I'm new to walkman use etc... I have a wm-20 ii that I was using this morning. I noticed the tape was having issues playing fluidly. watching the cassette move inside it seemed to hesitate on each rotation. so I took the battery cover off and it quit giving me issues. it's it ok to just use the walkman with the battery cover off? anyone have this happen to them? also when I lay it on its beck it seems to make a chugging noise of sorts but when it's face down it doesn't seem to struggle. any info or replies are greatly appreciated. thank you.
It's fine to use the walkman with the battery covers off, but I don't really know how having it on affected the playback of the cassette as you mentioned. The only drawback to not using the cover is probably that it doesn't look quite as nice, and I think the battery may have tendency to get loose. As for the chugging noise, I think that it's quite a common issue. Tolerances are small and the flywheel may be rubbing against the back cover. Maybe check if there is a slight warp of the back cover inwards and correct it.