NuTone IM4006 & IMA4006 Cassette Players

PART 4 CASSETTE PLAYERS

The cassette player in a NuTone IM4006 or IMA4006 contains 129 individual parts, most of which are made from plastic.

The cassette player assembly is a complex electro-mechanical device which relies on an electric motor and drive belts to keep all of these parts moving correctly.  Devices like this cassette player use "mechanical logic" to control the functions of the player.

In simple terms, this means that all of the different parts inside player must be aligned and in their proper positions for the different functions to work at the proper time.

The most common complaint we have about the IM4006 cassette player is that the tape will not eject.  When the eject button is pressed the door will not open and the tape is stuck inside the player.

The usual course of action is for the user to pry open the cassette door with a screwdriver.  While this will open the door, it will also break the door latch and now the door will no longer stay closed. DON'T PRY OPEN THE DOOR!

Why does the cassette door refuse to open?  It's because of that pesky mechanical logic (remember, all of the parts have to be in their proper places for everything to work).

Inside the IM4006 cassette player there are 2 drive belts which are turned by a motor.  These belts turn pulleys, which in-turn drive gears, which in-turn move levers and so on.

When the belts stretch they slip, when they slip the pulleys, gears and levers don't move enough and the mechanical logic of out of sync and the player doesn't work correctly.

In the case of a cassette door that will not open, the cam that aligns the door release lever with the door latch did not move into its correct position when the "play button" was pressed, so when the "stop" button is pressed to stop the tape and then pressed again to eject the tape, the lever can not unlatch the door because it's not in the right position to do so.  Complicated, isn't it.

So, the belts are the key to the player working correctly.  This also makes them the number one problem with the cassette players.  They will all stretch and eventually they will all break.  Some times the belts will also dissolve into a black, gooey tar-like substance that gets all over the parts inside the player.  When this happens it's a real mess, but it can be cleaned up.

The second most common problem are broken plastic parts.  This is usually caused by normal wear-and-tear in players that have had lots of use.

(Blue arrow is the motor) 

Other problems can be with motors that have worn out to the point that they can no longer maintain the correct speed and the tape plays too slowly. The tape heads can also wear out from use as can the pinch-roller.

As with all of the other parts in a IM4006 or IMA4006, NuTone no longer has any cassette player assemblies to buy.  The number of individual parts that could have been ordered to repair the player was less than 12 and none of these are available either.

This is why we don't sell complete, rebuilt cassette players.  One used player can usually supply enough parts to repair 6-8 other players.  The only new parts we can source for these players are the belts.

See all of the IM4006 Cassette Player Pictures here

Update on Wednesday, July 6, 2016 at 7:16AM by Cindy & Christopher

Cassette Tapes are Popular Again

We have seen a renewed interest in cassette tapes over the last 2 years.  I think it's mostly a nostalgic wave back to the days before CD's and MP3's by our younger audience.

Servicing and repairing the Cassette Player's in NuTone's IM4006 and IMA4006 Intercom Master Stations has always been part of our standard rebuild process.  Cleaning the cassette player along with some much need lubrication and new drive belts goes a long way to restore the mechanical parts of the player.

Rebuilding the Power Supply, Pre-Amp, Motor Control board renews the sound quality and quietness to the player.

Some times the belts will have disintegrated into a black gooey tar like substance that gets all over the inside of the player.  Eventually the belts will wrap themselves around the motor pulley and spindle causing the motor to fail.

Replacement motors are available and they are not terribly expensive.

Here's a Video which shows some of the basics about NuTone Cassette Players and the differences between the Cassette Players in NuTone's IM4006 and IM5006