Hi all. I have a Phillips DCC 600 that will only play normal tapes. It does say DCC when i place a DCC tape in the drawer. However no life on VU meter and no sound. The sound is fine on normal tapes. Does this require a recap? And if so only the board on the tape unit? Or is it bad news and means the head is pooched? Many thanks in advance.
If the analog tape plays fine, at least it means that the head is partially working. If you hear any wow/flutter with analog tapes, the problem is probably that the pinch rollers need to be replaced.
Put the recorder in Service Mode (download the service manual to find out how) and check which tracks are working and which ones aren’t. The display during playback in service mode should read 000000000 most of the time. If you’re seeing one of a few 1’s, chances are that the head is just dirty. You can clean it with isopropyl and a cotton swab. Always rub top to bottom, not left to right.
If most digits on the service mode display are 1, it may mean your head is bad and needs to be replaced. But as I said, the fact that it pays analog cassettes means that there is a good chance that this is not the problem.
It’s possible that the capacitors on your read/ write board are bad but this is not common for 2nd generation machines.
===Jac
Hi Jac,
Thank you for the reply. I have cleaned the head as described. I have downloaded the service manual, but I can’t get the machine in service mode without a tape in.When a tape is inserted i keep putting it into record mode and not sevice mode. Playing and analogue tape the sound is crisp and steady even after playing for an hour or so. I assume the read/write board is the board on the side of the drive unit that the head is connected to? I have just recapped a Marantz DD-82 but the internal are totally different on the 600
Hi Workshopboy,
First press Dolby B/C and rec.pause simultaneously, then press Play.
Good luck!
Henrie
Thank you Henrie. Will give that a go