Let's Fix: Sony Walkman WM-3 New Belts and Fixing the Mic

Рет қаралды 11,228

Күн бұрын

So after seeing Elliot over at The Retro Future get a TPS-L2 I wanted to see if I could find one as well (since he got it he hasn't shut up about how great it is :-P) ... then I looked at the prices on eBay ... nope! So my next options were to go for a clone or the tweaked version of the L2, the WM-3. Why get a knockoff when you can get the real McCoy? The TPS-L2 and WM-3 are practically the same with the notable exception of the color. So after a few days of checking auctions I managed to score an as is unit for $76 which is pretty good in my book as working ones seem to go for around $300. Let's see if I just blew $76 for a pretty paperweight or if I can get this guy up and running! Hopefully I will have a reason to dig my mix tapes I haven't listened to in 20 years out of the attic.
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Пікірлер: 60

@TheRetroFuture 6 жыл бұрын

The intro was definitely not done by me over Skype.... Great video man!

@sjm4306 6 жыл бұрын

oh yeah ... of course not ...

@yobelkcip 6 жыл бұрын

I love how you and The Retro Future uploaded Walkman-related videos on the same day.

@sjm4306 6 жыл бұрын

Great minds think alike

@XDmilz4897XD 5 жыл бұрын

I'm glad people like you are around to do teardowns on analog tech like this. Also, Americana is the second best Offspring album(in my opinion) only being outdone by Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace

@mikehazz4841 4 жыл бұрын

I finally fixed my TPS-L2. I spent a lot of time trying to understand why the cassette stopped. I found the rubber wheel that touches the capstain wasn't rotating because its metal bracket was too tight and prevented it from freely turning. I don't know how it happened, but it was just a matter of opening a little the metal bracket, and tah-dah! Also, the nylon pulley (the one connected by the upper belt) who drive a rubber wheel was a little worn. I put a little piece of heat shrink tubing over it, just to prevent it from slipping, and now it works perfectly again. About the MIC, you can find how to connect it in the service manual, freely available on the web.

@kuyakuma 2 жыл бұрын

Subscribed at "it weighs an amount"

@TheKiddhazel 6 жыл бұрын

So you’re the one who outbid me...

@sjm4306 6 жыл бұрын

Really or are you joking? If it was then sorry, if not then I'm not sorry :-)

@TheKiddhazel 6 жыл бұрын

No it really was haha. I wanted to give it a go at repairing one, but honestly it's probably in better hands :)

@sjm4306 6 жыл бұрын

Wow what a small world. Well thanks for letting me have this one then by not increasing your max bid!

@thomaslunz1437 10 ай бұрын

Danke für die Anleitung😀

@therestorationofdrwho1865 3 жыл бұрын

I'd be excited too, they cost an f-ing fortune!!!!

@sjm4306 3 жыл бұрын

I definitely did get a very good deal seeing how much more their price has increased now.

@therestorationofdrwho1865 3 жыл бұрын

@@sjm4306 Yeah, and cos of that i'll never have one. My dad had a blue one when he was a teen which we can't find, and just my luck they're the most expensive ones at around $700 to nearly $2,000!!!!! It's an f-ing joke!!!! $#!%

@sjm4306 3 жыл бұрын

It's insane alright, prices weren't too bad till the tps-l2 was featured in popular media and then all of a sudden a bunch of people just wanted them as expensive display pieces.

@therestorationofdrwho1865 3 жыл бұрын

@@sjm4306 Exaclty. It's so unfair that they keep using things like this in shows and movies. It ruins it for people that just want one or for those who had one as a kid and lost it and want one again. You can't get them cheaper otherwise the people that sell them cheap feel empty handed becuase the scalpers have set such a standard and anyone wanting to sell one now have this expectation that they deserve hundreds for it even though they probably found it in their cupboard one day with no interest to keep it.

@proto-guest4511 13 күн бұрын

But the SONY MDR-5A Stereo headphones are 100 times expensive and rare.

@thejohns-lv6ub 5 жыл бұрын

Excellent man

@mysilentwarrior 6 жыл бұрын

Dude, show us the battery cover catch in action... PLEASE !!! (I have a TPS-L2 and will buy a 3d printer just to print the battery cover catch piece...)

@sjm4306 6 жыл бұрын

I made an update video where I do just that: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rNaPeLRel7a5eYE.html The thingiverse link is in the description so you can make your own.

@kaio0777 6 жыл бұрын

Wow nice video dude

@sjm4306 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks

@soulsirius Жыл бұрын

Hi. Thanks a lot for all these videos. I want to ask why am i having a loud noise when rewind/forward and play even without a cassette? And besides rewinds slowly. When playing it's just fine since I changed all the rubbers on it. What are your thoughts? Thanks in advance

@sjm4306 Жыл бұрын

So in general ffw/rw problems often stem from a slipping gear/rubber wheel that's pressed against the capstan flywheel inside the unit. The exact mechanism of how the motion is transferred really depends on what exact model you have. The loud noise is likely due to the bracket that holds and tensions the ffw/rw mechanism wheel being not aligned in the correct position (easily pops out of alignment if you are to remove the flywheel say during belt replacement, this happened to me during my sony f1 repair video) or it's possibly some bearing needs cleaning or relubrication in the mechanism.

@soulsirius Жыл бұрын

@@sjm4306 Thanks for the response. I have a Sony TPS-L2 which I am working on at the moment. I changed all the rubber parts including two belts, pinch roller and two idler tyres all obtained from Fixyouraudio. I am having pretty good sound without any speed calibration but calibrated the azimuth. The sound is satisfying and no audible noise during playback. The hum noise which is a midrange to low pitch noise comes when rewind, forward and when pressed play while no cassette inserted. I oiled the shafts with watch oil and put tiny amount of silicon grease to some gears. The mechanism is working dead silent, there is no visible difficulty for the moving parts while spinning. There is quite good torque on sprockets. I got the device from the first owners and it's opened first time ever, i can tell that from the screws since some of them showed a quite strong resistance when unscrewed. I can take out all parts and relubricate everything from scratch, no big deal but are we on right path? Can the root of this issue be an electronic part? Or, the motor? Or something else? I am planning to sell this device, if i would keep it for myself I wouldn't mind that humming or say a static hum but i want the buyer fully satisfied since these devices aren't going for cheap as you know. My concern is, if this is a sign of an electronic issue which will cause a serious problem in near future, It would be bad reputation for myself. I've been searching and searching for 5-6 days already to figure out the problem but no luck so far. What do you think about the points I mentioned above?

@sjm4306 Жыл бұрын

It's possible the caps are starting to go, but it's perfectly normal to have a bit of an increase in the noise floor when ffw/rw as it's driving the motor harder and the power supply in these old players aren't particularly well regulated and filtered.

@hoodhippo674 6 жыл бұрын

Holy fuck I was like.... This dude has a English accent???? Never fucking noticed??? Oh.. lol nice vid btw

@sjm4306 6 жыл бұрын

Rofl was hoping to prank some of my viewers!

@cesar122111 6 жыл бұрын

Liked the Video just because the offspring cassette on it, i dont have to see anything else, see you later

@sjm4306 6 жыл бұрын

90s Rock and Alternative were my jam back in the day.

@cesar122111 6 жыл бұрын

Same over here, my phone is full of old music and i get more excited when i find bands than i didn't know and have several albums to listen to

@proto-guest4511 13 күн бұрын

Where did you get the belts from? I recently bought the classic design of the TPS-l2 walkman, but I'm having a tough time trying to find the right belts for it. What belts do you use?

@sjm4306 13 күн бұрын

I bought a multipack of belts off ebay and fished through it for the right size.

@windowsfan95 6 жыл бұрын

If you want to watch any more walkman or casset player video's you should check out techmoan's channel.

@sjm4306 6 жыл бұрын

Yep I've been subbed to him for a long time and his videos are a golden standard for technical info and presentation

@frank500C 5 жыл бұрын

I have one since new, guy replaced a belt but one wheel isn’t turning. Do you do repairs?

@sjm4306 5 жыл бұрын

I do repairs, shoot me an email at sjm4306@gmail.com with more details about any other symptoms (mechanical sounds it makes, feel of the keys when you press them, anything else irregular, etc.)? We can then see about fixing it up for you.

@blackham7 6 жыл бұрын

How would you replace the capacitors if you had to I don't know how to access them?

@sjm4306 6 жыл бұрын

You would need to desolder enough wires so you could swing the circuit board out to replace the caps. So long as you keep track of which wires went where you could then resolder them after you are done.

@AAI30 4 жыл бұрын

What are the symptoms of bad capacitors?

@osmondsplace2428 3 жыл бұрын

Is the moter what's powering up the Sony walkman wm3

@bamboozledwaterlemon1158 3 жыл бұрын

Yoo nice video, can you please tell me the diameter of both rubber bands, thankyou!

@abominablemusic 2 жыл бұрын

my WM3 had the same issue with the battery clasp... Did you fix it?

@sjm4306 2 жыл бұрын

Yep, I designed and 3d printed a replacement latch. If you search thingiverse I've uploaded the model.

@schi2989 5 жыл бұрын

Hey sjm, I have a wm-3 that doesn't power on at all. Where would you start in fixing it? Thanks :)

@sjm4306 5 жыл бұрын

First I'd check/clean battery contacts, then open it up and inspect/clean leaf switches, then inspect/replace capacitors

@dansutton678 6 жыл бұрын

Please help! How did you put the bracket back in

@dansutton678 6 жыл бұрын

Could you speak to me on messenger

@sjm4306 6 жыл бұрын

I never completely removed it. I only unscrewed it and lifted it enough to get to the belts with a thin pair of tweezers. If you'd like I can link you the service manual which has assembly diagrams that will hopefully help you put yours back together correctly.

@dansutton678 6 жыл бұрын

Yes that’s sounds so great. I am screwed if I don’t get it fixed

@sjm4306 6 жыл бұрын

mega.nz/#!SYJQSILK!sDNohrUCP9r43b7tCCFn9AHIfR0ozRpfdn9uhobrkGQ