Well this evening I went to play a 10.5 inch reel and when I turned on the tape deck the record button was flashing- I could not get the button to stop flashing. I tried the stop button and even unplugging it. Now, I can not get it to play a tape but it will rewind still. The record button continues to flash and nothing I can do will stop it from blinking or allow me to play a tape. I also tried to record pressing the play and record button but nothing moves. Do you have any ideas? Thanks much. Chris

I don't have experience with this model but it is similar to the 1000R so I will take some guesses. There is a Record Mode switch, which must be pushed in to activate the recording function. My recollection is that when it is pressed in, the record light flashes as you describe. To record, one then presses the Record and Play buttons simultaneously, also as you describe. The overiding control is Pause, which stops transport movement except for the fast speeds, Rewind/Fast Forward.
The symptoms you describe make it appear the Pause function is engaged and the Record function is activated. I would try pressing the Record button to see if the light stops flashing, then try pressing the Pause button to see if you can restore Play.
If these attempts fail, it appears there are problems with either the switches or the electronics to which they are connected.
Let us know how your tests come out.
Dan

Hi Dan, thanks for your advice. I tried pressing the record button in but it continues to flash and then I tried pressing the pause button but the record light continued to flash. Out of curiosity to see if the tape deck would record, I pressed the play and record button at the same time and nothing changed - the record light continues to blink. However, the tape deck will rewind or fast forward the tape but it will not play or record. Even when I unplugged it overnight and turned it on this morning, the record light continued to flash. If this is a problem with the switches, is this something that could be fixed? Thanks much. Chris

Ok, I just powered up my X-2000R to confirm exactly how it is supposed to behave.

On the X-2000R, the rec light will normally blink if either of the rec mode buttons is turned on. Note the record mode buttons are not the same as the record button! The record mode buttons sit below the "Line in" level controls. if either one of these two buttons is pressed in, the record light will blink.

For your other problem of no playback, try turning the deck on and pressing upward on the two tension rollers on the outside of the deck at the same time (while in stop). When you do this, if things are working correctly, you should hear a quiet "wherring" sound from the capstan motor turning on. If you hear this sound, then your belt requires replacement. If you don't hear this sound, then you potentially have much more serious problems which could include issues with your control circuitry, your porwer supply, or potentially even a dead capstan motor.

Belts are easily replacible, but if you do not hear the motor, then this is probably going to require somebody who knows their stuff to fix it.

Thanks for pointing out the fact there are 2 Record Mode switches on this model and their location. My post was not that clear and yours should help.
I think we both assumed that the user has the tape loaded correctly and that the pinch rollers engage when the Play button is pushed. Such may not be the case so we need to find out. We should also point out the location of the capstans and find out whether they are turning when the unit is powered on.
Here is the tape path for the X-1000 but I believe the 2000 is identical:

Place the full reel on the left and an empty reel on the right. Be sure both reels are the same size and are securely clamped in place. Thread the tape through the path shown in the picture, around the right reel hub and secure it to the right reel. When you are sure the tape passes across the heads correctly, turn the takeup reel on the right counterclockwise while holding the left reel stationary until the tension arms (6 in the picture) are pulled up about halfway. Those arms provide tension to keep the tape against the heads. They also sense end-of-tape when they are released and fall to their bottom position. If you do not have enough tension, the system 'thinks' there is no tape and shuts down.
The rubber pinch rollers (7 in the picture) should be down at this point. When Play is pushed, they should both jump upward and press the tape against the capstan shafts. Before you press Play, look up under the head cover, locate the 2 metal shafts, one above each pinch roller. With a tape loaded correctly, the shafts should be turning. If they are not turning, listen for the 'whirring' sound Goldear described (it may help to release tape tension, place your ear near the head cover, then reapply tension). If you hear it but the shafts are not moving, the capstan belt requires replacement- a job you can do. If there is no sound, other problems exist that may require an experienced service person.
Let us know where you stand after these operations.
Dan

Dan, good points. And you are correct, the two machines have an identical tape path. However, powering the deck up is not sufficent to determine if the capstans are spinning. The x2000 only spins its capstans if the tension rollers are both pushed-up (making it somewhat difficult to clean the capstans and pinch-rolleres, I might add).

Yes, my post says to set enough tension to move both tension arms up about halfway. That will be sufficient to engage the capstan drives.
Dan

Thank you all for your advice. You are so very kind. I really appreciate your helpful insight!!!!

I realized when I posted my question that I should not have said that the record button was stuck - it is just that this record button flashes and no matter which buttons I press (stop, play, play plus record, or pause) I can not get the reels to move. I know that I do have the tape threaded right. I was able to play some 7-inch reels earlier in the day before the tape deck stopped playing all together.

I have also tried pushing up on the tension rollers but nothing happens. I have also tried unplugging the machine overnight and when I turned it on the record light (red color) continued to blink. The fact of the matter is that the only way I can get the reels to move is by pressing the fast-forwarding or rewinding buttons. So, the tape deck will rewind or fast-forward a tape, but it will not play or record. The reels do not move in play mode or record mode.

I will perform some more tests and will let you know how this turns out.

Again, thank you very much.

Hello all,

Amazingly I found a local electronics store that repairs reel to reel tape decks and I brought it to them this weekend to be serviced. Next week they willl give me an estimate as to how much it will cost to fix it. My only hope is that it can be fixed. I will let you know how this all turns out.
Thanks again. Chris

Well, I just wanted to let you know that I got an estimate today to get my x-2000r fixed for $115. I am just thankful that they will be able to fix it and that I do not have to send it out of state to be fixed. I thank you very much for your help and advice.