Dictaphone ExpressWriter system - tape will not rewind, play, ff

Check the belts, inside the unit you should see a rubber belt which is what pulls the tape fast forward or rewind. Some belts with time get loose and slip, they can also break and fall off which will not let you fast forward or rewind.
Open your cassette player and look where the plastic pulleys are located and check for the belts, they might not be broken at all but very loose and slip on the plastic pulley.

The ancient tape is junk. Buy a new one. You might also try slamming the old tape against a wall or desk to loosen up the tape layers. Then FF and RW all the way.

Hi,
Does the tape move when you press rewind or fast forward.
If the tape moves for a few seconds then bleeps it sound like a sensor problem.
If it only bleeps when the rewind and fast forward are pressed and the play is ok it sounds like the actuator motor is faulty,this motor enables the rewind and fast forward.
Hope this helps.

If you press Play, Rew or FF and can hear something in the machine (even though the tape doesn't turn), then it's more than likely a broken capstan belt.

While holding the 'Erase' button down, press the 'Rewind' or "Fast Forward' button. It will erase the tape while it rewinds or fast forwards.

It's possible that there's a broken wire in the cable that connects the foot control to the machine. This usually happens near the plug that plugs into the machine, or by the end that goes into the foot control.

You can usually duplicate it if you put the auto-backspace up a bit and then hold down the play pedal on the foot control. While holding down the play pedal, try moving the cable near the machine or near the foot control in a circular motion. If the machine stops, rewinds or fast forwards, then odds are that the problem is with the cable.

The problem is with the capstan motor. More than likely it has developed a 'flat spot' and won't spin up. The clicking noise you hear is the solenoids trying to pull the heads into place, but because the motor isn't turning, it can't pull the heads into place.

While holding the 'Erase' button down, press the 'Rewind' or "Fast Forward' button. It will erase the tape while it rewinds or fast forwards.

If it does this with all tapes, there is a small "no-cassette" switch at the back of the cassette compartment. The switch may be broken, dirty or out of adjustment. When you open the cassette door you should be able to see the switch tab. Push it in just a bit to see if the No Tape indicator goes out.

If you cannot play, rewind or fast forward, but you hear a light "click" coming from the cassette compartment, then more than likely you have a broken drive belt, or the circuit controlling the play and/or rewind/ff mechanisms are out. In either case it sounds like you need to send it in or take it somewhere for repair.