Kenwood KX-48C - Tape plays but no sound - Please suggest a reliable repair shop

[Cyphr]

Hi friends,

I recently bought a Kenwood KX-48C from an OLX seller. The deck seemed to work well for 2 days, but now there is no sound. The tape plays fine, but the vu-meter doesn't move. When it was working, the sound was pretty good. Also, I spent a good couple of hours playing stuff at the seller's place, so I'm guessing he's not going to entertain my requests to take it back (It was 2k only for the deck anyway, but part of a deal along with a Sansui vintage amp). I'm thinking I'd rather get it repaired than chase the seller around.

I opened the case and the mechanism seems to be original, judging from a repair video of the exact same model on YT.

My deck :

https://imgur.com/5Zstxjb

Can you please help me with contact information of any reliable and experienced deck repair shop/individual in Mumbai/Navi Mumbai?

Thanks.

 

[TD150]

If the deck is playing the cassette (moving it) and does not output sound, the possibility is internal switch record/playback (sliding switch which is located inside the deck on or near the PCB) not making contact.

Clean the switch with some wd40 or any contact cleaner. Then toggle it by sliding many times to ensure the switch contacts are clean and making contact.

Normally when you press play or record button, the internal switch operates and connects at required position. Sometimes the switch due to corrosion, stuck or some other reasons does not make necessary contact or remains stuck in one mode (either record or playback). In your case if the switch is stuck in record mode by any chance, it will not give play output. Try and see before giving it to any technician.

 

[Cyphr]

Thanks a bunch for replying, mate. Any idea where on this board that rec/playback switch could possibly be?

https://imgur.com/ECierSq

The black bits on the right hand side of the board are top to bottom : 1) Dolby NR on/off toggle 2) B/ C toggle

The lower 3 are for tape select. Metal, CrO2, Normal

https://imgur.com/xQPjexf

Can't find any other internal switch.

 

[TD150]

Cannot make out from the pictures. You may check the service manual by downloading it.

 

[greenhorn]

There is a leaf switch in the transport. It's mentioned in the YouTube video you shared!

 

[Cyphr]

There is a leaf switch in the transport. It's mentioned in the YouTube video you shared!

What the hell...lol! I need to watch the video again. Thanks a bunch for pointing that out, bro.

 

[Cyphr]

Tried the leaf spring trick. Unfortunately, didn't work. Had the spring blades separated so they were properly parallel to each other and not making contact to activate recording. Still no sound and no movement in the vu meter.

https://imgur.com/XNfdNh4

I guess, I'll have to take it to a repair shop after all. I figure this is a pretty simple mechanism without a great deal of complicated moving parts. Would really appreciate if the good folks from Mumbai can direct me to an experienced repair shop here.

P.S. I spoke to this person, Paul ( I.D. Electronics, Grant Rd.) mentioned in another thread by efernand1 (Thanks, mate!). Unfortunately, he told me he won't be able to do it. So back to square one. Any suggestions on where else can I get this repaired? Thanks.

 

[reubensm]

some checks to keep in mind with cassette decks:

no sound but mechanicals appear to be working:

1) a transistor in the PSU which feeds the board, may be out (the symptom of it playing for 2 days and going dead can mean that the PSU regulators could have been running hot and failed. When troubleshooting something not working, always start with the PSU
2) a semiconductor on the head preamp may have failed
3) there may be a break in the head wiring circuit (this can be in many forms with may symptoms - like one channel working, both channels down with grounding hum, etc). Its unlikely that the head responsible for playback would have failed
4) since the VUs are not responding, no point fiddling with the interconnects and amplifier, that's got to be ok. check all the ribbon cable connectors, these may be the reason

cassette decks are not difficult to fix, some understanding of electronics is all that is required

Did you feed a something into its recording input, put the machine on in record mode (use a blank cassette to avoid content erasure) and check if the VUs are responding, output is available on the headphones, etc. If you have sound and if your deck is recording, then there's something wrong with the playback section. If there are issues with the head cabling (2 head decks), it wont record either.

 

[reubensm]

Tried the leaf spring trick. Unfortunately, didn't work. Had the spring blades separated so they were properly parallel to each other and not making contact to activate recording. Still no sound and no movement in the vu meter.

https://imgur.com/XNfdNh4

I guess, I'll have to take it to a repair shop after all. I figure this is a pretty simple mechanism without a great deal of complicated moving parts. Would really appreciate if the good folks from Mumbai can direct me to an experienced repair shop here.

P.S. I spoke to this person, Paul ( I.D. Electronics, Grant Rd.) mentioned in another thread by efernand1 (Thanks, mate!). Unfortunately, he told me he won't be able to do it. So back to square one. Any suggestions on where else can I get this repaired? Thanks.

This leaf switch is not the record/playback switch. This switch is engaged by a lever with senses whether your cassette is punched or not (erasure protection). If this switch is open, the record function wont engage (its this way in my Nakamichi, not sure about Kenwood)