Hi, My TCD D8 lowers its volume randomly without me pressing the button. It does it mainly in normal mode BUT it also does it in Hold mode, which I don’t understand . Anyone ever had this issue ? Anyone knows how I could fix that ? Maybe the little button on the board has some problem that I could easily fix ? Thanks for your help !
I recommend doing a simple test: remove the flex cable going to the buttons PCB (see picture attached) and see if the problem persists. Also you didn't mention one thing: do you have AVLS on ? That will lower the volume automatically if it's turned on. On the TCD-D8, this switch has 3 positions: ON, OFF, LINE OUT. It needs to be set to OFF (middle position).
Thanks a lot ! I’ll try that. And yes AVLS is off. I might just disconnect the AVLS buttons tho then. Might fix it too ! Maybe my AVLS doesn’t really turn off who knows. I’ll keeep you updated, thanks for your help !
Hey so I tried your trick and it works. When the button is unplugged, no more weird random volume changes. So, any idea now what could cause that ? Just the button possibly that has a short circuit ? I’m not an expert lol so I’m just saying words I don’t even know about. If you have an idea how to fix this issue for good while letting me the ability to change volume (so not disconnecting the buttons) I’d be happy to know ! (Also, I tried to air clean the contacts before plugging the cable again, with a little air blower. Problem remained after that still.)
Ok then it means you probably have an issue with one of the buttons if it works fine with that board unplugged. Only thing I can recommend is spray some contact cleaner in the buttons and then press them a couple of dozen times. But be careful to spray just a very small quantity, otherwise you'll get a mess of contact cleaner everywhere, including in the mechanism. Unfortunately to remove that PCB you need to take the chassis out of the plastic case. It's not that difficult, you need to remove the door and the REC level knob. It's up to you how to proceed further. And btw, don't need to quote everything, it makes the thread much harder to read as it adds redundant information. Quotes are useful only when the message you're responding to is old or you're quoting just part of a bigger post. Otherwise you can type in the box below post and use the "Post Reply" button instead of using the "Reply" button (which automatically quotes).
Thanks a lot for your info ! I’ll try putting some contacts cleaner and if it needs further opening I’ll think about it longer and maybe ask a professional haha. And sorry for the quoting things ! I clicked answer on the messages hehe. I’ll answer properly next times. If I manage to fix the issue thanks to your advices I’ll keep you updated here ! Thanks a lot again and happy holidays
I definetely do recommend getting the unit serviced, as these walkman units (TCD-D3, TCD-D7, TCD-D8, TCD-D100) have problems with mechanism lubrication and some adjustments that need to be done. Personally I wouldn't use such a unit that's not serviced, because there's a risk of damaging the head drum from too much backtension or tangled tape getting between the 2 parts of the drum and ripping the heads off. This units have an airgap between the upper part of the drum and lower part, so if mechanism is not running perfectly there's a chance tape gets caught up in there. For servicing I recommend Paul Carrington in the UK: https://www.paulcarrington.co.uk/dat-repair-example He's a professional with many years of experience and also has all the equipment and calibration cassettes needed (which are pretty much unobtainable these days).
Oh wow so it’s dangerous to use mine I guess haha. I’ll check good repairmen in Paris and try to get it serviced then. Thanks a lot for the advices!
