Hello there, as I mentioned in my "Introducing myself" thread, I recently got into the world of Walkman and Cassettes with my newly bought Sony WM-D6. I bought it with the mind of creating my "physical music play lists", which is also called "mixtape" somewhere in the world. It's a nice and clean machine when I'm just looking at it. (And I don't know how, but it smells good, too!) But the problems comes up as I put my cassettes in and play them. I've found four of them so far, and I'll list them below: 1. There's a crack noise when playing, FF-ing or RWD-ing. I think it comes from a broken gear. The crack noise may not come from the capstan, as the frequency of the noise is the same during playback and during FF or RWD. 2. The playback comes with noticeable wow & flutter, if I understand the term "wow & flutter" rightly. Or so to say, the sound coming out of the playback is distorted. But the sound is completely normal when I'm monitoring the audio while recording. So I think the problem here is that the tape playing speed is not constant. 3. This problem could be coming from the same source of the wow & flutter problem. It's that the speed of the motor is not very constant. The speed is at the highest when the Play-button is just pressed, then after a fraction of a second the speed comes back to normal. 4. The REC-Level knob just comes off with very little of strength. This couldn't be normal, right? Those are the problems I found so far. And I also made video which demonstrates those problems, I'll attach it below: I did manage to find a local service shop which said that they could help with my Walkman, and they are asking a price for about 100 euros (around 118$). Is that a reasonable price? I actually think it's not worth it, as the price is almost half of the price which I paid for the Walkman already. In the end, I hope the problems I mentioned could be easier or cheaper fixed. This thread is getting longer as I thought. Thank you guys for the time and patience. I look forward to your responses, and I wish you guys a nice weekend. Anthony PS: I recently bought some more Walkmans. They are all small ones. Two of them are working properly, the other one of them needs a new belt, and all three of them are gorgeous. I think I'll open a new thread when I get all three of them working to share my experience with you guys. Here's a picture of them:
Hello .. it seems to me that when it is in the ff or rwd phase ... it turns the other way around ... I don't understand if it is an optical effect due to the camera or is it really so
Hello Silver965, thanks for your reply. I checked again after seeing your reply, it does look kinda confusing in the video. But the FF and RWD is going in the right direction in reality, otherwise I would be too dumb to haven't found it out.
€100 to have it serviced / fixed is not over the top. If you think that is too much, you should sell it. Anyone can save up a one-off cost to buy something. They should always first look into can they afford to run it?
Hello TooCool4, thanks for your reply. Yes, what you said is a lesson I just learned. I as a new comer didn't think about the possibility that, getting the device running could be as complicated as finding it. But I'm not selling it, at least not for now. I don't want to jump out from the Walkman world right after I came in. It's just a "brutal" truth which a new comer like me needs time to accept. If in the end that's the price I have to pay to stay on course, I will have no choice but to pay it.
Hey happy you took the advice like it was meant, too many people take it the wrong way. It’s always best to do research before parting with your money, good luck in the getting the unit fixed. Once working they are lovely sounding units.
Hello and welcome to Stereo2go. The D6 is superb walkman but they were only manufactured between 1982 and 1984, so are now between 34 and 36 years old and at the age where they need some maintenance work. The two main problems are that the rubber parts (pinch roller, flywheel tyre, belts and idlers) are deteriorating and that the five potted hybrid modules are starting to fail. These modules are the mute module, 2 x EQ switching module and the CP601 and CP602 modules which control the motor speed. I notice, from your video, that you are getting a fast repetative knocking sound when the motor is running. This sounds like an indentation in the capstan flywheel tyre. This is usually caused when a walkman is left in "play" with flat batteries for a period of time. The motor drive spindle is pressed against the flywheel and leaves a permanent dent in it. You can buy replacement rubber parts from Mihokm, who is a member on this forum, either on Ebay or via his website - www.fixyouraudio.com. I notice a distinctive double click when you start and stop the walkman, either in play or FF or REW. I'm wondering if the mute module has started to fail (which causes distorted and faded sound output) and somebody has removed it. Even with a working mute module, you will get a noticeable click on the headphone outputs when starting and stopping. Sony added additional muting transistors on the headphone amp outputs on the D6C to overcome this. If the mute module has been removed, the click will be louder and if you plug the line output into an amplifier, you will get very loud thumps through the speakers when you start and stop the D6. I think the wow and flutter is due to either the CP602 motor drive module failing or the CP601 FG amplifier module failing. In both cases these will cause the motor to run fast. They fail intermittently at first and gradually get worse, until the motor runs fast all the time. I have reverse engineered the mute, EQ and CP601 modules and have replacements available for sale on Ebay. I cannot manufacture replacements for the CP602 as it includes the CX20024 IC, which is no longer available. It is possible to repair these modules and I have posted the method here: Sony WM-D6 Motor runs fast; Repair of CP602 Servo Circuit Unit. I always recommend getting this done as a preventative measure when overhauling a D6 since CP602 failure is a common problem now. Finally I wouldn't worry too much about the knob on recording level pot. They are a push fit on the D6s. Later Sony changed the knob to one which is fitted onto the potentiometer with a screw. The repair price of 100 Euros sounds rather low for the work needed on your D6 (new rubber parts, replace 4 potted modules and repair the CP602 as well as clean and lubricate). What work do they propose to carry out? You need to find this out before handing your D6 over to them. As to whether it is worth spending the money on the D6, you have got your D6 for a very good price and it appears to be in good condition apart from the problems which you have mentioned. If you get it working properly, it will be a very nice sounding machine which will outperform quite a few full sized decks.
The procrastination got me. It's almost a year(almost) since I last checked this forum. I managed to replace the rubber parts and adjust the tape speed according to service manual. It was working well enough for me so I was happy and forgot about the hidden issues inside this little thing. And I was busy studying and ...... Yeah I got many reasons for procrastinating. But I can't procrastinate forever, can I? My D6 is showing its ages recently, running too fast now and then. The recording is still packed with wow & flutter. Only the good smell remains the same(I sounded kinda perv here, didn't I?) Yes, it's time. I have to fix this little thing, or it will eventually be lost forever. I've read your repair instructions many times and I think it's too overwhelming for me. I'm not very familiar with soldering, and I'm afraid that I'll break the Walkman with my own hands. So I came here again for help. Are you still available for a repair request, Mr. Deb? I'll send you a PM.
I recently got a D6 which almost definitely was damaged by using an power adaptor with the wrong polarity. The wrong adaptor was sent with the unit, of course! It had a few issues that I resolved that were mechanical, but now I am wondering about next steps to repair the damage incurred. I am experiencing off and on speed fluctuations and even intermittent stopping. I read through a couple of other forum entries with similar problems, but no links to this sellers product and I wonder if this plug and play solution from eBay may work. https://www.ebay.com/itm/CP601-Ampl...p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0
Hi Benjamin and welcome to Stereo2go. Fortunately the D6 is a bit more robust than the D6C when faced with unsuitable power supplies. That said, you should still be very careful to make sure that any supply you use is of the correct voltage and polarity and not a switch mode type supply. Normally the first thing to fail on a D6, when it is plugged into a reverse polarity supply, is the DC-DC converter. If this fails, the D6 will run fast as the FG amplifier, which amplifies the feedback pulses from the capstan sensor coil, is powered from the 11.2V rail. Also this rail powers the Dolby chips so you won't get any sound out either. If your D6 is running at the correct speed part of the time then your DC-DC converter is working. More importantly, the unobtainium CX20024 chip on the CP602 module is working. I think you may have multiple problems. A very common problem is the potted CP602 module failing. When the CP602 starts to fail, the motor runs fast intermittently, in short bursts at first. As the problem gets worse, the fast running becomes more common. You may also notice the motor creeping when the D6 is supposed to be off. All of the potted modules will eventually fail. I think this is due to the chemical properties of the potting compound and the green solder resist, along with the passage of time. The CP601 is also likely to fail, so it would be worth replacing it when you restore the D6. When a CP601 starts to fail, it also causes the motor to run fast in occasional short bursts at first. I have manufactured replacements for four of the potted modules on the D6 (mute, 2 x EQ switching, FG amplifier) which I have for sale on Ebay (I am Scribbler_92). Unfortunately I cannot make replacements for the CP602 as I cannot get hold of replacement CX20024 ICs. It is, however, possible to repair the CP602 and I have posted instructions on how to do this here: Sony WM-D6 Motor runs fast; Repair of CP602 Servo Circuit Unit. A failing CP602 doesn't normally cause the D6 to stop. This sounds like a separate problem. It could be an intermittent power connection or a mechanical issue. Does the capstan still turn? Does the motor stop altogether? One possibility may be the motor itself. If the armature does not rotate freely then part of the ceramic magnetic core may have broken off and become lodged inside the motor. In which case you may need to take the motor apart and clean it.
Thank you! This is great information. The stopping may just be low batteries- lol. The unit definitely runs fast just about all the time. The unit does have sound and when it does occasionally have a relatively close to accurate sound, it sounds awesome. I have a D6C and a few TC-D5Ms that all share a 6V center negative AC adaptor. It really just seems to be a speed issue. I also just received a tyre set and a couple of belts from Mikolm. It sounds like I need that plug and play scribbler part!
Also, I saw a seller on eBay that seems to be selling individual CX20084 chips as well as a set of 5. Is this interchangeable between the D6C and D6?
The CX20084 is used on the D6C but not on the D6. In my opinion, this is a design fault on the D6C as the CX20084 is very easily damaged, especially when run from a 6V supply. Sony changed the design of the D6C in 2001 so the last ones made used the CX069 chip instead. You will need to repair the CP602 module first to sort out the speed problem.
I went to the internet to find about information on the cost of repairing My wm-d6. And a second or third link down brought me back to here as I was recommended by another member to look you up to have my machines repaired by you, but I can't find any place where you advertise that you do repairs. Today 12 July 2024 in the Walkman gallery I posted pictures of mine with brief descriptions of how they work or don't work. decentman4you2007@gmail.com Please send me information to the above email address. If you're repairing these d6 and d6c and dd9 I have two of each model, I also have three d3s I'd like to get at least one of those repaired and I like to get them all working. I'd appreciate any info you can share. Thank you.
