At your own risk.
If your TC-D5 PRO cries it does not mean it is thirsty.
And if it eats cassette tape it does not mean it is hungry.
The belt moving the take up spool may be slack or permanently deformed. This is memory.
It is recommended a TC-D5 specialist do the servicing.
If you have to do it yourself do not even think of not using a service manual. You must have experience in replacing belts to other tape recorders. Walkman belt is an easy starting point. You must also have experience with electronics including destroying irreversibly a lot of equipment.
The service manual shows in photos the steps to arrive at the belt.
Do not even think of starting unless: you feel well, have helped people the previous days free of charge, have a cassette playing baroque masterpieces on another cassette player to keep you calm and happy.
At the most critical moment while you are holding the delicate motor assembly with your left hand and the small spring with your right hand the girl that does this all the time may send you an SMS for meeting. It is the girl that disappears for months and always comes back at such moments. A girl you have chosen to not have sex with. Do not even think of reacting to the SMS. Just carry on calmly your work as if nothing has happened.
Before you start, put a soft tissue on an extra clean table or bench and place your Sony upside down.
Before you start it is worth checking what is working and what is not.
As of writing this, Adagio in G minor - Albinoni is being played on the TC-D5 PRO listened through the HD580 headphones at excellent quality. Vivaldi mandolin concerto too. How nice does it sound. The mandolins, strings, harpsichord like real instruments in your head. It is pure chance that the TC-D5 PRO made it so well!
Immediately after the back panel is removed take photos of all those color wires, it may save you.
After the circuit board screws are removed, take many deep breaths.
The black wire on the left bottom corner has to be unsoldered.
Try to lift the circuit board from the bottom side in the most delicate way possible. It may take 10 minutes.
As you gradually increase the height you will see what wires are on the way and have to carefully slide them underneath the felt securing tapes. They are very thin, be extra careful.
Do as the manual shows for removing the motor spring.
Before removing it from the motor side note where the other side is going just in case it is removed as a whole. Murphy's law says it will happen. It will save you hours of guessing. Be careful, the TC-D5 manual shows a different place to fasten the other side of the spring from what is done on the TC-D5 PRO and TC-D5M.
Then the motor assembly can be removed as shown in the manual.
Use a belt thin as the original.
Replace and tighten carefully the motor assembly.
The free side of the spring can be hugged by a wire wrap loop to help you move it towards the motor tightening point. So do this before replacing the motor assembly. You may need the help of an extra tool to position the spring exactly in place. This is when the girl will strike.
The wirewrap loop can then be carefully cut. Keep it in a special drawer, it has helped you a lot.
Be even more careful when replacing the circuit board. A tiny resistor from the other side of the playback board might for example had been bent all the time while your attention was at the motor assembly and then you may wonder why the circuit board does not sit exactly flat.
The job may take hours or preferably be split on 2 days so that you do everything in the most calm way.
Reverse the processes until you find yourself to a nice looking TC-D5 PRO.
It is worth checking basic functions after securing the circuit board.
Do not forget to bring back up the black wire before securing the playback circuit board, so you can then resolder it.
Do not attempt this unless you really have to.
If you do it patiently and slowly your TC-D5 will sound like new.
He who sails slowly sails far away.
References:
TC-D5 PRO service manual
Tao Te Ching - Lao Tzu - free PDF
(To understand why the girl comes back at these moments) Fringe Knowledge for Beginers - Montalk - free PDF
This truly made me satisfied :D Just spent like two days reassembling this puzzle, and countless times i had to tear apart the whole thing because of some tiny screw or spring falling inside
ReplyDeletemy Sony TC-D5M needs repair and i can't afford to fix it. is anyone out there interested?
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