Tape Project Forum

Tape Machines => Tape Project Machines => Topic started by: Bill Way on April 22, 2013, 11:59:05 PM

Title: How to adjust Otari 5050 tape tension?
Post by: Bill Way on April 22, 2013, 11:59:05 PM

Apologies if this has been posted, but I couldn't find it.

How do you adjust tape tension on the MX5050 B2-II, and is there just one adjustment, or separate adjustments for play/FF/Rew? I can't find any reference to it in the service manual.

Many thanks.

WW

Title: Re: How to adjust Otari 5050 tape tension?
Post by: ironbut on April 23, 2013, 12:52:56 AM

Hey Bill,

Welcome to the forum.
There isn't a tape tension adjustment on Otari 5050 machines like on most others.
I've never really looked further into the mechanism that keeps the tension correct but if your machine's tension is wrong, you might try asking on the Otari Yahoo group.

Title: Re: How to adjust Otari 5050 tape tension?
Post by: Listens2tubes on April 25, 2013, 04:47:50 PM

IIRC I read somewhere about a wire wound resistor with a sliding contact adjustment. Have not verified this but you would need a Tentelometer to be sure the tension was correct in any case.

Title: Re: How to adjust Otari 5050 tape tension?
Post by: Listens2tubes on April 26, 2013, 07:22:08 AM

Can find nothing like that on either a BII-2 BII-HD. So I guess it would be up to a tech that understands the circuit.

Title: Re: How to adjust Otari 5050 tape tension?
Post by: ironbut on April 26, 2013, 12:11:59 PM

Hey Neal,
Yes, I've searched all 3 of the 5050 service manuals for info regarding tape tension in the past and couldn't find anything.
Some of the Sony decks used wirewound variable resistors for adjusting tension so it could be another machine that you were thinking about.