464+ tape drive keeps stopping

[khisanth]

The tape drive on my 464+ intermittently keeps stopping. loaded a game for 3 minutes then it cut out stopping the tape. now it will play for say 10 seconds then it stops as if it hit the end of the tape. can rewind, forward and eject and pause no problem.

easy fix? any tips on what to check/replace/lube/hit with a hammer?

[Bryce]

Hi Khisanth,
          it sounds like the tape you're trying to load is putting too much of a load on the motor. There is a small tag that measures the tension on the tape and stops the motor so that the tape doesn't break.  Firstly try a different tape, to see if it's happening with all tapes. If it happens on all tapes the tag is too sensitive and the spring may need to be replaced. If it's only the one tape, then fast-forward the tape completely to the end and rewind it all the way back, that usually re-alligns the tape and removes the tension. Tapes that have been stopped and started/rewound in the middle several times end up jamming themselves (you will see stripes in the roll of tape inside), the fast-forward/rewind should remove these. If that doesn't work, I sometimes loosen the screws on the tape a little to help it along.

Bryce.

[khisanth]

Excellent thanks for that, will run through those checks tonight. 

[Gryzor]

...or, maybe, the deck mechanism may be real dirty and the tension that the tag reads comes not from the tape, but from the deck itself. So you may wanna check that out too...

[Bryce]

Yeah, that's why I said to try a different tape first. That would be some serious amount of dirt though!

[Gryzor]

Yeah, that's why I said to try a different tape first. That would be some serious amount of dirt though!

Not really - if you got some grime combined with oil and 20+ years' worth of setting in, it can grow into cement

[Bryce]

Last month I found my original 464 in my parents attic, it had been stored under a bed, in the garage and eventually in the attic since I left sometime around 1989. Because it was the UK (open ports at the back) version it had gathered so much dirt, that the positions of the chips were no longer recognisable, the dirt had actually "grown" to the height of the components. Obviously this was an extreme case, but anyone who decides to bring their hardware back to life after so long, should completely dis-assemble and clean every part before they turn it on. Not just because the tape-drive might be dodgy, but dust on the PCB soaks up moisture (especially in hotter climates) and will cause short-circuits, which could kill the CPC forever. Maybe I (somebody) should write a guide to restoring a CPC for the Wiki. I'm sure there are people out there, who find theirs and just plug it straight in. This I would definitely not recommend.

Bryce.

P.s. After it's restoration, my trusty CPC was not only shining, but also worked just as it had back then.

[Gryzor]

I can't agree more with Bryce. Every time I buy a new retro machine I open it up, clean it thoroughly and take photos of its innards. Wise words...

[khisanth]

Well after doing the forwarding and rewinding to the end and back this did seem to fix the issue. Thanks for that tip!

I always get the compressed air blower out and blast the insides to remove as much dust and fluff as possible, clean the outside and then clean the inside and circuit boards with alcohol to get all the grime off

[Bryce]

Good to hear it was an easy fix.

If (like me) you don't own a compressor, you can buy a can of air in most good computer shops, or if you prefer a cheaper solution, I created my own "special attachment" for a standard vacuum cleaner, made from a rubber bung/plug (bought it in a wine making shop) which I glued an 8mm rubber tube into the centre hole. It's really good at getting all the dust out, before I start on the serious cleaning.

Bryce.

[khisanth]

My dyson does a great job of sucking away a lot of stuff from my machines with just the soft brush thing on the end. Good idea to make a smaller attachment actually, give a more powerful suck and be more accurate.