CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2013 6:02 am Post subject: I need to slay a Dragon.

That's all I'm saying for tonight. Mr. Green

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2013 3:27 pm Post subject:

zaphod · Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Posts: 2002 Location: Cloverdale

i looked up "suck" in the dictionary. Your picture was there.

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2013 3:37 pm Post subject:

Nah, not as good as it looks. I picked it up for $350, just took the bottom cover off, and someone has been into it. A couple of wires cut, wire ties missing, etc. transport is dead, and the LED counter display doesn't light up. Seller didn't disclose any of this. Just sent him a polite nastygram. Glad I talked him down from $400. Worst case I can sell it for $350 again on ebay for parts, but I'm diving in.. Smile

Just gotta figure out where the 5 volt supply lines go. I'll bet that's why it's dead... rest of the deck does light up though.

garyfritz · Joined: 08 Apr 2006 Posts: 12088 Location: Fort Collins, CO

Well that's damn sleazy.

I really oughta tear into my Nak and try to solve the takeup-idler problem. You gave me some tips a coupla years ago but I've never gotten around to it. Partly because my life blew up in the last few years, but partly because I just never listen to tapes anyway...

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2013 3:40 am Post subject:

Gary, most Naks have a little idler right behind the metal plate that covers the mechanism. Comes out through the front by the removal of 2 screws inside the cassette area. get some 'rubber Renue' or whatever it's called. A good electronic repair supply store will carry it. It's a stinky little bottle, and with a Q tip, apply it to the idler and wipe off the slick layer of rubber. Works every time, unless the rubber is too soft to grip. EBay should have idler replacements.

As for the Dragon, it's getting interesting. Turns out the cut wires are actually a pair of wires from the 5 volt line that some 'tech' soldered to the underside of the board, then taped up. It's not Nak original wiring, so I took it out. No idea why it was there. So the deck was indeed intact, although someone had put one of the CPU chips in a socket, and soldered it poorly. Repaired that.

Now the deck had power, but didn't pass audio, and the transport was dead. Tape counter didn't light up, and the tape function buttons didn't work. I retouched up the CPU solder joints, no change. I then spent an hour tracing signals, and found that the tape function chip did nothing. I then found a 'tape in' line that was supposed to go low when a cassette was in, but it was always at a high level, whether the tape was in or not. So on a hunch, I shorted that line to ground, giving the CPU the signal that a cassette was in.

All of a sudden everything started working again, save for the PLAY function. REW and FF are slow, but are working, and the tape counter kicked in, and the deck is passing signal. Go figure. that's how the seller said he bought it.

Now, I also have to say, this deck isn't built too well. The logic board is badly warped due to a cheap PC board material. Bad solder joints in a number of places. Construction quality is like a cheap Sharp or similar deck. Not impressed.

I will persevere though, and will get this baby running!

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2013 5:09 am Post subject:

Last update: THe only issue with the deck now is no takeup torque in play mode. I stopped for the night, but I think this is now a simple repair.. unless the dead transport/audio issue comes back. Will go over lots of solder connections tomorrow.

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2013 5:33 am Post subject:

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2013 11:04 pm Post subject:

SLAYED! Amazing how another repair shop, well known in town can say that the CPU was nuked and was no longer available. THIS tech found a leaky 25 cent transistor that was throwing off the motor logic, and lo and behold, it was in stock in his parts drawer.

Now to do a frequency check on this bad boy...

Nashou66 · Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 16171 Location: West Seneca NY

Awesome Curt!!!!

nashou

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2013 11:31 pm Post subject:

Flat to 20Khz! this deck definitely kicks ass and is all it claims to be. Since all external bias adjustments are external, I didn't need to do anything to it. ONto eBay it goes...

Jeremy112 · Joined: 28 Sep 2006 Posts: 2649 Location: Fond du Lac, WI

Nice find Curt, And a superb repair job by the sounds of it Thumbs Up

Those tech shops don't care about stuff that old, they want to sell you something new, and will say anything to get you to believe your "old" item isn't worth the cost of repair.

As nice as the Nak dragon is, IMHO I don't consider it the best cassette deck out there like many do. My Denon DRS-810 horizontal loading deck has not identical, but rather close performance, and for far less money as well. It is the best deck I have owned out of the dozens I have had, and it does a bad ass job of recording and keeping the sound quality there.

The tape hiss from the deck is so minimal, dolby isn't even really necessary (unless you are super anal about dead silence of course).

The only way youd get me to spend $600+ on a tape deck, is if its a Pioneer CT-F1250, or a Pioneer Elite CT-95 or CT-99 cassette deck. They have the performance, (and IMO blow away the aesthetic appearance of the nak dragon)

To each his own I say... Still a good $$$ maker though Wink

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Sat Nov 30, 2013 4:38 pm Post subject:

thanks, got it on ebay already with 21 watchers at an opening bid of $700. As I've said before, to me it's all about the repair, although with all direct drive motors, there's no idlers to wear out.