How to Cure Car Cassette Adapter "auto-reverse Flip-flop"

Intro: How to Cure Car Cassette Adapter "auto-reverse Flip-flop"

For the last few months, while listening to my ipod through the car stereo via cassette adapter, I have been driven to near insanity by what I call "auto-reverse flip-flop". This is where the car stereo thinks it's got to the end of the cassette and tries to auto-reverse your adapter and play the other side of it. The fact that a cassette adapter doesn't have an 'end' or even an other side seems to mean nothing to car stereos.

One of the worst things is that it has an element of randomness; there seems no logic to when it will happen. Some days it won't happen at all.. others (usually when there is a podcast I really want to listen to) it will kick in almost immediately. The constant 'kerchink-flip-kerchunk-flop" is unbelievably annoying. After ripping the thing out of the tape deck and smashing it against the dash several times didn't fix it, I tried to find a solution on the internet. I discovered that this was a VERY common occurrence. It even seemed like all adapters, no matter how expensive, would eventually end up doing the auto-reverse flip-flop.

Anyway I did learn of an easy way to solve it. I found this solution in more than one internet forum but there were never any pictures to show you how, so I thought it would be worth an Instructable. It's really easy to do.. all you need is a screwdriver.

EDIT: Firstly thanks for so many kind and amazing comments! - it makes me so happy to know that so many have been helped by the instructions (and saved from insanity). Secondly if you still experience problems after this fix, make sure to read through the comments as there are several suggestions/improvements put forward. It seems like you can actually get away with removing all of the gears! although I haven't tested this. Also If you have problems with low volume after the fix you may need to reverse the wire and insert the adaptor the other way around.

STEP 1: Dismantle

Find out how your adapter is joined together and undo it. I'm pretty sure most of them are joined with small screws like mine is, but it could be some other way. You might need a small jeweler's screwdriver if the screws are really tiny but I managed with just my swiss-army.

WARNING: When you open it up all of the component will become "loose" inside because the top of the case is no longer holding them down. Try to identify which half of the case is the "lid" and which half has the spindles for the gears etc. Take the lid side off GENTLY otherwise the bits will fly everywhere and you'll be buggered. If that happens you could try and piece it back together from the photos, but there's no guarantee they'd be the same. Mine is a Digitor brand (on a par with Panaphonics and Sorny I think).

STEP 2: Identify Trouble-maker

Ok now you can see the guts of the thing. You need to identify the bit which causes the tape-deck to try and auto-reverse. It should be a collection of a few gears which move independently on a plate. The plate swivels up and down as well. This is the trouble-maker! No one seems to know exactly why this is even in a cassette adapter which doesn't need to auto-reverse but anyway this is what's causing the problems.

STEP 3: Remove Trouble-maker

Go ahead and whip it out! Hopefully it will look something like my photo.

Be careful not to disturb the other stuff in there, or if you do, put it back where you found it! All the other bits are necessary!

It might be worth memorizing where the bits go (or take a photo) before you start fiddling with it. But if you're like me you will realize this after you have dropped it and spread the gears all over the floor.

STEP 4: Success!!

Screw the cover back together the way you found it. Make sure the gears are all lining up where they should do and none of the wires are getting pinched in the side.

Success!! Get ready for some trouble-free listening!

Plug it in and hopefully you should have no more problems with the auto-reverse flip-flop. I read that some people reported the noise from the gears got a bit louder after doing this but personally mine sounded exactly the same as before.

Bliss.

STEP 5: Decide Its Fate...

While part of me wants to suggest you immediately crush this part under your foot, it's probably best you make sure your adapter still works first. After you've confirmed this, feel free to dispose of it how you see fit...

Comments

[wsander2112]

Thank you for your honesty and transparency sir 👍🖖

[Earthshaking]

I must unfortunately join the chorus of people for whom this does not work. I tried every combination of gears present and removed that I could think of, and no matter what I do it simply will not work. It worked the first time I used it, BEAUTIFULLY, but after ejecting it it's never happened again.


Removing the gear with the rubber: no good.
Removing the sprockets and center gear: no good.
Keeping the rubber gear and sprockets but removing the gears connecting them: no good.
Removing all gears: no good.
Putting everything back and flipping the cartridge: no good.

Maddening.

[james7x1]

As an Electrical Engineer, it bugged me that I couldn't get this to work. After taking apart the tape deck and studying how it all worked, and then testing various parts of the circuits and mechanical sections of various adapters, I found that indeed you must remove the auto-reverse limiting gear with its two sub gears to prevents the tape deck from locking. Not mentioned is that most modern tape decks require that the tape wheels become synchronized, so you MUST have the central gear to connect the two tape wheels. Therefore, simply remove all gears except for the central gear and the two toothed wheels.

On the electrical side of things, for optimal sound quality (indistinguishable from MP3...obviously not lossless like FLAC), ensure you have bought a device with a stereo tape head (has two distinct points of connection on the top of the aluminum part), and ensure that the PCB inside has at least 3 wires connected to the internal board with some capacitors for smoothing. Feel free to ask questions if you have any. I may post pictures if it is not clear.

[migbravoduk]

Thank you! It worked for my bluetooth cassette on a mercedes audio 30 autoradio. It was pissing me off for these late days.

[ramirez.christian993]

I did it and it worked!!! You saved me, Thanks a lot!! :)

[DanielA337]

You guys do know. That theres an easier way. Simply rearrange the aux cord to the other side and flip the tape. Lol.

[Snop384]

Thanks so much for your advice! I tried this with my "Insten" cassette adapter after having the same trouble and this seemed to fix it entirely. It also got rid of the sound of the cassette player trying to read the adapter while playing music.

[wayneph]

unfortunately that did not work on my harley ultra classic

[ShonW2]

Yessss dude thanks i was like wtf until i saw yur comment thanks alot i never knew that

[Kindly Thrive]

Like many here, this does not fix our problem. Removing the gears does nothing. Bought another adapter without any success. I wish this solution was not filling the internet because I would love to hear other solutions. I do not have any regular tapes to test it out. I am guessing something is stuck in the tape system but no easy way to fix. I wish I had one of those tape head cleaning kits still but I got rid of mine probably a decade or more ago.

I did find an actual solution but it is a pain in a butt.

Basically for many of us, we have to tear down our stereo and make a modification so the reverse gear no longer functions inside of the deck. Darnit :( Replacing the head unit is almost easier.

[Yrtsinim13]

Ended up trying a couple different suggestions and omg, what a mess this problem is! Here is my cassette adapter saga, the first chapter of mine may help others who thought this fix didn't work at all...
The main fix instructed here did not appear to have worked at first on either adapter that I have. The little mf was still flipping repeatedly & stopping. However, I happened to still have some cassette tapes from the good ole 80s...popped one in that was working fine before, but it immediately started the same flipping! I was thinking great, now the deck is ruined, but I'm relentless, so I ejected & retried. The third time I ejected, there was a sound, like a part in the deck that was stuck suddenly got unstuck. I tried the adapter again & it worked!!
Chapter 2...Now I had 2 audio issues; side A had almost no sound at all, side B had fabulous audio, but only on left speakers tf?? Ok, opened em both back up & flipped the cord. Tried adapter 1, no dice, same exact issues. Adapter 2,same, but relentless me refused to give up. Now idk what actually fixed the problem, I was pushing every button, flipping sides, FF, RWD, eject... Lol, paid off cuz I finally got fabulous audio on side B, all speakers, side A still had the same issue. But who cares right I am what I am though & had to try again on adapter#1. Worked on it for a good min, but nope, nothing worked. So begins Chapter 3, tomorrow though, I have one working so I gotta walk away for now. I'mma try a couple more things just cuz, & maybe I will be able to help someone else with whatever I find out. Lucky for me, a friend just upgraded his deck & is kicking me down a Kenwood deck from this decade, but I won't have it until I drive to the big city for our first concert adventure if the year in May... for those inquisitive ppl like myself, Slayer. Music is my everything, can't do anything without it, so I had to find a way! Hope this helped someone, even just a little & I will update as to the fate of adapter #1. Till then, good luck all from a 44 Y/O Metal AF female Bass player, who also happens to throw down some SAF moves to some SAF Rap

[VafaG]

mine has a little bit different gear mechanism.
The mechanism do two thing:
1. slow down the spin speed(make the noise less)
2. prevent the RR function by making the rotation one way.
I tear a part because of wire disconnection and replace successfully since than the radio unit reject the cassete! It only work when I remove the one-way gear mechanism. It's useless because it's to noisy.
still woking on it.

[emmbo07]

i tried this and my tape deck is now just rejecting my tape.

[MarioH72]

Thanks buddy you saved me a lot of time and money !! I though I had to change my radio on my Harley FLHTC 97 !

[ShelbyK14]

Thank you so much for this! I had thought my car’s cassette player was broken all of a sudden, but this fixed it! The only issue I have now is the gears make a very noticeable spinning sound. But that’s ok because I’m happy I can play my music again!

[87 ChevyS]

removing all gears dose not work it will not play any muisc

[Jessman1128]

Thank you for posting this! Totally saved the day for me. My adapter wouldn't play in my car at all, and now it works well!!

[BostonFern]

My problem has more to do with the cassette player than with the adapter. It just won't wind/play any tape, good or bad. If I put a tape inside the player, would try to play, then it would immediately reverse the tape, then it would push out the tape. It's as though it can't move the tape toward either side.

I'm wondering whether there is any need for the winding to happen at all. If the my player meets no resistance while playing, then perhaps my cassette player adapter would work. I don't play actual cassette at all.

[Soporific1]

My adapter was slightly different, the gears at the bottom right were trying to pass themselves off as useful. Little did they know...

I found this tool useful in disposing of the unnecessary parts. Found at your local hardware store for $30.

Your pieces should look like this if you have done a proper job. Do note, they may try to escape.

Thanks for the writeup blackjimmy! It really was easy. :)

[tbor62]

Thank you. I thought it was the car heater.