What does a cassette capstan do and what causes tapes to play fast?
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- Опубликовано: 4 янв 2021
- Short video explaining how a capstan works in an audio compact cassette player.
If you have a cassette player with a playback speed that is two fast, the cause is usually down to a bad capstan pinch roller.
If the pinch roller is slipping due to a contaminated surface, it can be cleaned up with some isopropyl alcohol and a cotton bud.
Cassette deck shown in the video is a Sony TC-FX20.
Hopefully this will be helpful if you have a cassette deck repair where speed is the issue.
The principle is exactly the same on reel to reel tape recorders, just on a larger scale.
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RUclips: / anttec1
Instagram: / antandtec
TikTok: / ant_and_tectok 
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Thank you. This is one of the best cassette deck videos I have seen on YT. Excellent video.
This actually helped me understand the capstan/spindle interaction in VHS which I couldn't find online. Thank you so much for the detailed explanaition!
super helpful to help me understand how the tapes actually get moved! thank you for making this video!
Thank you 👍🏻
Ken , Billing,
Thanks for explaining that.
Another thing to take into account is not only the speed can be off but the pitch is a huge factor for folks who have a good ear or near perfect pitch.
The width of the drive belt can be crucial.
The more width, the higher the pitch.
The more narrow the belt is, the lower the pitch can sound.
The trick is to find the right one that has the right torque... not too tight but not too loose.
Thank you! I've experienced some problems with my tape deck and this helped me to narrow things down. Very informative!
Brilliant and concise explanation of the drive system.
Thank you
Never knew how tape decks really worked. I have one that's playing double speed right now. This helped me know where to start. :)
Thanks for the comment 👍🏻
Good luck with the repair.
Learnt the basics of tape transport today of your video! Thanks! Used cassettedecks in the 80s/90s and now back because I'm into the market for a reel2reel tapedeck. Thanks!
This video is very useful to a newcomer to cassette tapes like myself, even if my device is handheld! You do a great job of illustrating the parts of both the deck and tape, and how they interact with each other, and I really appreciate it. Learned a lot from watching. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for the nice comments 🙂 Glad you found it useful, too may people assume everyone knows the basics!
@@ANTandTECgood job,could you do sony # tcm 131 eject lifting tape out, & what holds stop/eject button in machine, & what happens when you push play,thank you
Thank you, great description of how tapes work.
I saw a guy on RUclips repair the capstan motor, but it's easier to get a part like you did.
My Panasoic SA-PM27 stereo has the cassette playing fast so I was looking for info.
I was able to get the tape player to play with the lid open and the pinch rollers are in bad shape. The rubber is fine, it's the inside centre part. It's sort of a beige plastic film, loose with a gap, that is shedding onto the rubber. The right one did rotate but then stopped.
Both are very loose.
I will have to find a replacement part that fits.
Your video helped a lot.
Thanks! Yes, a bag of mixed belts is very useful to have around 👍
@@ANTandTECany special good place to order bag of mixed tapes from?
If the slow speed is a constant speed, then it is likely to be the motor speed, and the adjustment pot on the motor (if t has one) would be the first thing to try. There may be a speed adjustment on the circuit board. If the slow speed is not constant, and is fluctuating (noticeable when a steady tone is played back) then it is more likely to be either bad capstan belts or worn/dirty capstan roller.
You really helped me to understand the tape deck, great diagrams.
It’s clear enough Thanks you just saved me all kinda time and trouble. Appreciate it.
Excellent and very helpful video. Thanks! I'm still trying to see if this info helps explain the case where the tape plays too slowly instead of fast.
Very helpful for every folks out here internet easy to understand to everyone content easily explained. 👍
Thank you, very clear explanations!
I am just learning about cassette decks and have a Sharp GF 6060 i think it is just the 2 rubber belts and Thank you for the simple diagram now i know the fast of the tape works.
Very good explanation. About the rotation on how the tapes work.
❤️
Thank you 🙂
@@ANTandTEC welcome 👍
There also a speed control screw for the motor that can be adjusted and this screw sometimes can be found on the board or behind the motor, it is so when you replace a belt and the speed is altered.
Your way of teaching is very nice
Supa-helpful and interesting video. I'm trying to get an old 1972 Akai GXC-46 going again, it was running great then just started to go a a bit 'warbly' and speed would fluctuate on the slow side. I've replaced the belts but I don't think the new ones are any good. They are square and the original was flat plus too tight I thinks? Replaced the run-cap still no change. I'm going to simpy try some 3-in-1 Oil now on a few bearings and see if that help's. These machines are 50 years old and were (usually) never serviced. The '46' is an amazing deck because unlike the more common '46-D' it has a built in amplifier and 2 x speaker terminals on the rear.
Thank you.
Generally you can get away with slightly different sized belts. However, if your original one was flat, and the new one is square, there will be a lot less surface area of belt touching the rollers. This i suspect will be causing it to slip and give you the increased wow & flutter you are hearing.
Thank you for this educational video
good work thanks very helpful
👍🏻
Brilliant! Now if you can make a video on auto-stop. Why my tape player works for a few seconds (play/fwd/rwd) and stops is beyond me.
Hi - I’ve got an issue with my deck that is just back from service. It’s developed a screeching sound on playback. Doesn’t happen when no cassette in, but does with a cassette, irrespective of which cassette. Any idea what might be causing this?
so helpful..tq
helpful video I was reverse engineering a old cassette player to understand how it works it has two capstan
Auto reverse decks have two capstans, only one will have the pinch roller engaged at any one time.
@@ANTandTEC hmm yeah it's a car cassette player now I wanna do stuff with it using Arduino 🎈
I know this is an old video but can you make a video on how to oil/lube a tape deck. I have a Sony tc-fx2 with the same issue where the mechanism seized and pinch roller won’t engage with the capstan
Thanks for this, very helpful, learned something new! :)
great video, it seems like there are so many things that can go wrong with cassette player mechanisms, what would cause rewind not to work? when I push the rewind button it acts like it wants to go for the first Second and then it shuts off. Play and fast forward works good as normal.
Sounds like the auto-stop is being applied. The auto-stop detects the end of the tape by sensing tension on the spindles. This can occur if the mechanism is stiff and in need of a clean and lubrication. With the player switched off, manually turn the spindle that is responsible for rewinding the tape - I expect that this feels harder to turn that the other spindle? (although it might not engage the 'stiff' part of the mechanism until the rewind button is pressed)
This is the part of the mechanism that you will need to clean and lubricate (This will probably involve a strip down of the mechanism).
I got told that the pinch roller that cause the cassette tape move faster and I just can't understand the concept until I see you video. Thank you and thank you. You keep it simple and stupid (KISS) which is the best way to explain thing to my level (newbie). In addition to the video, it would be nice to tell or indicate the bad pinch roller (why it is bad etc.) and how to fix it (sand paper?). Also, is that way to test the capstan motor just in case that it isn't the pinch roller issue? My deck is Sony TC-WR90ES. The motor has 4 or 5 wires and it uses 12v.
Again this video is a very good/excellent video for my education. Thank you.
Thank you.
When pinch roller rubber has picked up deposits, cleaning it with IPA on a cotton bud often is all it requires. You can also usually get replacement pinch rollers easily which will of course be a better option.
Weird issue I'm having is the tape will completely stop after the pre-roll, and it reaches the actual magnetic tape. I understand that will be thicker than the prer-oll. If I stab the FWD button, I can force it to jump start past the change in thickness, and then it runs fine. Any common cause for this? It's just a Mastui Slim Line player used to loading computer programs on 8 Bit micro computers.
That is very odd, I've never seen a deck stop at the tape join. It will be thicker where the two mediums are joined, however it will be very slight, nothing I would expect any deck to have issues with.
When the tape is past the join it plays normally without any issues for the rest of the tape?
I have an issue with my Jensen player/recorder where it will both record and play back slowly. It’s barely noticeable but it makes everything kind of sound discordant. Based on the other comments I assume I have to open it up and adjust the motor and see if that works? If not, would the solution be similar to the solution in this video? Thank you!
What do you do if the take up reel is frozen?
I have two of these exact tape decks. When I press the play button the head does not go up to play the tape. Everything else seems to work. Any ideas? Where can I get it fixed?
Sony CFD-S01 Boombox. Pich roller is not fully engaged with capstan. When the play button is pressed there is free play in the pinch roller when it is pressed up underside. There is also free play in the play button downwards. Sir, how to solve this issue?
What would cause the motor to increase by itself, even after adjusting the speed manually? I have I couple of boom boxes that have this issue.
The likely cause will either be a worn or dirty rubber pinch roller, or the pinch roller is not fully engaging with the capstan. It is not common for the motor itself to require speed adjustment, and if it does, it is usually a very fine adjustment just for calibration purposes.
Hi. Thanks for the video and the description, I finally understood what the names of the parts are. I just wanted to know if the pinch roller stays static or is supposed to move/roll inside a walkman cassette player. Having trouble, the spindle and the capstan work but the spindle doesn't turn when a cassette is inserted.
Sounds like the belt is bad. Slipping when under more load.
@@ANTandTEC Thanks for replying. That was really quick :) I figured that the pinch roller is the main problem since it's rusty and the rubber is sticky plus it doesn't move that much unless I give it an occasional tug with, my finger. Also, the belt is loose.
Appreciate this explanation! I have a Onkyo TA-TW470 and it allows you to play back in forward or reverse. My understanding is that there are two capstans in each tape deck. It's currently only functional for rewind/fast forward so I suspect the issue is with the capstan belts. Would you happen to know if I need to replace 2 or 4 belts for this type of build? The old belts have all melted so I have no reference.
One belt for each deck. One belt runs both capstans.
So you will need two belts total to do both decks.
@@ANTandTEC I greatly appreciate your reply! Now onto opening this bad boy up. (I'll likely time lapse record it of anyone has any interest in that 🤣)
@@Two-Eyed_Boy 👍
Thank you so much for the video. I have a tascam 688 and the playback is very very fast. I have replaced the pinch roller and the capstan belt, also checked that the capstan and the pinch roller move correctly, but the problem is still there... Do you think it may be a problem of the capstan motor
The usual cause of fast playback (especially when it's much faster than it should be) is the pinch roller is not engaged correctly. The pinch roller is sprung and should assert a certain amount of pressure on the capstan roller.
If you are able to remove the door cover from the cassette then try stopping the take-up reel with your finger whilst it's playing. If the tape audio stops, then the issue is that the pinch roller is not engaging correctly. If the audio continues (fast) then the issue is the speed of the capstan roller - probably the motor.
I have an issue with the left reel it’s not spinning I sprayed some CRC on both reels and the play works and rewind but the fast forward does not spin ?
Many thanks for this video. I wonder if you can assist with my old stereo cassette deck from the early eighties please. Power comes on but Can’t open the deck door - eject button doesn’t work. But because there is an intermittent clicking sound this until that is cured / fixed I won’t be able to open the door
JVC KD-D35
@@JB-ox5wq canola oil
I have the Sony TC-FX2 and the motor is working fine for now but I would like to know where you bought a replacement motor for your deck.
Yahoo Japan auctions. I searched the motor part number and a seller had some new old stock.
Very good video to understand how it work. I've an old hifi dual 802 that don't works fast forward. I will try to fix it. Have you any tips? thank you
Difficult with out seeing it.
If it plays but does not fast forward, then I would guess that the spindle gears need lubricating.
When the deck is playing the take up spindle only needs to be moving enough to wind the take up from the capstan, but when fast forwarding the take up spindle need to pull the tape from the other reel itself and at speed.
I'd start with cleaning off any old hardened grease and lubricating the gears.
@@ANTandTEC thank you
would silicon be good enough to live with or 3 in 1 or ?
You did try to adjust the speed of the motor before replacing it right?
I did. There was no change in the motor speed when turning the pot from min to max. I think the speed/regulator circuit in the motor had packed up.
The new motor sorted the speed issue on this one (not common for the motor to fail)
I am playing with a repair of a cassette player / recorder am/ fm portable. The radio output is perfect, but the playback audio of the cassette is poor. I have replaced the belts and have gotten the unit to play a tape. The audio is a bit low and muffled with some warble. I have cleaned the pinch roller and removed some debris from the pinch roller axle. I have cleaned the playback head with alcohol and it did improve the low sound. Should I clean it again with a very fine abrasive cleaner? Are pinch rollers interchangeable if I salvage one from another random unit?
You don't want to use anything abrasive on the head. Just some cassette cleaner or isopropyl alcohol. Nail varnish remover can also work on a cotton bud.
If it looks clean then it could need aligning. There is usually a small screw and spring on one side of the head. Try moving it one direction 1/4 turn at a time and listen to the playback. If it gets worse them move it the other way.
@@ANTandTEC Yes, I was considering the head adjustment. Thanks. The cleaner I was considering was a product called soft scrub that has a very fine abrasive.
@@lorettacaputo6997 Mm.. still sounds a bit harsh for me 🙂
If the adjustment doesn't make it sound better then the board might need re-capping. Bad caps can cause loss of treble on the output.
@@ANTandTEC Thanks.
Hi!. I'm using Beosound Century (the deck is made by Philips WT01 RER 5. When i push PLAY button, the HEAD did not move up to touch the TAPE. I don't know how to fix it? Would you please tell me what's happended? and how to fix it? Thks!
Related question. What is the name for the widget that fits in the middle of the cassette reels? Need one for a Pioneer and never had one "go bad" It just friction fits on. TIA
Not sure what part you mean. You referring to the swing gear that moves from one spindle to the other? If yes then they vary from machine to machine. What model do you have?
@@ANTandTEC was referring to...I think it's the "spindle tip, or cap" the part that goes inside the reel hole. It's a Pioneer CT series
@@dvaughn58 All Pioneer cassette decks are "CT" 😅
I've never seen that part for sale before or seen a deck missing gone but expect there are many decks with the same part. Maybe you can find a cheap donar deck.
@@ANTandTEC well, it seems all the non Pioneer are held on by a clip. This is friction fit. Was just wondering as to the official name of the part, tho per other inquiries it seems spindle tip or cap are it. Yes, lots of part out there, but HTF these. All the non-working ones I've got lying around are held on with a C clip. Thanks. The search goes on
got a problem with my tape deck rotel rd 300m wont forward wind or play only for a second then stops ,any help would be appreciated
My first thought would be a 'gummed up' mechanism. Caused by old hardened grease on the gears.
The auto-stop mechanism detects the end of the tape when there is a resistance on the gears, this causes a clutch to slip and trip the stop.
If the mechanism/gears/spindles are stiff to start with, then it could show the behavior you are seeing.
I would clean off all the old grease with cotton buds and IPA, then re-grease where required.
Thanks! Too slow is going to be capstan related. Either the motor driving it or its not spinning freely. Might need removing, cleaning and lubricating.
Thanks for the video, just curious though. If the tape comes through at a fixed rate per second, and the diameter of the take up spool changes from ~2cm to ~6cm, how is it able to take up slack at the correct rate when the circumference is 3x bigger? If it's going _much_ faster than it needs to, and the tape holds it back, there's permanent strain on both tape and motor. Then you said you had the same motor for both, with a belt, but again, then the speed of both is linked, I don't understand how that works...
Hey. So this cassette deck has a single motor which turns the capstan at a constant speed. It also drives the take up spindle. That spindle if allowed to spin freely (with no tape in for example) would spin faster than it needs to ensure all the tape gets taken up. Yes there is some degree of strain on the tape but not much, there is a clutch mechanism that allows the spindle to slip with very little torque. The spindle will turn faster and slower depending upon how much tape is on that side but it does not affect the operation.
Thanks, very helpful!@@ANTandTEC
I have a twin cassette player that plays ok but but won't rewind or fast forward .it's auto stop . As opposed to auto reverse. Any body any ideas?
can worn out or dirty capstan roller cause some decks to randomly stop during playback?
Possibly. Does it look as thought the deck is still trying to play, or has the play clicked off?
It could be the auto-stop mechanism kicking in, and that would be due to a sticky mechanism or maybe a faulty tape that is not free running.
Great video. Really well and easily explained. Thank you. Got technics ch950 and 550 with problems. Can I pm you at all? Thanks again
You can ask Any questions on here and either myself or others will do our best to help you.
Thank you.
Please help. My Sony wmr55 the reel don't spring when in PLAY. But FFW and FBW is ok. So when I press the play button. The reel spring very slow. After a while. Tape becomes mess.
If the mechanism is running slow when playing, and is okay when FF & RW, then possibly the belt need replacing.
The motor will be under more load when playing - perhaps the belt is slipping.
The motor on top responsible for winding the cassette is broken, it can be carefully disassembled and the commutator and brushes cleaned and it should work.
What’s causing my tapes to snap? Could it be the old pinch rollers on my cassette deck?
The take up spindle has a clutch on it. It's 'allowed' to spin faster but the clutch slips which slows the spindle to the tape speed. If the clutch is stuck it will try to pull tape forcefully from the capstan.
My capstan motor has an adjustment hole but I can’t tell what’s going on in there. It’s at an awkward angle and I don’t feel anywhere for a screwdriver. It feels kind of springy and I’m afraid to mess with it too much. It’s playing like half a cent too fast
Yes, you need to be careful and feel your way around. You should use a very small flat-bladed screwdriver. The trimmer is likely to be this type tinyurl.com/4z3dt547 which will feel 'springy'.
Mine doesn't play unless I half press the play button if I push it all the way down it stops spinning
hi was fixing a tascam 238 i pulled all servo gear out as it was allways playing up all the time now i have a 1 7/8 - 3 3/4 and 7 1/2
just a super bit of skill
on the one motor cassette decks you can pimp them as long as take up can go faster than the pinch roller i am a tec so i know my decks
tascam 234 234 are allways playing up
Nice machines those 👌
How fast does the take up reel run compared to the normal speed when a tape is inserted? Mine spins around 4x quicker than normal play speed without a cassette in it. Isn't that alot of strain on the idler motor fighting the capstan which is running slower? Tascam 133
It does spin faster with no load on it but it does not have much power. If you try and slow it down with your finger you'll find it does not take much effort, so the there is not much resulting strain.
@@ANTandTEC oh ok. So where does the energy go? The idler will be under load and the tape between pinch roller and take up reel right? I just wondered if there was a clutch or something allowing some slip so as not to strain the motor that's trying to pull tape that's being let out slower by the capstan. Its really clever when you look at mechanisms in the older decks.
Yes there is a clutch. Some more sophisticated than others depending on the quality of the deck. And yeah the older stuff had a lot more mechanical parts and engineering.
Crucial find,is to learn about rubber roller barrel shape. If its shape is wrong, it may eat tapes and start to railroading them. Skeewing, Then tapes fly ina bin.
Why is my capstan frosted color, compared to others that are silver? Its on a Teac deck
All the ones I have seen are a shiny silver colour when clean. Does it need cleaning?
Use some IPA on a cotton bud to clean off any tape deposits.
Capstan pinch roller : the source of our pain and sorrow, lol.
😄
I bought a 1980s Sharp QT-V40(R) cassette player from U.S to Australia, i am using step-down 110 volt transformer, the radio works correctly but when i press Play on the cassette deck it runs fast and i can hear a loudy ticking noise from the motor area it is same noise when i press RW or FF (I have not open it up yet ) Just looking for anyone help or suggests?
That is a cool looking portable cassette, not seen one before.
Running fast usually is a worn or slipping pinch roller. However, the clicking could indicate 'sticky gears or maybe even a broken gear.
what is the little needle sticking out? I messed around with loop cassettes and now this needle is sticking out and it doesn’t play right
What needle? Please reply with the time of the video you are referring to.
@@ANTandTEC well I didn’t see it in your video I think I put it back in place right but now it seems it is recording over top endlessly of each track
@realityregenerator when you push the record button it operates a mechanism which actuates a switch on the board. Sounds like what you are describing is part of that. If the switch on the board is now in the record state it will record all the time.
You will need to take it apart again and figure out how that switch connects to the record button.
I don't have the machine anymore or I would have looked for you.
@@ANTandTEC thank you for responding I was afraid it was something like that I guess I messed up by trying to cover the erase head originally
Greetings
I record the frequency of 3000 Hz with the deck and the frequency is not stable during playback.
What could be the reason? Thank you
Likely a worn capstan roller belt or worn/dirty pinch roller.
@@ANTandTEC Thank you for your reply.
@@ANTandTECwould silicon be good enough for living or 3 in 1 or what
My rubber roller dry rotted and fell off now sounds like the chipmunks I wonder if I can get a new rubber piece
What model deck do you have?
@@ANTandTEC it’s a boom box Sony CPG -SO5 it’s kind of a cheaper model but just a shame
It’s strange that the capstan is just smooth metal.
You’d think it would tend to slip.
I mean, I’m old enough to have used cassettes regularly in high school, and tape itself is also pretty smooth, especially on the side that the metal capstan touches.
I agree at first, it seems un-intuitive. The capstan must be relying on the roller contact on the opposite side of the tape for the appropriate "grip" (but not too much). It's an interesting balance between capstan and roller that gets thrown off if either get dirty. I'm new to this as well, but this is what I've come to think so far.
Is this Alex ANT?
Alex?
It's not called a capstan roller, it's called a spindle....and the pinch roller compresses the tape against it when play is selected.
"Let me show you my deck"
Ok 😄
Idk if youre getting comments on this video..
canola oil