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Auto Reverse on WM-R202

singlereel - 2009-10-16 19:48

Hello I finally have tracked down a Sony WM-R202, it works great but at first the Manual Reverse button would not work. After playing it for awhile a tape reached the end and the Auto Reverse worked! Now when a cassette reaches its end the Auto-Reverse seems to work 95% of the time, where the Manual Reverse button stared to work intermittently...it some times won't work at all and then it will decide to work fine for a bit?

Why is it doing this? My Guess is it needs a new Belt (it has its original belt), does the belt have a significant role in the Auto Reverse, Manual Reverse button or Reverse process? FYI the playback seems very good, but the flutter factor could be improved a bit, which is why I considered the belt too.

Can anyone help!

I definitely need a new belt for the Walkman anyhow as I hope to clean up the flutter too. So as well does someone know where I can get a replacement Belt for the WM-R202 or does anyone have any they could sell to me? Original Sony replacement would be preferred as I find they work better, but I'm open to new WM-R202 replacements....And I know there are a few other models that use the same belt, I think the, Wm-F200, WM-F203, WmF202....maybe the Wm-100 series???

Help would be appreciated, thanks!

rerooted - 2009-10-16 20:12

i am asking the same questions myself due to the same exact problems. i just did 4 wm-f100-1' and ii's. i just dug into my stash of belts and did the best i could. i think my length was good but the thickness may have been a little wide. anyway they sound perfect usually and will do the flip at tapes end but not to well when pressing the button. well 2 are good and 2 are not good. the partstore.com doesn't have them any more. to bad,,as the 3.95 price has got to be a money maker not to mention the 12.95 shipping.i may try the turntableneedles.com and see what they have.

drmr2000 - 2009-10-16 20:39

First make sure you are using the right belt size and thickness if this doesn't fix it read below....

It a clutch gear problem that tranport known for it. One way to make sure is, does both sides play the tape to the very end without autoreversing in the middle of the tape or you hit the reverse button and goes to the other side then back right away? if so keep reading....

The friction material is suppose to keep the reel gear from moving and just allow the clutch gear only to move then a lever hit the clutch which engages the auto reverse when tape reach end or you the reverse button, to fix it you need to take gear out which is the one where the middle pulley drive it, the middle pully has to come out first, then cluctch gear which is the one the middle pully was driving has to come out, be carefull not to pull to fast a spring between the clutch gear and the reel will pop out and you might loose it. Then you have to stretch the spring just a little not to much then clean the gear where the friction material is put back together the same way it came out your auto reverse sure work 100% percent then.

singlereel - 2009-10-16 23:00

quote:
Originally posted by DrMR2000:
First make sure you are using the right belt size and thickness if this doesn't fix it read below....

It a clutch gear problem that tranport known for it. One way to make sure is, does both sides play the tape to the very end without autoreversing in the middle of the tape or you hit the reverse button and goes to the other side then back right away? if so keep reading....

The friction material is suppose to keep the reel gear from moving and just allow the clutch gear only to move then a lever hit the clutch which engages the auto reverse when tape reach end or you the reverse button, to fix it you need to take gear out which is the one where the middle pulley drive it, the middle pully has to come out first, then cluctch gear which is the one the middle pully was driving has to come out, be carefull not to pull to fast a spring between the clutch gear and the reel will pop out and you might loose it. Then you have to stretch the spring just a little not to much then clean the gear where the friction material is put back together the same way it came out your auto reverse sure work 100% percent then.


I have a WM-F203/F200II manual which is similar but with referencing it I'm still unclear on what part or area of the Walkman you are referencing.

As well, upon opening the Walkman the belt seems to be fine although I could still entertain getting a new one and the unit looks like it has been repaired before...

drmr2000 - 2009-10-17 02:14

have to look in the service manual Sony might have called it a different name, then again to could be s different transport to, don't have that model just when off the pictures and button layout and year. More likely the belt fine, it has something to do with that clutch gear, a picture of inside the unit would help?

walkgirl - 2009-10-17 02:14

I have also such a walkman, was broken when I got it Frown Confused

drmr2000 - 2009-10-17 10:49

Just look it up, the same transport as the 550c just got done fixing that had that problem.

singlereel - 2009-10-17 10:57

Well I at least cleaned the pulleys and installed the belt with no twists and it resolved the very small flutter issue...I believe the WM-F200/202 has the same transport, but the Manual has little information on the workings of the Reverse, as well the auto reverse on the Walkman has now stopped working entirely (like when i got it), does not even switch at the end on tape....if I have no tape in and press the Reverse button should I hear the Solenoid go-off per-say? Cause I can't, could that be the problem???

Annoying, one of the my top reasons for buying it was for the auto-reverse (the seller said it all worked..ahhh), but then again it pays tapes so I can't complain too much (It's just, I'm a perfectionist), sorry to read Walkgirl's problem, that hurts when they are completely dead...

drmr2000 - 2009-10-17 11:16

It's that gear it not allowing the clutch gear to move freely when the reel stop the clutch is suppose to move and then a level hit that gear while moving engages the autoreverse gear, that pulley drive the clutch gear you have to take that gear out then you will see the other gears, that one has to be taken out to, the reel is stuck, probably from sitting, had that same problem fix it.

Could also be a problem with the autoreverse gear, way you can tell is to play the tape to the end and see when the tape hit the very end the reel will stop but the clutch sure still spin, if it does it something else.

drmr2000 - 2009-10-17 11:45

It may not be that gear because hitting the autoreverse button sure still work, it maybe a broken lever or spring that popout of place

If you can take a video of the transport working, removed the PCB board from the transport, there are two micro SW on the PCB that power the motor, or desolder the motor wires off the PCB board the black and red one and hook the wire up to a 1.5vdc battery and take a video of the transport working while hitting the green button for the autoreverse, then can tell you what wrong with it, fix alot of these with that same transport.

singlereel - 2009-10-18 15:31

Interestingly enough the Auto Reverse worked again at the end of a tape and shortly after the Manual Reverse button worked again, so while it was working I constantly used it to go back and forth for some time and now the Auto Reverse and Manual Reverse work! I may have just worked it in and got it to move more freely... Although the Flutter came back, but the flutter (very little) is only during playback in Forward, and there is none in Reverse. In fact Reverse's playback is perfectly smooth?

Any thoughts on the new developments?

singlereel - 2009-10-23 10:45

New Update:

I just got a Sony WM-F203! And it had a similar problem, the Auto-Reverse and Manual-Reverse would not work. I opened it up and the mechanics were almost the exact same as the WM-R202. Within an hour I fixed the Auto-Reverse and Manual-Reverse, interestingly I learned much about the Reverse mechanics (in these Walkman) by fixing the WM-F203! The WM-F203 had the almost exact problem that DrMR2000 was trying to explain to me, so it makes sense now, your help was greatly appreciated DrMR2000!

So I went back to my WM-R202 to see if I could do the same and I found the problem, but it was different (which contributes to why I could not fully understand DrMR2000's instructions), It is a weak retracting spring combine with a stiff arm on the Reverse gear, the arm I'm taking about is the Green one. I decided since it Auto-Reversed at the end of a tape (even though the manual-reverse did not work properly) that I would leave it be, as I don't want to possibly ruin anything, as I got it to playback perfectly in both directions now....no flutter on Forward!! It was just a dirty fly-wheel on the capstan.

Well that is how it is working now, maybe later I'll think about going in a fixing it, but as for now I'm content.

rerooted - 2009-10-23 16:25

i just tried to run the near mint wm-f100 which had been flipping with no problem. it has been a few days and i just tried it again. it took a good 10 seconds with the spindle not moving and then it finally changed sides and started running. the spindle was totally stationary during that whole time period. when i got this player it was not packed right. the seller just totally encased it in shredded paper. some of it was so fine it looked like flour. i spent an hour just cleaning it up as best i could. i have a feeling that some of that dust is still in the enclosed part of the mechanism. i am going to run it for hours and see if that helps loosen things up. when i first changed the belt about a week or 10 days ago it would flip either way and then it stopped the manuel button and now it had trouble with the set to auto-rev. button.