I just got a 1980 Hitachi D-M2 MKII (W version, 110/120 V selector) as a repair project. I bought it used in Cuenca, Ecuador for $35, sold as-is. Before I took it, the seller's technician had opened it and worked on the belts, but I don't know exactly what he did. When I got it the mechanism turned fine, but I couldn't test it with a tape. Everything seems to work except PLAY, everything else like the rewind and fast forward and even the counter are fine, but when I press PLAY there's a plastic crunching sound and a couple of gears in the mode mechanism try to move but don't. One gear has noticeable play on its shaft i suspect it can be fixed with stronger springs maybe?. I have the service manual (exploded views only, no mechanical diagram of the play cam). I removed the cassette chassis and the motor plate, and re-seated the belts. They now run clean with no twist. After reassembly the flywheel rubs against the motor bracket, so I suspect a missing or misplaced thrust washer or retaining ring on the flywheel shaft (the manual specifies a thrust gap of 0.05–0.5 mm). One more thing: the motor is a 12 V DC motor with two wires, and the manual shows the + and - terminals. I put the wires back as the technician had them, and I'm now not sure the polarity is right, because the board seems to mark them the other way. Could reversed polarity cause this, and is it risky to try? So i had some questions, like: Is there a timing mark or rest position for the play cam gear? Where exactly do the flywheel thrust washers go? Has anyone seen this fail with hardened grease or a cracked gear hub? Photos below. notice how theres some hot glue on the button? the previous technician repaired it like that because theres a plastic piece that connects the button with the front case that its broken on that side, i will made a new one since i got a 3d printer after i put together the belt the way it made the most sense (its a bit twisted i could´t do better and i wanted to sleep) the deck the day i bought it Any help will be appreciated, thanks!
Great deck, I actually have that one sitting next to me, I don't think I've tested it yet but I just plugged it in and can hear a motor spinning. No movement with a tape. When I have free time I might try to open it up. I don't know what manual you have, just in case here's the one I'm looking at. https://elektrotanya.com/hitachi_d-m1_2_mk2.pdf/download.html These decks are kind of rare, I don't know if anyone else on the forum has one besides me and you. I do know if the grease gets hard or the belts turn to goo, the sliding metal plates bind up and can cause all kinds of issues. Sometimes the belt counter belt looks fine but they get old and hard (but don't break or turn to goo) and they spin on counter causing play not to work (it thinks it's at the end of the tape). Does the belt path really go to that extend point, it looks like there's no pulley on it.
Thanks a lot for the reply, and for confirming the same symptom on yours (motor spins, nothing moves with a tape). That's really helpful. Good point about the counter belt. Mine counts fine in FF/REW, but I hadn't thought it could slip under the lower load in PLAY and make the deck think it's the end of the tape. I'll check it by hand (hardness, and whether it slips on the take-up hub) and replace it if it's stiff. The sliding plates are also on my list. There was sticky black residue on the deck floor under the belts, so I'm going to clean everything with isopropyl alcohol and re-grease the sliding points. New belts for the flywheel and the mode gear block are on the way. About the belt path: that photo was taken with the motor plate removed. I hooked the belt on that bent tab only to keep it from falling off while I took the picture, in the position where I thought it should go. With the motor plate mounted, the belt goes to that same area but onto the motor pulley, not the tab. So there is no pulley there in the photo because the motor plate is off. Actually, if you could tell me how the belt is supposed to be routed, that would be really, really useful. I couldn't find the belt path in the service manual. I'll post an update when the parts arrive. If you ever open yours up, I'm happy to compare notes. Thanks again!
Belt sizes and paths are rarely published in the SM. Here's Turntable Needles Sizes, confirm the correct model number, they had two or three very similar decks. They do ship internationally. https://www.turntableneedles.com/find10.asp?manfg=HITACHI&modelname=D-M2-Mark-II&Select=Model Personally I don't know how the belt is routed, now that I know the size, I'll check my big stash and see if I can do the job, maybe tonight I'll pull it open. The seller mentions three belts, how many did you see, it looks like there might be two different sizes for the counter?
Thanks again for the belt link, it was really useful. The seller lists three belts: FBS9.6 (described as the capstan flywheel belt) and SBO5.2 and SBR4.2 (they ask you to email them what each one is for). To answer your question, I remember two belts on the counter, and I haven't measured them because the counter works fine. I'll check them when I open the deck again, in case one of them is the one that slips. I also found something I didn't know before: on mine the capstan and the flywheel come out as two separate pieces, so I have to put them back together correctly. That may explain why the flywheel was rubbing the motor bracket. Also i just posted a thread on Tapeheads with photos in case you want to take a look. If you do open yours, I'd love to know how your belts are routed. Thanks!
