My Cassette Adapter is Flip-Happy

[Paislee]

Ok, I guess this is kind of a strange cassette adpater issue. I hope not though so someone can offer advice. I'm using the cassette adapter that came with my Audible Otis. It actually sounds pretty darn good, way better than the two FM-transmitters I tried. The problem is that frequently my cassette player thinks it has come to the end of the side of the "tape" and it flips over to side two. Then it's like, "oh yeah...there is no side two" and flips back. I've tried to figure out if I can disable the auto-reverse function in the tape player but have had no luck. The problem seems to occur more frequently when when it's hot. I don't know if it's a tape player issue or if it's the cassette adapter. I'd rather not purchase another adapter only to find out that wasn't the problem. Just wanted to know if anyone knew of a similar experience and had any words of wisdom to share.

[akwafunk]

My friend was describing the exact same problem to me this week. Seems like it could be endemic and not just your adapter... I think he said he'd had his (tape adapter) for a while... Maybe it's an age issue... I'll ask him at work this week.

Seems there's no easy fix on the car deal...

[MikeM]

Yeah, I've owned several of them over the past 10 years or so and they all eventually do that, if not right out of the package. They are all produced for about 10? and therefore the quality stinks.

You could try adding something to the wheels and gears in it. A little wd-40 or powdered graphite might work. Just not too much or it will end up in your cassette player.

[disneychick]

Paislee,
Back in the day when I was using a discman (you know, back when cars did not have cd players in them) I went through those cassette adapters about one a year. I had the same exact problem that you described. The flipping and flopping! At first I too was worried it was the player. But with encouragement from my techie friend I just replaced it and indeed it was just the cheapo adapter.
When I got the ipod I used an adapter that I had left over from my discman days. It played fine for a week or so then the flipping and the flopping. I went and got a new adapter and all is good.

btw....I was so excited last year when I bought my new car and it came with a fancy new cd player. And now, cd's are so obsolete. I am lucky that volkswagens are standard with cd AND cassette player though!

[Paislee]

Thanks for answering. Whew! Am happy to hear it's just the adapter! So if these things wear out so quickly, do you think it's best to go for the cheapest I can find or is it worth it to pay for the Apple one?

[hillstones]

Apple does not make a tape adapter...they sell the Sony Tape Adapter for $19.

Keep in mind that you will have better performance if you keep your tape adapter out of the heat and out of the cold. Warm temperatures in Los Angeles don't seem to bother my tape adapter, however, cold weather freezes it. And if you are from Los Angeles, it doesn't need to be that cold for the adapter to freeze up. In LA winters (30's and 40's in some places), the tape adapter will freeze up and fail to play until it warms up to a "room" temperature. When it is "frozen" it will do the flip-flop as the deck thinks it is at the end of a tape. Eventually when it warms up a little, it starts playing normally. So in the winter months, I don't leave it in the car. I bring it in the house with the iPod.