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Posted

Hi there - I've done some searching on the forums and google but need some further assistance please. I've recently been gifted this Sanyo MR-929 Reel to Reel and am keen to get it going for a bit of fun.... but don't really have any idea where to start. It powers up and runs but I don't have any tapes to test it out. It appears to have been stored well and looks pretty much near mint condition.

 

Ideally I'd like to get my hands on a test tape to see if/how this thing works and if it needs any work. I've searched the classifieds here but only a few bulk buys available... Do I buy pre-recorded tapes? Or should I be buying some cheap blanks and do some vinyl to tape recording of my own?  I'm starting from zero here people. I wouldn't even know how to load a tape let alone work out what's good to buy or steer clear of. There seems to be a fair bit of NOS tapes available on eBay but am I wasting my money? Do I need to also buy a take up reel? From what my noob eyes can see, all tapes come with just the one reel.... i feel so dumb and would be very grateful for any guidance :D 

 

I've been able to find out that this unit is very much an entry level and pretty basic unit however, when working actually sounds ok and really looks the part! YT video below for reference. (are those fancy reels below worth buying? They seem expensive!)

 

 

 

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Posted

 

I used to own one of these when I was a teenager.  Yes, it can sound quite OK.  The speakers are very nice full range units.

 

First thing I would check is the tapeheads.  They were only the soft metal type, and often quite worn.

Posted
2 hours ago, aussievintage said:

 

I used to own one of these when I was a teenager.  Yes, it can sound quite OK.  The speakers are very nice full range units.

 

First thing I would check is the tapeheads.  They were only the soft metal type, and often quite worn.

 

Thanks for the reply. I've taken a couple of pics of the heads... they were a bit dirty, so I gently cleaned them with some metho and cotton. I wouldn't know a worn head if it hit me in the face... 

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Posted

OK, so after cleaning, you should look at the rounded V shaped point in the centre of the front face. This is  where the gap in the magnetic circuit contacts the tape.  See the two horizontal 'stripes' each set into a darker strip.  They are the magnetic cores for the two channels.  There is a small gap right in the centre of each one (but can be so fine it is hard to see).  The tape rubs over the front face of the head, kept in place by the tape guides you see left and right of the heads, and the highest pressure point is right on the 'V'.  As tape heads wear, a flat forms right on this V.  You should notice  a ridge above and below that flat.  The amount of wear is most easily seen by the height of these ridges.    

 

What happens, is that as the heads wear, the pressure pads (brown fuzzy things in your picture that move over and hold the tap against the head when you select play mode)  cannot hold the tape tightly against the head because they sit on the ridges.  Also, depending on construction internally, the gap in the head may widen as it wears.  

 

Audibly, the result is loss of high frequencies (similar to what a dirty tape head sounds like).

 

btw, the playback/record head is the one on the right as pictured, the other is the erase head, and it doesn't really matter much.  In better, 3-head machines, the playback and record functions are separated, and the tape path is arranged to not need to use pressure pads at all (There's enough pressure already due to the way it is setup)

  • Like 3
Posted

thanks heaps Aussievintage... really appreciate the guidance. I'll have a look under a magnifying glass and see what I find.

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