Panasonic AJ-D230E doesn't read/play tapes

[Real_Smoky]

Hello, everyone! I hope this is the right place to ask - if not, I am very sorry.

I have a Panasonic AJ-D230E. The device turns on, the menus seem to work. The device accepts a tape, as in it "swallows" it, it prepares it for playing, but after that, it does not play the tape and all the related functions like play, pause, eject etc. don't work.

Does anyone have an idea how to diagnose the problem?

THANKS! 

[Kilrah]

-> Moved to Hobby Electronics

 

Looks like the service manual is available, so would start going through that.

[da na]

Do you hear the sound of the motor? Could be that the playback mechanisms work fine, but the belt to the capstans has snapped or gone loose, so the tape transport is incapable of spinning the reels.

[Needfuldoer]

Take the lid off and watch the tape transport mechanism when you insert a tape. I bet it's gummed up and not moving through its whole range of motion properly.

[Real_Smoky]

On 5/22/2024 at 9:19 PM, Kilrah said:

-> Moved to Hobby Electronics

 

Looks like the service manual is available, so would start going through that.

 

On 5/22/2024 at 9:24 PM, da na said:

Do you hear the sound of the motor? Could be that the playback mechanisms work fine, but the belt to the capstans has snapped or gone loose, so the tape transport is incapable of spinning the reels.

 

On 5/22/2024 at 9:26 PM, Needfuldoer said:

Take the lid off and watch the tape transport mechanism when you insert a tape. I bet it's gummed up and not moving through its whole range of motion properly.

Thanks, everyone!

So, there is a service manual and the devices has probes that should tell you what is wrong with the device. However, the manual doesn't really explain what values you should expect from the probes. How is one supposed to know this or find it out?

Thanks!

[Needfuldoer]

2 minutes ago, Real_Smoky said:

Thanks, everyone!

So, there is a service manual and the devices has probes that should tell you what is wrong with the device. However, the manual doesn't really explain what values you should expect from the probes. How is one supposed to know this or find it out?

Thanks!

There should be sensors or limit switches that track the cassette's movement. If it's not getting far enough to fully engage the tape, the deck might not 'realize' there's a tape fully inserted.

 

Take the cover off the deck and watch what it does while it ingests a cassette. 

 

 

This is a difficult problem to diagnose in text, since it could be caused by a number of mechanical or electronic issues.