[Techman]

Absolutely, Ben. I actually had the chance of a good idler wheel for a fiver plus postage, but in the end decided that the machine just wasn't worth spending even that on, as even that wheel would probably end up the same as the original in a short time. Also, with the problem with the motor drive spindle heating up, it was never going to be a successful repair. There was a lot of debate at the time as to the make of the machine, which turned out to be a rare model made by 'Sound'. I actually still have the machine and it's buried under a load of clutter in the loft - I'm feeling a slight desire to dig it out again sometime and have another go at it as there can't be many, if any, that are left in working order. At the time I couldn't remember where it came from, but on thinking since, I seem to remember that it came from the same skip as all those language lab tapes that I rescued many years ago.