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Early Beta units had all of the tape handling components mounted on one big frame but early in the eighties, after Sony became the primary provider of our format, the machines were redesigned. The forward and reverse tape drive mechanism became a separate component called a reel block that was mounted to the frame. Their designs were of three types, two of which are shown above. The first was the dual pancake motor. It was expensive and was used in consumer units for only a short time. It can be found in the SL-2000, SL-2005, SL-2500, SL-2700, and their Zenith clones. It was also used in the EDC-55, SLO-1800 and SLO-420. The design to follow used a single pancake pendulum motor and it was in most all of the medium to high end models up until the end. A third type used a cogged (toothed) belt that circled a gear molded into the capstan motor rotor. The belt traveled to a drive gear assembly that took the place of the reel motor. It resulted in fewer components and was less costly. It was used in the low end models. To see the third design that uses the capstan driven system click here. All of these designs worked very well. But because the second and third designs are the ones that require the most adjustment and refurbishing, our discussion here will be limited to those. Looking at the left side of the table you will see identified the number one guide and lever assembly. You will also notice the friction belt that wraps around the reel on the left. It is this belt that meters out the correct slippage to maintain the back pressure on the tape as it travels through the machine. If it seems hard to follow exactly how this is accomplished don't be concerned, there will be more discussion on how this is done and adjusted later. It may be helpful to go back and look at the tape path diagram, to do so click here (you will be given a return link to this page in that panel). Both the second and third types use this lever and belt design to meter out the tape so we are going to treat them the same. Also, even though other beta manufacturers may have not used the exact same reel table design, the same principles for tape tension was found in most all models and the same principles for refurbishing and repairing applies to all. You can click on the picture above to see the motors disassembled. To go back to FRAME AND REEL BLOCK ASSEMBLY click here. ©Misterßetamax go to homepage |