Car Cassette Deck-1 Channel Dead

[JR NORTH]

Realistic Am/Fm Auto-Reverse Tape Deck
The tuner and output/line level amps are ok on both channels. The
cassette deck left channel is very weak-right channel OK. I adjusted the
head for best freq. response but still no left channel. Auto reverse
decks use 4 channel head and switch the channel pairs for rev. So, it
can't be 1 dead channel in the playback head, as the left channel is
dead both directions. Ditto for the phase switch. Preamp? Or am I
missing something?
JR

 

[mark]

Look for an open or high esr cap mabe between the head and pre-amp
circuits.

 

[Ray L. Volts]

Realistic Am/Fm Auto-Reverse Tape Deck
The tuner and output/line level amps are ok on both channels. The
cassette deck left channel is very weak-right channel OK. I adjusted the
head for best freq. response but still no left channel. Auto reverse
decks use 4 channel head and switch the channel pairs for rev. So, it
can't be 1 dead channel in the playback head, as the left channel is
dead both directions. Ditto for the phase switch. Preamp? Or am I
missing something?
JR

Bad caps are often the cause of weak or distorted channels. You could use
an ESR meter and start checkin those electrolytics down the line. ESR isn't
the last word in capacitor analysis, but it does help find bad ones in many
cases. As a last resort, substitute the electrolytics in the bad channel
one by one.

Of course, after you've fixed the actual problem, you may find output still
isn't up to par, as you've misaligned the head azimuth. Easy enough to
correct for best APPARENT sound, but doing a proper job involves an
alignment tape and a scope with a vector (X-Y) mode -- you have to adjust
not only for amplitude but also zero phase shift between the two channels.

 

[Franc Zabkar]

Realistic Am/Fm Auto-Reverse Tape Deck
The tuner and output/line level amps are ok on both channels. The
cassette deck left channel is very weak-right channel OK. I adjusted the
head for best freq. response but still no left channel. Auto reverse
decks use 4 channel head and switch the channel pairs for rev. So, it
can't be 1 dead channel in the playback head, as the left channel is
dead both directions. Ditto for the phase switch. Preamp? Or am I
missing something?
JR

I had a similar problem with a Fujitsu Ten player. IIRC, the problem
was either a broken flex cable, or a dirty switch.


- Franc Zabkar