Re: Help! DAT stuck in unresponsive deck


"ap" <mybbsemail@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1141293246.174662.173700@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It's a Sony A7. There were no signs of trouble. Tape is in good shape
and was playing well. I rewound to beginning, then tried to eject and
got no response. When pushing play, the triangle indicator on the
screen comes on, but the tape doesn't move. None of the other buttons
do anything either.

Worst of all, the client's tape will not eject.

The caution light is not on. I've tried leaving the unit on for an
hour, as offered in the manual as a remedy for condensation. I've tried
turning it off and on. When powering on, you can see the tape move just
a teeny smidge.

(1)My main concern right now is getting this tape out. Any suggestions?
Secret manual override button? I don't mind taking it apart if it can
be done by a non-expert without destroying the machine. I've
successfully done this sort of thing a few times before, but know
nothing about DAT machines and what kind of special considerations
there may be.

(2)As for the future of this machine, I've checked around and see that
this is common on Sony. They offer a kit to fix the tensioning problem,
but at $80+labor, I don't think it's worth it. Would it be possible to
hardwire a switch to the door's servo to force it to open at will? I'm
thinking, wishfully perhaps, that once it cycles through an
ejection/reload, it will play ok each time.



If you are lucky, the problem is due to a stretched and slipping loading
belt and the tape is stuck in a not fully loaded position so it wont play or
eject. If you can hear motors running intermittently but nothing happening
when you power up, this is a good indication of this problem, which is
reasonably common.

You can salvage the tape by removing the mechanism complete from the
chassis. This is usully not that difficult (I don't know this particular
machine). Try and locate the screws that hold the bottom part (where the
transport is) onto the chassis. DO NOT inadvertently remove the screws that
hold the loading mechanism onto the transport because you may not be able to
align it back together again. What you need to do is remove the transport
with the loading mechanism still attatched. There will be a few cables to
detatch.

Once you have the complete machanism out of the machine, you can usually
turn the loading mechanism cogs by hand - find the motor, belt and cog
assemblies that move the cassette carrier and tray and turn what you can
with your finger - the tape may slowly be ejected from the mech intact. If
the tape has been partially loaded towards the head, things will be much
more difficult as the loading mechanism won't move until the tape is fully
back into the cassette. Then you will have to find the cogs that drive the
tape onto the head and move the tape back home.

Get a new loading belt and you may have solved the problem.




Good luck and be very careful.




Gareth.







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