Expert: Cleggsan - 11/12/2010

Question
My Son put in a cassette in the left hand side of my stereo,and now we can't get the door open? We think the tape is stuck ? what should we do ? It normally opens with a slight touch ?

Answer
If you google for stuck cassette you will find many good suggestions; most of the searches result in removing a cassette from car players but the principles are often the same.

The door is locked by the play and transport mechanism and can be jammed from a bad cassette, some foreign object stuck in the works, broken tape, inferior cassette that doesn't meet technical standards, worn tape handling mechanism, locked control system, etc.

Sometimes a reset will clear the logic that has become corrupted.  A reset may be described in your owners manual or you may accomplish it by merely unplugging the power cord for a few minutes then power it up again.

However, do not force the ejection process as you may do permanent damages.

If you or your son are mechanically blessed you can try removing the cover of the player and visually inspect the mechanisms in search of the cause.

Hope this will help you find a solution.