Sony Tapecorder 500A

[j_howell]

hullo, folks...
Does anyone out there know much of anything about this particular unit? It's a stereo reel-to-reel, 1/4" machine with built-in amps/ detachable speakers...the amps work, and it looks like the transport might work except that I have no idea how the tape threads through the damned thing...I'm not totally clueless about such things, but compared to any other r-to-r deck I've ever used, I don't see a real clear tape path. I've tried what seems logical to me, but the transport disengages after about 5 seconds, as though I've got it all wrong...anybody know where I might be able to get a manual or info? This might solve my track-bouncing issues when using the lovely Fostex x-12 (see that thread), if I can get it to work properly...

[A.David.MacKinnon]

I've had a bunch of these. They turn up at the goodwill all the time (they must have been standard issue to every high school AV department).
To the left of the head stack there is a little switch or trip arm thingy. This is the auto stop switch that shops play when the tape runs out. When you thread the tape make sure to thread over this so that the arm is pulled up towards the tape reels.
Other than that its pretty standard.