Hi,
I recently bought a Philips dcc cassette 60 min. which makes noises when playing and recording, around 6 kHz or so. Maybe higher. It is not possible to make a recording with the cassette. The cassette makes an inconspicuous impression when playing (I took off the housing cover for observation).
Does anyone know this problem and may know if it is possible to repair the cartridge?
Regards
Michael
Hi,
Yes, it is the felt pad, that can be replaced.
Here is the video explaining this:
Hi,
thank you for the embedded video! I will do this like that.
(a few seconds before I got your answer I found the video on the museum’s youtube channel. Next time I’ll look there before I post, sorry)
Thank You!
Michael
No worries. We are here to help if we can.
Ralf
Hi Ralf,
after cleaning the pad it got much better with the cassette. I can now record what was not possible before. However, there is still a small “squeeze” and there are lots of dropouts.
I then looked at the holding structure of the pad and noticed that it is made up of several metal tongues.
I suspect that the whirring noise comes from the fact that the thin copper sheet that carries the pad itself and the two sheet steel tongues are made to vibrate by the tape transport.
And, if I’ve seen it correctly, the copper and sheet steel tongues are only slightly pressed against each other, so that the vibrations from the tape transport could cause the sheet metal tongues to hit each other.
Is there a way to disassemble the cassette and replace or modify the pad’s support structure?
Michael
The structure is usually not the problem. If the squeeze still remains, the felt pad is at the end of its life.
You can order replacements in the shop. It is a fairly easy process, but you have to be careful not to damage the metal holding the felt pad
Thank you for your help. I have ordered some felt pads in the shop and a gear just in case. Luckily i have a tool like the one seen in the youtube video.