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Wega B4610 (page 2)

With the playback part back in working order, let's start on the top part of the recorder. The holders of the reels come apart together with the accessories. Here too are parts that need maintenance, especially the brakes will need extra attention.

Click here for part 1

The reels and attributes

Above is an overview of the recorder. At the top of the device is the mechanical part that operates the reels. Although the upper part still seems to work well, it's only a matter of time before problems arise here as well. Lubrication is sufficient for the hinged parts. But as you can see in previous photos, there is a lot of black dust throughout the machine. This is due to the heavily weathered brakes. Time to take the reels off and check the condition of the brakes.

Let's take a look at the right reel. Although there are three screws on top, they are of no use in loosening the reel itself. On the contrary, the reel is clamped on its shaft with two locking bolts on the bottom (red arrows). I unscrew them partially with a small hex. After this, the reel can be removed from the shaft. At the bottom of the reel itself, is the belt for the counter. This will also come loose now I've removed the reel. But I will save the replacement of the belt until I put everything back together. Because both reels come off, I write down which reel comes from which side.

View of the recorder without the reels.

We are looking here at the brake of the right reel. This already shows how far it has weathered (the same applies to the brake of the left reel). But first we loosen the metal brackets against which the brakes rest. Two screws hold these brackets in place.

Now only the brakes themselves remain.

I turned the recorder over for a better reach at the parts. This also gives us a better view of the black dust that has collected. You can now clearly see that this comes from the brakes.

If we look at the ends of the brake, we can clearly see the transition, the black part is still unaffected, but the gray / white part contains almost no grit which would provide the friction. The brakes themselves consist of a metal strip on which this coating had been applied.

The brakes are held on with circlips. Once these are off, the brake can also be removed.

Now that the brakes are loose, we can look at replacing the coating. But not without an extra warning!

Although the chance that this is the case with these brakes is very small, older tape recorders can have the coating of the brake consisting of asbestos! So it is very important to find out in advance if this is the case. Asbestos has many applications and is therefore extensively used for all kinds of different purposes. One application is as a heat-resistant friction material, which is why it is also used in the brakes of cars, among other things. But also the brakes of the tape recorder!

I did a lot of research on the internet beforehand to make sure this is not the case here. Here I come across several articles about the use of asbestos in these types of applications. But can't find anything else that states that asbestos was also used for the brakes on this specific recorder.

On the contrary, the recorder dates from 1973-74, so the risk of asbestos is also very small.

Enough about the dangers of asbestos. I can't repair the brakes without an essential substance...

Graphite powder! Which shines in absence...

I spent an entire afternoon looking for this stuff, after a visit to the local hobby shops I was referred to the hardware stores. Once there, only one hardware store sold the stuff, if it wasn't for the fact that it was already sold out...

In the end I chose to order this online for €2.45 not because I wanted it faster (it actually took longer), but rather because the price online is half the price for more content, even with the shipping costs included it's still cheaper than a bottle bought from the hardware store.

Two days after ordering, the parcel arrives at my doorstep. I ignore the instruction on the box and open it to find the bottle of graphite powder inside.

"Graphit"
"Stoppt Quietschen und Knarren, verhindert das Einfrieren von Schlössern"

For those who are not good with German, the bottle states that graphite powder is a good application for remedying squeaking and creaking hinges. But especially good at preventing your locks from freezing.

Graphite powder is mainly used as a lubricant where grease based substances tend to freeze where graphite does not. This remedy is still regularly used, especially with car locks. However, the stuff also has other functions. In my case as a friction agent for the brakes.

By the way, I have to thank a specific person who gave me this information.
During the repair of my Sony EL-5 Elcaset recorder, the brakes also had to be replaced. The person I came into contact with sent me new self-made felt pads with graphite powder. Here is a link to the Youtube video where the person in question goes into more detail about such felt pads on an Elcaset deck.

First the old coating will have to be removed. After taking some advice from some colleagues at work, I decide not to take any chances. I grab an old pan, fill it with water and move the work outside.

I put the belts in the pan with water so that any fibers released by the water cannot end up in the air. With a knife I start to scrape off the old coating. I carefully study the felt-like material and come to the conclusion that the way in which the fabric is woven together cannot be asbestos, but simply a felt fabric.

The felt coating comes off without much effort, but the glue underneath proves to be more of a challenge. Piece by piece I scrape off the glue residue from the strip. After half an hour of scraping, the first strip is clean again. Now for the other one...

Less than an hour later, both strips are as good as new. They are a bit bent due to the many scraping, but as long as there are no real folds, I can easily undo this by bending them the other way. I dry the strips with a handkerchief and take them back inside.

While scraping outside I noticed that it's not the knife I had to be careful with, but the metal strips themselves are also razor sharp! As an example here I cut a piece in a post-it with one of the strips, like a hot knife through butter...

Before I can apply the graphite powder to the strips, I first put a strip of double-sided tape on the strips. Not just any piece of tape. But a variant where in theory you should be able to stick 75Kg of weight on these strips (that's more than I weigh myself!).

Applying the tape is not an easy job. Cutting away the excess tape takes me some time, but with the second strip the result already looks a bit better. The tape also gives off an odor that is comparable to super glue, so it must indeed be a strong adhesive.

Time to apply the graphite, I peel off the top layer of the tape to expose the sticky side. First I try to apply the powder directly from the bottle to the tape, but it is not a success.

As an alternative, I decide to first put a pile of graphite in a container and sprinkle it over the strips. But when I tap the strips afterwards, the result doesn't exactly look fantastic...

Time for plan C. I press the strips into the graphite powder that has landed on the mat. This time the result looks much better! But testing shows that the graphite has no inhibiting effect at all...

In short, applying a layer of graphite powder is a total failure. Although it looked promising I better leave this to the professionals.

While my hands look like I just crawled out of a coal mine, I start all over again. Although the old coating was already a challenge to remove, it turns out to be even more difficult with this extremely strong tape... I've had enough of it for today. I scrape most of the tape off the strips and then put them aside, clean up the mess, wash my hands and leave it be for the remainder of the evening...

Fortunately, you as a reader do not have to wait for the sequel. Two days later I also manage to scrape off the sticker residue from the second strip with little effort using some sticker remover.

Both strips are clean again, but the second one didn't come off very well. Due to a small accident I managed to get two ugly folds to show up on the strip...

I try to get the folds out by clamping them between a small vise, but to no avail. Nevertheless, the damage can still be limited by using the other side of the strip. This is because the strip is permanently bent to the other side.

Although the idea of graphite powder turned out to be a huge flop, I had already come up with a plan B in advance. While searching for double-sided tape for the graphite, I also came across a roll of 'anti-slip' tape. The granules of the anti-slip roller seem to be a perfect alternative to the old weathered brakes.

I cut off a piece of the roll, the width is perfect to provide both strips with a new brake coating. I mark the cut part and cut it in half. The bent strip is the first to be tested. After cutting off the remaining anti-slip, I test the strip on the recorder.

It is important that the reel can rotate freely when the brake is released. Conversely, the brake must provide sufficient grip when it is tightened. It turns out to be a success! The reel spins freely when I release the brake and clamps the reel tightly when the brake is applied. After this I also provide the other strip with a new coating and confirm this also works as it should.

The brakes have a new coating. It looks a bit coarser than the old one, but with time this coarse part will wear away, after which they will hardly differ from old. The brakes ended up taking me longer than I anticipated. What should have been a job of half a day ended up being a few days, partly due to the suspicion of asbestos and the failed plan of graphite powder as a replacement.

Yet it is precisely because of this that it gives extra satisfaction now that the replacement of the brakes has been successful. We proceed to the next step, which mainly consists of cleaning the interior and of course lubricating a few more hinged parts.

Before we can start reassembling the reels, another cleaning is needed. The grit from the old brakes is still scattered all over the place and it is better to deal with this now than to wait after everything has been put back together.

Yet, cleaning has to wait a while, the operational part of the brakes is still in the way. Moreover, this mechanism also needs some attention. These parts also come apart for general cleaning and lubrication.

And so in the blink of an eye the mechanism of the brakes has come apart. In reality, the disassembly was not a difficult job. The parts are secured to the machine with circlips of the same size. I clean the parts and re-grease the hinging points.

Now it's finally time to start scrubbing. I go over the dirty parts with cotton swabs and cleaning alcohol. It takes me some time to get the dirt out of the nooks and crannies, but with enough patience it eventually yield good results.

Here's a before and after picture. The photos may not do it justice, but there is indeed a big difference now that most of the dirt is gone. Only the brown traces of the counter belt can no longer be removed. This has been 'baked' into the metal over the years, nevertheless it does no harm and on the contrary it's a good indication of how the belt should run.

This is the moment where I can put the complete mechanism of the reels back together!

Step by step, the brake mechanism goes back into place. There is a certain order that you have to follow to assemble everything correctly. The photos above show the sequence quite accurately.

Before the reels can go back, the belt of the counter must be replaced. It goes without saying that the old belt has seen better days. The brown soot on the belt is difficult to explain, I suspect that this also comes from the grit of the brakes. Why it has taken on a brown color and how it came to be deposited on the metal remains a mystery to me.

To free the belt, the counter itself must be released. It is only held in place with a single screw.

The axle of the counter where the belt rests is also quite dirty. Although it may not be that serious, I still clean the inside. With this, the counter will probably be more accurate in indicating the tape length.

Comparing the old and new belt is almost unnecessary. After all, it goes without saying that the old belt must be replaced urgently...

Again I notice that the new belt is a bit smaller than the old one. Chances are that the old belt has stretched over the years.

With the old belt replaced, the counter can be put back in place, but as soon as I want to tighten the screw of the counter, it shoots away and falls through an opening in the frame of the recorder...

In a desperate attempt to fish out the screw, I shine a flashlight through the opening, but there is no sign of the screw. When I put the recorder upright I hear the screw rattling inside. I try to find him through other openings but without success.

With the screw somewhere deep inside the recorder, there is nothing else to do than to loosen the wooden housing of the recorder and lift out the entire inside.

Nevertheless, it is not a major disaster, in the end the intention was to loosen the wooden case after replacing the mechanism, so disassembling the housing now takes priority.

When removing the screws at the back I hear something falling inside. I have no idea what it is but I suspect it is the screw of the counter.

When the screws on the back are out, there is still no movement of the interior. I check the manual again but can't find any clear instructions on how to disassemble the case. I lay the machine flat and also take out the four screws on the sides.

Finally, ten screws come out of the housing, after which the interior seems to be separated from the outside. Now it's just a matter of taking it out which doesn't seem to be an easy job.

How do I get the interior out of the housing? Thoughts running through my head as I stare at the device. After all, the high weight does not make it any easier...

After some wringing I manage to move the inside a little forward. I can now grip the sides with my hands.

By grabbing both sides I can carefully pull the interior out of the wooden case.

The interior without the wooden case! But now the next question, where is the screw of the counter?

I peer into the wooden case itself again. Do you see the screw yet?

There's the little bastard! Hidden in the corners of the closet. I take it out with tweezers and set it aside.

With the screw secured it's time to take a look at the back of the device. A gigantic collection of cables run from A to B, printed circuit boards are mounted everywhere on the machine with countless connections to each other. Let's take a closer look!

two plump transformers occupy the top of the machine. They convert the voltage of the device to lower common voltages for use on many electrical components.

No less than three gigantic motors which are not far from the transformers. Two for the reel drive and a third for the drive that transports the tape.

The rest of the back is filled with various circuit boards. Cities full of small electrical components and highways with wires between them. It is (in my opinion) still beautiful to behold this. Nevertheless, it will remain with beholding. The focus is namely on the mechanical part. The electrical part remains untouched. Who knows, maybe this will come up in the future...

Some other points of detail, the surfaces facing upwards are a bit dusty. I could clean this but chances are I'll damage parts with this. This work can better be carried out if the rear is also disassembled.

What I do remove are the various loose leaves of what I suspect is a houseplant that has stood next to the recorder in the past. After all, during the disassembly I have already encountered several of these leaves.

Before we continue with the repair, here's a look at the elements of some switches on the front. These, when operated, push internal switches inside that activate the various functions.

The only thing for which I currently have to be at the rear is the engine of the tape transport, which needs to be oiled. This also explains for me the oil that I found everywhere in the machine.

There is a small hose at the front, which runs to the relevant engine in the inside. I suspect it is there to drain the excess oil from the engine. At first I thought that this was intended for the supply of oil to the engine instead of a drain. I search the manual again but can't find anything about oiling the engine let alone what the hose is actually for.

I oil the motor with a drop of sewing machine oil (very thin oil). To get this done right I use a small pipette and of course lay the machine down with the back facing up to prevent spilling oil everywhere.

At the front I give the flywheel a spin, it now clearly continues to rotate a lot longer after adding new oil. This completes the work on the back. Before I put the machine back in the housing, I decide to put the other mechanical parts back now that I can reach everything a little better.

Finally, the counter can be attached together with it's new belt.

After this, the other parts can also go back. The bracket, the brakes and the clips that hold the brakes in place.

The reels can also go back, I also put the belt of the counter in place. I secure the reels and give them a spin while releasing the brake.

The reels still make contact with the brakes when turning, even though they are released. It's a matter of adjusting the brackets to keep the brakes completely clear of the reels.

With this the most important work is done. The machine can be put back in its housing, I leave the screws out for a while to be able run a cloth along the wooden cabinet.

Adjusting and testing

Time for a final cleaning of the internal parts. There are still some grit and oil residue on the machine, which is clearly visible on the cotton swabs when I have passed them along the metal frame.

I also run a cloth along the wooden cabinet, which was (and still is) a bit sticky. After a while I leave it at that because otherwise I'd scrub off the black coating.

The next job is to demagnetize the heads, for this I remove the metal plate again so that I can reach it better.

The screws can be put back and the plug can be connected because it is time for the first test after the repair.

Of course I will not sacrifice my better tapes yet. I first put on a tape whose content is not important. During testing I look at what still needs to be adjusted and then test the recorder again, until it works as it should.

Below is an overview of the adjustments I had to make:

The fact that the tape slipped between the pinch roller and capstan was ultimately due to these two shafts. These came loose during the work. After readjusting it with a flat screwdriver, the tape remained neatly within the lines. It is also important that you set these axles exactly right, otherwise the tape will not pass straight under the heads, resulting in the sound being recorded and played 'skewed'!

After I had replaced the brakes, they turned out to be way too powerful. The braking force can be adjusted by moving this spring a few teeth. Over time, the brakes will wear in and this spring will have to be readjusted. For now it is all the way to the left so that the braking force is not too heavy but not too light either.

The tape regularly came into contact with the edge of the tape, this is due to the height of the reels on which the tapes rest. In the end I adjusted both coils a bit forward and measured whether they are equal to each other. After this the problem was solved.

After adjustment and testing, it is time to reassemble the other parts and panels. Not before I've passed a wipe on these parts.

The panels go back in place. There is a certain order because the panel in the middle lays over the top and bottom panel.

With the panels in place, it's time to assemble to buttons. I turn the axles completely to the left so that they are theoretically reading 0. I also let the buttons themself point to zero when I tighten them. This way I know for sure that the value shown is also the correct one.

Before I replace the cap over the heads I clean them one last time with alcohol.

And so the recorder is ready for action, with renewed glory!

Don't forget the cover, of course, I also cleaned it and can put it back on the recorder.

For now I'll turn it on one last time to see if everything still works properly now that it's back together.

Something I just had to do is to use the recorder to play the smallest reels. After all, it's a comical sight to see a monster of a machine like this playing mini reels...

To realize that the mini reels are so small that they fit in the opening of its big brother...

This ends this repair. It was quite an experience to be able to work on a 10 Inch tape recorder like this. Although I did not include the electrical part in the repair, there was already enough to be done. I myself have learned a lot from it and the owner of the recorder can again listen (and watch) with pleasure to his tapes and recorder!

February 26, 2023

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