I can't play tapes; the spools won't turn.
Relax... its an EZ job
(an irrelevant aside... belts are not expensive but before you run out and buy a grab bag of belts that MOST Likely won't fit... Please read this first)
Cassette Players are PROBLEMATIC...
That's a nice way of using the "F" word... Finicky: Very Finicky!
My recent experience is limited to the Sony Stereo Cassette Deck TC FX310... BELTs CQ4.0 & FRW6.5
First BIG TIME Hint:
Take pictures of wires BEFORE removing the unit, cover or any/all BELTS,
screws or parts that may concern you. You may actually want to draw the
BELT roller configuration.
Initial cautions:
Use no hard tools or abrasives on any tape surfaces. No force is required.
Use extremely little Isopropyl alcohol to clean heads and/or rollers with very dry clean swabs. Excess alcohol can wash precious lube out of desired areas... and contaminate other undesired collateral areas ergo your tapes.
Likewise: any lube (synthetic) applied should be precious little (like on the very point of a tooth-pick) as the lube can contaminate tape surfaces, roller and/or capstan drives and ruin your tapes.
Suggestion: Put a drop of oil on a piece of cardboard and pick it up with the toothpick.
Keep your bare fingers away from all surfaces
(Fried chicken needs be scheduled on another day)
Serious No-no (Leave no finger prints).
You most probably wont need the belts but I'll explain that after plodding on... a little more... ponderously.
You leave Cassette Tapes/Players sit... and IF they play: it will be only on a warm day... and get a little better after repeated attempts. Both need to be regularly exercised to stay fit (like us).
The first issue:
Push PLAY... Wouldn't stay pushed
Unit twitches & stops (play goes out).
(Cold days... might not even twitch). Repeated pushes did get it to move... but never good enough to actually run on its own.
Clue: Transport has to register "proper" movement to KEEP playing.
OUR Tape was on the transport for years.
Eject... DIDn't.
Solution: Gently press & hold the eject while
gently tapping face cover. It only opened a wee bit... but that was enough to simply lift the plastic FACE cover off providing limited access
If you don't use them for many years they STAND an EXTREMELY good chance of not working when you try.
I'd guess OURs to date from the late 1980s and was sadly... barely used.
It was (Sony Console) alternate unit (not used back then to copy tapes for the cars) it probably has less than 50 hours in its (over 25 year) lifetime.
Ours was Sooo unused that I actually bought a $10 donor from eBay ($15 shipping) to play with before working on ours (actually my wife's: part of a system... she loves but doesn't use much).
Good tape & transport maintenance means you should periodically run your cassettes from end to end so they don't stick or bind over time. Ditto on the transports. Just exactly like MODERN car tires that can go thump thump thump after sitting for a while... These belts can develop a memory of just sitting in the same place.
All slack should be removed from the tape cassette before mounting on transport.
Especially critical in CARs as the extreme temperatures prove quite hostile to normal cassettes. Extended length cassettes should never be left in an AUTOMOBILE for extended periods.
Driving warms the tires and the thumping (usually) stops.
Similarly... Belts!
On the donor: I pulled the back screws... opened it up (rotating up & forward) and verified it had more use, needed dusting, oil (very sparingly, synthetic) and Pinch roller actually had a gold sheen from the extensive tape contact. Gently holding the roller with forceps (tweezers) allows the surface to be held/rotated to facilitate cleaning it back to a functional and respectable black.
With new belts in hand...
I could find no defects with the old (well used donor) belts (10x magnification).
I boiled a cup of water in the micro wave... Took it out of the microwave.
Dropped the belts in and watched them relax to a nice round shape.
Another hint:
Forceps (tweezers), dental picks (bent paper clips), a loop of string, thread or un-waxed dental floss, a steady hand and a little PATIENCE will be required to tread the belt back into position and coaxed back remounting them onto their rollers. (refer to your pictures: previously taken).
Before being sold on eBay SOMEBODY had removed the Donor's drive motor so I used mama's virgin unit to approximate the belt tension (how much you can easily wiggle the belt up/down... only looser because tight belts will always burn-out bearings/bushings (my guess was about 1/4 inch on the longest span ("guitar string tight" will guarantee TOTAL bearing/bushing FAILURE))... resulting in a throw away.
Relax it is actually an EZ job.
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