New WM-DD center gear prototype is here (EDIT - final version is here)

My WM-D3 is up and running again. I installed the new center gear and it took me a couple of hours to reassemble my D3.
Play, Rew and FF are working fine.

Unfortunately the counter belt became fluid over the years, so i couldn't complete the job. I have to find a new belt first.

In the next days I'll start a new topic to show you the reassembly. With pictures of every single assembly step.

 

That would be awesome! I did my counter belt and the idler tire at the same time. My only glitch is the FF.

 

I have my D3 to repair with Marian gear coming soon, so I also look forward to the reassembly photos of yours. In fact, the photos you posted before are excellent. Thank you very much. regards

 

I've used some of the great tips I've read here to get my D3 to where it plays, rewinds, and fast forwards. The problem I'm facing now is that when I press down on the pcb to screw it all back together, the drive mechanism starts to slow down! Something on the underside of the pcb is touching the drive mechanism, and I can't see what it is. I also broke one of the wires that leads from the head to the playback amp and had to solder it back into place. The machine will also make a loud "clunk" noise through the headphones and the sound will stop if a tape is playing and I slide any of the switches (Dolby, normal, cro2) on the front panel. I'm all out of chocolate bars, and I'm getting close to laying the thing down in a drawer and forgetting about it for a good long while...

 

Ok, a couple of hours and few chocolate bars later, and I figured out a couple of my mistakes. First, I did not have the pcb properly aligned, and the batter divider was pressing down on the tape counter gear. That caused the slowdown. The clunk noise was caused by a misaligned REC-PB slide switch moving just a little off of the PB setting. I adjusted the recording slider that straddles the switch, and that resolved it. All I need to do now is adjust the drive gear height so that the REW and FF engage properly. The DC2 Service Manual section is not 100% clear, and I don't see how I can adjust the gear height with all of the recording mechanism parts in the way.

 

Well, the two teeth on the head slider broke. And unless anyone has a spare they’re willing to part with, I think it’s over at this point. Thanks for all of your help guys.

 

Ahhhh. Sorry to hear that. That head slider is so fragile. I have broken 2 of them. Maybe you will get lucky and pick up a cheap wm dd for parts. Good luck.

 

Possibly there is the spare part still to buy as new.

There are two identical versions. Google the SONY part numbers.

 

Since I get lot of questions, when and where the DD repair guide is available, I post you link here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B31_GyAAeWa8SDZ5U0k2SUVLWGs/view?usp=sharing

It is only draft version and it needs some improvements. Plus I have some more things to add there. But almost everything is there, including slider repair. Hugo will help me with it and he will publish it on his walkmanarchive.com site.

Feel free to use it. And wait for the final version

 

Thank you for your time and all the effort you are making, Marian. This amazing document will help many people to get their cassette players back to life.

 

thank you Marian for all of these extra very useful instructions

 

Would this power adapter be ok for powering the DD30? 3V right? and 1000ma is enough?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1000mA-AC...277458&hash=item27ffc6986c:g:iFkAAOSwZd1VWwDU

thanks!

 

typical current for DD30 is ~ 70 mA, with ageing it can go up to 100 mA, but it is quite far from 1 A.
Double check polarity of the plug, for unknown reason Sony expects the + on the other ring and ground in the central pin.

 

Thanks. +/- are adjustable depending on which way you connect the end piece. The DD30 will only take what milliamps it needs right? So a 1A adapter wont damage it ?

 

Yes, a power supply is a voltage generator which will keep the output voltage constant supplying up to a max specified current; you are not force feeding the DD30 to absorb current, but indeed you are providing just the required current to keep input voltage to 3 V.

 

Has Marian made the new gears yet?

 

Yes

 

Great thx! I ordered the power supply it should arrive today. It will enable me to adjust the center gear and not have to keep having the batteries and the connections out every time i have to make an adjustment.
I think either the center gear arm is bent or that the center gear axle is bent because the gears for play/FF/RW dont touch/mesh. I wonder if i am ever going to get them to mesh correctly. The tolerances seem so small.
However i will try and report back.
cheers!

 

Great work Marian, I just got back into the walkman hobby from about a month and I think I already bought a dozen of items in your ebay shop between belts, gears and tires.
Waiting for the gear for a DDIII that is now sitting gutted on my workbench. I hope to be able to put it back again properly thanks to your precious guide

I would suggest one more thing, since you put a lot of effort in this DD resurrection: why don't you produce a small sticker to be included in the gear package to put on repaired DDs? Something like "it's a sony" but saying instead something like "upgraded with Marian's gear" via a nice and recognizable logo.
That would be very cool and it could be a way to send your name to future generations of analog geeks Maybe it could be placed inside the cassette tray. If you need some illustrator skills to make such a logo here I am.

 

Hi All

I have a Walkman DC2 and followed Marain's instructions to replace the centre gear using the kit. It almost went well although I made a few silly mistakes. I placed one of the small gears the wrong way around and one of the washers just flew out in testing. It works but the REWIND is poor and only works at a certain angle. The FAST FORWARD is much better but squeals occasionally. I tried bending the centre arm as suggested in the guide, but it can just make play sound worse or on rewind the fwd spool starts working at the same time. I suppose you have to bend it just right. Also, there is a slight clicking sound on play. I have not reconnected the head yet.

Any help would be appreciated. Also, where can I get a replacement washer for the centre gear hinge and possibly the capstan (I did put it in but cannot see it! Did the rewind / FF buttons have washers in them?

I am use to repairing amps but this is quite hard the first time you attempt this. I was methodical but some errors are inevitable I suppose. I really want to get this working.

Best Wishes

ssi