We all can appreciate the simple beauty that is the Walkman WM-10. It was the smallest of all the Walkmans, and honestly one of the best looking. I purchased one in need of repair not too long ago. I gave it a good cleaning and a new belt, but when I put a tape in, I immediately heard a problem. At a very low volume, the sound quality is fine--just too quiet--but when I increase the volume to the ideal listening level, I hear intense wow&flutter, and a good deal of static along with the distorted music. Does anyone know what might be causing this problem? Thank you so much in advance! Update: in a probably unrelated issue, the WM-10 will turn, then suddenly shut off just a second or two after the play/FF/RW buttons are pressed. A second WM-10 of mine that I have been using for parts does this as well. Any thoughts? Thanks again.
the first issue: static during adjusting the volume can be resolved by cleaning the volume pot with Deoxit. about the W&F a lot of things can cause it, to improve you need to clean the pinch roller really good or to install a new pinch roller. Also there is a potentiometer on WM-10 board that allows you to adjust the speed ( you need a special cassette to adjust the speed). Azimuth adjustment might help (if needed) ..... regarding the 2nd issue that your walkman plays only for 2 seconds and stop, I think it might be capacitor issues. Try run it with a new battery and see if happens again.
DeOxit is your friend if you have any audio equipment, I keep a big can at all time. Arkay used to be a big contributor to this forum, he posted this over on Audio Karma a long time ago. https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/the-idiots-guide-to-using-deoxit-revisited.207005/ The WM-10 has a power connection for a wall-wart, I'd use that to see if you still have wow and flutter. I'd also see if movement of the headphone male jack causes any disruptions. Headphone ports got a lot of abuse and sometimes the wires break loose on the inside. I've posted some old magazine articles about troubleshooting these issues in the tech section, look in both Walkman and boombox. I'm with Boodokhan on the pinch roller, they get really hard and don't develop enough friction to pull the tape, causing slippage. You might be able to get by with rubber renue, or you may have to source a new roller but this stuff is also good to have on the shelf. https://www.mgchemicals.com/product...ers/specialty-cleaners/rubber-renue-408a-408b
Thank you both so much for the advice! I changed out the battery, cleaned the pinch roller really well, and checked the headphone jack, and it now plays a tape consistently! The last issue I am running into is still very high W&F during playback. One interesting issue to note is that maybe one in 20 times when I press play, the tape will play with nearly no W&F, just at a much higher volume, and a little slower. I know how to adjust the speed via the potentiometer, but it's at the right speed for the times it plays with the wow and flutter (nearly every time). Just once in a great while it'll play much louder and a little slower with no W&F. Any thoughts as to what might be causing this? Thank you so much again! Jack
For wow/flutter, the service manual states; 1. Imperfections in capstan bush - Replace part (probably unavailable as spares) 2. Not enough oil between capstan bush and sleeve - lubricate but don't apply too much 3. Pinch roller dirty - DONE 4. No Flywheel thrust play - Play is lost when mounting the capstan bush; pull the flywheel gently to get clearance. It also states you should insert a cassette tape before screwing in the control panel and audio board screws, I guess this helps get everything into alignment. Might be worth a try doing this.
