Oh dear! I'd be happy if I could just learn "soldering wires to those mini plugs...and to the 1/4" phono plugs." I watched a video about putting a drop of oil in a cassette motor that was overheating and solved the problem. The guy had to unsolder and resolder a couple wires to do it. That would be about my speed.
...said the woman who replaced the anti-scalp wheel on her finish mower and got an old trimmer running again and a whole bunch of other stuff that would send most others running to Angies List. You can't document this stuff and then get all modest on us.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RadioShack "The company was started as Radio Shack in 1921 by two brothers, Theodore and Milton Deutschmann, who wanted to provide equipment for the nascent field of amateur radio (also known as ham radio). The brothers opened a one-store retail and mail-order operation in the heart of downtown Boston at 46 Brattle Street. They chose the name "Radio Shack", which was the term for a small, wooden structure that housed a ship's radio equipment. The Deutschmanns thought the name was appropriate for a store that would supply the needs of radio officers aboard ships, as well as hams (amateur radio operators)." "The company issued its first catalog in 1939 as it entered the high fidelity music market. In 1954, Radio Shack began selling its own private-label products under the brand name Realist, changing the brand name to Realistic after being sued by Stereo Realist." "During the period the chain was based in Boston, it was commonly referred to by its customers as "Nagasaki Hardware", disparagingly, as much of the merchandise was sourced from Japan, then perceived as a source of low-quality, inexpensive parts."
Yes. the mini-plugs can be tricky. I use a soldering gun and clean the tip, then heat it up and tin it with solder and brush off any access. I use a high tin rosin core solder at least 60/40 and apply heat under or to the side of the connection, then apply the solder on the opposite side and let it flow toward the heat. It doesn't take much solder and the result should be shiny silver, not a dull gray. A dull gray is a "cold" joint and no good. The entire process from applying the heat to the solder flows is less than a second. One way is to tin your cable wire then put it in the plug lug hole and then apply heat until the solder from the solder tinned wire flows. Never apply the hot tip to the wire, always the lug, and never at the wire hole.
So just off the top of my head, I picked one of the hardest things there is to do, as what I wanted to do first? Figures. {sigh}
I had the stereo section of the 1973 Radio Shack catalog memorized. It took me weeks to decide what to buy. All (2) of my friends kidded me I'd never make a decision. Back then $259 was a lot of money! ($1777 in today's dollars). Isn't it amazing how the prices of electronics have gone down.
I was lucky on the trimmer. It was in good shape for 23 yrs old. I can't do drywall, or finish concrete or lay blocks, toe-nail nails, sharpen a knife, throw a ball, or whistle. Not for lack of trying.
Update on cassette players: . I'm stuck already on something simple. Up all night almost. Spent 2 hours just trying to get the melted belts off the pulleys. I've never seen anything like it. It's like liquid rubber that sticks to everything and never dries up. I got all 4 pulleys reasonably clean using 100 Q-tips and acetone. Alcohol barely cuts it. Two of these belts attach to the motor, so there is a big glob of the stuff behind the motor. I have to take off the motor completely just to clean it. But how to disconnect this ribbon thing? Necessary to remove the front of the case to get to the screws that attach the motor. The black plastic thing looks solid. I don't think you just pull it out. Don't want to break it. I finally gave up and went to the more complicated cassette player and ran into the same problem. How to detach this ribbon thing. I don't see any hinge. In fact I don't see ribbon like this on the internet anywhere. It looks like the whole thing (plastic and ribbon) is one piece. Any suggestions?
You want to search on How To Remove A Ribbon Connector. There are different types, the main difference that would affect you is whether or not it just presses on or if there is a tab that you need to pull back to release it so you can remove it. There might be pins soldered to the board it plugs into: It may just press in: But there is likely (not always) a retaining clip or tab you gotta press in order to release the cable/connector. Regarding those melted belts...have you tried to turn the capstan & other parts by hand to make sure they are not seized (thus causing the belt to melt)?
I worked with a non-profit for 7 years doing free home repairs. I got to work alongside guys who knew what they were doing. Drywall was one of the skills I acquired. We worked in one house where someone pulled off the cheap wood paneling that had covered every wall in this bedroom. It had been installed with Liquid Nails adhesive, which was not gonna come off the wall. It left raised strips all around the room. So we "skim-coated" it. That means we applied drywall compound/spackling to the entire room, one layer at a time, sanding the entire thing in between coats, until the wall was built up to the depth of the Liquid Nails residue. It looked purty. Yeh, I got some practice in. I also learned how to fix holes in drywall. You don't fill the hole, you use a level to draw a line above it and below it, cut out the perfect rectangle in between the studs (actually halfway across the studs so there's a place to screw to), cut a rectangle to fit, then tape & mud it. This makes a much less conspicuous patch, since you tape the perimeter then feather the mud outwards and towards the center...and it does not sink like a bog ol' hole patch might.
I already searched the internet for hours last night. Don't see any tabs or hinges or even cracks on either of these connectors where they could possibly separate. Never tried just pulling the (white) tape. Guess I got nothing to lose. By capstan I assume you mean the spindle that comes out of the motor and turns? It turns freely on the more complicated cassette deck (the one that overheats). There is too much black sticky gunk behind the motor on the other deck to tell if it turns or not. There is also Plan B. Buy a cheap cassette player. Thinking outside the box.... There is now a Plan C. Just discovered the public library in town has a digital services department. You can use their equipment for free and copy tapes to digital. Two tapes in particular I know I want to copy. The rest can wait, 'til maybe never. I guess there is a Plan D. Pay someone to do it.
Plan C is OK if it speed-copies; otherwise, you gotta sit there for the entire time each tape plays/copies. Regarding those connectors...you can put a small screwdriver blade at the bottom and try to gently pry the connector loose. You should be able to tell if it's being restrained. Sometimes on those things there's a small hole you shove a paper clip into in order to release it.
I got everything (I mean everything) apart, on the cheap cassette player. Cleaned out the rubber best I could, put a drop of oil on the motor. The spindle turns OK. But I'll never get it back together. I got on a roll and forgot to take intermediate step pictures, and forgot to keep track of which screws go where. The longer I wait, the more I'll forget. Meanwhile, another part went bad on the AC out at the mobile home. Called Mr B last night, who lives 5 miles away, and he fixed it this morning. I should have asked him if the grass looked like a hay field. More rain last night. It might not have rained out there like it has been in town. Right now temp is 97 (feels like temp 108). Getting real tired of this. All the birds are mouth breathing again.