Hello! I have this Denon DR-M30HX that doesn't play my tapes, it just keeps stopping automatically whenever it wants to. I have changed the belts but that didn't work. Could it be the pinch rollers? They don't look too good, and besides, the capstan is rusty, is that bad? I'll add a photo, hope you can see it. Do you know what size of pinch rollers this deck needs? I haven't been able to figure it out. I'll also add a link to a YouTube clip I have of my cassette deck, I hope you can hear and see it
I am very surprised that you would even put a cassette into anything with rusted parts that comes in contact with the tape. My recommendation to you is don’t use it again until you find a good tech that can give the deck a complete overhaul, looking at the state it’s in I would say an overhaul will not be cheap.
I agree with @TooCooL4 ! Personally would never put a tape in such a unit before servicing it because it will get contaminated, contamination which will get into other devices you use that tape on. I'm not familiar with this deck, so I can't say what exactly the problem is. There is more than one type of auto-stop mechanism out there: some are triggered electronically through optical sensors, some are mechanical. In most cases the auto-stop is triggered by the takeup reel not rotating, so I would check the takeup torque. There can be idler tires which drive that takeup reel that slip and can cause such an issue. About the pinch roller, it is very likely a 13x8x2mm standard one (the vast majority of decks use this one) by the looks of it: https://fixyouraudio.com/product/pinch-roller-13x8x2mm/ Given the condition of it (rubber is bulged and cracked on the tape contact area) I would replace it just in order to not ruin tapes that I put in it. It's unlikely this is the source of your problem, however it needs to be replaced anyway. Note that capstan will also need to be adressed: clean it thoroughly with alcohol then use ferric chloride on a cotton swab to roughen it (this should also get rid of 90-95% the rust). And of course a full overhaul is definetly recommended ! Most of these old devices will need more than just new rubber.
Okay, hmm .. this doesn't sound cheap. I'll take it apart, change the pinch rollers, check the idler tire, and scrape off the rust. If that doesn't do anything I'll buy a working one. Thank you for taking the time to answer me! And for the record: I did not put my copy of Sticky Fingers by the Rolling Stones in the deck, but an old broken cassette, so no worries there
Hello, i just happened to have bought the same deck two weeks ago. You can download the service manual here: https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/denon/dr-m30hx.shtml This deck has two optical sensors which detect the mouvements of the reels. If they don't move the autostop kicks in. The idler which moves them most probably slips. idler tire: outer diameter: 16,8mm inner diameter: 10,9mm width: 2,45mm small belt: diameter: 52mm width: 4,2mm large belt: diameter: 78mm width: 4,2mm Left pinch roller: height 10,00 mm, width of core 8,44 mm, width of rubber 7,30 mm, hole diameter 2,00 mm. Right pinch roller: height 13,00 mm, width of core 8,45 mm, width of rubber 7,30 mm, hole diameter 2,00 mm. The right capstan is sand blasted to assure good traction. Do not use anything mechanically abrasive to clean it. Use Acetone (nail varnish remover) with a cotton bud FOR METAL PARTS ONLY plastic/rubber parts may melt!!! I also recommend Fixyouraudio for spare parts.
