Tape is stuck

[pennies_hatchie123]

hi everyone

i just bought an nsx and it had a tape thats stuck in the tape player. the player itself turns on and off but it wont eject. it also wont change to fm/am either so i'm not sure that's due to the fact that the tape is stuck or if the unit is broken. i've tried prying the tape out while hitting the eject button but that doesnt work. also, it makes noises when the car turns on and makes the same noises when the car is turned off.

thanks in advance.

 

[Old Guy]

If the mechanism is jammed such that the cassette is stuck in the play position, I think the head unit will always power up in tape mode. My recollection is that when you switch from tape to radio or turn the head unit off, the tape ejects. If the cassette is not ejecting the head unit is detecting the presence of the tape in the drive when you power up which causes it to switch to tape mode. You will permanently be stuck in tape mode until you get the cassette out.

I recommend that you do not attempt to pry the cassette out of the head unit. If you damage the sensor that detects the cassette, you could be left with a head unit permanently in tape mode even though the cassette has been removed. I recommend removal of the head unit from the dash. I would then take it to a car audio shop to see if they will disassemble it to remove the cassette. You can disassemble the head unit yourself if you are careful. I found the biggest risk is the faceplate connection to the main chassis. It is a ribbon cable and if you screw up the terminations on the ribbon cable during disconnection / reconnection, your head unit is toast. Check the condition of the cassette sensor (probably a micro switch). If it is damaged, you may need to repair it so that it is not permanently sensing a cassette.

Full disclosure. It has been 5+ years since I pulled my head unit apart to clean the inside of the faceplate and it has been 5+ years since I last tried a cassette in the unit, so my recollection is a little fuzzy. If you get the cassette out, don't try using the drive. Add something like a GROM which connects through the CD drive connection rather than trying to use a flakey cassette drive..

 

[pennies_hatchie123]

Thank you so much for the insight. I'll probably just take it out to see if someone can remove it.

 

[comtec]

It has been 5+ years since I pulled my head unit apart to clean the inside of the faceplate

I had to do the same thing about 7 years ago.

Mike

 

[TomCat]

So...there is no "quick release" of stuck tape cassette?

 

[Wild Turkey]

So...there is no "quick release" of stuck tape cassette?

Bump. No one knows an easier way than taking out the head unit?

It clicks several times when I press eject or turn off the stereo, but it won't eject the cassette, or play it. No radio or CD function either. Lights are on but no-one's home in my stereo.

 

[drew]

AFAIK there is no easy way to remove the cassette from the tape transport. It is a crazy complicated, high-precision, and fragile mechanism. Any bends or imperfections will cause it to fail.

The tape insertion process is spring loaded and locked into place for immediate play... To eject, the whole tape transport has to reset under tension to be ready for the next tape.

Likely, without power you will have to
a. remove the unit from the dash and take off the top plate.
b. push back the rack&pinion on the left side (bottom of cassette)
c. pull forward the sheet metal lock on the front of the tape cage
d. pry back the head/capstan holder on the right side...it's spring loaded in the play position.
e. pry up tape whilst doing b-c-d all at the same time.

I haven't delved into the tape transport (give me another year), but your best bet is to add power while setting the cams and switches to get transport to commit to the eject process. If you figure out how to do this: let me know.

The Alpine NSX tape transport doesn't even have a belt, it was so advanced.

 

[Heineken]

A perfect opportunity to jump in clarify some of the things mentioned :biggrin:

I found the biggest risk is the faceplate connection to the main chassis.

Even though that's true when disassembling the whole radio, the radio mechanism is surprisingly easy to get out.
Just remove the top cover and the four screws on each corner of the cassette chassis - take care of the strip of guiding metal near the front plate - then lift out the whole cassette module.
Now it should be easier to figure out how to remove the cassette. Installation is reverse of removal.
​

The Alpine NSX tape transport doesn't even have a belt, it was so advanced.

Unfortunately not true since I spend significant time getting a replacement when mine started to fail: http://www.nsxcb.co.uk/showthread.php?15771-OEM-Radio-Cassette-Belt-Replacement
The thread contains some photos of the head and cassette mechanism unit that might help on your journey.
​

PS: If you can live without a tape deck, it's possible to bridge two pins of the cassette module connector (instead of installing the cassette module) and end up with an otherwise working radio.

 

[drew]

Oh, a belt is good....I haven't fully taken apart my sample mechanism fully. Another project to do on this car.

That way you can spin up the driven flywheel and engage the eject procedure.

My above-described method should be able to get a tape out, but you'll need three hands and two screwdrivers.

 

[Wild Turkey]

Thanks guys. I was just about to start disassembling the console when I decided to move the car outside for better light. When I started the car, the radio suddenly spit out the cassette. Whoo Hoo! This after hours of fiddling on 2 separate previous evenings, turning on while holding the eject button, etc. There will be no more cassettes going in there ever again...

Answer to prayer this time - I used the 8 hours I'd set aside for it to remove an old Clifford alarm. Good riddance.

Question: could the eject failure be a signal of more capacitors going bad, maybe related to the eject mechanism or logic? My radio's been fixed by Brian K for a previous owner over a decade ago. Is there a schedule I should be pulling the radio out to check for other bad caps? I really have no use for a cassette player anyway, so would it be good to remove it in case caps on that board leak onto something else? What are the 2 pins to bridge to allow the stereo to function without the cassette mechanism?

I suspect my sub amp is also going or gone since the center speaker is relatively quiet. Another winter project...

 

[Heineken]

Good to hear that the cassette issue resolved itself

The exact pins to bridge are unknown to me is pin 2 on connector CB101 which needs to be pulled to GND:



Further information is somewhere on the forum , I'm quite sure. The cassette unit can be kept inside, it does not pose any risk since the caps used on it are very small and have not been found leaking, as far as my knowledge goes.

Cassette eject issues isn't a problem normally connected to capacitor leakage, especially since yours have already been replaced. I'm not aware of any recapped radio failing again - electrolytic capacitors have various failure causes with leakage being only one of them (but unfortunately a very popular one with the NSX). Opening and disassembling the radio far enough to be able to check on the caps is not without risk and the first signs of leakage happen under the caps where it can hardly be seen: http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showt...-Replacement?p=2031729&viewfull=1#post2031729
To sum it up I would rather replace the caps again after 20 or 30 years than opening up the unit without doing so.

Thanks guys. I was just about to start disassembling the console when I decided to move the car outside for better light. When I started the car, the radio suddenly spit out the cassette. Whoo Hoo! This after hours of fiddling on 2 separate previous evenings, turning on while holding the eject button, etc. There will be no more cassettes going in there ever again...

Answer to prayer this time - I used the 8 hours I'd set aside for it to remove an old Clifford alarm. Good riddance.

Question: could the eject failure be a signal of more capacitors going bad, maybe related to the eject mechanism or logic? My radio's been fixed by Brian K for a previous owner over a decade ago. Is there a schedule I should be pulling the radio out to check for other bad caps? I really have no use for a cassette player anyway, so would it be good to remove it in case caps on that board leak onto something else? What are the 2 pins to bridge to allow the stereo to function without the cassette mechanism?

I suspect my sub amp is also going or gone since the center speaker is relatively quiet. Another winter project...

 

[Old Guy]

What are the 2 pins to bridge to allow the stereo to function without the cassette mechanism

I suspect my sub amp is also going or gone since the center speaker is relatively quiet.

The cassette mechanism 'typically' has a micro switch which detects that a cassette has been inserted into the cassette carrier. This puts the cassette transport mechanism into operation and also interrupts the other inputs forcing the unit to use the cassette as the signal source. Normally, the micro switch goes from open to closed when the cassette is inserted so bridging the output contacts of the switch would force the unit permanently into cassette mode or cause it to continually try to eject the tape on start up. Not what you want. Some high end cassette mechanisms use a contactless photo diode detector mechanism to detect the presence of a cassette in the mechanism.

I have never particularly noticed anything coming from the center speaker, yet my sub woofer seems to be working just fine. Its a rather small speaker which is un ported / unenclosed so if its getting the same filtered signal that the footwell speaker is receiving I would not expect much volume. Although it is connected to the subwoofer amp I thought is primary purpose was for the optional cell phone. Since somebody has been messing with the car electrics, make sure that the speaker has not been accidentally or intentionally disconnected. Speaker amplifier failure is typically accompanied by increased noise and distortion rather than no sound.

 

[Heineken]

Just to avoid any confusion, briging the pins is only required when the cassette player unit is removed from the radio - without the cassette player unit installed, the radio switches to cassette mode permanently (that happens the moment the unit is lifted out of the chassis). Why Alpine did it this way and not the other way around is unknown to me.

The center speaker is very, very quite indeed.

The cassette mechanism 'typically' has a micro switch which detects that a cassette has been inserted into the cassette carrier. This puts the cassette transport mechanism into operation and also interrupts the other inputs forcing the unit to use the cassette as the signal source. Normally, the micro switch goes from open to closed when the cassette is inserted so bridging the output contacts of the switch would force the unit permanently into cassette mode or cause it to continually try to eject the tape on start up. Not what you want. Some high end cassette mechanisms use a contactless photo diode detector mechanism to detect the presence of a cassette in the mechanism.

I have never particularly noticed anything coming from the center speaker, yet my sub woofer seems to be working just fine. Its a rather small speaker which is un ported / unenclosed so if its getting the same filtered signal that the footwell speaker is receiving I would not expect much volume. Although it is connected to the subwoofer amp I thought is primary purpose was for the optional cell phone. Since somebody has been messing with the car electrics, make sure that the speaker has not been accidentally or intentionally disconnected. Speaker amplifier failure is typically accompanied by increased noise and distortion rather than no sound.