[EADGBE]

I have a Nakamichi BX-300 that recently got a new idler tire and works
like new most of the time.

It runs and sounds great, but every once in a while, it behaves very
strangely and I would like to know what the possible cause might be.

The strange behavior always happens when the BX-300 is in "PLAY" mode.

The first thing you notice when it starts to act strangely is that the
digital counter no longer counts...it stays at "0000" and the
individual zeroes flicker rapidly.

Then, when you press "STOP" the deck stops...but then it goes back
into "PLAY" mode--EVEN IF A TAPE IS NOT IN THE MACHINE.

The reverse is also true: Sometimes when the deck is playing, it will
stop all by itself, even if it is playing a tape in excellent shape
that it has played many times before.

Rewind and Fast-Forward functions do not seem to be affected. In
other words, when the player is acting strange, you can go to rewind
and fast-forward with no problems.

My first instinct is that the logic IC is started to go crazy. But
this happens so seldom that I am wondering if it might just be a loose
or dirty connection somewhere.

What are your thoughts? Any help will be much appreciated! I love
this tape deck!