I just bought a sony tc 530 reel to reel tape recorder and after i play it son long then the speeds slows down and my tapes start draggin. Any solutions? Thanks J. Jones

If the speed-controlled roller is not closing to pinch the tape when PLAY is selected, the recorder will play in a fast mode. You will need Isopropyl alcohol, contact cleaner, Q-tips a screwdriver needle-nose pliers and a steady hand to clean every moving part in that Reel-To-Reel and then lightly lubricate the moving parts.
While you are in there I would change the belts as well. Or send it to a qualified repair shop and pay $ 125.00 to $ 200.00 for same thing to be done. Take your time, it's just a big puzzle, make sure you video or document everything you remove so it goes back together correctly. Good Luck!

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if one reuses the tape often, ive found that the tape stretches and no longer covers the entire record path (or play path) , i still have a few cassette and reel to reel decks that I still use , and since the tapes are hard to find now I keep reusing the tapes more and more 4 the same thing , I guess its been like in the past year ive seen this tape stretching thing happen now

Hi Cloise,

Go to HIFI engine at this link. Sony TC 355 Manual Stereo Tapecorder HiFi Engine .


Here is the TC355 page. Sony TC 355 Manual Stereo Tapecorder HiFi Engine


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Fare. Well.

You may be listening off tape and there is a lag of time between the record head and the play head which is what you may be concerned with. This is normal for any three head deck be it cassette or open reel.
Slowing the speed will lengthen the time of the delay and speeding it up will shorten it.

REEL TO REEL RECORDER SONY TC 330 - on back side of the set voltage selector knobe is lost,so how can i fix it ?

In order to maintain tape control and tension the reels always pull lightly in opposite directions during PLAY mode. The capstan moves the tape in the desired direction at a precise speed. If the capstan doesn't engage the tape BETWEEN itself and the pinch roller you'll get the reels battling over control of the tape. Check the tape routing.

Electrolytic capacitors are good at causing hum. You could try replacing some of them, they are not expensive. Otherwise you might have damaged the left channel amp semiconducter, whatever that might be.

You need to replace the motor run capacitor. It's a small aluminum can looking thing with three wires right next to the motor; they often leak paraffin wax into the bottom of the case when they overheat. Whether or not yours has leaked it's easy to replace if you can use a soldering iron. Search eBay for a Sony reel to reel 1.5uf 250VAC motor run capacitor - they're less than $15 and come with detailed instructions.

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My TC-230 has the same problems and it is mechanical. Actually, its real hard to say what your problem is, but it is most likely the pinch roller is to tight on the piece that is connected to the motor. This extra tension is from a spring inside the machine and, when in storage for a long time with the machine set to stop, extra pressure builds up on this spring. Try leaving it unplugged on fast forward/play overnight. that might help.

If it's slightly faster than normal, that's fine. You'll just need to check the rollers and tighten them slightly as well. They might be loose or sort of that.