DIYbanter - tape cassette drive belts ? ? ?

"pintlar@node1" wrote in message
...
I have two small portable boom boxes that each have cassette players with
turnstiles that do not turn. I can hear the motor working on number 1 (
the
first I would like to repair);
a Lennoxx Mod CD-101
Manufactured July 1998.
I get no responce at the 1-800-315-5885 service number.
. . . My 'techie' said he would have to charge $50 to repair it. I figure
I
can do this if I can locate the belt to replace the broken one.
. . . My question is if the cassette drive belt is either flat or round in
cross section? I appreciate any assistance anyone can come forward
with..
. . chas

Unlikely round. Could be flat section, or square section, or a mixture of
both, depending on how the takeup / wind / rewind are driven. Both flats and
squares come in different cross-sectional sizes, and most are still readily
available - at least here on the right side of the pond - but nothing like
as cheap as they were only a couple of years back.

Replacement might be very straightforward, requiring no dismantling other
than removal of the case, or a total ******* requiring that the deck(s) are
removed from the unit at best, or further dismantled beyond that at worst. A
dentist's pick is often required to assist with pulling belts through
awkward gaps.

Just today, I put new belts on a Technics. The right deck's capstans were
driven by a single flat belt. The left deck's capstans were driven by two
flat belts - one from the same motor as drove the right deck, and across to
the forward capstan flywheel on the left deck, and then a second belt
between the forward and reverse capstans, and round an idler pulley. The
motor sat on three plastic 'legs', two of which were hollow and had screws
in them which secured the motor. The third leg was just a support pillar.
The belt from the motor to the left deck forward capstan passed either side
of this leg, so was easily removable by pushing the motor to one side, which
opened up enough of a gap between the pillar and the motor body to get the
belt out.

Unfortunately, the belt to the right hand deck passed either side of one of
the legs that was screwed to the motor. The only access to this screw is
from the front of the deck, so the entire front panel had to be removed,
then the decks had to be removed from the front panel. This allowed me to
get to the screw and get it out to release the motor from that leg to create
a gap that I could get the belt to pass through. So, two of the belts could
have been replaced by just removing the unit's cover, but the third involved
a substantial amount of dismantling and reassembly, and a degree of skill
that a non professional would be unlikely to have. And that's the sort of
reason why your 'techie' chum charges a very reasonable $50. My charge for
doing this one, including parts, was about the same in UKP equivalent.

There are other pitfalls that you need to look out for as well. Some decks
are particularly intolerant of wrong-sized belts. Also, if the capstan drive
is by a square section belt, the cross-sectional size of the new belt needs
to be the same as that of the old belt, otherwise a speed error will be
created. If two decks are driven by a single motor, then the cross-sectional
sizes of all of the drive belts needs to be the same, otherwise you will get
a speed difference between the two decks that you can never correct for both
at once. Flat belts need to be the same width as the originals, and close in
diameter, as a belt of the wrong width will often not ride correctly on the
crown of the barrel pulley. A belt that's too tight may well ride up on the
lip of the barrel pulley giving a speed error, and one that's too slack may
have difficulty driving the mech cam gear during operation changes, if it is
that type of power-driven mech.

Good luck with the job - you may need it ... d;-)

Arfa