Florence1d ago

Look who's out of storage. I couldn't stand to have this thing sitting without making an honest attempt at getting it working again.

I could have swore that when I last tried to use this, it wouldn't respond to the transport controls. But testing it now, it is, but the idler tire is completely slipping. So if I can clean or replace that, we might be mechanically back in business, and then I can work on the Dolby codec that's introducing a high-pitched whine into recordings, which I hope is just capacitors.

Show threadFlorence

Oh shit, one of the capstan belts fell off! I wasn't expecting that at all. That explains why the capstan motor is noisy for no reason.

These belts are 14 years old now; I wonder if they themselves are ready to be replaced?

Apr 5 at 12:53amWeb
Show threadFlorence1d ago

Oh, it broke!! This is VERY unexpected.

This was a Studio Sound Electronics belt purchased in 2012, shortly before they stopped selling belts. I hope I can still find new belts for this.

Show threadFlorence1d ago

The same seller that I bought the belts for the Sony cassette deck from also sell them for this. I got absolutely boned for shipping, and there were other sellers that were both cheaper and also included the idler tire, but I decided to stick with what I know is good.

Patreon donations paid for this - thank you! Maybe while I'm waiting for it to come, I can start replacing some capacitors.

Show threadXavier Ashe 1d ago
@themaritimegirl If you're close to an electronics store that sells 3d printers, they should have a good selection of belts. I was surprised at the variety of belts last time I went to Microcenter.