Help! The capstan on my Dokorder 7100 RTR deck quit spinning!

Tape Trail

Reel to reel, cassette and other analogue tape formats.

I can rewind and fast forward but not play. I figure it is either the capstan motor or the belt. I am going to order the service manual. Is this something I can fix or do I need to take it with the service manual to a stereo repair shop?
I bought my first Dokorder 7100 from J&R Music World for $400.00 in 1975, about a year later I traded it in on a Teac 2300SD that had built in Dolby. Big mistake, as the 7100 sounded better on non-Dolby tapes. It is my favorite Reel to Reel of the past. I love how easy it is to thread, the pinch roller retracts so there is no maze to thread the tape through, just drape it from the supply to the take up reel. And it is a beautiful gray with white lettering and black knobs and head cover.
Anyway I only got to use it about 5 days before the capstan quit turning in the middle of a tape. I made an excellent 90 minute tape using Ampex 641 tape and listened to two dozen pre-recorded RTRâ€™s. The tape I made was 7 Â½ ips from DVD-Audios and the copy actually sounds better than the original, it has more and deeper bass and a larger soundstage and center imaging is larger and more real. How is this possible? It doesnâ€™t seem logical unless itâ€™s because of Digital's greater channel separation. Maybe worse channel separation gives better center channel fill? Any ideas?
So what should I do about my capstan?
Thanks in advance,

"Analog is Music, Digital is mathematics"
Happy listening,
Teresa

My Dokorder 7100 (Open in New Window)

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

McShane Design

Topic - Help! The capstan on my Dokorder 7100 RTR deck quit spinning! - Teresa 22:16:24 08/14/06 (7)

Re: Help! The capstan on my Dokorder 7100 RTR deck quit spinning! - sfeirb 19:05:23 08/23/06 (1)

The motor is not visible with the back off as a metal cage with circuit boards and tons of wires is in the way, I had to - Teresa 20:11:46 08/23/06 (0)

Re: Help! The capstan on my Dokorder 7100 RTR deck quit spinning! - stellavox 05:14:27 08/15/06 (4)

Thanks for the suggestions! - Teresa 20:53:27 08/15/06 (3)

Just curious... - Marshall W 07:52:58 08/16/06 (2)

It's timuraes and his eBay store is "Reel to reel parts and decks." - Teresa 18:55:37 08/16/06 (1)

http://nowodus.t35.com/history-of-sports-medicine.html - craps 15:47:11 10/02/06 (0)

You can not post to an archived thread.