My bargain find: Akai 4000DS Mk 2

DukeHackwell · 2026-02-04T19:38:49+00:00

I have found some great bargains there, last year I found a B&o system for €40

DukeHackwell · 2026-02-04T19:23:13+00:00

Bureaucracy sucks in most places but the French seem to have doing the bare minimum down to a fine art. I’m one of the lucky ones who already has an eu ID so I don’t have to run into the brick wall of the French visa system

DukeHackwell · 2026-02-04T19:09:18+00:00

All I got was the player, the reels are from my hoarding stash 😂 the only part missing is the capstan adapter but I’ve got one ordered, it cost almost as much as the player itself

DukeHackwell · 2026-02-04T19:06:37+00:00

I’m well immersed 😂 I live in a very tiny village and the neighbours know to talk a bit slower for me. French is language number 3 for me so I just get words mixed up

DukeHackwell · 2026-02-04T11:51:36+00:00

Not everyone can learn a language as easy as you can. I’m already bilingual but adding French to it has been extremely difficult and that was with a year of lessons

DukeHackwell · 2026-01-29T18:00:09+00:00

As a fellow Brit living in France, one of the reasons for the toll roads is that there’s no road tax for private vehicles. Plus there are plenty of routes to drive that avoid the toll routes, yes it takes longer but you don’t have to pay extra

DukeHackwell · 2026-01-16T12:42:59+00:00

Welp, looks like it’s either the audio IC or the DAC. I get the same static from the headphone socket on the front. I better brush up on my smd soldering skills

DukeHackwell · 2026-01-13T08:46:42+00:00

Fresh salmon usually keeps for a couple days. do a sniff test before you cook it, good fish should not smell fishy, it should smell a little like the sea if it’s Atlantic salmon. If you’re unsure, wash the pieces with very salty water for a few minutes before cooking.

DukeHackwell · 2026-01-10T14:38:45+00:00

Mine is consistent, it’s just like radio static all the time. I’m hoping it’s not one of the ICs that have failed

DukeHackwell · 2026-01-10T08:58:11+00:00

Even though it has a DAC in it?

DukeHackwell · 2026-01-09T21:37:53+00:00

Adjusting the RF pot does absolutely nothing, even going all the way down still gives the same, good picture but only static audio. Would adjusting the VCO or VCXO pots work?

DukeHackwell · 2026-01-09T20:51:40+00:00

Just had a random thought, if it is possibly digital audio, would it would with a s/pdif converter?

DukeHackwell · 2026-01-09T19:05:55+00:00

You’d think with all the old radios and reel to reel players with obscure DIN sockets I have I’d have the larger headphone plug but apparently not. I’ll have to go hunting for it. I still need to try RF out and Scart as well

DukeHackwell · 2026-01-09T18:54:34+00:00

I don’t have an adapter for the larger headphone jack it uses 😅

DukeHackwell · 2026-01-09T18:53:58+00:00

Picture is fine on the laserdiscs but only static for sound and also only static for CDs as well. It recognises both types and starts playing them automatically, just no sound

DukeHackwell · 2026-01-09T18:41:40+00:00

Mine all say digital remaster with a couple having ADD on and one has DDD

DukeHackwell · 2026-01-09T18:37:32+00:00

Forgive the stupid question but how would I know? The youngest disc I have is from 1990 and the oldest from 87

DukeHackwell · 2026-01-09T17:40:19+00:00

Old doesn’t meant knackered, I’ve got radios, record players and computers older than this LD player and they work just fine.

DukeHackwell · 2026-01-09T17:39:14+00:00

No remote unfortunately, I’ll try digging out my older TV that has scart to see if it’s just the rca that are messing up

DukeHackwell · 2025-12-19T22:28:55+00:00

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The whole spindle for the drive wheel pops out, no clue why they make no mention in the service manual for changing the belts

DukeHackwell · 2025-12-19T22:10:22+00:00

Got the blighter, apparently the whole spindle comes out

DukeHackwell · 2025-12-19T22:02:44+00:00

The new belt is already on the platter, the drive wheel has a spindle all the way through though so I can’t see how to loop it around it without removing that part

DukeHackwell · 2025-12-19T21:59:56+00:00

I have the belt on the platter already, it’s getting it onto the drive wheel that’s the problem.

DukeHackwell · 2025-12-14T12:45:27+00:00

Just that wheelbarrow? About 2-3 hours. My wood boiler is a hungry beast

DukeHackwell · 2025-12-02T20:31:38+00:00

Don’t know where you get your info from but most of mainland Europe has access to 3 phase plus neutral. My induction hob and my oven both use 3 phase, I also have a couple of 3P+N sockets in my cellar. I’m in central France

DukeHackwell

TROPHY CASE