Wien 8TD3 - Replace or leave rubber band drive belt? - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

peterould · 18th Sep 2023, 1:07 pm

Hi all,

Noob here, but already loving reading the threads.

I've picked up a dirt cheap Wien 8TD3 and it works nicely. As I expected, it had a rubber band for a drive belt! I understand that's typical for a machine of this age as the original belts tend to have deteriorated.

So my question is this - is there any merit in replacing the belt? It's not going to change the speed of the drive unit, so it's really only for completeness sake (which given the belt is out of sight is not an issue)?

Thanks for any advice.

DMcMahon · 18th Sep 2023, 2:37 pm

Hello Peter and welcome to the Forum.

If you are happy with the playback sound quality then no need to replace the rubber band.

A good quality rubber drive belt of correct dimensions should give better speed stabiliy in terms of Wow & Flutter but whether you would notice the difference is debatable.

A rubber band also would be less reliable/have shorter life.

David

peterould · 18th Sep 2023, 3:20 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by DMcMahon

Hello Peter and welcome to the Forum.

If you are happy with the playback sound quality then no need to replace the rubber band.

A good quality rubber drive belt of correct dimensions should give better speed stabiliy in terms of Wow & Flutter but whether you would notice the difference is debatable.

A rubber band also would be less reliable/have shorter life.

David

Thanks for this - very helpful.

Is there an easy source for a good quality drive belt?

paulsherwin · 18th Sep 2023, 4:02 pm

You could try buying a cheap assortment of generic Chinese belts on eBay and experiment.

If the current belt is indeed the sort that posties drop all over the place, it's likely to have a short life.

CPC sell a range of belts if you can calculate the dimensions.

peterould · 18th Sep 2023, 4:04 pm

Hi Paul,

Got it - a quick search on eBay yielded some options. I'll spend a few pounds and see what I can discover!

Thanks all for your help!

DMcMahon · 18th Sep 2023, 4:54 pm

With my Wien I was luckly in that a spare capstan belt I had for an Akai 4000DS R2R did the job well as can be seen in Post 12 of this linked Thread.

https://www.google.com/url?client=in...92MiRHaY3-651m

David

18th Sep 2023, 1:07 pm	#1
peterould Diode Join Date: Sep 2023 Location: Canterbury, Kent, UK. Posts: 3	Wien 8TD3 - Replace or leave rubber band drive belt? Hi all, Noob here, but already loving reading the threads. I've picked up a dirt cheap Wien 8TD3 and it works nicely. As I expected, it had a rubber band for a drive belt! I understand that's typical for a machine of this age as the original belts tend to have deteriorated. So my question is this - is there any merit in replacing the belt? It's not going to change the speed of the drive unit, so it's really only for completeness sake (which given the belt is out of sight is not an issue)? Thanks for any advice.

18th Sep 2023, 2:37 pm	#2
DMcMahon Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: Worthing, West Sussex, UK. Posts: 6,362	Re: Wien 8TD3 - Replace or leave rubber band drive belt? Hello Peter and welcome to the Forum. If you are happy with the playback sound quality then no need to replace the rubber band. A good quality rubber drive belt of correct dimensions should give better speed stabiliy in terms of Wow & Flutter but whether you would notice the difference is debatable. A rubber band also would be less reliable/have shorter life. David

18th Sep 2023, 4:02 pm	#4
paulsherwin Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 27,151	Re: Wien 8TD3 - Replace or leave rubber band drive belt? You could try buying a cheap assortment of generic Chinese belts on eBay and experiment. If the current belt is indeed the sort that posties drop all over the place, it's likely to have a short life. CPC sell a range of belts if you can calculate the dimensions.

18th Sep 2023, 4:04 pm	#5
peterould Diode Join Date: Sep 2023 Location: Canterbury, Kent, UK. Posts: 3	Re: Wien 8TD3 - Replace or leave rubber band drive belt? Hi Paul, Got it - a quick search on eBay yielded some options. I'll spend a few pounds and see what I can discover! Thanks all for your help!

18th Sep 2023, 4:54 pm	#6
DMcMahon Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: Worthing, West Sussex, UK. Posts: 6,362	Re: Wien 8TD3 - Replace or leave rubber band drive belt? With my Wien I was luckly in that a spare capstan belt I had for an Akai 4000DS R2R did the job well as can be seen in Post 12 of this linked Thread. https://www.google.com/url?client=in...92MiRHaY3-651m David