Back around 1986 my friend lent me his old Sony Walkman. Back then AA batteries were expensive where I come from, so I rigged this contraption with wires to use D batteries, so it all lasts longer. Listened to a lot of ACDC, Iron Maiden, A-Ha, Alphaville, Scorpions, Accept, The Cars, etc. Years later I found out that the Walkman I used was the FIRST Sony model and the first and original Walkman that started it all:). Still miss these simpler times...

Kettle has boiled @29:53 =D Great video Vince - that thing was in a sorry state lol

I was shouting capstan and pinch roller from the start! They are what control the speed. The take-up spool has to run faster (with slip) to ensure the tape is taken up.

@killmore75

11 ай бұрын

Me too!

@Dave64track

11 ай бұрын

Yeah I was it was quite painful to watch him looking for an electrical fault from the start. It was fast because it was just getting pulled by the take up wheel.

@kforkrish

11 ай бұрын

Yeah fast playing is the major sign that your pinch roller isn't engaging or wore down. Every cassette head know that, and watching mate took half hour to discover that was so depressing.😂😂😂

@DMadHacks

11 ай бұрын

On some cassette players, if you push down the pause button slightly, it disengages the pinch roller but doesn't actually pause, so it's like a fast forward button but you can still hear the tape =)

@kforkrish

11 ай бұрын

@@DMadHacks some cassette players with auto search/skip functions also does that.✌️ Some with outputting sound and some without sound.

3000hz is like "Grandma, change the battery in your hearing aids.". Great job Vince

You certainly put more effort into that than I would have done, good job getting it going again. Yes Sony used to use the headphones as the FM antenna.

Brilliant work! Love getting old things back to life like this. HAve not heard The Archers for about 40 years (moved to the US) but it sounds exactly as I remember it!

Vince coming out with so many videos I almost can't keep up! This is great!

What I truly enjoy on Vince's videos is the masterclasses he gives on electronics! Thanks Mate!!

It is fantastic that you are able to take broken and non-functional hardware and to give it a new life instead of just adding to our solid waste problem. Keep up the great job!

Hi Vince, I really appreciate you uploading a new fix video almost every day! Keep up the good work, Greetings ;)

Brilliant Vince you spend so long and go to great lengths to fix things well done it will last a good few years now! 😊

Hi Vince ... Well done again, .. I don't deliberately send hard ones ... :) ...... The resistors I took off were dead shorts, so they were faulty from the corrosion ... Never even crossed my mind it could have been mechanical.

@Mymatevince

11 ай бұрын

You have a naturally knack Lee 😂 Every item = more grey hairs for me from the stress! I love it really 👌

@oliverer3

5 ай бұрын

​@@Mymatevince Grey hairs must be a measure of wisdom and knowledge then!

Incredible way to figure out that alignment Vince. Well done!

Well done. It's amazing how much the pinch roller slows things down, I'm surprised the tape itself doesn't snap or stretch. 10 out 10 for perseverence.

@TheAruruu

10 ай бұрын

why would it snap or stretch? it's under a lot more stress during fast foward and rewind.

@Mymatevince

9 ай бұрын

Thanks Philip 👍 Gary told me about your repair channel. I will check it out one of the nights 👍

I really enjoy your cassette player videos. Fascinating to see the issues they have as they get older. Also, the Archers went from being alcoholics to helium and cocaine users. Spectacular!

Love the videos, as always, Vince. I do have to say though, the audio from this one will haunt me for the rest of my days.😂

i was shouting with the Computer screen.. "that is no electrical problem" 🤣😂 i was Recognized the problem since i heard the first audio.. 😎

@gerrylawson1747

11 ай бұрын

I was at first holding myself from yelling "it's the capstan/pinch roller!". Then he found 2 resistors missing, and I thought "no, I'm an idiot". Then he started working on the speed control circuit and I was yelling again. A roller coaster of emotions

@jamesmatlock2001

11 ай бұрын

Cheers for ruining the video

Great work Vince. Sounds and looks wonderful 👍

i came across your videos cuz of my ps5 controller error. (which i couldnt fix haha) incredible content on your channel. clearly presented. enjoyable stuff!

Impressed with your perseverance, especially as you still seem to be suffering with hay fever. Decided against explaining the physics of resistors in baths.

Great job Vince always love your videos!

Great video, I remember that Walkman coming out new, it looked amazing back then and still does. Glad you saved it 👌👍👍

Well done Vince for sticking with it. Great video as always.

Fast playing is the major sign that your pinch roller isn't engaging or wore down. Every cassette head know that, and watching mate took half hour to discover that was so depressing.😂😂😂

I reckon Techmoan's wow and flutter meter was rocking away when you hit play. My dog wasn't a fan of the tone but fantastic troubleshooting.

Very nice fix there Vince 👏

Pinch roller is the first place I would have looked. Thanks for showing the whole scenario.

Great fix again Vince. By the way, for measuring smd parts I have bought measuring tweezers. These are very handy.

I remember when those sport Walkmans were for sale. Never owned one sadly. Great video Vince.

Brilliant work! Lovely work.. very interesting.. 😊

Thank You Vince! For me the best Sony walkman is wm-fx 423. I still used this Walkman today. Sony sports Walkman its very rare today's.

Love your videos Vince from Canada.

Interesting. I would have gone mechanical first. Never even thought that the electrical side would effect speed. Used to be able to fast forward whilst playing on some of these and it would sound like yours did initially. All that did was disengage that roller. What I didn't know is you could vary the speed. I had Panasonic ones and they were always half a note too slow. Ie. A B would sound like a B flat when a recording or prerecorded tape was played back. But my Aiwa replacement was slightly too fast. Most wouldn't notice but to my musical ear sounded wrong! But also depended on what you recorded it on first. My pioneer deck was slightly too fast so hence it would sound slightly slow when played back on another device. They should really have put a speed control on the outside linked to that device. Anything mechanical and analogue seems slightly out though and I had to adjust the turntable speed manually when I got one. The flaw in your test is you're assuming the bush records at the right speed. But it should still be close enough to sound fine for speech and only half a note out or so for music. Even one radio stations kit would play quicker than another ones! Noticeable if the same track was playing on both. No such issue with digital stuff now. The Sony has dual headphone ports so 2 people can listen at once. Very sociable.

@Mymatevince

11 ай бұрын

Cheers Paul👍

Fair Play! You've done it again Vince 👋

quite ironic how a waterproof sports walkman has corrosion. Great vid as usual

@dlarge6502

11 ай бұрын

The batteries leaked

The fact it worked wobbly in one direction but didn't turn in the other made me think it's the capstan and pinch roller playing up . You obviously learnt a lot on this one. Well done Vince 👍

With these indeed the aerial is from the headphone lead. The longer the headphone lead the better the signal.

I think the reason why this appealled to so many people back in the day was Sony was the name, it had both a tape player, and also the radio (which didn't have rubbish on!!), and the fact it was more portable than ghetto blasters, only thing that let it down was the cheap speakers that you would get in the shops or car boot sales. now I think it is too niche to be retro, and yet a blast from the passed at the same time, I really liked the design being a kid in the 80's, and not far off being a teen when this was released. the yellow casing was a great colour choice, as it was bright, and vibrant, and would feel like you were someone if you had something like this. great video Vince, and yes brought the memories of my youth back, even though never owned one myself, think the main problem if you were to sell it, is the fact the walkman doesn't have a usb socket, doesn't play mp3, and doesn't have an auto-reverse for not having to turn the tape around. and the fact tapes don't hold as many songs or as higher quality as an mp3 player, so be an extremely niche market for retro items. but great to see one of these 35 years after release. I didn't think they done surface mount components back then either, so an enlightenment as well.

@Mymatevince Yes, the headphone wires were used as the antenna on all Walkmans back in the day, just thought I'd add that in case someone else hasn't said so already. Nice work, what a pain in the arse that was! LOL Battery corrosion can be a real challenge.

When I first heard you test this, the first thing I thought is the corrosion had got into the motor or on the adjustment pot. The deoxit fader is a good product. It was designed not to disolve the carbon tracks on pots. Some variations of deoxcit are more aggressive. The pickup on it being a mechanical issue is a great thing. If the pinch roller is not putting enough pressure on the tape, that will definitely cause the fault you are experiencing as the takeup real clutch would have no pressure on it, so it would pull through at a higher speed. Sounded like it needed belts to be done given the warbling and porr playback. Great video and I appreciate how you go into the details :)

This was my favorite Walkman back in the day. Really liked the locking mechanism because often the door on a Walkman would fail after repeated use causing the head to not line up correctly so that you could hear the tracks on the other side playing faintly in reverse. That lock would hold the tape in well enough to ensure correct alignment, and when all you are getting are everyone's hand-me-downs it made a huge difference.

Stunning. The vast amount of electronic in such a piece of Stone Age, as well as your skills. Something has gone off the rails this time though.. 😂

Boy, I feel you with this one, Vince. Watching this video was giving me flashbacks to a broken videodisc player I've been on again, off again working on for years. Each time I think I get something working, I accidentally break something else. Still haven't given up on it though, and each time I go back to it is with more experience than the previous time.

@Mymatevince

11 ай бұрын

I bought a faulty one of them a year ago. I hope I have more luck😂

@andyvitz

11 ай бұрын

Okay it wouldn't be a resistor on that particular Walkman there's an adjustment on the back for the tape speed by the way

@andyvitz

11 ай бұрын

Yeah that will supposed to have a spring on it I can see the Springs missing

@andyvitz

11 ай бұрын

Yeah they're supposed to be a spring pushing that towards the spinning pin in the middle the rubber wheel is supposed to have a spring you know and I can hide that I obviously think you would have shot a spring go flying if you pull that out like you did so

@brettito

11 ай бұрын

The entertainment value here was "glad it's you and not me" lol.

I remember having something like this in the early 80’s when I cycled to work. It wasn’t SONY as I know my MIL picked it up for our baby from a boot fair. Ok, I nicked it from him- he was about 2 months old. They were very heavy on battlers- my journey was an hour in and same back- 30 miles. I used Nicads in the end…

Yes they were expensive. I had one. Took it on holiday and was approached by a young lady fascinated. She tried it on while we were in the sea and was amazed it was SORTA waterproof and then commenced opening it open while we were still standing in the sea. I screamed at her "NOOOOOOOO" she said "Whaat its waterproofed isn't it?" My £70 week old Sony walkman was busted. I nearly drowned her

Fantastic fixes.

This is one where experience helps. Instantly knew the pinch roller wasn't in contact with capstan. I was trying to see it as you played it at first.and couldn't. Edit, A lot of people had the same thought it seems looking at comments. Crikey, it has some other issues..

I still have my Sony Walkman. Never getting rid of it, as it means something to me. More nostalgia more than anything.

Hey Vince, I feel like it might be worth stripping the rust from the object using vinegar and then doing some kind of electroplating using nickel in situations like this. Nickel plating would help reduce friction and protect the steel from rusting further. From what I've seen in other KZread videos, electroplating isn't difficult. Additionally, you can source the supplies pretty easily. I

That's just a matter of experience. Next time you know to check the pinch roler first if the tape plays that fast. Great job, as always.

Nice Fix Vince

Great Job Vince 👍 Looks like you had a bit of a time with this one! As soon as you said mechanical I thought straight away capstan roller lol. Just a thought you could have always used your scope to measure the frequency instead of an app on your phone 🙂and it would also saved everyone's ears 😂😂😂 Keep up the great work.

@Mymatevince

11 ай бұрын

I never knew you could Mick, I'll experiment with that. Cheers👍

This was a really really stubborn one. So much to do and now it's working great!

I suggest you to use your dremel to clean that rusty part it would have been less work for you my friend. I love watching your struggles and the process of elimination to find the faults. Keep them coming.

Gutted still no roller 😂. Great video tho pal and a great repair.

I still have and use the newer model of the Sports Walkman from the early 90s. Still completely intact and waterproof. Tuning with a self recorded test tape and checking with an app is exactly what i do to correct the speed on my Tape Players.

These things are legendary if I remember right, and worth a lot of money on the collector and used market.

Good Walkman Vince I like those ones from the 80s

Wow not seen one of these since I was a little boy. It was so cool to have one. You was definitely cool if you had one in the 90s

Magnificent - maybe my favorite of your fixes because the problems seemed insurmountable and yet you worked through them. 99.9% of us out in viewer-land would have just chucked it in the bin ages before 😆

Springs flying everywhere? My kids (3 Girls) were all under 10 in the 80s, and we had shagpile carpet! Oh, the joyful memories of raking through the carpet with a magnet to try and get favourite toys working again after the little darlings had been using them as weapons.

Wow that played superfast :D Very nice late 80's Walkman in cheery yellow colour. I have neon yellow downhill skiing glasses from late 80's, I guess that was the fashion colour at the time :D

I always wanted the early 80’s Walkman they were fantastic

My big brother has a Sony Walkman. Which is yellow completely different designed than this one right from the early 80s, and it still works perfectly.

Vince, on the resistor, they usually have a tolerance listed.. usually 20%.... Therefore, for the 1.8K a 1.5K would work. Nice job !!!

Informative and enjoyable video, nice fix but now for the painful part, The 3k frequency was painful, i suffer from tinnitus and that noise really kicked it off, a tinnitus warning would be nice in future videos please.

You'd be surprised how often I end up with the "no resistor big enough" problem xD Most of my SMD resistor collection is left overs from various custom PCB projects over the years and as I like to make things small for the additional challenge most of the resistors I have in stock or either 0201 or 0402. So whenever I need one for a repair I almost always end up having to do some silly shenanigans to make it fit on a larger footprint.

I worked on these products on the high tech audio repair line at Doncaster’s Mastercare for Dixon curry’s etc.

Walkman playing fast. Flashback of worn out pinch roller. Maybe Sony did some heavy cost cutting in the early nineties, but even expensive walkmans had plastic bearing. With heavy use they only lasted until warranty run out.

Shoulda whipped out the dremel, Vince and wire wheeled away the rust! Work smart, not hard 😅

Oh walkmans were so cool great trying to fix

Hi Vince, the video is 35 minutes, but how much "real time" did you spend on this? There was soo much wrong with it. Almost painfull to watch. But you did it once again! You managed to get it working again.

@Mymatevince

10 ай бұрын

I've had to erase the memory from my mind just so I can continue to function. More hours than any sane person would 😂

Reminds me of when i used to play with the high speed dubbing button on an old stereo. Found it hilarious

30:02 kettle is boiled Vince, time for a quick tea break fix😉

A proper repair this time :) The repair techniqe is correct but next time use dedicated deck to record master tape and 432Hz Sine tone ;) 👍

Two parts of mechanism controls the playback speed of tape. 1 is pinch roller (accurate speed) 2 is take-up spindle (faster) Maybe the pinch roller isn't engaging and the tape running only by the take-up spindle (which is significantly faster to prevent loose tape stucking in the mechanism).

29:48 Thought I'd left the kettle on! 😁

I won one of these in the early 90s as a kid at the fair doing the baloon pop thing with darts. So nostalgic. I miss my Ren & Stimpy You Eediot album and my recorded bootleg mix tapes from the radio recorder on my Boom Box.

Hang in there buddy!

@30:10 I realised i needed to boil my kettle for a cuppa too 🤪

Lovley way with 3000hz great work

Great fix Vince. For the first time I was ahead of you on the capstan being the speed problem - It seemed way too fast for the motor POT to compensate. The Sport Walkman was so cool in its day 🤓

If you were running speed tests a lot, you could go down the Techmoan route using a wow and flutter meter, although your way worked a treat.

I used to fix Clarion car stereo's so this kind of brought back memories. To adjust the speed, we would have 3KHz test tapes that we would get from Clarion Japan, and we would connect a wow&flutter metre up that would measure the played back frequency and have an analogue metre to show how much fluctuation in speed there is. The amount of variation when you initially played yours made me think the capstan pin roller (think they were called that?) maybe a little bent, as it sounded to vary at a set rate almost to if the pin is bent this could cause speed variations at a rate consistent with where the pin would move as it's rotated. Was surprised it was just the belts.

And last but not least demagnetize tape head Vince. Great video👌🏻

Vince the bodger, can he fix it? Vince the bodger, yes he can! Keep up the good work fella and, as always, stay safe!

I've heard this before, that we only hear beyond 20 hz, but I can hear a very audible difference between headphones which play 20-20k hz and headphones which play at 10 hz or 5 hz.

24:53 - Vince summoning a demon through a cursed tape

i agree with lee though the sony sports range is definitely worth collecting purely on the design

Now that the 90's are back in fashion this thing would sell XD

I love your "HI-TECH" type 0 tape. 🤣🤣

One thing to keep in mind is that you don't know for sure that it's playing at an accurate speed, only that it's playing an identical speed to that Bush recorder. You can buy professionally mastered frequency tapes, but they're probably more trouble than it's worth for "simple" fixes.

@dlarge6502

11 ай бұрын

Those tapes, unless you manage to find an original, are copies made on someone's "calibrated" deck. You have no idea if their deck is good or not.

@andrewlittleboy8532

9 ай бұрын

​@@dlarge6502still a million times better than the one from that Bush!

You know you're old when you know how a capstan / pinch roller work.

good job

nostalgia at its best

Vince, seeing as you're going through batteries like candy, I would suggest getting yourself some rechargeable ones where and when needed 28:00 Ahh, the wow and flutter test 29:50 Sounds like a boiling kettle 😜

Love it when my kids see me watching this and they are confused by old tech 😅

Nice!

Love the Omega Speedmaster.

6:37 -- I know some of those were upside down, but I like to think they said "189" and were eighteen billion ohm resistors 😂