Haha I’m gonna cheat here. It starts today, we’re a little late here at Foxy towers with the spring clean thing. Whilst having our second cup of tea in bed this morning I raised the question of whether we need a new radiator in one of our rooms and it has flourished into a whole “let’s tart the house up,” so I have now inherited a challenge to redecorate top to bottom with the challenge of having the bottom bit done by Christmas, when the family are all coming for dinner.
And there I was in yesterday’s post saying I need to rest more!
I’m going to enjoy that though as I love a challenge.
My real priority everyday is to ensure I’m at my best and that my world is content, happy and feeling loved and protected. In other words my world is my wife. She is my number one priority everyday, always and forever. No questions.
Have a lovely Sunday all, I’m off shopping with the wife, I suspect it will involve paint and wall paper….and maybe a radiator…..or two!
We have tried a few batteries but the unit does not power up so beig sold for spares.
EBay
I obtained this for a very reasonable price considering the amounts being charged these days for similar battery operated 1970’s items.
Bambino gameLooks tidyNo Corrosion Bambino Kick the goal soccer game
This unit was assembled in 1979. From initial pictures a few things are pleasing. It looks fairly tidy, the battery cover is supplied, there appears to be no corrosion and the labels appear intact. However actual delivery and when it appears in my own hands may prove otherwise so I’ll await its arrival to give a final judgement.
Well the item has arrived and considering it’s 45 years old it appears to have had a good life. A few small knocks and scars, no more than what you would expect….lets get some batteries in and see what occurs.
A few cold solder joints needed re flowing45 years old and clean as a whistleGame pads all to cleanButtons to clean
Inside is amazing, no LED screen just a tube that looks like an old Cathode Ray tube that you’d have on a TV. (Actually known as a Vacuum fluorescent display) Thank god this isn’t damaged as it would be game over. Wiggling a few contacts and I can hear the speaker crackling, closer inspection shows some cold solder joints so I quickly reflow these and it all springs into life. Excellent.
Lovely old display- more like a cathode tube
I’ve decided to take it all apart and give the parts a good deep wash in some soapy water.
Bath time Drying off
I’ve cleaned the two switches with a contact cleaner, I’ve cleaned the screen membrane and all buttons and their attached membranes as well.
Looks stunningAssembled and workingNice and clean
The whole shell has also been cleaned in all the nooks and crannies, and it looks superb.
Before and after
Now assembled it is in full working order, everything works as it should and the display is bright. The batteries are a tight fit but that’s not so much of an issue. Once you get into the game it’s quite addictive as single player mode is a right challenge as the computer is a great goal keeper 😂
Just can’t score – computers goal keeper is too good
Again it’s been quite a simple fix but an enjoyable one. It’s always good to see something that is about to be disposed of brought back to life and saved from the landfill. I paid a total price of £12.71GBP for this unit, and items of a far worse condition are currently selling in excess of £40GBP on EBay. However this is going into our games box in the garden pub for use by the family, especially the kids who I hope will appreciate the height of technology we had in the 70s.
This is a handy karaoke cassette player released by Epson over 30 years ago in Japan. The item it self does not function. Recommended for retro collectors
Ebay
Mamekara Karaoke machine
This video sums it up, apologies to those with sensitive hearing:
The pub singer
Anyway, enough of the frivolities, let’s see what’s wrong and try to fix it.
On initial examination, everything seems to be there, no damage to the shell. Four AA batteries inserted and I do hear some feedback from the mic.
Four AA batteries
There are some volume controls that control the tape sound versus mic sound, there is also a speech on and off switch along with a balance control, these seem to work intermittently and I suspect they might just need contacts cleaning.
All works but needs contacts cleaning More controls that need cleaning
The tape seems to sort of work but the play button does not stay on, the recorded sound is slow. Echo and balance buttons also seem to work but again probably need contacts cleaning. I suspect the belt of the cassette needs replacing and the tape heads will need cleaning.
Cassette runs slow
Good news is that for once there is no corrosion on the battery contacts.
I will now have to open the unit up to observe closer.
Once inside there are a couple of issues that show straight away. The two drive belts are very loose and will require replacing, luckily I have a bag full of these that should do the job. There is also a wire detached that controls the motor, this will need re attaching at both ends.
Two loose drive beltsThe red wire inside the circle needed re soldering Little red wire in place
I’ve reattached the wire and replaced the two drive belts. I’ve checked the board and found what looks like a burnt capacitor, but checks confirm there is no issue. Looks like the component has a small burn on it as a result of an earlier soldering attempt, probably during manufacture.
The main issue is that the play button will not engage. I spent a good 30 minutes scratching my head here until I spent some time clicking the buttons that worked and the stop button. There is a catch on the rear of the tape head that should click into the sliding stop mechanism when depressed, this was not quite making the full range of travel. A pair of pinch nose pliers and a slight adjustment of about 1mm ensured we were now working. I was worried I might over stress this catch, however it was made of steel and I had nothing to worry about. See the video below:
Loose belts and non engaging play button
There was nothing wrong with any of the volume controls or switches, so I used some contact cleaning spray and vigorously operated them for a minute or so each. This worked just fine.
I then reassembled the unit, put in some batteries and hey presto, good loud clean sound. I put a tape in and it played just fine, probably better than some of the Walkmans I’ve fixed lately.
Excuse the pub singing
I’ve put a little video up above of me singing into it, I haven’t played a tape due to copyright issues that might occur. I’ve sent the video to the family of me singing with a tape and they are suitably bemused, the unit now sits in our garden pub awaiting more customers, once I get a few Karaoke tapes to use.
Fully working in our garden pub.
The only thing I’m going to do is replace the foam mic cover, I’ve managed to source one and that should be here shortly. I’ve also found some cheap old Karaoke tapes that I’ll store in the pub for the families entertainment.
I’ve really enjoyed this little project, and once again I’ve salvaged another item that was broken from the 90s and saved it from landfill. It lives on.
Foxes Den 
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