So... I've got a P505 MK2 and during quiet patches, I'm hearing a faint (reversed) image of the other side of the tape. I've located the screw I need to adjust, but the question is... what do I need and how should I go about it? Do I need a specific test tape? Bearing in mind that I don't have a "known good for 100% certain" tape deck to begin with... nor do I have an oscilloscope or anything fancy. Can anyone advise please?
There is a nifty app available for free download, with 10kHz calibration tape it will get you spot-on. Will try to find a link and post tomorrow (right now I am "too busy" torturing my boombox and caressing Guinness!) and since I am using oscilloscope set onto Lissajou I do not use it myself... Found it! Level Meters by Darkwood Designs, downloadable for free here: DARKWOOD DESIGNS Are you sure its the reverse track, not previous recording not completely erased because of misaligned heads? To read from the reverse track sounds like a mighty serious misalignment! Most folks just play prerecorded cassette and mess with the adjustment screw until the highs at the highest! Since you have "serviced" deck you can record 10kHz tone on it and use it as a Calibration Tape, that is what I do to save my "real" calibration tape from being chewed by freshly restored decks/walkmans. Oh, and our buddy @mihokm sells calibration tapes for next to nothing, in case you decide to check head alignment on your Sony deck
I use Software Scope by Zeitnitz, and a 10khz and 12.5khz azimuth tape to set. There is only one way to set- with a good azimuth tape and either a real scope or software. If you use software, feed your computer with a digital 10khz waveform first to make sure that the computer is accurate.
Thanks for the info. I use Linux, so I might have problems with Software Scope as it appears to be Windows only. I don't have enough faith in the Sony deck... not knowing anything about the person that did the servicing, other than the pictures he provided on Ebay. I don't yet have enough knowledge or experience to validate anything. I've already got an e-mail question to Marian about belts for some walkman units... I'll wait for him to respond to that, and then ask about calibration tapes for azimuth also. I do have one of his for 3,000 hz for speed adjustment, and I use an android application called Spectroid for that... because it also works on my Sailfish phone. Caressing guinness ... that's a nice way to spend an afternoon :-D
Take a bunch of pre-recorded tapes; adjust azimuth to have max treble response on all of them. A good tape to calibrate azimuth is pretty expensive and, in my opinion, it is mandatory only when calibrating a recording machine. With walkman's the "highest treble response" method is good enough (i tested it and it is correct within +/- 60 degrees). Anyway if you hear traces of other tracks, i find it hard to believe it is just an azimuth issue: either it is way way off or ther head height might be the problem.
if it is the other side track it would be louder on one side, left right, than the other. sence one head is closer to the track than the other ? it might be picking up from the wires of the other heads uses 4 heads autorevers or the electronic head switching is not perfect sometimes. might be weak capacitors too not likely an azimuth issue
At the moment, I've got original Xboxes on the bench. I hope to finish those today. Then I've got some more SMD training boards to build and get more experience with, and hopefully by early June, the eagerly awaited capacitors will be here and I can settle down to all the walkman units that have been breeding here.
