Malfunction with Philips dcc900

Recorders, Players, etc.
1

Hi everybody, I have a problem:
I bought a Philips DCC900 deck sold as fully functional on eBay. Actually, as soon as I got it, I tried it and it has the following problems:

  1. when playing DCC tapes, side A ALMOST ALWAYS works well; sometimes, however, the signal “skips” like when skipping the CD.
  2. Reproducing side B this problem almost always arises.
  3. the analogue cassettes have a volume equal to zero, practically imperceptible, so much so that the meter does not mark any notch.
  4. sometimes the cassettes, especially the DCC, turn “whistle” (a “mechanical” whistle, not a signal.
    A specialized technician here in Italy told me that it is probably sufficient to change the capacitors and that the whistle could be due to the cassettes that are a little old.
    What do you advise me to do? Do I try to repair it or return it? (ps: I paid 170 euros for it and it is in excellent aesthetic condition).
    Thanks for your patience and congratulations for the awesome forum!

–
narduro

PS: I made a video to show the problem, but, as always happens in these cases, there was no audio skipping when playing the B side of the digital cassette: - YouTube

2

Hi and welcome.
Your deck seems to not be restored or not restored correctly.
As the capacitors start leaking, analog tape playback will go first. This is clearly shown in your video and a concern. If the capacitors are not replaced DCC playback will go soon as well.

I would return the unit if possible or get a refund so you can repair it.
You will have to stop using it immediately until the repair is done, to prevent head damage.

2 Likes
3

hello and thanks for answering me. the technician I asked for the repair told me that the replacement of the capacitors would cost me about 100 euros. Since the machine will have to be opened and taken apart, I will also ask him to replace the 3 belts. what else should be done to use the deck for quite a few years without anxieties or worries?

Narduro

4

Hi,
If you do the pinch rollers as well, you should be fine for years to come.

1 Like
5

here is another video where you can clearly hear the whistle I mentioned in my first message. Moreover, as you can see, at first side A is silent (we also notice some uncertainties in the advancement of the counter …); I switch sides and the music plays correctly. At that point, returning to side A, the music plays normally this time.