Pretty sure there is no bad rubber. The rubber wheel that drives the capstan is fine, the pinch roller is fine. The thing runs too fast cause the pinch roller doesn't engage to the capstn so I am figuring that it runs okay. When you manually push up the pinch roller assembly it seems to run at about the right speed
Sony TC-277-4, help
- Thread starter Q8
- Start date
Help Support QuadraphonicQuad:
Still radio silence from the repair place. Called yeterday. Lady said the tech would call me back that day. Called today. Lady said she told him to call me yesterday and doesn't know why he didn't call. Gotta love electronics repair. I dropped it off 10/16. It is now 12/19 and I doubt he has even looked at it, let alone make an estimate.
Well, once it gets to 2/16, the guy will have had it 4 months without making an estimate. I ran into an issue with another repair place like this before. I eventually had to just give up and take it back from the guy. Everytime I call the place, the receptionist says I'll get a call back, never get a call back. I don't call the place very often. More like once every month at most. It's not like I'm impatient or bugging them daily. Should I bug them daily? Is 4 months acceptable when they say that they are supposed to give you an estimate when you drop it off and when they say that repairs are generally done in 4-6 weeks? Maybe a former bench tech can weigh in on this. It seems like this place has more work than it can handle, or works really slowly. I guess that would make sense since the tech is always out when I call
I'm waiting to take some vintage equipment into the only place I can find in the Seattle area that does repairs on this old gear and I'm afraid I may encounter the same thing you're experiencing. First time I called he said to call back in 3 weeks. He was too swampted to even take any more stuff. I think a lot of these places are just overwhelmed because they are the only places that do these kind of repairs. Is 4 months normal? It sure doesn't seem like it should be. It would be great if you could at least be told they'd looked at it and what to expect in terms of the time it will take to get it repaired.
Yeah, since this is my second experience with this sort of thing, I'm starting to think they all operate this way. One or two techs, lets piles of work come in, works short hours, nothing ever gets done.
I would feel better if they would give you a more realistic estimate like "This will take 6 months or a year for me to even get to look at it" I can live with that. I can put a reminder on my calendar to check it in a year if I haven't received a call by then. But it makes you nervous when someone gives you completely bogus time frames then never returns your calls.
I would feel better if they would give you a more realistic estimate like "This will take 6 months or a year for me to even get to look at it" I can live with that. I can put a reminder on my calendar to check it in a year if I haven't received a call by then. But it makes you nervous when someone gives you completely bogus time frames then never returns your calls.
Okay, I finally just got ahold of the guy. Is not sounding too good. He claims, that he has already tried 7 parts to correct the buzzing in the one channel, and has not been able to corrct it yet, and that he just got an 8th or 9th part in, and it is sitting on top of it right now, and that he will install that, and if it still has the buzz, he plans on giving up. That does not sound right to me at all. If he actually has tried all of these parts, either there is something seriously wrong with it, or he is just completely shotgunning the problem and replacing things willy nilly.
I am afraid that he has not even tried all of this, that he is just trying to pad the bill so that he can offer back a machine that is still broken, claim that he put all these parts and hours into it, and to get my broken deck back I will have to pay a huge bill of parts and labor that never happened.
Am I just paranoid or does this sound fishy to everyone else as well?
I am afraid that he has not even tried all of this, that he is just trying to pad the bill so that he can offer back a machine that is still broken, claim that he put all these parts and hours into it, and to get my broken deck back I will have to pay a huge bill of parts and labor that never happened.
Am I just paranoid or does this sound fishy to everyone else as well?
quadsearcher
1K Club - QQ Shooting Star
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2010
- Messages
- 1,212
Pad the bill for a no repair? The way I was taught, an estimate is only valid for a reasonable length of time. If either party fails to complete the transaction within the expected time frame, either the estimate can be revised (subject to approval by the customer), or the item is returned with the only charge being the already-paid estimate fee. I grew so tired of explaining "It's not like automotive repair, where you have to pay for a radiator even if it doesn't fix the problem."
I was a tech at three of the largest independent factory authorized service centers in an area with population of about 125,000, I know people at several others, and no one I know would expect payment for a repair that is not completed.
I did hear from one person that they had paid $80 to a shop for their time on a TV that was not repaired in the '90's, it turned out the shop messed up and knew it but still charged the customer anyway. They got headline news for 5 BBB reports in a year and went out of business. One of their techs called me asking for a job, "Uh, no.... I mean, no." I think this is rare in the repair industry, or I hope so.
That said, the info from post 10 sounds likely. The ground shield to the head on that channel could be broken (or broken but still connected sometimes) at the point where the twisted shield meets the insulation, not at the end point of the shield at the head.
I wonder if they checked that wire? I also wonder if they have a 'scope.......!!!!
I was a tech at three of the largest independent factory authorized service centers in an area with population of about 125,000, I know people at several others, and no one I know would expect payment for a repair that is not completed.
I did hear from one person that they had paid $80 to a shop for their time on a TV that was not repaired in the '90's, it turned out the shop messed up and knew it but still charged the customer anyway. They got headline news for 5 BBB reports in a year and went out of business. One of their techs called me asking for a job, "Uh, no.... I mean, no." I think this is rare in the repair industry, or I hope so.
That said, the info from post 10 sounds likely. The ground shield to the head on that channel could be broken (or broken but still connected sometimes) at the point where the twisted shield meets the insulation, not at the end point of the shield at the head.
I wonder if they checked that wire? I also wonder if they have a 'scope.......!!!!
Sorry if I am making you have bad flashbacks. I've worked in computer technical support so I try not to be the ignorant annoying customer. But when it come to electronics repair, I am an ignorant customer. 
But at least I'm not annoying, haven't really bugged the guy very much.
I don't know the rules of the electronics repair game very well so when I don't get a call or a call back for 4 months I kinda worry. Also I was never given a real estimate or status updates for anything he is doing. The closest I got to an estimate was the first of only two times I have spoken with the actual tech, he made a casuaal comment like "I haven't looked at it yet but it sounds like it may cost $200 or so, ill let you know when I look at it"
So I was a little shocked when I spoke with him again today and he was like "yeah, I've replaced 7 or 8 parts and still haven't fixed it, I'll try this last part and if that doesn't work I'll giive up"
But at least I'm not annoying, haven't really bugged the guy very much.
I don't know the rules of the electronics repair game very well so when I don't get a call or a call back for 4 months I kinda worry. Also I was never given a real estimate or status updates for anything he is doing. The closest I got to an estimate was the first of only two times I have spoken with the actual tech, he made a casuaal comment like "I haven't looked at it yet but it sounds like it may cost $200 or so, ill let you know when I look at it"
So I was a little shocked when I spoke with him again today and he was like "yeah, I've replaced 7 or 8 parts and still haven't fixed it, I'll try this last part and if that doesn't work I'll giive up"
quadsearcher
1K Club - QQ Shooting Star
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2010
- Messages
- 1,212
If they already fixed the pinch roller travel problem, I guess they could be paid for that, it can't be undone. But then again, if they weren't ready to fix the hum problem maybe they should not have said they could repair the whole unit.
Stand your ground, if you didn't approve work to be done without guaranteed results, it is yours to pick up as long as the estimate was paid. At least that's the rules as I understand them.
Stand your ground, if you didn't approve work to be done without guaranteed results, it is yours to pick up as long as the estimate was paid. At least that's the rules as I understand them.
quadsearcher
1K Club - QQ Shooting Star
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2010
- Messages
- 1,212
Sorry if I am making you have bad flashbacks. I've worked in computer technical support so I try not to be the ignorant annoying customer. But when it come to electronics repair, I am an ignorant customer.
But at least I'm not annoying, haven't really bugged the guy very much.
I don't know the rules of the electronics repair game very well so when I don't get a call or a call back for 4 months I kinda worry. Also I was never given a real estimate or status updates for anything he is doing. The closest I got to an estimate was the first of only two times I have spoken with the actual tech, he made a casuaal comment like "I haven't looked at it yet but it sounds like it may cost $200 or so, ill let you know when I look at it"
So I was a little shocked when I spoke with him again today and he was like "yeah, I've replaced 7 or 8 parts and still haven't fixed it, I'll try this last part and if that doesn't work I'll giive up"
Oh OK, I saw this post after my last post 52. No way are you going to pay for the time spent by the tech before he "gives up". It sounds like he doesn't know enough.
It's not bad flashbacks for me, it is real time paranoia. Most people seem to think repair is a scam when (in my experience) usually techs just want to help. I just want to set the record straight.
No, he seems to have played it safe there. He hasn't went at that problem yet. Trying to fix the buzz first. Since he knows what the problem is there and knows what needs to be done, I think he is figuring why fix that if he can't fix the buzz. I wonder what he has replaced thus far, his initial guess that this was cause by a bad resistor.
I actually have good news on this. The guy thinks he got the buzz out of the channel for good. It was a capacitor. He now will need to do the lubrication for the pinch roller assembly. States that a drive wheel may need to be replaced. He will work on it more over the weekend and try to let me know next week (in reality I'm guessing a couple weeks).
I spoke with the guy again. Couple weeks ago and he said the buzz is back and he is thinking about giving up again. Do you think this could have a problem that bad or does he just not know what he is doing? The only thing I could think of that could cause a buzz in one channel and be unfixable is if a PCB is messed up, which I doubt. Or an IC chip, which I don't think these had any. Or the tape head, but I doubt that as well, especilly since it worked for a while. Plus you can still find some quad heads.
As usual, a couple weeks ago he told me he would figure out if he is going to keep working on it or put it back together and return it. As usual he still hasn't called. I think I would have been better off trying it myself, maybe deoxit on the record switch is what it needs. That would be funny/sad if he hasn't tried that.
As usual, a couple weeks ago he told me he would figure out if he is going to keep working on it or put it back together and return it. As usual he still hasn't called. I think I would have been better off trying it myself, maybe deoxit on the record switch is what it needs. That would be funny/sad if he hasn't tried that.
I got it back, at least it's still cosmetically good. Dusty. But that will happen sitting 9 months at a repair shop. I found another place that looks promising to try to take it.
The place that couldn't fix it was Buckeye Electronics in Kettering, Ohio. I figured I would say who I had these experiences with. I only can speak for my own factual experiences with them.
The place that couldn't fix it was Buckeye Electronics in Kettering, Ohio. I figured I would say who I had these experiences with. I only can speak for my own factual experiences with them.
I dropped this off at repair shop #2 today.
The website stated they specialize in Reel to Reel and Vintage Audio equipment repair.
This guy seems much more confidant. He knew of the model already when he asked which one it was when I was talking to him on the phone last week.
When I got there today, he knows all about quad and has a pretty large quad collection himself. He can rattle off the quad equipment model numbers and quad album titles as well as any of us. I had a pretty long conversation with the guy. He also may end up selling me a Technics 858 quad 8-track recorder.
I have a feeling this is going to go well. if this guy is able to it with reasonable cost and without headaches, I will definitely use his services exclusively.
The website stated they specialize in Reel to Reel and Vintage Audio equipment repair.
This guy seems much more confidant. He knew of the model already when he asked which one it was when I was talking to him on the phone last week.
When I got there today, he knows all about quad and has a pretty large quad collection himself. He can rattle off the quad equipment model numbers and quad album titles as well as any of us. I had a pretty long conversation with the guy. He also may end up selling me a Technics 858 quad 8-track recorder.
I have a feeling this is going to go well. if this guy is able to it with reasonable cost and without headaches, I will definitely use his services exclusively.
Similar threads
