[Mark D. Zacharias]

Rusty wrote:
I bought my first reel to reel recorder at a swapmeet yesterday for
$4. It is a Sony tc-530.the tape plays way to fast. Is this a capstan
problem? The vu meters are stuck. Is there any way to correct this?
The rewind does not function at all. I'm guessing this is a belt
problem. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Rusty

The most likely mechanical problem for running too fast is simply the speed
control is set wrong, or the idler associated with it is stuck at one
position due to bad lubrication.
Another possibility is the tape is threaded incorrectly, or the pinch roller
not moving into place correctly (another lubrication problem).
Meters stuck can wait - the meters themselves are bad. A knowledgeable
person could maybe repair them, but as another poster has said - this is the
least of your problems right now.


Mark Z.