Sanyo Cassette Deck technical problem

[reel547]

Hello,

I acquired a sanyo rd 1400 cassette deck for $5.00. However, it will not play, rewind, nor fast forward a cassette tape. When you press the play button, it makes a grinding noise and starts to play and the LCD display right and left channel move for a split second, but it immediately stops playing the tape. The same thing happens if you press the rewind or fast forward button. I am thinking that this might be a belt problem? Thus, I am not able to play any tape, rewind nor fastforward. For the moment, it makes a good decoration!

Now, I know this isn't a high end deck, but I would like to see if I can fix it before tossing it out. Do you think that the belts are bad? It is from 1983.

Thanks much for any advice.

 

[Fred Longworth]

I would pull off the cover plate, and have a look. Normally, at my repair facility, a 1983 cassette deck would receive a whole new set of belts.

Note: if the capstan belt is flat (which is usually the case) it is likely stretched out or turned to gummy goo. The replacement should have about 5% stretch from off to on the motor pulley, AND should be .020" thick. Many popular belts are .025" or thicker. They will NOT work properly -- your wow-and-flutter figure will deteriorate.

Best,

Fred Longworth