. 2393, 2394, 2395, 2396 etc
Universum VTC 23814 ( Hifi 70 )
Siemens FM 500 = CVC Recorder from Funai
On all these Devices: The Order Number of Printed Circuit Board are 7 Digits, beginning with 161....
Lg
Knirscher
Thank you very much for the info! :)
Is Telefunken actually a seamen company
???
@@DrCassette He probably means Siemens. Greetings. Stefan.