Speed issues with Sony PS-X6 turntable

[RazvanP]

Hi guys - my story is familiar: I've just purchased a Sony PS-X6 TT on eBay sold as "fully working" - only to discover that a lot of things aren't working. It's ok, I expected a TT of this age to require some mild repairs, but the problem may be more serious than that, hence I'm appealing to your wisdom. (The TT has been well kept esthetically, and I'm kinda tempted to keep it on sentimental grounds, as this was the TT my brother used to have when I was a kid etc).
There are wild issues with speed: not just slightly off the mark, but galloping at crazy speeds - both for 33 and 45, although the 45 seems to be slightly more "stable". I know that this in principle could be fixed by recapping capacitors and cleaning some potentiometers - but I also know that if the magnetic strip under the platter is damaged, it won't be fixable (other than by replacing the platter). My question for you guys is: by looking at the pics attached here does the strip appear to be damaged enough as to mess up the speed? Any feedback greatly appreciated.View attachment 3594140View attachment 3594141

 

[JeffS7444]

Visually it looks fine, but whether it's still properly encoded, I couldn't say without hooking it up to instruments and seeing what's being detected.

 

[Luca Sorrentino]

Hi, you’ll need an oscilloscope to check whether the signal coming from the magnetic head is reasonably steady and strong enough. The head might be too far from the magnetic trace. If you have some electronics skills, it’s fairly easy to verify where the control loop is failing; otherwise, look for a good repair technician near you.
Here’s an example of the signal right at the output of the magnetic head of a Sony turntable.

 

[DVDdoug]

I know that this in principle could be fixed by recapping capacitors and cleaning some potentiometers -

It wouldn't hurt to clean the pots unless they are trim pots that have to be set using a procedure that you don't know.... (Of course you'd have to rotate them to clean them.)

Any critical capacitors are probably stable types (not electrolytics).

I don't know what the magnetic strip looks like or how to test it.

Have you looked for a repair manual? Do you know enough electronics and have some electronics tools that you could make-use of the repair manual? ....I know some electronics but I've never worked on a DD turntable and if my 40-year old Technics died I wouldn't put a lot of effort (or money) into attempting a repair.

If I had a sentimental attachment, I might buy another working one and use it for parts if it was in worse cosmetic shape.

And there may be some other special-custom electronics, besides the magnetic strip, that are no longer available.