Troubleshooting Tom-Cat Cart Reproducer

[nleibo]

Hi Folks--

Thanks for allowing me to join the group. Unfortunately, I'm having a problem (actually two--but only one is precluding the actual "operation" of the Tom-Cat Cart Reproducer).. Problem #1: when inserting the ITC (Scotch) Cart 2 (the only ones Tom-Cat will accept), it APPEARS to engage as the Stop, Play, etc lights ARE functioning, HOWEVER the actual tape inside the cartridge is NOT moving! It won't play or Fast Forward. This occurs on ALL of my ITC (Scotch)2 Carts which previously worked on this very same unit.--that is the MAIN Problem.
Problem #2 (on a lesser scale, which I COULD "work around" if the unit was functioning correctly)--is when I started "poking around" & released the actual unit from the metal housing, I am UNABLE to fully insert the unit back in the housing--I did find 2 pins/levers on the inside of the housing on extreme right & left sides which allow me to insert the unit about half-way, but then it will not go any further. Quite frankly I'd like to solve the Cartridge Tape 'engagement" issue first--but at this point, I'd be glad to just shove the unit back into it's housing until a solution for the Tape Cartridge "non-movement" is available.

See attachment for pic of Unit stuck halfway in metal housing

NLeibo

 

[frankberry]

Moved to the Engineering forum.

 

[Grounded Grid]

Haven't seen one in a long, long time, so some of this is probably just spaghetti, tossed at the wall...

Sorry in advance if I insult your experience...

When you put the cart in the machine, you say the lights come on. Does the capstan (motor) start turning (or is it always on)?

When you press "play", a rubber roller should come up out of the bottom of the deck and pinch the tape against the turning capstan. Does that happen?

Is it possible there's a missing utility plug in the back? Some cart decks had remote control plugs and wouldn't work without at least a couple of pins being jumpered.

If none of that works, then you'd want to look at whether the solenoid is good, or perhaps some other control function in there. For that, you'd be way ahead if you had the manual. For most of those machines, the motor and control functions were far less complicated than the audio electronics.

 

[Kelly A]

Haven't seen one in a long, long time, so some of this is probably just spaghetti, tossed at the wall...

Sorry in advance if I insult your experience...

When you put the cart in the machine, you say the lights come on. Does the capstan (motor) start turning (or is it always on)?

When you press "play", a rubber roller should come up out of the bottom of the deck and pinch the tape against the turning capstan. Does that happen?

Is it possible there's a missing utility plug in the back? Some cart decks had remote control plugs and wouldn't work without at least a couple of pins being jumpered.

If none of that works, then you'd want to look at whether the solenoid is good, or perhaps some other control function in there. For that, you'd be way ahead if you had the manual. For most of those machines, the motor and control functions were far less complicated than the audio electronics.

Tomcat capstan and motor control circuits were stupidly complicated. If as Mr. Grid asked; the capstan starts turning and the stop light comes on when the cart is inserted, but when pressing play button the play light comes on with no capstan engagement, you probably have a blown pinch roller solenoid transistor or burned up trace on the circuit board. Check the motor control board and look for either a burned up circuit board trace or over-heated area around a transistor that just sticks up off the board.