Hello! I am new to this platform. My main goal is to help anyone who needs help restoring Sony Walkmans. In particular the WM-3 and TPS-l2. These early models don't have much information of the internet and I found it very difficult to find such information to fix my WM-3. So after restoring my wm-3 and learning a lot of thing from it, I am happy to help!
Welcome! there may be more information in the forum reader, in the old days there were a crap-load of technical posts but after a few new hosting platforms over the years, most of that data disappeared.
Hello Alim , it is great to meet another fellow walkman collector I have a WM-1 that i am currently waiting for a 3d part from Esty . Yes Wm-3 I have worked on that model many years ago . my Repair shop that was in Tacoma Washington sold and did warranty work on Sony products and Superscope . over the years i repaired and serviced a lot Sony gear I even took Sony training I still have old stock parts and service manuals . Far my collection I have everything from Sony tv's to Sony reel to reels including 1970s heads and speakers and hifi gear . Sincerely Rich P.S. still do repairs for customers
Hello there I'm new at this site but already loving it. I saw this forum and was hoping you could help me. I have a Sony TPS-L2. It works fine... for a few minutes, then everything is playing in slowmotion. It has new belts and the batteries are new. I tested the batteries on one of my other walkmans when the TPS started to play slow motion to check if it was some kind of battery drain, but that was not the case. Any tips or pointers on what could be the problem/solution? Thanks
There could be belt goo stuck on some of the moving parts, if the old belt got soft and broke apart it can slow down the tape.
Thanks for this. I did clean it and I think I got it all, maybe not. My neighbor thinks it could be the engine?
Hi! Approximately how long does it take for it start playing in slow motion? And does it usually occur after the same period of time? •Try using rechargeable batteries because for some odd reason my Walkman sometimes doesn’t turn on with new normal batteries •I suggest you recheck if you have routed the belts correctly as it is easy to get it wrong. If the belts are sticky they need to be replaced. •Also how is the pinch roller condition? If it’s old and worn it could result to slow/fast playback. Also check the idler wheels •Check the condition of the plastic gears and remove any old dry grease. • Try lubricating the capstan and the motor with either machine oil or even synthetic motor oil (add a tiny amount) Lubricate the the front of the motor only •If neither of these resolve your slow playback then it could be old Capacitors which need to be replaced. It’s totally worth doing so. In fact, next month I’m planning to recap my WM-3 (identical to TPS-L2), and I’m planning to post a thread here. Hope you find this helpful and I apologize for the late reply. Cheers!
Hi Alim. Sorry I was absance, thanks for the post abowe. So new update, now it wont play at all. New batteries but nothing.
welcome aboard @Alim Its nice that you offer technical help. are you or were you an electronic technician ? Also I have a technical question about TPS-L2: Once I push the play button ( or FFW/ REW buttons) it will take about 6-8 seconds for the light to turns on and nothing else happens. No movement at all. So what do you think the problem is?
I'm terribly sorry for the late reply. It is basically my hobby to fix vintage and modern electronics and I have learnt a lot from doing so. Regarding your walkman, has it been stored or not used for a while? If so the belts could have gummed up and preventing the motor from turning. It would also explain why the LED takes some time to light up since there is excessive load on the motor. I not 100% sure but its worth opening it up to check the conditions of the belt and if there is any corrosion, etc. Cheers!
