David Nebenzahl writes:

Here's a problem: my old (25 yrs.) Philips cassette deck recently
crapped out after working flawlessly since buying it new. The problem
was apparently mechanical: it just couldn't move the tape anymore,
especially trying to rewind or fast-forward near the end.

Anyhow, I opened it up and took the transport out, thinking to lube
it. Turns out the problem is simpler: the drive belt is stretched out
enough to not grab the pulleys anymore.

So since I'm pretty sure this will be hard to impossible to replace,
I'm wondering if anyone has any techniques for shrinking or
rejuvenating old belts. (It's still pretty supple and clean.) I tried
heating it, carefully, and am letting it sit to see if that might have
fixed it. (I guess another alternative is trying to harvest a belt,
but I'd rather not go on that particular hunt.)

Generic belts are readily available from places like MCM Electronics.

You should be able to find something close enough.

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/
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