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Having Issues with a Sony DAT recorder, need advice.

P

Person123

Owner of gadgets
Hi guys.
The Machine I'm using is a Sony DTC-750.
The problem with the machine is that it looses the ABS timecode when I rewind or fast foward and mutes the sound, I have to record to get the sound and code back. But that's not the only problem, it occasionally plays back the recordings distorted or worse, the take up spindle jams and slips along. The weird thing is when it works properly it sounds fine, but it won't work properly for long periods of time. Chances are that when I turn it on, it won't work properly.
My guess is that there is a dodge capacitor on the transport control board.
Any advice would be greatly appropriated.
 
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It's likely that your Sony has mechanical issues with gummy grease and oozing felt pads in the clutches. There have been threads about rebuilding Sony DAT transports in the past. They are not (imo) the greatest decks, mechanically.

Marc
 
Tinman said:
It's likely that your Sony has mechanical issues with gummy grease and oozing felt pads in the clutches. There have been threads about rebuilding Sony DAT transports in the past. They are not (imo) the greatest decks, mechanically.

Marc
Click to expand...

Interesting, what do you suggest for solving that problem?
 
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Person123 said:
Interesting, what do you suggest for solving that problem?
Click to expand...

Getting it looked at and fixed! :D

And you need to find out if that IS the problem. Sony also suffered from leaking surface mount capacitors for a while. But that's a whole other can of worms. It COULD also be as simple as a slipping belt....

I'm not going to tell you to tear apart a DAT mechanism, especially if you have never worked on one before. It'll likely be fatal. Like I said, there are threads on DAT drives.... read up on it, but unless you are experienced working with TINY, FIDDLY tape drives, I'd leave it to someone who is.
 
I have not opened up a DTC-750 but I would assume it shares a transport with the other decks I've seen.

Having said that, your first symptom sounds like a dirty head or misaligned guide posts or both. But the second symptom could also be adding to the problem of tape guides.

The second symptom sounds like accumulated dirt or worn out pressure pads.

If the deck has not been used for a long while, it may just need excercising.

Take a short cassette (60 or 90 minute long) and start by winding and rewinding it.

Having done that at least 50 + 50 times, try playing back a scrap tape. You should see an improvement. If not there is little anyone can do without properly servicing it.

Hoping you succesfully overcome the second problem, attack the first:

Record silence over a cassette. The longest the better (takes more time without intervention). Repeat that at least 5 times, or until FFing the tape doesn't cause loss of time code display.

And, of cource, using a head cleaning tape in between these cycles won't hurt.

If the deck was never abused and/or stored in extreme conditions, the above is likely to fix it. If after a few cycles of recording silence you observe an improvement, keep on repeating even after the 5 cycles suggested with a cycle of cleaning tape in between.
 
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Tinman said:
Getting it looked at and fixed! :D

And you need to find out if that IS the problem. Sony also suffered from leaking surface mount capacitors for a while. But that's a whole other can of worms. It COULD also be as simple as a slipping belt....

I'm not going to tell you to tear apart a DAT mechanism, especially if you have never worked on one before. It'll likely be fatal. Like I said, there are threads on DAT drives.... read up on it, but unless you are experienced working with TINY, FIDDLY tape drives, I'd leave it to someone who is.
Click to expand...
Well I took it to a repair place and got charged $200 for nothing. So I've been a bit clueless about what to do with it. They claim they replaced the head assembly, but I see no difference what so ever. I took it back to that same place 5 times and they said they was nothing wrong.
My guess is that the distortion is being caused by the capacitors because it usually goes away when I record and play back (sometime it doesn't), but that's just a theory, I'm no expert.
 
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SaSi said:
I have not opened up a DTC-750 but I would assume it shares a transport with the other decks I've seen.

Having said that, your first symptom sounds like a dirty head or misaligned guide posts or both. But the second symptom could also be adding to the problem of tape guides.

The second symptom sounds like accumulated dirt or worn out pressure pads.

If the deck has not been used for a long while, it may just need excercising.

Take a short cassette (60 or 90 minute long) and start by winding and rewinding it.

Having done that at least 50 + 50 times, try playing back a scrap tape. You should see an improvement. If not there is little anyone can do without properly servicing it.

Hoping you succesfully overcome the second problem, attack the first:

Record silence over a cassette. The longest the better (takes more time without intervention). Repeat that at least 5 times, or until FFing the tape doesn't cause loss of time code display.

And, of cource, using a head cleaning tape in between these cycles won't hurt.

If the deck was never abused and/or stored in extreme conditions, the above is likely to fix it. If after a few cycles of recording silence you observe an improvement, keep on repeating even after the 5 cycles suggested with a cycle of cleaning tape in between.
Click to expand...
I have been recording with it over and over, and yet nothing, no result.
Well I did notice that there are 2 black dots on the head, but if it sometimes works, I don't see how that could be the cause. Hmm misaligned guide posts and worn out pressure pads, how do I fix them? I have an old DDS3 drive, can I exchange parts with it.
 
I would (humbly) add to Sasi's answer that you may also suspect the RF amp.

Replacing it solves a problem similar to yours (but stronger) on my 59ES (almost no sound nor timecode).
 
The black dots ARE the heads. Don't TOUCH them. They break off like a shard of glass.

The RF amp... good call. Probably has those silver surface mount capacitors in it. I have re-capped every one of them in 8mm decks due to noise and loss of signal. DAT = same thing, smaller parts.

Marc
 
This is the result I get in long play mode. Download 005-2010-10-21 16_40_06.wav (4.0 MB) for free on uploading.com
Tinman said:
The black dots ARE the heads. Don't TOUCH them. They break off like a shard of glass.

The RF amp... good call. Probably has those silver surface mount capacitors in it. I have re-capped every one of them in 8mm decks due to noise and loss of signal. DAT = same thing, smaller parts.

Marc
Click to expand...
Could I use components from a DDS-3 drive, I have a Sony SDT-9000 and a Seagate STD22400N.
 
Person123 said:
Could I use components from a DDS-3 drive, I have a Sony SDT-9000 and a Seagate STD22400N.
Click to expand...
I would be surprised. The RF amp is a small shielded box located at the rear of the transport and wired from one side to the heads and from the other to the main board.
 
On this website you will find a lot of information about DAT, especially Sony:
http://www.datrecorders.co.uk

Sony DAT transport mechanisms share more a less the same design (and parts). For example the one used by the 750 is very similar to the one used on the 57ES.

So if you want to retrieve parts you should search primarily for another 750, or a 57ES or even 670, 59Es, 690. The 2700 has a four heads system so it should be quite different.

From my point of view it is only interesting if the price is very low: you are not sure that the parts you need are in good condition and some skills in DIY are requested.

It could be less expensive to buy a fully functional unit.
 
hdrobien said:
On this website you will find a lot of information about DAT, especially Sony:
http://www.datrecorders.co.uk

Sony DAT transport mechanisms share more a less the same design (and parts). For example the one used by the 750 is very similar to the one used on the 57ES.

So if you want to retrieve parts you should search primarily for another 750, or a 57ES or even 670, 59Es, 690. The 2700 has a four heads system so it should be quite different.

From my point of view it is only interesting if the price is very low: you are not sure that the parts you need are in good condition and some skills in DIY are requested.

It could be less expensive to buy a fully functional unit.
Click to expand...
Well, I got the recorder $180 and if it worked it would have been a bargain considering the other machines are at least $380. So at the moment I can really only afford one other broken machine. I don't plan on fixing it my self, I know someone who fixes VCRs, cassette players, amps and all that stuff, I just need to tell what could be wrong with it.
Although if I was to chuck this machine and buy another one, what's your advice?
 
Don't be too much surprised if you buy a machine way under the market price.

Here in France you can find machines in good condition for 150 € and much less for faulty machines.

I payed 10 € for a 690 (faulty, bad cosmetic condition, no remote), 10€ for a 59ES (faulty, good cosmetic condition, wood panels, remote) and 20 € for a 55ES (faulty, average cosmetic condition, wood panels, no remote). Two of them are now fully functional and the last one should be soon.

Most of the time the Sony DAT are down due for mechanism that locks. So buying another broken machine could be quite useless unless you are sure that the problem is elsewhere (mainboard, power...).

My advice:
- clean the mechanism (could suppress the "take up spindle" problem)
- find a new RF amp (could suppress the "time code / mute" problem if heads have really been replaced)
 
hdrobien said:
Don't be too much surprised if you buy a machine way under the market price.

Here in France you can find machines in good condition for 150 € and much less for faulty machines.

I payed 10 € for a 690 (faulty, bad cosmetic condition, no remote), 10€ for a 59ES (faulty, good cosmetic condition, wood panels, remote) and 20 € for a 55ES (faulty, average cosmetic condition, wood panels, no remote). Two of them are now fully functional and the last one should be soon.

Most of the time the Sony DAT are down due for mechanism that locks. So buying another broken machine could be quite useless unless you are sure that the problem is elsewhere (mainboard, power...).

My advice:
- clean the mechanism (could suppress the "take up spindle" problem)
- find a new RF amp (could suppress the "time code / mute" problem if heads have really been replaced)
Click to expand...

Well, it doesn't seem as though my machine has many mechanical problems, I think you're right about the RF amp. It must be causing it to loose the tape's code and jam.
I'll ask the guy I know if he can get a new RF amp, but if he can't is there a Sony parts site I can go to? What does an RF amp cost?
 
Apparently most of Sony DAT player from the consummer line share the same RF amp (at least 57/59/670/690/750) which should make the replacement easier.
 
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