Hello - I am trying to repair a broken cassette player (dual-deck, one
of the larger cables that connectors to the motor is broken). I
measured it to be about 20cm or 8in. I found this website for parts:
http://www.studiosoundelectronics.com/cassette.htm

But I'm not sure what to choose exactly. They said to account for
stretch (measured the 20cm w/out stretch), but then they have 1) flat
belts, 2) square belts, 3) square belt small types. From what I can
see on my broken belt, it appears to be square shaped, 1mm in
diameter. Any guidance, please?

Thanks,
- Eli

On Sat, 9 Jan 2010 16:49:39 -0800 (PST), Eli Luong
wrote:

Hello - I am trying to repair a broken cassette player (dual-deck, one
of the larger cables that connectors to the motor is broken). I
measured it to be about 20cm or 8in. I found this website for parts:
http://www.studiosoundelectronics.com/cassette.htm

But I'm not sure what to choose exactly. They said to account for
stretch (measured the 20cm w/out stretch), but then they have 1) flat
belts, 2) square belts, 3) square belt small types. From what I can
see on my broken belt, it appears to be square shaped, 1mm in
diameter. Any guidance, please?

Thanks,
- Eli

If you think it's square, it's probably square. If it measures 1mm,
it probably is.

I've had to replace one or both belts on my phone machine every 8
years or so. It uses a square belt also, less than 2mm iirc.

I couldn't get the original width, so I got the next size bigger. No
problem. It never slippped off the pully, although I'm sure if it was
wide enough it would.

I've probably gotten about 10% shorter than the measured length, and
like I say it lasts about 8 years. They sell them, or used to, at a
store here, but I ended up buying two the last time, I guess because I
thought the second belt would fail too.

Maybe if I bought shorter, it would have enough tension to last
longer, but I think it might stretch out even sooner.

Now this machine uses microcassettes and there isn't much drag on the
wheel it has to turn, even when the cassette is in place. I wonder if
you are using full size cassettes, if that would make a difference.
It might need more tension to keep the belt from slipping??? See how
hard it is to turn when the cassette is in place. Still, I don't
think I'd go below 85% of the measured length, probably measured on
the stretched out/broken belt.

The belt manual at the store gave a guideline, and it's been 18 years
since this started, but it might have said 10 to 15% shorter. Does it
say anything on the webpage you're looking at.


Right now I'm using another machine from about the same date, 1984. I
got it on ebay 2 years ago. I don't know if the belt has been changed
or not, but surely it must have been.

http://www.pyramidbelts.com/calc_beltlength.php gives a belt length
caluculator, but I don't know for what size belts.

It says "Enter stretch percentage desired (7.5, 10, 12.5%, etc.)"

I see that some are in the range our machines use.
http://www.pyramidbelts.com/fbelts.php

"mm" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 9 Jan 2010 16:49:39 -0800 (PST), Eli Luong
wrote:

Hello - I am trying to repair a broken cassette player (dual-deck, one
of the larger cables that connectors to the motor is broken). I
measured it to be about 20cm or 8in. I found this website for parts:
http://www.studiosoundelectronics.com/cassette.htm

But I'm not sure what to choose exactly. They said to account for
stretch (measured the 20cm w/out stretch), but then they have 1) flat
belts, 2) square belts, 3) square belt small types. From what I can
see on my broken belt, it appears to be square shaped, 1mm in
diameter. Any guidance, please?

Thanks,
- Eli

If you think it's square, it's probably square. If it measures 1mm,
it probably is.

I've had to replace one or both belts on my phone machine every 8
years or so. It uses a square belt also, less than 2mm iirc.

I couldn't get the original width, so I got the next size bigger. No
problem. It never slippped off the pully, although I'm sure if it was
wide enough it would.


This is not a problem with a telephone answering machine, where speed is not
important, but it is with an audio cassette deck. It is especially a problem
if it is a dual deck machine, but driven by a single motor. If both belts
are not the same dimension across the section, then one deck will run at a
different speed to the other. Even a small discrepancy can cause a
significant speed error. As far as picking a size goes, many belt
manufacturers quote the sizes as a diameter when the belt is made into a
nice circle. I have a chart with many concentric circles on it, each marked
with a diameter. The size to pick is the next one down from where the belt
sits on the chart. Most cassette decks don't mind too much if the belt is
slightly tight, and in general, better that than loose, but it doesn't want
to be so tight that you have to really stretch it to get it on, as this can
rapidly cause bearing wear, and stop idler arms from swinging, where these
rely on light belt tension to form their spring return.

Arfa

snip

On Jan 9, 5:46*pm, "Arfa Daily" wrote:
This is not a problem with a telephone answering machine, where speed is not
important, but it is with an audio cassette deck. It is especially a problem
if it is a dual deck machine, but driven by a single motor. If both belts
are not the same dimension across the section, then one deck will run at a
different speed to the other. Even a small discrepancy can cause a
significant speed error. As far as picking a size goes, many belt
manufacturers quote the sizes as a diameter when the belt is made into a
nice circle. I have a chart with many concentric circles on it, each marked
with a diameter. The size to pick is the next one down from where the belt
sits on the chart. Most cassette decks don't mind too much if the belt is
slightly tight, and in general, better that than loose, but it doesn't want
to be so tight that you have to really stretch it to get it on, as this can
rapidly cause bearing wear, and stop idler arms from swinging, where these
rely on light belt tension to form their spring return.

Arfa

snip

Thanks. It does look like it's driven by just one motor. What you said
suggests I would have to change both belts at the time time, in order
to keep the cassette decks running at the same speed? If I change both
belts, and it differs a little bit, would that mean I would have to
readjust the speed of the motor? The service manual for the shelf
stereo mentions speed adjustment of the tape deck.

- Eli

On Jan 9, 8:37*pm, Eli Luong wrote:
On Jan 9, 5:46*pm, "Arfa Daily" wrote:





This is not a problem with a telephone answering machine, where speed is not
important, but it is with an audio cassette deck. It is especially a problem
if it is a dual deck machine, but driven by a single motor. If both belts
are not the same dimension across the section, then one deck will run at a
different speed to the other. Even a small discrepancy can cause a
significant speed error. As far as picking a size goes, many belt
manufacturers quote the sizes as a diameter when the belt is made into a
nice circle. I have a chart with many concentric circles on it, each marked
with a diameter. The size to pick is the next one down from where the belt
sits on the chart. Most cassette decks don't mind too much if the belt is
slightly tight, and in general, better that than loose, but it doesn't want
to be so tight that you have to really stretch it to get it on, as this can
rapidly cause bearing wear, and stop idler arms from swinging, where these
rely on light belt tension to form their spring return.

Arfa

snip

Thanks. It does look like it's driven by just one motor. What you said
suggests I would have to change both belts at the time time, in order
to keep the cassette decks running at the same speed? If I change both
belts, and it differs a little bit, would that mean I would have to
readjust the speed of the motor? The service manual for the shelf
stereo mentions speed adjustment of the tape deck.

- Eli- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Unless the belt actually is slipping, the belt size does not effect
the actual speed.

On Sat, 9 Jan 2010 20:46:07 -0800 (PST), "hr(bob) "
wrote:

On Jan 9, 8:37*pm, Eli Luong wrote:
On Jan 9, 5:46*pm, "Arfa Daily" wrote:





This is not a problem with a telephone answering machine, where speed is not
important, but it is with an audio cassette deck. It is especially a problem
if it is a dual deck machine, but driven by a single motor. If both belts
are not the same dimension across the section, then one deck will run at a
different speed to the other. Even a small discrepancy can cause a
significant speed error. As far as picking a size goes, many belt
manufacturers quote the sizes as a diameter when the belt is made into a
nice circle. I have a chart with many concentric circles on it, each marked
with a diameter. The size to pick is the next one down from where the belt
sits on the chart. Most cassette decks don't mind too much if the belt is
slightly tight, and in general, better that than loose, but it doesn't want
to be so tight that you have to really stretch it to get it on, as this can
rapidly cause bearing wear, and stop idler arms from swinging, where these
rely on light belt tension to form their spring return.

Arfa

snip

Thanks. It does look like it's driven by just one motor. What you said
suggests I would have to change both belts at the time time, in order
to keep the cassette decks running at the same speed? If I change both
belts, and it differs a little bit, would that mean I would have to
readjust the speed of the motor? The service manual for the shelf
stereo mentions speed adjustment of the tape deck.

- Eli- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Unless the belt actually is slipping, the belt size does not effect
the actual speed.

That seems right to me. If there is no slippage, the speed of the
motor and the size of the two pulleys seem like the only things that
control the speed of the driven wheel. An even more extreme case is
a bicycle chain where there can be plenty of slack on the bottom, but
the top is tight.

But maybe Arfa can explain it to me.

"hr(bob) " wrote in message
...
On Jan 9, 8:37 pm, Eli Luong wrote:
On Jan 9, 5:46 pm, "Arfa Daily" wrote:





This is not a problem with a telephone answering machine, where speed is
not
important, but it is with an audio cassette deck. It is especially a
problem
if it is a dual deck machine, but driven by a single motor. If both
belts
are not the same dimension across the section, then one deck will run at
a
different speed to the other. Even a small discrepancy can cause a
significant speed error. As far as picking a size goes, many belt
manufacturers quote the sizes as a diameter when the belt is made into a
nice circle. I have a chart with many concentric circles on it, each
marked
with a diameter. The size to pick is the next one down from where the
belt
sits on the chart. Most cassette decks don't mind too much if the belt
is
slightly tight, and in general, better that than loose, but it doesn't
want
to be so tight that you have to really stretch it to get it on, as this
can
rapidly cause bearing wear, and stop idler arms from swinging, where
these
rely on light belt tension to form their spring return.

Arfa

snip

Thanks. It does look like it's driven by just one motor. What you said
suggests I would have to change both belts at the time time, in order
to keep the cassette decks running at the same speed? If I change both
belts, and it differs a little bit, would that mean I would have to
readjust the speed of the motor? The service manual for the shelf
stereo mentions speed adjustment of the tape deck.

- Eli- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Unless the belt actually is slipping, the belt size does not effect
the actual speed.


If it's square-cut it does. Seen it many times.

Mark Z.

"Eli Luong" wrote in message
...
On Jan 9, 5:46 pm, "Arfa Daily" wrote:
This is not a problem with a telephone answering machine, where speed is
not
important, but it is with an audio cassette deck. It is especially a
problem
if it is a dual deck machine, but driven by a single motor. If both belts
are not the same dimension across the section, then one deck will run at a
different speed to the other. Even a small discrepancy can cause a
significant speed error. As far as picking a size goes, many belt
manufacturers quote the sizes as a diameter when the belt is made into a
nice circle. I have a chart with many concentric circles on it, each
marked
with a diameter. The size to pick is the next one down from where the belt
sits on the chart. Most cassette decks don't mind too much if the belt is
slightly tight, and in general, better that than loose, but it doesn't
want
to be so tight that you have to really stretch it to get it on, as this
can
rapidly cause bearing wear, and stop idler arms from swinging, where these
rely on light belt tension to form their spring return.

Arfa

snip

Thanks. It does look like it's driven by just one motor. What you said
suggests I would have to change both belts at the time time, in order
to keep the cassette decks running at the same speed? If I change both
belts, and it differs a little bit, would that mean I would have to
readjust the speed of the motor? The service manual for the shelf
stereo mentions speed adjustment of the tape deck.

- Eli

If you have it down it would be foolish not to replace both belts since they
are the same age presumably and to avoid doing the job again when the older
one fails.
--
Regards .............. Rheilly P

On Jan 9, 9:36*pm, "Rheilly Phoull" wrote:

Thanks. It does look like it's driven by just one motor. What you said
suggests I would have to change both belts at the time time, in order
to keep the cassette decks running at the same speed? If I change both
belts, and it differs a little bit, would that mean I would have to
readjust the speed of the motor? The service manual for the shelf
stereo mentions speed adjustment of the tape deck.

- Eli

If you have it down it would be foolish not to replace both belts since they
are the same age presumably and to avoid doing the job again when the older
one fails.
--
Regards .............. Rheilly P

Good point! I just have to find a local place that sells some of this
stuff...

"Rheilly Phoull" wrote in message
...

"Eli Luong" wrote in message
...
On Jan 9, 5:46 pm, "Arfa Daily" wrote:
This is not a problem with a telephone answering machine, where speed is
not
important, but it is with an audio cassette deck. It is especially a
problem
if it is a dual deck machine, but driven by a single motor. If both belts
are not the same dimension across the section, then one deck will run at
a
different speed to the other. Even a small discrepancy can cause a
significant speed error. As far as picking a size goes, many belt
manufacturers quote the sizes as a diameter when the belt is made into a
nice circle. I have a chart with many concentric circles on it, each
marked
with a diameter. The size to pick is the next one down from where the
belt
sits on the chart. Most cassette decks don't mind too much if the belt is
slightly tight, and in general, better that than loose, but it doesn't
want
to be so tight that you have to really stretch it to get it on, as this
can
rapidly cause bearing wear, and stop idler arms from swinging, where
these
rely on light belt tension to form their spring return.

Arfa

snip

Thanks. It does look like it's driven by just one motor. What you said
suggests I would have to change both belts at the time time, in order
to keep the cassette decks running at the same speed? If I change both
belts, and it differs a little bit, would that mean I would have to
readjust the speed of the motor? The service manual for the shelf
stereo mentions speed adjustment of the tape deck.

- Eli

If you have it down it would be foolish not to replace both belts since
they are the same age presumably and to avoid doing the job again when the
older one fails.
--
Regards .............. Rheilly P


Agreed, and see my reply to Bob further up the thread

Arfa

In article
,
Eli Luong wrote:

Hello - I am trying to repair a broken cassette player (dual-deck, one
of the larger cables that connectors to the motor is broken). I
measured it to be about 20cm or 8in. I found this website for parts:
http://www.studiosoundelectronics.com/cassette.htm

But I'm not sure what to choose exactly. They said to account for
stretch (measured the 20cm w/out stretch), but then they have 1) flat
belts, 2) square belts, 3) square belt small types. From what I can
see on my broken belt, it appears to be square shaped, 1mm in
diameter. Any guidance, please?

Thanks,
- Eli

Dick Smith Electonics (DSE.com.au) sell a package of belts of varying
sizes - probably will be one in the package that suits

David

On Sat, 9 Jan 2010 16:49:39 -0800 (PST), Eli Luong
wrote:

Hello - I am trying to repair a broken cassette player (dual-deck, one
of the larger cables that connectors to the motor is broken). I
measured it to be about 20cm or 8in. I found this website for parts:
http://www.studiosoundelectronics.com/cassette.htm

But I'm not sure what to choose exactly. They said to account for
stretch (measured the 20cm w/out stretch), but then they have 1) flat
belts, 2) square belts, 3) square belt small types. From what I can
see on my broken belt, it appears to be square shaped, 1mm in
diameter. Any guidance, please?

Thanks,
- Eli
A word of caution. We discovered years ago that using PRB square
belts would greatly increase the deck's wow and flutter so I would
avoid them. Chuck

Chuck wrote:

On Sat, 9 Jan 2010 16:49:39 -0800 (PST), Eli Luong
wrote:

Hello - I am trying to repair a broken cassette player (dual-deck, one
of the larger cables that connectors to the motor is broken). I
measured it to be about 20cm or 8in. I found this website for parts:
http://www.studiosoundelectronics.com/cassette.htm

But I'm not sure what to choose exactly. They said to account for
stretch (measured the 20cm w/out stretch), but then they have 1) flat
belts, 2) square belts, 3) square belt small types. From what I can
see on my broken belt, it appears to be square shaped, 1mm in
diameter. Any guidance, please?

Thanks,
- Eli
A word of caution. We discovered years ago that using PRB square
belts would greatly increase the deck's wow and flutter so I would
avoid them. Chuck


PRB has been gone for a long time. They were bought by Russell
Industries.


--
Greed is the root of all eBay.

"Michael A. Terrell" wrote in message
m...

Chuck wrote:

On Sat, 9 Jan 2010 16:49:39 -0800 (PST), Eli Luong
wrote:

Hello - I am trying to repair a broken cassette player (dual-deck, one
of the larger cables that connectors to the motor is broken). I
measured it to be about 20cm or 8in. I found this website for parts:
http://www.studiosoundelectronics.com/cassette.htm

But I'm not sure what to choose exactly. They said to account for
stretch (measured the 20cm w/out stretch), but then they have 1) flat
belts, 2) square belts, 3) square belt small types. From what I can
see on my broken belt, it appears to be square shaped, 1mm in
diameter. Any guidance, please?

Thanks,
- Eli
A word of caution. We discovered years ago that using PRB square
belts would greatly increase the deck's wow and flutter so I would
avoid them. Chuck


PRB has been gone for a long time. They were bought by Russell
Industries.


--
Greed is the root of all eBay.


Yes, but they still have the "PRB Line" and that product looks the same.

Trouble is, there are fewer and fewer choices for replacements these days.

Mark Z.

Mark Zacharias wrote:

"Michael A. Terrell" wrote in message
m...

Chuck wrote:

On Sat, 9 Jan 2010 16:49:39 -0800 (PST), Eli Luong
wrote:

Hello - I am trying to repair a broken cassette player (dual-deck, one
of the larger cables that connectors to the motor is broken). I
measured it to be about 20cm or 8in. I found this website for parts:
http://www.studiosoundelectronics.com/cassette.htm

But I'm not sure what to choose exactly. They said to account for
stretch (measured the 20cm w/out stretch), but then they have 1) flat
belts, 2) square belts, 3) square belt small types. From what I can
see on my broken belt, it appears to be square shaped, 1mm in
diameter. Any guidance, please?

Thanks,
- Eli
A word of caution. We discovered years ago that using PRB square
belts would greatly increase the deck's wow and flutter so I would
avoid them. Chuck


PRB has been gone for a long time. They were bought by Russell
Industries.


--
Greed is the root of all eBay.

Yes, but they still have the "PRB Line" and that product looks the same.


That is supposed to be the remaining inventory from purchasing PRB.


Trouble is, there are fewer and fewer choices for replacements these days.



Yes. I miss the Oneida belt kit I had back in the mid '70s. It had
rolls of various belt stock and a cutting jig to make custom belts.

Mark Z.


--
Greed is the root of all eBay.