Belts For Tape Recorders: Dimensions Of Belts For 2-cassette And Reel Tape Recorders. Why Do You Need An O-ring?

2024 Author: Beatrice Philips | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-18 12:09

It has been several decades since modern MP3 players have practically supplanted tape recorders. But still there are those who prefer retro players. Those lovers of cassette or reel-to-reel tape recorders who still have such equipment, as well as those who wish to purchase them, will find information about belts useful for them.

What is a tape recorder belt?

The belt is a part that is available in every tape recorder .… Belts are also called drive belts . Their main purpose is to transfer torque from the drive (motor of the tape recorder) to the wheel (driven gear).

The movement is carried out due to the tension of the belt and the friction force arising between the contacting surfaces of the belt and gears (both driving and driven).

Drive belts are made of rubber and other polymeric materials that can create a fairly high frictional force with metal or plastic. They have different shapes:

• round (ring);
• square;
• flat.

Due to intensive work, belts often wear out and break. This is due to the following reasons: aging of rubber at elevated temperatures, mechanical wear due to the constant action of two forces - friction and tension. The following can also lead to breaks in the drive belt:

• independent production of tape belts , which, of course, is done without taking into account the strength and elasticity of the material, that is, in violation of the technology;
• wrong size both in length and in diameter of the belt.

Dimensions (edit)

As already mentioned, belts are produced in three forms: round, square and flat. They differ from each other not only in shape, but also in size:

1. Dimensions of round belts in millimeters: 105x2, 135x1.2, 145x1.7, 195x1.5.
2. Flat: 130x4x0.5, 140x3.5x0.5, 145x6x0.8. There are also sizes for 170, 210, 220, 300, 330, 370 and 180 mm.
3. Square: thickness - from 1 to 2.2 mm, half-length - from 28 to 225 mm.

It is quite simple to calculate and then select belts for reel and cassette recorders: you need to measure the distance from the centers of the pulleys, between which the belt is needed, multiply the result by 2, and then add the sum of the half-lengths of the circles of these pulleys to the resulting number.

But there is an easier way - you can just take a thread and wrap it along the belt. Tie a knot and cut the thread near it.

By the length of this thread, you can determine what size belt is needed.

How to recover?

There are several ways to restore the performance of the belts. The type of repair depends on the nature of the malfunction. So, if the belt is just stretched (the most common problem), it can be soaked in acetone for several hours. If it was originally made of high-quality rubber, then it may well shrink in 8-12 hours.

There are several more effective ways:

• rosin can be dissolved in cologne and the drive belt can be lubricated with the resulting mixture;
• epoxy is a good choice for the same purpose;
• you can buy special hardeners in stores.

It should be understood that the lubrication procedure with such means will only last for 2-3 months of operation of the tape recorder, and then it will have to be repeated.

If the belt is torn, then it can be glued. For this purpose, you can use Moment glue. In this case, it is important to glue the dangling ends together as evenly as possible. There is one more way, but it requires accuracy. At the ends of the torn belt, you can make small holes with a needle, and then tie them together with a thin wire. If the load is not very large, then such a structure can hold out for quite a long time.

Repair of belts is advisable only in cases when it is not possible to buy a new one for some reason. The best solution to a torn or stretched belt is to replace it.