Hitachi TRK2200e Radio Cassette (belts)

[Bensdad]

Possibly a bit of a tall order , but I have an Hitachi TRK2200e Radio Cassette player , bought in the early 1980s and is in lovely nice clean condition BUT the cassette player is in need of new belts and I have no idea of the best way of tackling this.
Ideally a service manual would help (if one exists) or if anyone has encountered this model or done a similiar deed , please contact me and offer some support .
Looking at the unit , I wonder if the whole of the inner circuitry and cassette un-screws and lifts out (I hate tackling this kind of thing) as there is a high risk that the unit could end up getting damaged , yet I know full well , if I can re-belt , the unit will be good for a lot more years to come .
Anyone help please or advise ?
Thanks in anticipation.

[camtechman]

Here's one source of a SM

http://www.harrisonelectronics.co.uk...ls.htm#HITACHI

You'll have to scroll down till you reach the AUDIO section of the Hitachi list but you'll find your model there.

[Nickthedentist]

Hello,

The usual procedure for this kind of thing is to remove any detachable speakers, place the unit face down on a soft surface, and unscrew all the recessed Philips screws from the back using a long, #2 Philips (not Pozidriv) screwrdriver. If any are marked with arrows, remove only these and leave the others alone. Note which screws went where if they are of different lengths.

Then, gently separate the front and back cabinet halves. You should NOT need to use any levers, but you might well need to gently pull off any rotary knobs.

Then have a look inside and take it from there.

Good quality, 1980s units like these were built to be repaired and come apart infinitely easier than newer offerings IMHO.

N.

[paulsherwin]

Once dismantled you may be able to replace the belts using one of the 'universal belt kits' available from eBay sellers. These contain a wide selection of belts for around a fiver. There won't be a belt suitable for replacing the main capstan belt in a hifi deck, but ghettoblasters tended to use pretty weedy capstan belts so you may be lucky.

[Bensdad]

I now have the service manual for this unit and partially dismantled it and can see the main drive belt which appears to be lacking in tension commensurate with age.
BUT , that belt is inconveniently located behind a metal plate which is held in place by screws which `unsuprisingly` are not illustrated on the exploded diagram in the manual and those screws are in the most awkward of places.
I didn`t expect this to be easy , but it looks near impossible !!

[paulsherwin]

It can indeed be a difficult job to change the belts in this sort of gear. It wasn't designed with 30 year service intervals in mind.

[Bensdad]

And this is my dilemma ; note how the drive belt which forms a triangular path , goes through a `hole` in the metal plate , on the bottom right of the photo is the motor/pulley.
The big question is , how to remove the metal plate ?
There is a brass screw / washer arrangement , with an odd plastic `strip` section which slides along this and has a spring attached (evident in the photo , which is enlarged !) , there is minimal space around that said screw , and it will require a right angled screwdriver to remove it.

[GJR 11L]

And that's you just identified how it has to be done on this model. Be aware that the gap between the end of the capstan and that plate is important so ideally, measure the space between the plate and the surface of the flywheel with a feeler gauge before you remove the plate, this way, when you reassemble, the thrust pad will be applying just the correct amount of load to that capstan.
It's also worth askign on www.boomboxery.com for further information on this, the site is home to many collectors of boomboxes specifically (though I have sneakily and gradually been introducing them to Hackers with my Cassette Sovereign) and someone is sure to have something to add.
The last time I rebelted an Hitachi with this deck (more accurately a pair of them as found in my own TRK3D40), the belts were ordered from Malvern Audio and were good value compared to the alternative source; Revox.de, whose catalogue is more machine specific but can be costly for some belts.

One last thing, if that deck doesn't come to life after rebelting, check the reed switch at the end of the cassette compartment opposite the heads (so at the top for decks that load the shell the right way up, the bottom for those with the controls above the door). These have a habit of developing corrosion to their far too fine contact faces and if that happens, the motor will tend not to run even when the tape is loaded to activate the switch.

[Bensdad]

GJR11L (John) ; Thanks for that useful information.
I have yet to find the courage to have a go at the belt which I rather suspect is going to be a real PITA to do and I do need to purchase a suitable small or angled screwdriver to gain access to that `awkward` brass screw shown in the photo.
You mentioned the gap between the plate and the capstan is critical , I am not fully technically minded when it comes to cassette mechanisms and I am unable to identify the capstan you refer to , although I suspect its the white plastic component next to the spring linking the plate in the photo ,could you advise what will or wont happen if the gap is incorrect when re-assembled .
The belt for the tape counter is very weak on this particular machine and also requires replacement , another PITA I guessing !
The only good news is that the motor runs when any of the tape transport buttons are activated and of course the radio is functioning perfectly - as good as new in fact !

[GJR 11L]

The capstan is the steel spindle that sits in a nylon bush under the plate in the photo, you can't actually see it from there because the plate is still in place. Looking at the deck from the front, the capstan is - when play or record is selected and the record bar rises to meet the tape - in contact with the rubber pinch roller that grips the tape and pulls it past the heads. It runs right through from the rear side of the flywheel seen behind that plate in the picture to the area just above that pinch roller. The capstan is a little under 0.080" in diameter.

It's encouraging that the motor runs, this means that the usual corroded reed switch issue hasn't affected this machine but be aware that it might, especially if it hasn't played a tape in a long while, spill the tape from the cassette shell as a result of another rubber component; the idler tyre, being perished or just fried out with age. Unless the tyre is perished to the point where it's starting to dissolve then a soak overnight in glycerine will usually restore grip and it will give the takeup hub sufficient torque to keep the tape coming and avoid being overwhelmed by the feed coming at it via the pinch roller. That idler tyre is behind the plate that sits immediately behind the cassette compartment and in front of the plate that supports the flywheel, [the idler] is visible in the space just below the flywheel in the image.