Sinclair ZX80 / ZX81 / Z88 Forums

I’m trying to get a Spectrum +2 up and running and I’m having problems with the datarecorder.
When I press play, the tape plays for less than a second and then stops. If I hold the pause button down slightly (not all the way) then the tape continues to play and games load.

I think it may be an issue with the pinch roller but I’m not sure.
Any ideas ?

Have you replaced the drive belt?

Also, is the is +2 (the case is dark grey, it uses a +9V PSU with a barrel power connector) or a +2A or +2B (the case is black, and the PSU uses a DIN connector)?

Mark

It is a +2 gray. I have not replaced the belt.
I'll do this and see if that fixes the problem. Thanks

It’s also worthwhile cleaning the tape path with IPA, and checking and if needed, very lightly lubricating the moving parts. But don’t over do this.

Mark

I replaced the drive belt and cleaned the heads and tapes are loading now.
Thanks for the help!