Sony TCM-919 Cassette-Corder Troubleshooting

The Sony TCM-919 won't turn on.

If the device will not turn on, it may be the case that the batteries are dead. Simply remove the battery cover by following the guide found here to replace the batteries.

The wires connecting the motherboard of the cassette player may have become loose or broken over time. This will cause connections from the power that the motherboard supplies to be cut off from the rest of the device. Follow the guide here in order to re-solder and replace broken wires.

If the prior solution did not fix the cassette player, it may be a more serious issue: the motherboard is dead. Follow the guide here in order to remove the back cover and check that the motherboard connections are all connected securely. If all connections seem to be secure and no wires are frayed, then the motherboard is dead. Follow the guide here to replace the motherboard fix the device.

There is no sound coming from the Sony TCM-919.

First ensure that the cassette is placed correctly in the player with the larger part of the cassette being placed closer to the buttons. Next, make sure the volume slider is turned up. Then, watch to see if the tape spins when the play button is pressed. If a faint noise comes out of the speaker it may be that the batteries are dead.

If the device will not produce sound, it may be the case that the batteries are dead. Simply remove the battery cover by following the guide found here and replace the batteries.

If all else fails then the speaker itself may be broken. Open up the back cover and check the connections from the speaker to the motherboard. If the connections seem frayed or disconnected desolder them and replace them. If this does not solve the problem then remove the speaker and replace it with a new one using the speaker guide here.

The Sony TCM-919 is not recording sound.

Check to ensure that the right hand side of the cassette has less tape than the left hand side. If it has a significantly larger amount of tape than the left hand side, it means there isn’t much room left to record. Simply flip the tape around for more recording space.

If the device will not record sound, it may be the case that the batteries are dead. Simply remove the battery cover by following the guide found here and replace the batteries.

If all else fails then the microphone is broken. Open up the back cover and check to see if the wires of the microphone are frayed or broken. If so, replace them following the guide here. If this does not work then the microphone is dead. Replace it by following the guide here.

The Sony TCM-919's Cassette Door is Stuck.

The latch holding the cassette door may be dirty or blocked up. Simply hold the eject button down and turn the cassette player upside down. Shake the player a bit until the door comes open. Turn it back around and take a good look at the latch found on the right side of the door. If there is any visible gunk or blockage, use tweezers or a cotton swab dipped in cleaning solution to free up the blockage.

It may be that the eject button itself is broken. Open up the back cover and locate the eject button found on the inside of the top cover. If the button is not broken it could be the case that the button came detached from the cassette motherboard portion of the player. Follow the guide found here in order to reinsert the buttons into the correct place.

The Sony TCM 919's Buttons are Stuck.

If the buttons on the Sony TCM-919 are becoming stuck, there may be some blockage that is preventing them from moving. Lightly spray the surface of the buttons with a cleaning solution so that some of the solution seeps in between the buttons. Try and press the buttons gently until they feel as loose as they should be. Repeat 3-5 times until you feel they are completely clean. If after 5 tries the problem still exists then follow one of the other steps.

Open up the back cover and look at the top portion of the device. If the buttons appear snapped or broken in anyway, they will need to be replaced. Follow the guide found here in order to replace them.

If all else fails then the buttons may have become detached from the motherboard. Each button has a tab that connects it to the motherboard and pulls a switch in order to performed its designed function. Follow the guide found here in order to place the buttons back into the correct position.