UPDATE: So I’m running a 3-part LIVE workshop that takes us on… A Time Travel Through Vintage Electronics. We’ll rewind the clock, dive into the tech of the times… (and study the very history of how things were broken and repaired has evolved) The workshop is coming soon, but if you're reading this then you're in luck (or not)... And there's still time for you to sign up using the link below: www.menditmark.com/mend-mark-workshop The workshop dates are mentioned in the link above too.
Like others are saying, I am 71 now, and have been an electronics audio service engineer from being a hobbyist at 11 years old and I still do the odd repair and restore old equipment, particularly valve (tube) amplifiers. Trust me when I say, you will not see a better all round technician than Mark. Simply the best.
But why he hates the decks? This AiwA is a GEM. True dragonslayer,nakakiller. All these,660 and 770 and AD-F990 are wayy over average consumer decks. Simply slim design and all are screaming sweet 80`s design style.
I also did an apprenticeship in Australia early 1970's era 2 years before we got color tv. Became a radio tradesman and repaired electronic/electrical and other white good items. Great to see this guy fix stuff, he seems to have a great knowlege of most things including RF alignment and mechanical repairs too!
You had me to 'the best'. Maybe I fell asleep by the time he did wow and flutter, signal to noise and tape head alignment. He is the best at putting a light hearted approach at electronic troubleshooting though.
Mate, RESPECT! I thought you'd just try and get a new motor from somewhere. But to actually rewind that tiny gunk of a motor, very few would dare to do that. Absolute respect!
I'm absolutely lost for words. I've never seen such commitment in these recent times of 'economical repair'. What a find this channel was. Amazing work, such patience 👏
There is no money for a technician to make in repairing old equipment. The lack of readily available parts and the TIME required to perform the repair would scare most customers away. An unfortunate reality.
@@johnbedell2376 Sorry but that's just not correct. I have been repairing electronics like Mark does (I also do professional audio and broadcast electronics) for over 50 years now and I am still doing it. People are still paying reasonable money to have their equipment serviced and repaired and if there was no money in it then I wouldn't be doing it still! I don't have too many problems getting the parts I need and I can complete most repairs in a realistic amount of time.
I really love watching your videos because, as a retired A/V technician from the 80s to the early 2000s, you work on a lot of the same kind of equipment that I did. I must have worked on hundreds of tape decks right down to rebuilding the cassette chassis, but I must say that I NEVER had to rewind a motor. I am THOROUGHLY impressed! Great video. I can't wait for part 2.
Likewise, I would never have gone to the lengths of rewinding the motor. Mark really makes it look so doable. He is in a league of his own - the electronic equivalent of Allan Millyard of the world of motor cycles .
What a talented man you are Mark. To rewind a motor, definitely needs thinking and true understanding of electronics. As a former Physics and Electronics teacher I want to say, you are a pleasure to watch and a gifted and learned man teaching the teachers.
This is by far most detailed repair job I haven't seen in long, long while. MOST IMPRESSIVE part was the motor repair WOW... I don't think hi-fi technicians were this good...well ever.
Can't believe I just sat through an hour of fiddling around with a cassette mechanism - and was enthralled the whole time! Love seeing the trial-and-error, as well as the odd mistake and rectification which is what I love about the channel. Total respect for the work and perseverance, plus the aptitude to work these things out. Great work as usual
Rewinding these small electric motors is next level skills and persistence Mark, let alone the motor controller circuit reverse engineering. Top job as per usual.
1:01:40 The compu brain system is for recording. The deck will automatically adjust the fine bias, the record level, and equalization (odd as EQ curve should be set by the tape type detected by the reed switches over the cassette shell). It'll auto rewind back to the starting point, ready to record! It's amazing it had Dolby C in 1982, and could detect if the recording was made with B or C encoding. Smashing motor rebuild Mark!
The EQ set by switches is a rough setting, exact eq varies by tape manufacturers. The 770 and 990 could cal some tapes that no others could do. Dedicated Reel-to-Reel deck owners will have their machines calibrated for specific tape brands and formulations.
In many decks bias is adjusted to get flat frequency response, but that is actually not the right approach. Bias should be adjusted for maximum output and/or minimum distortion or a compromise between the two. Next, recording EQ is set to get flat frequency response (on PB). Only a handful of decks wehere ever designed this way. Apperently this is one of them.
@@pietermol8508 These decks had Dolby HX-Pro (a Bang & Olufsen invention), which adjusted the bias in real-time when the signal contained frequency components which could do part of the bias function. Hence it eXtended the Headroom.
Everything online about this deck/model says introduced 1982, but somehow I'm finding that hard(ish) to believe. Everything about the design and aesthetic (including the flat control panel) screams mid-late 80's to me.
What I like about Mark is that he never ever is frustrated about setbacks... he is never tired... Winding that motor, I mean who of us would ever tackle that job?
@@wheatonna yeah, I kind of agree... but Mark is a better person than that I think... Just look what he is capable of doing... you know... no need to play it down or something... I guess that's really it, he is a nice person with a lot of knowledge and a heap of skills. Let us learn from this guy...
That's a great repair on what was one of the best decks of its time and about as expensive as a Nakamichi (around 125,000 yen in 1982). The auto-selector for dolby B and C depends on a low frequency waveform that is added to your recording when made with this deck. As you are playing an original tape it won't have that signal, ie. you need to select Dolby manually. The compu stuff is used before recording and will adjust bias and level for the tape - you need a tape with the recording tabs in place for that to work. There is a very good chance your Aiwa deck is working 100% already.
ASMR electronics repair at it's finest! Thank you Mark for your cheerful attitude towards what seems to be everything. Very pleased to "know" you during these wildly difficult situations. You are indeed the epitome of grace under pressure.
@@69uremum Settle down there :) No-one is saying ASMR is the purpose of Mark's videos. It is simply a comment on the detail and clarity of the audio which all adds to the presentation. If Mark didn't intend it to be that way he wouldn't go the effort. It's great to be able to see and HEAR what is going on. I know that many viewers of this channel have no interest in electronics but enjoy the videos because of Mark's personality and because they are so well presented, including sharp AUDIO. 🙂
Mark, you have my undying admiration for your ability to resolve mechanical and electronic faults. I, like yourself hated working on those cassette decks and I didnt have your patience . Trying to reverse engineer a circuit board in the way you did would have sent my brain into meltdown. Another great video, cant wait for part 2, enjoy you Christmas
Mark, It's nice to see someone that's not afraid to restore electronic devices. Excellent attention to detail by adding Kapton tape to insulate the armature. That motor is now much better then when it left the factory.
Now I understand why Mark takes so long in delivering content to UA-cam. His work is meticulously outstanding. My favorite video to date. I would have thrown this tape deck against the wall at several junctures.... incredible job Mark! I appreciate your work.
You are right, but it's not just about what he does to repair a gear. It's also about how he operates the camera and does the post-production. Just watch it again and pay attention to close ups, angles and so forth. I guess it takes quite much of extra time that Mark needs to spend to show us his great work in such extraordinary way.
Este video debería llamarse "tengo inmensa paciencia" a la hora de cobrarle al cliente habría que mostrarle el inmenso trabajo que lleva hacer que estos delicados mecanismos vuelvan a la vida. Extraordinario trabajo. Felicitaciones
"I think Belinda's balls have dropped!" Nearly spat out my tea! It's always a good day when a new Mend It Mark video is posted. Thanks Mark, and merry Christmas!
Can't tell you how much I enjoy your work and this particular episode, as I owned an ADF990 and 770 but the 990 back in the day could rival the Nakamichi Dragon, it sounded that good. You could really push the saturation points of cassette tapes without distortion. I used TDK MAXG's and later SONY super metal master tapes mostly.The Auto-Calibration system that you will be fixing next is uncannily accurate and makes this deck next level. I stopped using my machine with the advent of CDR and minidisc etc. I couldnt sell it on, so under pressure from she who must be obeyed, I ended up putting it out for the rag & bone man. It was working when I got rid. Now they can make over £1000 quid in good condition. I have to say I don't regret chucking it out for the money it would be worth, its just that seeing yours and others working and knowing how great they can sound, I miss my ADF990. Its unique and the best thing Aiwa ever made.
what an amazing repair, I cannot think of anybody going through re-winding the motor and fixing all those nagging issues with the tape deck! Can't wait for the next one!
Great perseverance Mark, with gear of this age you never know who’s previously been inside & what extra faults they’ve caused. A 4 cups of tea repair 👍
Wow just wow!! I have replaced the belts on a few 660/770/990s and it is quite the pain. I have also replaced the VFD on my 990 and that was a task. Never ever did I think you were going to re-wind the motor and then find all the other screw-ups that were caused by someone who did not know what they were doing. Truly next level. Really enjoyed the video. Liked and subscribed.
I bought a new ADF-770 back in the early eighties. Loved it to bits especially how it would record a test signal then play it back to itself and adjust settings to make best record to suit tape used. Wonderful machine.
You sir have an amazing set of skills and knowledge. I am just a humble electrician and have a previous life as in telecoms engineering (exchange maintenance) I also have an ADF990 in the loft - I bet doesn't work anymore. This video was, to me as good to watch as the best episode of 'The Repair Shop' on the BBC
The best thing in my day, a 'Mark is back' video, nice one mate! They don't make transports like that anymore, just look at those flywheels! Would love a 3 head deck one-day. I think someone's been in there before. The first thing I noticed was that cables were not zip tied inside & the other mechanical 'errors' you picked up. 58:40 😂😂 Happy holidays Mark - another superb video :) thank you.
I've been working in a repair shop for almost 29 years. I had zillions of those motors around. Dumped them all thinking they'll be available forever but something weird happened
I still repair cassette decks and I get a friend who works at an electronics recycling centre to save these motors for me. He is scrapping electronics daily and when he strips something down with one of these motors in he puts it aside for me.
Mark, you are an honest to God genius! I think you will find the "automatic" light will flash for a short time until the deck works out the correct Dolby setting, or you can just select it manually. The "Compu Brain" system (known as DATA on later models) is to automatically select the correct level, bias and equalization for the loaded tape during recording, so would only light up with a blank tape when you press the "Compu Brain start/reset" button as it goes through its automated calibration process. And yes, these things are worth a mint!
You are definitely one of the fastest growing electronics repair channel I've ever seen. I think it's your ability your presentation and most of all your cheery disposition despite being British haha! I love your channel Mark. You have motivated me to actually desolder sliders from my boards and clean them properly not just spray and pray. Thank you for your videos
The mechanical and lever overlay of those cassette meghanisms boggles my mind. ,and then the application of servos, relays and control mechansims to control all the functions.,and the sheer gritty determination to NOT GIVE UP. Incredible.
Do electronics myself and this is got to be one of the best channels I seen. Just like people like this, he puts the work in and don’t cut corners. I know old tape decks are a pain and can spend a lot of time on them. Fantastic workmanship mate you do. Be nice to see the next episode. Try recapping one of these things it takes ages but if people want a full service it has to be done with all the other things too.
Holy moly a task. You impress time and time again. As an old radio mechanic, I really like to see how professional you are, your good humor is also fantastic. I look forward to seeing the continuation and always look forward to new exciting videos from you
Well done, I admire your patience! The computer controlled bias circuitry only comes into its own during recording I think. You put a blank tape in, set it to record, and it makes a test recording, plays it back, and works out the correct bias setting by itself. I wouldn't expect anything on there to light up during playback.
Not just bias, but level *and* equalization, many 'auto tuning' decks didn't do EQ. This and the 770 can calibrate to some tapes that no other machine could.
I really enjoyed watching this epiode. Ending the year on such a high note with a quality Japanese tape deck overhaul is pure gold. Two part cliffhangers are as fitting of the 1980's as the tape deck.
As someone who has worked on quite a few decks now, I can say that the AIWA AD-F990 and AD-F770 are a bit of a nightmare. AIWA seem to have concentrated their efforts on the heads, transport, and auto-calibration, and left the rest to chance?, very constricted inside. Some decks really test our patience! I watched it all the way through - great to see someone wind the rotor windings from scratch - much credit to you Mark!
Great Video Mark, still got an ADF 990.... The Compu Brain system is for recording, put a blank tape in hit start and it will record various test tones while it adjusts the bias,cal and eq. then it will stop and rewind all setup for the perfect recording, just have to set the REC volume 😎
I watched this video when it was new and marveled at how Mark works. I watched it again and I would love to have his troubleshooting skills and this was a memory nightmare for me. I would have had a bag of extra parts. Mark, you are my hero!!!
Mislim da na ovom svijetu nepostoji veci elektronicar i veca ljudina. Njegov osmijeh na lici sve govori. Sta je covjek Englez Amerikanac.? Svaki dan bar jednom pregledam sta rade njegove zlatne ruke!
Truly impressive to watch. No matter how hard and carefully I would try, something this complex would be irreparably broken in about 10 minutes. You have the patience and skill few possess.
Brilliant video. About 6 months ago I changed the two main belts on my Aiwa AD 660 machine. That was tricky enough - I can't believe the problems you had to sort out on this machine Mark - well done!
Hello Mark. I still have 4 of these in the studio. The buttons you don't know are just to auto calibrate the deck. You insert a new tape, push the calibrate button, and the Aiwa will do al the bias adjust automatically. It generates a tone, monitorizes it, make the necessary adjustments, and once finished, it stops and rewind the tape to the beginning, ready to record. I also own a Nakamichi 1000, but I love this ones. Great video, as always, BTW!.
don't you have to set recording on pause before you press that calibrate button? These auto calibration functions were a bit dodgy on some brands on early 3 head decks. Only after 90' they become more accurate and reliable. IMO the best ones were on Technics and Sony top models in mid 90' before the CDs took over. Especially since after 90' a lots of fake brand cassettes flooded the market and this auto calibration function could fix most of them. Double capstan would help with the low quality plastic magnetic media carrier in the cassettes to reduce W&F.
@@beograd07you are right. Must prepare it to record putting it into pause, then press the auto calibration button. The ones I have used to work very well adjusting the tape; remember, Aiwa was a Sony brand…
soon i got two of these adf-770 and same autodata exeter they got. Way over average consumer level,these series are. And what a recorders,better than naka.
@@fichambawelby2632 I did not know that. I always wondered who was behind Aiwa. Thanks for the info. I knew most of the decks were using Sony dolby chips and only logic control chips would be locally made (like Nakamichi in some of their decks). And if Sony designed this deck it is a surprise how many connecting wires are inside. Sony is known for a very neat design. And this was obviously one of the Aiwa's top model at the time (1982).
Great vid Mark. I was a road tech for 30 years and you're one of the best I've seen. You have the patience of a saint to just smile rewinding a bad motor. A tip of the hat to you my friend.
An astonishingly knowledgeable electronics engineer who fearlessly tackles the most challenging problems with incredible enthusiasm. Mark clearly enjoys his work and is so compelling to watch. Genius!
Looking forward to pt2. Amazed at your perseverance…..I would have given up long before. I’m not sure the owner is going to appreciate the bill the hours you’ve put in for the repairs🤣
One day I watch the video - wow. Now I'll have seen it all. Nothing will surprise me anymore. Another day, another video - wow... Now nothing will surprise me... And that's how it is almost every time this talented man repairs something... I also tinker with my old hardware, amateurishly, so I am well aware that what I see on the screen as easy and simple is beyond the reach of the cosmos for amateurs like me. Respect to the Master.
Hi Mark, I have one of these, bought in 1984 and still working (had to replace only the belt only because it was cooked). Your video of entire process is amazing! I want to reassure you that the thing is working. The Data System needs a blank (say writeable) tape on which it records a series of frequencies to calibrate the bias/eq and have a flat frequency response. It was told it could render a Fe tape close to a Metal one... (No, it did not). The Dolby B-C- Auto thing sets the Dolby during play the same way it was recorded, with the same deck though. This because the auto-mode record some frequencies (out of human spectrum) on the tape that then set the Dolby Mode (B, C or off). Thus, if in auto-mode when playing and the tape was not recorded with the very deck, it just blinks... Last, but not least: that deck is great: I recorded on a Metal tape some High-res Music played on an Hi-res DAP and then re-sampled back the audio at 96Khz and checked that the thing recorded frequencies beyond the 20KHz... Keep up the excellent work!
Once again, I have to admire your tenacity! To actually rewind the motor, repair its control circuits, replace belts and pinch-rollers, on top of that, sort out someone else's faulty reassembly of mechanical parts, finally get the deck running - and then find out there's still more to do.
Have to say Mark that was impressive work. Someone had clearly been in there before you and butchered that mechanism - no way it left the factory with springs in the wrong place and ball bearings missing. Looking forward to Pt 2
The Aiwa AD-FF90 is a stereo cassette deck with Dolby B/C and HX-Pro noise reduction, it was introduced by Aiwa in 1982 with a recommended retail price of USD ... US$ 595,00
I am soo amazed by your persistence Mark. I watched the whole hour and learned that anything can be resolved with persistence! I'm 59 yrs old and you've given me hope that I can tackle many more challenges yet!
I'm flabbergasted by the ease with which you manage to unscrew and take it all apart, and furthermore reassemble all those parts and springs and have the machine in its perfect original working condition. I've done quite a bit of electromechanical device repair and I've been struggling all along to 1- find all the parts I've put away 2- put everything back in order. I find parts under tension and springs are particularly tricky ! Some excellent, excellent craftsmanship. You sir are both very experienced and talented. I'm glad to give you my support today. Thank you for your awesomeness.
Wow. That was an amazing repair. Your expertise are unmatched. From rewinding the tiny motor to delicate surgery of the tape transport. Amazing. Can't wait to watch next episode.
They don't make them like this anymore, for good reasons. That must've been one expensive unit to produce, no matter how cheap the labor. Quite the journey to follow!
Another awesome video Mark ! I love that you keep your mistakes/oops in the video. I was blown away when you fixed the motor by rewinding it, crazy cool.
Excellent video, excellent repair job. It's one of my favourite cassette decks ( I have the lower speced F770). They are worth a bit of money and offer great performance. I'm really impressed with the capstan motor rebuild!, and your persistance in sorting out the other issues. They are not the easiest of machines to work on, complex and cramed full of........stuff! As regards to the "Data System" leds, they only become active if you hit the "Data System " button. This records a series of tones on the tape while the computer adjusts bias, eq, and record sensitivity to optimise recording quality. This auto calibration system works really well and can be found on many high-end 3 head decks. The idea is that the machine gets the best out of any cassette regardless of type or manufacturer. These systems are not infallible but work well. Hope this helps. I love your channel. Keep up the good work, saving all these lovely old bits of hifi!
Brilliant, loved this video - your fault finding, perseverence, slills and attention to detail are excellent. Dare we hope for a part 2 before the end of 2023? 🙂
That’s a very impressive skill set. If this was a treasured item of mine, with sentimental value, I’d be absolutely delighted having seen the effort and expertise that you’ve already put into this.
Honestly I love the way you work. I'm trying to make a electronics channel and for sure you're very motivating for me. I've joined your channel when you had 8K followers, and look where you're now! So my congratulations and you're making my dream restoring these amazing 80's technology. It's amazing how on those times the ingeniers solved almost everything with discrete solutions, a time where humans were making durable things.
Hats off for preserving the materials required to repair those old gadgets. Hats off to your patience on repairing the DC motor instead of replacing with new. LOVED YOUR VIDEO ❤❤
I am in awe at your skills! I've not worked on anything like this for over 25 years now, and even when I did I hated working on cassette decks, so there was no way I'd have gone anywhere near rebuilding a motor. Great to see stuff like this being rescued mind you. Hats off to you, and wishing you a very Merry Christmas!
This is the first time I saw your video, and I admire your patience. After disassembling and assembling the same motor so many times, you still have the patience to repair the mechanical structure of the second motor. Good Job!
We had to repair many various tape drives in the 70s and 80s. Not many as complicated as that one. It was a an inspiration to watch you work. Hats off for patience and competence. Thanks for your contribution.
What an excellent content for this guy (me) who was working in his first real shop when these came out new, oh the headache these use to give and the patience it taught me.
UPDATE:
So I’m running a 3-part LIVE workshop that takes us on…
A Time Travel Through Vintage Electronics.
We’ll rewind the clock, dive into the tech of the times…
(and study the very history of how things were broken and repaired has evolved)
The workshop is coming soon, but if you're reading this then you're in luck (or not)...
And there's still time for you to sign up using the link below:
www.menditmark.com/mend-mark-workshop
The workshop dates are mentioned in the link above too.
The link only leads to a site named ClickFunnels :(
Like others are saying, I am 71 now, and have been an electronics audio service engineer from being a hobbyist at 11 years old and I still do the odd repair and restore old equipment, particularly valve (tube) amplifiers. Trust me when I say, you will not see a better all round technician than Mark. Simply the best.
But why he hates the decks? This AiwA is a GEM. True dragonslayer,nakakiller. All these,660 and 770 and AD-F990 are wayy over average consumer decks. Simply slim design and all are screaming sweet 80`s design style.
There are a couple others that do what Mark does, but he is definitely up there with the best!
Mark is a specialist at the very top of his game.
I also did an apprenticeship in Australia early 1970's era 2 years before we got color tv. Became a radio tradesman and repaired electronic/electrical and other white good items. Great to see this guy fix stuff, he seems to have a great knowlege of most things including RF alignment and mechanical repairs too!
You had me to 'the best'.
Maybe I fell asleep by the time he did wow and flutter, signal to noise and tape head alignment.
He is the best at putting a light hearted approach at electronic troubleshooting though.
Mate, RESPECT! I thought you'd just try and get a new motor from somewhere. But to actually rewind that tiny gunk of a motor, very few would dare to do that. Absolute respect!
Mark your patience always amazes me.That and remembering where every little screw and small part goes.Fascinating.
I'm absolutely lost for words. I've never seen such commitment in these recent times of 'economical repair'. What a find this channel was. Amazing work, such patience 👏
You have the patience of a saint, this is the most relaxing electronic repair channel on UA-cam.
The troubleshooting of the insulation being too thick on 1 side was elite level. Great job.
Wish more technicians like Mark were around. 👍🇩🇰
That’s an Understatement !!!!!
There is no money for a technician to make in repairing old equipment.
The lack of readily available parts and the TIME required to perform the repair would scare most customers away.
An unfortunate reality.
@@johnbedell2376 Sorry but that's just not correct. I have been repairing electronics like Mark does (I also do professional audio and broadcast electronics) for over 50 years now and I am still doing it. People are still paying reasonable money to have their equipment serviced and repaired and if there was no money in it then I wouldn't be doing it still! I don't have too many problems getting the parts I need and I can complete most repairs in a realistic amount of time.
There are - we're just not all doing UA-cam videos. I am too busy repairing to have the time to make videos as well.
@@sw6188 but you have the time to watch Mark mending electronic 😊
Im not an electrician but these videos are almost therapeutic to watch. Another great watch.
Pretty sure he's not an electrician either 🤣
"therapeutic to watch" 👍
@@BariLopesh Yeah Im sure hes more than electrician. Couldn't find the right word. My bad.
An electrician fixes the wiring in your house. An electronics technician fixes your electronic devices.
@@HansDelbruck53 The correct terminology would be electrical engineer 👍🏻
The Zen of Cassete deck repairing!
I really love watching your videos because, as a retired A/V technician from the 80s to the early 2000s, you work on a lot of the same kind of equipment that I did. I must have worked on hundreds of tape decks right down to rebuilding the cassette chassis, but I must say that I NEVER had to rewind a motor.
I am THOROUGHLY impressed!
Great video. I can't wait for part 2.
Likewise, I would never have gone to the lengths of rewinding the motor. Mark really makes it look so doable. He is in a league of his own - the electronic equivalent of Allan Millyard of the world of motor cycles .
What a talented man you are Mark. To rewind a motor, definitely needs thinking and true understanding of electronics. As a former Physics and Electronics teacher I want to say, you are a pleasure to watch and a gifted and learned man teaching the teachers.
Has Mark EVER replied to these comments?????
This is by far most detailed repair job I haven't seen in long, long while. MOST IMPRESSIVE part was the motor repair WOW... I don't think hi-fi technicians were this good...well ever.
We need more people like Mark to avoid dumping products in landfill.
Yes!!!!
Absolutely, because after watching the troubleshooting he had to do for this deck, I WOULD have chucked it in the bin!
agreed. fabulous resource provided to us for free by Mark, by documenting these repairs. love his work
Well, his videos kind encourage people to be braver about approaching solid state amp repairs. Well, me at least.
Yep! but THIS Aiwa really deserved to be trashed! what a piece o junk!
Fearless technical repair genius. Can’t be more than a few persons in the world like Mark.
This is the best Xmas special I've ever seen.
Honestly, no joke.
Love this channel, and Mark is a complete joy to watch at work.
Zip his trousers up after you're done down there mate 👍🏻
Totally agree my friend.
That's funny, just read your comment after posting mine... I asked Mark to give us episode 2 on Xmas day. : )
@bari
Grow up.
@@BariLopesh wind your neck in, plum.
Can't believe I just sat through an hour of fiddling around with a cassette mechanism - and was enthralled the whole time! Love seeing the trial-and-error, as well as the odd mistake and rectification which is what I love about the channel. Total respect for the work and perseverance, plus the aptitude to work these things out. Great work as usual
He's really a man who loves what he does.
Got to respect it!
Rewinding these small electric motors is next level skills and persistence Mark, let alone the motor controller circuit reverse engineering. Top job as per usual.
Brilliant Mark, from you getting electric shock in the intro and Belinda’s ball’s dropping and a beautiful tape deck….. what’s not to like 👍😍
1:01:40 The compu brain system is for recording. The deck will automatically adjust the fine bias, the record level, and equalization (odd as EQ curve should be set by the tape type detected by the reed switches over the cassette shell). It'll auto rewind back to the starting point, ready to record! It's amazing it had Dolby C in 1982, and could detect if the recording was made with B or C encoding. Smashing motor rebuild Mark!
The EQ set by switches is a rough setting, exact eq varies by tape manufacturers. The 770 and 990 could cal some tapes that no others could do. Dedicated Reel-to-Reel deck owners will have their machines calibrated for specific tape brands and formulations.
In many decks bias is adjusted to get flat frequency response, but that is actually not the right approach. Bias should be adjusted for maximum output and/or minimum distortion or a compromise between the two. Next, recording EQ is set to get flat frequency response (on PB). Only a handful of decks wehere ever designed this way. Apperently this is one of them.
@@pietermol8508 That's really cool. I wonder how good it sounds.
@@pietermol8508 These decks had Dolby HX-Pro (a Bang & Olufsen invention), which adjusted the bias in real-time when the signal contained frequency components which could do part of the bias function. Hence it eXtended the Headroom.
Everything online about this deck/model says introduced 1982, but somehow I'm finding that hard(ish) to believe. Everything about the design and aesthetic (including the flat control panel) screams mid-late 80's to me.
What I like about Mark is that he never ever is frustrated about setbacks... he is never tired...
Winding that motor, I mean who of us would ever tackle that job?
Me, if I had the gear LOL. As a kid I re-wound a miniature coil in the pickup of an old jukebox. That feeling when it actually played a record!
@jonnyfix You're right. I rewound the motor of my parents teasmaid and the joy when it actually worked was fantastic.
He's got a bit of Peewee Herman in him. So endearing, and a good example for all of us.
@@wheatonna yeah, I kind of agree... but Mark is a better person than that I think... Just look what he is capable of doing... you know... no need to play it down or something...
I guess that's really it, he is a nice person with a lot of knowledge and a heap of skills. Let us learn from this guy...
Not I
That's a great repair on what was one of the best decks of its time and about as expensive as a Nakamichi (around 125,000 yen in 1982). The auto-selector for dolby B and C depends on a low frequency waveform that is added to your recording when made with this deck. As you are playing an original tape it won't have that signal, ie. you need to select Dolby manually. The compu stuff is used before recording and will adjust bias and level for the tape - you need a tape with the recording tabs in place for that to work. There is a very good chance your Aiwa deck is working 100% already.
I could watch this chap all day. Pleasant through and through. Excellent camera work, and even better handiwork. Not to mention gobs of patience.
Your patience is amazing. Most people would have shipped it back with a note saying it needs a new motor and not worth fixing. Great work.
ASMR electronics repair at it's finest! Thank you Mark for your cheerful attitude towards what seems to be everything. Very pleased to "know" you during these wildly difficult situations. You are indeed the epitome of grace under pressure.
Well written! And indeed I do enjoy the audio in Mark's videos, be it ASMR or whatever. Best wishes.
Not ASMR, the emphasis of the video is on the repair and troubleshooting, not some girl who is whispering in a breathy voice...
@@69uremum Settle down there :) No-one is saying ASMR is the purpose of Mark's videos. It is simply a comment on the detail and clarity of the audio which all adds to the presentation. If Mark didn't intend it to be that way he wouldn't go the effort. It's great to be able to see and HEAR what is going on. I know that many viewers of this channel have no interest in electronics but enjoy the videos because of Mark's personality and because they are so well presented, including sharp AUDIO. 🙂
I'll have my own fantasies thank you very much! LOL@@69uremum
@@bobs_ya_runkle well said,...but those paper towels 😬
Mark, you have my undying admiration for your ability to resolve mechanical and electronic faults. I, like yourself hated working on those cassette decks and I didnt have your patience . Trying to reverse engineer a circuit board in the way you did would have sent my brain into meltdown. Another great video, cant wait for part 2, enjoy you Christmas
What a fantastic interesting video Mark, keep up the good work. 😀
Mark, It's nice to see someone that's not afraid to restore electronic devices. Excellent attention to detail by adding Kapton tape to insulate the armature. That motor is now much better then when it left the factory.
I congratulate you friend because these days no one repairs equipment like this anymore, with a lot of dedication like that, congratulations
Now I understand why Mark takes so long in delivering content to UA-cam. His work is meticulously outstanding. My favorite video to date. I would have thrown this tape deck against the wall at several junctures.... incredible job Mark! I appreciate your work.
It's not his day job.
Yes he does he is pristine!
You are right, but it's not just about what he does to repair a gear. It's also about how he operates the camera and does the post-production. Just watch it again and pay attention to close ups, angles and so forth. I guess it takes quite much of extra time that Mark needs to spend to show us his great work in such extraordinary way.
Este video debería llamarse "tengo inmensa paciencia" a la hora de cobrarle al cliente habría que mostrarle el inmenso trabajo que lleva hacer que estos delicados mecanismos vuelvan a la vida. Extraordinario trabajo. Felicitaciones
"I think Belinda's balls have dropped!" Nearly spat out my tea! It's always a good day when a new Mend It Mark video is posted. Thanks Mark, and merry Christmas!
Yawn.. the old 'tea' line.....How original.
@@TheOptimod We have a cynic in our midst! Who do you work for? The You Tube Comment Originality Squad?
Can't tell you how much I enjoy your work and this particular episode, as I owned an ADF990 and 770 but the 990 back in the day could rival the Nakamichi Dragon, it sounded that good. You could really push the saturation points of cassette tapes without distortion. I used TDK MAXG's and later SONY super metal master tapes mostly.The Auto-Calibration system that you will be fixing next is uncannily accurate and makes this deck next level. I stopped using my machine with the advent of CDR and minidisc etc. I couldnt sell it on, so under pressure from she who must be obeyed, I ended up putting it out for the rag & bone man. It was working when I got rid. Now they can make over £1000 quid in good condition. I have to say I don't regret chucking it out for the money it would be worth, its just that seeing yours and others working and knowing how great they can sound, I miss my ADF990. Its unique and the best thing Aiwa ever made.
I'm a big fan of watch repair videos but this is on a whole different level.
Hats off to you Mark.
Well done 🙂👍🇬🇧
Hats off??
what an amazing repair, I cannot think of anybody going through re-winding the motor and fixing all those nagging issues with the tape deck! Can't wait for the next one!
Great perseverance Mark, with gear of this age you never know who’s previously been inside & what extra faults they’ve caused. A 4 cups of tea repair 👍
Wow just wow!! I have replaced the belts on a few 660/770/990s and it is quite the pain. I have also replaced the VFD on my 990 and that was a task. Never ever did I think you were going to re-wind the motor and then find all the other screw-ups that were caused by someone who did not know what they were doing. Truly next level. Really enjoyed the video. Liked and subscribed.
I bought a new ADF-770 back in the early eighties. Loved it to bits especially how it would record a test signal then play it back to itself and adjust settings to make best record to suit tape used. Wonderful machine.
You sir have an amazing set of skills and knowledge. I am just a humble electrician and have a previous life as in telecoms engineering (exchange maintenance) I also have an ADF990 in the loft - I bet doesn't work anymore.
This video was, to me as good to watch as the best episode of 'The Repair Shop' on the BBC
Belts motors gears,all to lubric and overhaul to do. Not too bad job. Im looking to buy one 990. Is it all black and what year modell?
The best thing in my day, a 'Mark is back' video, nice one mate! They don't make transports like that anymore, just look at those flywheels! Would love a 3 head deck one-day. I think someone's been in there before. The first thing I noticed was that cables were not zip tied inside & the other mechanical 'errors' you picked up. 58:40 😂😂 Happy holidays Mark - another superb video :) thank you.
In this disposable society, you actually repair things, Mark you are truly amazing !!!
I get so many tips from Mark's videos. The idea of using drill bits of various sizes to set things at the correct height is brilliant.
Good thing a lot of people watched this to make it worthwhile! That was expedition level repair.
I've been working in a repair shop for almost 29 years. I had zillions of those motors around. Dumped them all thinking they'll be available forever but something weird happened
I still repair cassette decks and I get a friend who works at an electronics recycling centre to save these motors for me. He is scrapping electronics daily and when he strips something down with one of these motors in he puts it aside for me.
Mark, you are an honest to God genius!
I think you will find the "automatic" light will flash for a short time until the deck works out the correct Dolby setting, or you can just select it manually. The "Compu Brain" system (known as DATA on later models) is to automatically select the correct level, bias and equalization for the loaded tape during recording, so would only light up with a blank tape when you press the "Compu Brain start/reset" button as it goes through its automated calibration process.
And yes, these things are worth a mint!
You are definitely one of the fastest growing electronics repair channel I've ever seen. I think it's your ability your presentation and most of all your cheery disposition despite being British haha! I love your channel Mark. You have motivated me to actually desolder sliders from my boards and clean them properly not just spray and pray. Thank you for your videos
The mechanical and lever overlay of those cassette meghanisms boggles my mind. ,and then the application of servos, relays and control mechansims to control all the functions.,and the sheer gritty determination to NOT GIVE UP. Incredible.
Do electronics myself and this is got to be one of the best channels I seen. Just like people like this, he puts the work in and don’t cut corners. I know old tape decks are a pain and can spend a lot of time on them. Fantastic workmanship mate you do. Be nice to see the next episode. Try recapping one of these things it takes ages but if people want a full service it has to be done with all the other things too.
I’ve fixed a couple Sony Walkman WM-F10’s. Just putting them back together is a frustrating challenge!
Holy moly a task. You impress time and time again. As an old radio mechanic, I really like to see how professional you are, your good humor is also fantastic. I look forward to seeing the continuation and always look forward to new exciting videos from you
Well done, I admire your patience! The computer controlled bias circuitry only comes into its own during recording I think. You put a blank tape in, set it to record, and it makes a test recording, plays it back, and works out the correct bias setting by itself. I wouldn't expect anything on there to light up during playback.
This! It's time to download the user manual....
Not just bias, but level *and* equalization, many 'auto tuning' decks didn't do EQ. This and the 770 can calibrate to some tapes that no other machine could.
Mark using his outstanding skills and certainly has the patience, well done Mark for another therapeutic video.
I really enjoyed watching this epiode. Ending the year on such a high note with a quality Japanese tape deck overhaul is pure gold. Two part cliffhangers are as fitting of the 1980's as the tape deck.
As someone who has worked on quite a few decks now, I can say that the AIWA AD-F990 and AD-F770 are a bit of a nightmare. AIWA seem to have concentrated their efforts on the heads, transport, and auto-calibration, and left the rest to chance?, very constricted inside. Some decks really test our patience!
I watched it all the way through - great to see someone wind the rotor windings from scratch - much credit to you Mark!
I love the grinding noise as the machine unwinds the wire! 😊
I'm lost for words anyone could design and build this deck, yet alone repair it. Hats off to you sir!
Hats off??
@@TheOptimod Just google it.
Great Video Mark, still got an ADF 990.... The Compu Brain system is for recording, put a blank tape in hit start and it will record various test tones while it adjusts the bias,cal and eq.
then it will stop and rewind all setup for the perfect recording, just have to set the REC volume 😎
I watched this video when it was new and marveled at how Mark works. I watched it again and I would love to have his troubleshooting skills and this was a memory nightmare for me. I would have had a bag of extra parts. Mark, you are my hero!!!
Mislim da na ovom svijetu nepostoji veci elektronicar i veca ljudina. Njegov osmijeh na lici sve govori. Sta je covjek Englez Amerikanac.? Svaki dan bar jednom pregledam sta rade njegove zlatne ruke!
Truly impressive to watch. No matter how hard and carefully I would try, something this complex would be irreparably broken in about 10 minutes. You have the patience and skill few possess.
Brilliant video. About 6 months ago I changed the two main belts on my Aiwa AD 660 machine. That was tricky enough - I can't believe the problems you had to sort out on this machine Mark - well done!
Hello Mark. I still have 4 of these in the studio. The buttons you don't know are just to auto calibrate the deck. You insert a new tape, push the calibrate button, and the Aiwa will do al the bias adjust automatically. It generates a tone, monitorizes it, make the necessary adjustments, and once finished, it stops and rewind the tape to the beginning, ready to record. I also own a Nakamichi 1000, but I love this ones. Great video, as always, BTW!.
don't you have to set recording on pause before you press that calibrate button? These auto calibration functions were a bit dodgy on some brands on early 3 head decks. Only after 90' they become more accurate and reliable. IMO the best ones were on Technics and Sony top models in mid 90' before the CDs took over. Especially since after 90' a lots of fake brand cassettes flooded the market and this auto calibration function could fix most of them. Double capstan would help with the low quality plastic magnetic media carrier in the cassettes to reduce W&F.
@@beograd07you are right. Must prepare it to record putting it into pause, then press the auto calibration button. The ones I have used to work very well adjusting the tape; remember, Aiwa was a Sony brand…
soon i got two of these adf-770 and same autodata exeter they got. Way over average consumer level,these series are. And what a recorders,better than naka.
aiwa was better than sonny. Only after sonnys bought aiwa away. It kicked sonnys ass very painfully,hahah.@@fichambawelby2632
@@fichambawelby2632 I did not know that. I always wondered who was behind Aiwa. Thanks for the info. I knew most of the decks were using Sony dolby chips and only logic control chips would be locally made (like Nakamichi in some of their decks). And if Sony designed this deck it is a surprise how many connecting wires are inside. Sony is known for a very neat design. And this was obviously one of the Aiwa's top model at the time (1982).
Great vid Mark. I was a road tech for 30 years and you're one of the best I've seen. You have the patience of a saint to just smile rewinding a bad motor. A tip of the hat to you my friend.
An astonishingly knowledgeable electronics engineer who fearlessly tackles the most challenging problems with incredible enthusiasm. Mark clearly enjoys his work and is so compelling to watch. Genius!
impressed beyond words. So few have technical savvy like this not to mention the patience. Thanks for the experience of watching you work.
Looking forward to pt2. Amazed at your perseverance…..I would have given up long before. I’m not sure the owner is going to appreciate the bill the hours you’ve put in for the repairs🤣
Exemplary excellence ! Repairing that motor and rewinding was fascinating . Quite a journey unravelling the other problems. Well done !
Beautiful work! I love these tape decks. I did similar work (hobby) on my AD-F660.
One day I watch the video - wow. Now I'll have seen it all. Nothing will surprise me anymore.
Another day, another video - wow... Now nothing will surprise me...
And that's how it is almost every time this talented man repairs something...
I also tinker with my old hardware, amateurishly, so I am well aware that what I see on the screen as easy and simple is beyond the reach of the cosmos for amateurs like me.
Respect to the Master.
You Sir are on a totally different level. Bravo.
Mark, you are an unbelievably skilled electronics engineer. Pure joy to watch your videos.
Спасибо тебе, Марк, за твои видео! Мне нравится их смотреть. Я восхищаюсь твоим терпением, оптимизмом и находчивостью!
Hi Mark, I have one of these, bought in 1984 and still working (had to replace only the belt only because it was cooked). Your video of entire process is amazing!
I want to reassure you that the thing is working. The Data System needs a blank (say writeable) tape on which it records a series of frequencies to calibrate the bias/eq and have a flat frequency response. It was told it could render a Fe tape close to a Metal one... (No, it did not).
The Dolby B-C- Auto thing sets the Dolby during play the same way it was recorded, with the same deck though. This because the auto-mode record some frequencies (out of human spectrum) on the tape that then set the Dolby Mode (B, C or off). Thus, if in auto-mode when playing and the tape was not recorded with the very deck, it just blinks...
Last, but not least: that deck is great: I recorded on a Metal tape some High-res Music played on an Hi-res DAP and then re-sampled back the audio at 96Khz and checked that the thing recorded frequencies beyond the 20KHz...
Keep up the excellent work!
Always a great day with "Giggles, the Technician". This is now a $3000 cassette player.
Once again, I have to admire your tenacity! To actually rewind the motor, repair its control circuits, replace belts and pinch-rollers, on top of that, sort out someone else's faulty reassembly of mechanical parts, finally get the deck running - and then find out there's still more to do.
Have to say Mark that was impressive work. Someone had clearly been in there before you and butchered that mechanism - no way it left the factory with springs in the wrong place and ball bearings missing. Looking forward to Pt 2
i think,that ball was too big..?
The Aiwa AD-FF90 is a stereo cassette deck with Dolby B/C and HX-Pro noise reduction, it was introduced by Aiwa in 1982 with a recommended retail price of USD ...
US$ 595,00
Over $1900 today.
I am soo amazed by your persistence Mark. I watched the whole hour and learned that anything can be resolved with persistence! I'm 59 yrs old and you've given me hope that I can tackle many more challenges yet!
Amazing dexterity and unbelievable patience. What’s not to admire in Mend it Mark?
I'd definitely have given up and thrown this deck out of the window at least 3 times. Your dedication is absolutely outstanding, very good job!
this right here is the best repair video on UA-cam hands down and I've seen a lot of repairs ... first time here instantly subbed. marvelous 🥹🤌
Muito inteligente e perfeccionista parabéns 👍👍👍👍🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷
I'm flabbergasted by the ease with which you manage to unscrew and take it all apart, and furthermore reassemble all those parts and springs and have the machine in its perfect original working condition. I've done quite a bit of electromechanical device repair and I've been struggling all along to 1- find all the parts I've put away 2- put everything back in order. I find parts under tension and springs are particularly tricky !
Some excellent, excellent craftsmanship. You sir are both very experienced and talented.
I'm glad to give you my support today. Thank you for your awesomeness.
"I think Belinda's balls have dropped." That was a good one.🤣
It might be the first time I've heard him crack a "dirty" joke. Unexpected!
@@IlBiggo That's not "dirty", just suggestive.
Wow. That was an amazing repair. Your expertise are unmatched. From rewinding the tiny motor to delicate surgery of the tape transport. Amazing. Can't wait to watch next episode.
For anyone wondering why analog tape decks went extinct, watch this video! Blimey! I say good riddance!
They don't make them like this anymore, for good reasons. That must've been one expensive unit to produce, no matter how cheap the labor. Quite the journey to follow!
Show me 'new' electronics that will work great after 40 years. And I have lower F660 model working and sounding nicely.
I used to have an adf990 (I think) they were one of the best cassette decks available when they came out!
My tapes and players are outlasting my CDs and CD players!
Mmm na, mine or going great. Bit of a service and they are sweet
Another awesome video Mark ! I love that you keep your mistakes/oops in the video. I was blown away when you fixed the motor by rewinding it, crazy cool.
Excellent video, excellent repair job. It's one of my favourite cassette decks ( I have the lower speced F770). They are worth a bit of money and offer great performance. I'm really impressed with the capstan motor rebuild!, and your persistance in sorting out the other issues. They are not the easiest of machines to work on, complex and cramed full of........stuff!
As regards to the "Data System" leds, they only become active if you hit the "Data System " button. This records a series of tones on the tape while the computer adjusts bias, eq, and record sensitivity to optimise recording quality. This auto calibration system works really well and can be found on many high-end 3 head decks. The idea is that the machine gets the best out of any cassette regardless of type or manufacturer. These systems are not infallible but work well. Hope this helps.
I love your channel. Keep up the good work, saving all these lovely old bits of hifi!
Just, simply, i cannot believe the patience of this guy🤯
What an epic. Perfect Christmas watching. Brings back happy memories of fixing my first proper cassette deck.
What a marathon! It really doesn't help when someone else has been in there. Your persistence is amazing. I'm sure you will nail it in the end.
Brilliant, loved this video - your fault finding, perseverence, slills and attention to detail are excellent.
Dare we hope for a part 2 before the end of 2023? 🙂
That’s a very impressive skill set. If this was a treasured item of mine, with sentimental value, I’d be absolutely delighted having seen the effort and expertise that you’ve already put into this.
Honestly I love the way you work. I'm trying to make a electronics channel and for sure you're very motivating for me. I've joined your channel when you had 8K followers, and look where you're now! So my congratulations and you're making my dream restoring these amazing 80's technology. It's amazing how on those times the ingeniers solved almost everything with discrete solutions, a time where humans were making durable things.
Hats off for preserving the materials required to repair those old gadgets. Hats off to your patience on repairing the DC motor instead of replacing with new. LOVED YOUR VIDEO ❤❤
Hats off??
I am in awe at your skills! I've not worked on anything like this for over 25 years now, and even when I did I hated working on cassette decks, so there was no way I'd have gone anywhere near rebuilding a motor. Great to see stuff like this being rescued mind you. Hats off to you, and wishing you a very Merry Christmas!
Hats off??
nothing stops this man Mark what a man to have around when things don't go to plan.
This is the first time I saw your video, and I admire your patience. After disassembling and assembling the same motor so many times, you still have the patience to repair the mechanical structure of the second motor. Good Job!
I repaired in the past hundrets of tape decks. But Dude, what you do is real crazy, rewinding such a small motor. I never saw this before. Chapeau!
We had to repair many various tape drives in the 70s and 80s. Not many as complicated as that one. It was a an inspiration to watch you work. Hats off for patience and competence. Thanks for your contribution.
Hats off??
@@TheOptimod yes. *
@TheOptimod an odd expression, but in some parts of the world, we removed our hats as an act of respect.
@@TheOptimod In German, we say "Hut ab !" 😀
What an excellent content for this guy (me) who was working in his first real shop when these came out new, oh the headache these use to give and the patience it taught me.