-=>/Huh!/ Bad FIXES421!  What'cha gon', what'cha gon',
 what'cha gonna do when JOE PAULSON and ALL come for you?<=-


 JP> Audio cassettes:
 JP>   I had trouble with one radio where ,when recording,the tape
 JP> would bunch up like an accordian and stop.The belt was ok since it
 JP> kept turning.I wondered why the jam.I tested a group of cassettes
 JP> by holding the center of one spool between my thumb and forefinger
 JP> and used a small pair of scissors to turn the other spool to take
 JP> up slack.About 6 cassettes were ok but another 6 had some slack,
 JP> some quite a bit.After tightening up,I rewound the tape and tried
 JP> again.It still jmammed.The problem has to be between the rubber
 JP> wheel and the turning pin.Maybe the rubber wheel has to be
 JP> perfectly round.Will check.

Sounds like the take-up hub is slipping too much - normally the take-up
hub runs faster than the capstan/capstan roller with slippage in a
clutch allowing it to slow to match the tape speed.

...

 JP> Strange cable:
 JP>    While dumpster diving ,I came across a plastic coated #18 wire
 JP> with a series of metallic switches? ,about 2 1/2 " by 1/2 ",along
 JP> the wire about 1 foot apart.The devices were encased in a transparent
 JP> soft plastic pouch.I checked for capacitance by first measuring
 JP> the resistance ( was an open circuit) ,then reversing the leads
 JP> and see id I got a kick. Got nothing.
 JP>   Anyone have an idea what these things were?

Sounds like a heat cable - resistance wire with thermostatic switches.
If it's intended to protect plumbing from freezing the thermostats are
open above 45F or thereabouts, greenhouse soil heat cables heat to
around 80F, waterbed heaters go even higher - try freezing it and see it
it has continuity then...

Laird

... "Micro$oft Mobile Manor", Purdy, Wa - 1 mile north of Mary
Kay LeTourneau
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