Craig W460 repair help

[DMC-81]

Hi there,

I thought I'd share a cassette to Bluetooth product that I got today...

image.jpg

I just inserted the cassette and it allows me to play my music wirelessly from my phone and also hands free cell phone through the car speakers. At first test today, it sounded great, and didn't have any significant static/noise. Not bad for $21..

I'll try to upload a video soon...

[Delorean3610]

Hi there,

I thought I'd share a cassette to Bluetooth product that I got today...

image.jpg

I just inserted the cassette and it allows me to play my music wirelessly from my phone and also hands free cell phone through the car speakers. At first test today, it sounded great, and didn't have any significant static/noise. Not bad for $21..

I'll try to upload a video soon...

I have the same one, works great!

[Domi]

This is great, no more wire

[Morpheus]

Now you have given me quite the conundrum. I was all set to upgrade my stereo system to a modern unit with Bluetooth and such, but now...

Question though: When a tape is inserted into the deck, does the door stay open to allow the mic cable to hang out, or does it close behind the tape?

[Elvis]

it stays open, the cassette will shoot out every time you shut the radio/ car off,
the tape has to work properly and from experience I can asure you that it won't work
very long with the old rubber belt still in use.

I'd like to hear it to get an idea of the sound quality.


please correct me if I am wrong.

[DMC-81]

Now you have given me quite the conundrum. I was all set to upgrade my stereo system to a modern unit with Bluetooth and such, but now...

Question though: When a tape is inserted into the deck, does the door stay open to allow the mic cable to hang out, or does it close behind the tape?

Hi Brandon,

The microphone does not affect the door. Here are few pics to demonstrate...

The mic stores inside a little door in the cassette. Here it is deployed..
image.jpg

Inserted partway into the cassette slot..
image.jpg

Inserted fully..
image.jpg

Easy pairing on your phone..
image.jpg

Ready to rock and roll...
image.jpg
(In this case, Brand New Day by Bryan Adams)

So far so good!

[Domi]

Thanks for the pic

[Col Bennett]

Replaced my belt today thanks to the really helpful tips and photos in this thread.

Had a huge clean-up job as my original belt turned to an insanely sticky black goo on touch and had coated every spindle in the deck. It took 2 hours of meticulous cleaning with rags, qtips and rubbing alcohol to remove the mess. It's amazing to see how much rubber degrades over nearly 37 years.

Dana - good shout on the 5mm washer suggestion on post #5. Worked a treat because my little clip had broken too and it kept switching sides without it.

Hit one snag. Cassettes now play, fast forward, rewind, change sizes great BUT, the output volume from every cassette I've tried is really low - almost inaudible unless I crank the volume to max. There's no bass, just a trickle of mid-range output. I've tried cleaning the head with alcohol and am out of ideas. The radio is full volume perfect, but I can't seem to get any meaningful gain from cassettes.

Any ideas?

[David T]

The head may be bad or out of alignment. Also, if you have very old tapes or they were stored where they got hot it can affect them badly. IMHO not worth wasting time over. Time to move into the 21st century.

[DMC-81]

The head may be bad or out of alignment. Also, if you have very old tapes or they were stored where they got hot it can affect them badly. IMHO not worth wasting time over. Time to move into the 21st century.

David, some people enjoy the 20th century stuff, which is what this thread is about.

Replaced my belt today thanks to the really helpful tips and photos in this thread.

Had a huge clean-up job as my original belt turned to an insanely sticky black goo on touch and had coated every spindle in the deck. It took 2 hours of meticulous cleaning with rags, qtips and rubbing alcohol to remove the mess. It's amazing to see how much rubber degrades over nearly 37 years.

Dana - good shout on the 5mm washer suggestion on post #5. Worked a treat because my little clip had broken too and it kept switching sides without it.

Hit one snag. Cassettes now play, fast forward, rewind, change sizes great BUT, the output volume from every cassette I've tried is really low - almost inaudible unless I crank the volume to max. There's no bass, just a trickle of mid-range output. I've tried cleaning the head with alcohol and am out of ideas. The radio is full volume perfect, but I can't seem to get any meaningful gain from cassettes.

Any ideas?

Thanks Colin. As for the gain, maybe inspect the capacitors (the little can like things) on the board(s). They should have a flat bottom. If they are rounded they are blown. I've heard that they make the built-in amp inoperable.

Other than that, it may need to be sent to one of the people that repairs them on here, e.g. Elvis or Dave Graham (if he still has a guy that does it), among others.