The Flywheel on my TC-D5 has gone hard and the motor roller is starting to slip on the rubber. I'm wondering the best way to deal with this. Can I just remove it and glue on a rubber gasket of the correct size in it's place? I noticed that the rubber surface appears tapered. Is that the rubber ring that's tapered, or is it the brass surface of the flywheel? I contacted Terry, who does the rubber wheel restoration, but he's unsure if he can do it, especially if I can't tell him what size it should be. Thanks
Have you tried any rubber restoration compound yet? Sometimes abit of that is enough to get the rubber to soften and stick again. If you say it just started slipping, it may be worth the try and hopefully the rubber isn't too far gone yet.
Ok. I have some of the wintergreen smelling stuff that comes as rubber restore. It honestly never worked for me in the past so I kind of stopped using it. If that doesn't work, are there no instances of people removing the ring and gluing a new one back on? These things are like 40 years old, it's not crazy to expect the rubber to be shot. Thanks
There certainly is. I'm just not sure of the size and it appears that there are no current aftermarket ones. It wouldn't hurt to reach out to this guy...Marian Mihok: https://fixyouraudio.com/contact/ He would likely be able to give you some direction. He may not make them yet, but he may know the dimensions. There's also a guy named Matt in the UK (Mana Tree Replacement Parts) and someone in the Ukraine on eBay that make belts, rollers and are subject matter experts in these things. Try reaching out to Marian first.
Ok. Thanks Magneto. I'll ask him. If anyone else stops here and they have some experience with replacing this rubber, please share your experience.
There are mainly 2 solutions to your problem: 1. Clean your original rubber very good with IPA or acetone. To me it doesn't look that bad and I think the glaze is mostly on the surface. 2. Replace the rubber with another one (this being the only one available): Idler Tire Capstan Rubber Ring Gummi für SONY TC-D5M TC-D5 PROII CASSETTE-CORDER | eBay Marian doesn't have it and won't produce it because on some units the ring is glued very strong to the brass flywheel and will require a lathe to remove it. Hence why it's not really a DIY job and Marian cannot sell these rings even if we would manufacture them as most people won't be able to replace them. The 4 idler tires will also need restoration: sanding and cleaning with IPA. In some units these tires will need to be replaced as they're too far gone. Unfortunately the T-shaped ones are not available at this point in time. For reference, the belts are available from DeckTech (ebay) and these will also need to be replaced. By the way, also check the motor pressure is high enough as that can also cause slipping. I have seen units where the motor spring wasn't fitted correctly.
First of all, that's not my flywheel, it's a random picture I found and photoshopped. My flywheel doesn't have any kind of glazed look to it at all, and it's perfectly clean. It's just become hard over time and the motor slips on it. Secondly, I've been warned off of using IPA and other harsh solvents on the rubber by others. I've never heard anyone suggest acetone. I know it melts a lot of plastics. The advice I usually get is fine grit sandpaper followed up with mild soapy water. I've tried both alcohol and sandpaper with other rubber parts (mostly pinch rollers) and, if they work, it's only for a couple months before causing a problem again. The best effect I've ever seen was from boiling pinch rollers in hot water for like 15 minutes. I once got about 6 months or so use out of an old roller before it started to slip again. Do you feel strongly that alcohol is the way to go and that it doesn't badly effect the rubber? Ok. Interesting. I don't see it when I look up on US ebay. Thanks for the link. There's got to be a solvent that will melt it off. Figure that out, and that step will be easy compared to taking apart and reassembling a TC-D5. My unit had new rollers and tires in 2014 and they are fine. I use it frequently and had to replace the belts a couple times already. The flywheel surface is really the last thing in it that needs help. The spring is definitely in the right spot, and I have the manual. I can't say the pressure is enough as I don't have a gauge for that. I'm not even sure what I would do if the pressure was too low. Messing around with replacement springs in there sounds like a tricky thing. Thanks for you reply
IPA can be used safely on rubber parts, I have been using it for many many years without any issues whatsoever. Acetone is a more aggresive solution, but depending on how bad of a condition the ring is in, it can clean the surface better than IPA. To be even more clear, it's something I have used myself on this rubber ring, otherwise I would not make such suggestions. This particular capstan ring isn't be affected by acetone, although in general, I do NOT recommend acetone for rubber parts. Sandpaper does work well on the idler tires as you can rotate them on the paper. On this ring, it's harder to maintain uniform pressure. But even the idlers will require a final clean with IPA after sanding. In regard to pinch rollers, those are readily available so I don't bother to restore them as in most cases it doesn't produce good results anyway. Sanded idlers do work in the long run, so if rubber isn't too far gone (large cracks, very hard rubber) they will last. The part is only available on ebay.de, doesn't show on ebay.com. But you can buy it from .de website if seller ships to US. Marian has already tried many solvents and none are working. If you find the solvent that works please let us know. Flywheel retainer has to be removed anyway for replacing the main belt, so if someone gets to that point, the only extra step is to remove the motor.
Ok. I think I will try sanding it down first. I can put some tight heatshrink tubing (without shrinking it) around the capstan post and put it in a drill press and then sand it down with fine wet sandpaper. That should get it really smooth. I just finished sanding down my pinch roller for my TC-152SD, and it did not work. The tape skates off of the pinch roller. Maybe the problem is that it's become too small. It's not a huge problem though as I have ordered a new one. Hopefully, I'll have better luck with the TC-D5 flywheel Thanks again for the link. They do not ship to US. I have friends living in Berlin though, so I could probably get one of them to mail it to me if I really want it. I will, if I need to remove it, that's what I'll try. My first attempt would likely be toluene, as it is a common rubber solvent. I would probably put some in a shallow dish and soak the rubber disk in it upside-down overnight. You can't breath that stuff in though, so put it outside
I am on the same page with you, think restoring the original one is the best option and should be tried first. This is a good idea ! Please share the result and eventually take a picture, I'm curious to see how it looks in the end. Pinch rollers are barrel shaped, that's why sanding them doesn't work. Sanding will make the surface flat instead of curved, see attached picture.
Absolutely. I hope to try over the weekend if I can get over to my dad's house to use his workshop. Ok. I feel silly now! I totally realize why it isn't working anymore. I could have easily restored the barrel shape, but I didn't think of that. It's the same thing as the barrel-shaped plastic pulley you often see inside tape decks, the barrel shape is meant to center it. Thanks for pointing that out to me, it answers an important question.
Ok. I got impatient and I did it tonight. I removed the flywheel, covered the capstan in 1/16" heat shrink tubing. I had to hunt around in the box for a tight fit because they always vary a little bit. Then I put it in the drill press and got some wet sandpaper and took off a bit of material. I can just barely still see the ghost of the worn area on the inside now. Anyway, I put it back together and put some test tapes in. Set the azimuth, and pulled up the record level. Seems pretty steady and in phase. I'm playing some stuff on it and sounds good. I'm still not 100% sure about the take-up reel though, it seems like it doesn't handle enough pressure to be honest. I can hold it with my finger and it triggers the auto-stop quite easily. I'm afraid there might be something else worn or slipping in there. It's not the main drive belt. Spoiler: SCOPE READING In any case, the flywheel rubber seems okay, at least for now.
This sounds like one or both idlers which drive the takeup reel may be slipping. It's a very common problem on these devices, although you said you have replaced these already. Where did you find replacements by the way ? I would check these idlers again, both the rubber and the surfaces they are driving to be clean of any oil or grease. Because apart from these idlers, the main belt or a cracked table reel there's nothing else that can cause such a problem.
I didn't. The guy I purchased it from replaced the pinch roller and the idler tires. He was a service guy who used to run a business refurbing press recorders, but I think that all ended a long time ago. I think I bought it in like 2013-14. Actually, it hasn't been a problem yet in operation. If you look at my scope reading, you'll note that the 315Hz test tape is reading ~294Hz. I also measured it at 1K and 6K, and it was off, so I fixed the speed and now everything behaves much better. It's weird that the speed adjustment would have such an effect, but I can tell the the take-up reel force is noticeably better, and it rewinds much faster too. Hopefully I won't have to replace the tires, but I would like to hunt for a replacement. I don't much want to open it up and remove them; would you possibly have the measurements for those? Thanks
I do have some measurements, but take into accounts they're approximate: PLAY idlers (2 pcs needed): 13.5 x 8.5 x 2.5mm (outer diameter x inner diameter x thickness) FF/REW idlers (2 pcs needed): 17.5 x 15 x 1.5mm (outer diameter x inner diameter x thickness) The PLAY idlers are T-shaped, but regular ones will likely work if the inner diameter is a bit smaller, like 8mm instead of 8.5mm. In practice they can be replaced with O-rings that fit on the plastic pulleys as a last resort, I have done that succesfully on a recoder that needed a very larger idler on the takeup reel. If you find some replacements that are close or the same, please post here.
Okay. Thanks. I don't understand exactly how the "T" works, so this confused me a little bit. Making the ID smaller makes the tire bigger. If the tire is "T" shaped, doesn't that mean the there is a narrower portion on the inside diameter of the tire that fits into a recess on the outside diameter of the pulley? Are you sure you meant that and not making the ID larger? So, for example, if the narrow portion of the "T" is 0.5mm, then the ID of the idler tire should then be 9.5mm instead of 8.5mm. Like this:
Ok, so let me clarify: My measurements do not take into account the narrower portion that gets into the recess, hence why there are only 3 dimensions and not 4. Given there is less surface area for the inner part to grip onto the plastic pulley if that lip is missing, having the inner diameter smaller will give a tighter fit. On your drawing: - What is marked 9.5mm is in reality 8.5mm. - What is market 2mm is in reality 2.5mm. I ignored that part when I measured the tire since I could not find any T-shaped tires that are anywhere near these dimensions.
Okay. Gotcha. totally understood. I wonder if it would be possible to fill the little gap with something? There are silicone relief products that would dry without adhering to anything. It might be possible to fill the gap in the flywheel with such a product and then slip the new tire over that and clean up whatever squeezes out. It might even survive when you went to replace the tire again.
