I Recently acquired a Walkman II which worked fine once i installed a new belt. I had bought a pinch roller too however i decided not to install it at first as the pinch roller in it seemed to be gripping just fine, wow and flutter was excellent too. However after going through a number of tapes, i noticed a couple of them derailed from the tape path causing damage from the tape. At first i thought it was the tape itself, however i soon found it was the tape path in the Walkman itself I adjusted the tape path screw on the left side of the device to see if that would do anything, and it did not, so i set it back to its factory position. Afterwords I decided to replace the pinch roller with the one i had bought from Marian Mihokm. Things were better however the problem remained. looking at the tape as it derailed, it was clear that the tape was moving “up” (from looking at the tape path from the bottom, see photo) after looking at the pinch roller, i realised that the roller was shaped in a way in which the surface of the roller was not flat (see 2nd photo) the original roller was like this too, however for the sake of it, i decided to remove and flip the roller to see if the flatter surface on the other side, would prevent the tape from going off. Yet upon reassembly, the problem persisted. Im really out of ideas as to what could be causing this, i dont think it could be the roller since with the reversal, the tape derailed in the same direction. I appreciate any input! image 1: the tape during playback Image 2: shape of pinchroller, taken after its reversal, problem persists
The problem is not related to the tape path adjustment (as you discovered yourself): that is adjustable so that the tape path is in line with the head, so the tape does not curl (at the exit point of the head). Most of the time this does not need any adjustment. From your second picture, it is clear that the pinch roller is not parallel with the capstan (it should be perfectly straight). That is causing the tape to be pulled upwards, instead of just moving sideways. This is how it should be: I think something may be bent, either the holding bracket of the pinch roller, so that the upper holding point of the pin is more outwards than the lower holding point. Or, less likely, the pivot point of the head bridge itself is bent. Another possibility that I am thinking of is the head carriage may not be sitting in the correct position in the ball bearings on the sides, allowing the carriage to move past the normal resting position and stay tilted inwards. As a sidenote, pinch rollers are barrel shaped and that's normal. Also the position in which you install the roller is not important (there's not an up and down), it will work the same in any of the 2 positions.
Sorry if it wasn't clear but the 2nd picture was the pinch roller after I reversed it from its original position. Whats interesting is that in its original position, the roller is almost completely parallel with the capstan shaft. Im leaning towards it being an issue with the roller, but now that you mention it, I will check for bends and the host of other potential points of failure.
I understand, but if the roller is conical in shape (let's assume it is not manufactured correctly) instead of cylindrical, when you flip it upside down the situation should be the opposite: closer to the capstan at the base and further away at the top (assuming the roller pin sits perfectly straight). From what you say that's not what is happening. You also state that the problem happens with both the original roller and the replacement one, which would indicate a problem different than the roller. The chance that both have exactly the same problem is low. There could also be the situation that you have both something bent and a deformed roller: that might explain why in one position it's almost straight and in the opposite one it's not. You can take the roller out and just insert the pin. Then observe if the pin is parallel with the capstan. If yes, then your problem is a deformed roller.
Well turns out we were both right. Removing the pinch roller and really giving it a good look indicated it was slightly malformed. The head bridge and the post were completely fine, but the pinch roller sled seemed a bit off, and after adding a grid onto a photo I took, it was in fact leaning. I will attempt to bend it back into a more suitable position with some pliers and a good surface, however if I'm not successful, I'll just cannibalize my busted dd for it. It looks rather easy to fix though so I'll get back when I get around to doing so. Im away at the moment so just trying enjoy myself rather than fiddle with it too much, good thing I brought other gear lol.
had a go at it today and felt a little lazy so I decided to just swap the whole pinch roller assembly. And what do you know voila, the thing is working just fine now. No more tape curl and any of the other funky business. The DD pinch roller assembly is also a tad thicker than the WM-2's so it's actually a little sturdier too which is good. Thanks for the help, very much appreciate it!
I'm glad you made it work again ! Maybe the fact that the roller assy is thinner on the WM-2 is part of why it bent in the first place, so putting a stronger one should keep you out of trouble in the future.
