A masterclass in how to service a machine with clear instructions. Thank you

…..Excellent, especially the speed adjustment, I was at a loss, as the normal back of motor adjustment didn’t work, thank you tons….. for this I use a cassette tape with a keyboard tone recorded in G played back to an old fashioned guitar tuner with a moving needle, works a treat…..of course this cassette test tape was recorded on a known correct speed recorder…..thanks again.

Thank you Graham, your instructions are first class, what was once a useless cassette deck is now playing brilliantly.

This is a masterclass in how to service a machine with crystal clear instructions. Hats off to you, Sir!

Very many thanks for taking the time and going to the trouble of making this video. Without it, my machine would have been scrap. As it was, these clear step-by-step instructions and clear video enabled me to to the job in less than an hour (helped enormously by the man at Miratv in Bromley, Kent, who allowed me to pick up the drive belts rather than wait for them to arrive in the post). I would have had a clue how to do this job without this video. Brilliant.

Excellent! I'm glad I found your video didn't realise how simple it was to do! Many thanks!!! 👍👍👍

Graham, I want to add my thanks for your simple, clear and concise instructions. Thanks to you my Sony deck is playing perfectly again. You really should do some more instructional videos - you have perfect presentation skills.

Thank you Graham, I am about to do this to my Sony TC-KE400s deck myself, and this video will be most helpful. Very well explained and covered. Thank you again. Andrew

Yet another KE400S saved! Thank you for making the process of changing belts so easy to follow. Even taking time to show re-assembly. So easy and so quick. Also thanks to Ian Moore for suggesting Thakker's as a reliable belt source in the comments.

Thanks for your video! I'll replace the belts in another Sony with the same transport, and your video is the best I have found.

Thanks for this brilliant tutorial, also worked with my K370. Cheers from Germany!

Thank you Graham for this perfect video. I got yesterday this tapedeck for free and disassembled it before seeing your video. Not very difficult. I took away even the mainboard to clean the complete case deeply. Was quiet dirty. The belts have been rotten. How you have shown to position the belts when reassembling will be very helpful for me too. Next week I will get the belts and hopefully everything will be fine at the end.

Dear Sir Graham Nunn, thank you very much for your excellent, and almost “providential”, tutorial in order to let me change the belts of my cassette deck Sony TC-KE300 (same family of tape readers). I have followed your procedure, step by step, with a real success, what would never have been possible for me without your instructions. Thanks a lot also for your tip of fine tuning of the speed. As said by Thomas Peng, “I can enjoy again all my old tapes from decades ago” Luc.

Absolutely brilliant video. The eject mechanism on my Sony TC KE230 kept jamming, and thanks to your video and some £8 new belts, it is now working perfectly and sounding better than ever. Really glad that it kept the machine out of a landfill. Thanks for taking the time to give such a clear and well constructed step by step, much appreciated!

Wouldn't have done it without your Video, Thank you!

Great video. Just fixed my WE-605 Sony. Belts were tar. Another guy showed the newer dual deck belt replacement. You showed in perfectly communicated detail, how to disconnect the electronics, without destroying them. This is not a detail that you should just start pulling on things to see how they come out. Nope......Kudos! Perfectly taught and great detail...... Stay safe, Dave

Great instruction. Today replaced the belts according to your video. Excellent explanation during the video. Thanks a lot!

Many thanks, Graham. In the process of changing the belts in a Sony TC-KA1ES, I managed to knock the cam gear out of alignment. Yours is the only video anywhere that shows what the proper alignment should be before the belts go back on. You saved me -- now I can enjoy all my old tapes from decades ago.

Very detailed and clear explanation on the belt replacement procedure. Thank you

Just to thank you for the time and effort you delivered in the making of this video. It was of great help to me servicing successfully a Sony TC-KE230. Cheers!

I have exactly the same kind of problem. It existed since I bought a brand new deck from Best Buy store in Chicago. When I tried to use it the first time after I bought it, it didn't work and it was past its warranty period, and I never used it since, always promising myself to take it one day to the repair shop... That never happened and now, thanks to this formidable video. I'm going to attempt to fix it by myself. Good luck to me...

Thank you for this concise and thorough video. You could be an electronics instructor - great stuff.

My Sony cassette deck does not turn anymore. I did not think I could repair it myself, but with this video, which is really very well done and very educational, I will try!

After watching your video I managed to change my Sony deck TC-KB820S. lm so happy about it. Thank you sir.

Definitely helpful, thank you for posting! Very well shot and not rushed. I'm very glad I watched this before replacing the belts on my KE500S. Cheers from Chicago!

Brilliant. Thank you, you've just saved me from unnecessarily chucking out my tape deck :)

Just wanted to say a big thank you for such a clear precise tutorial which also worked for the TC-KE200 and all for the price of a £12 set of drive belts from Thakker in Germany. Thanks again 👍

Great video. It helped my replace my belts on my deck. Plus I wouldn’t have know you had to adjust the play speed using the trims on the circuit board rather than on the motor itself unless you said.

My TC-K615S has been giving me FITS. Your video helped me see that my drive belt cog mechanism is spinning freely. It isn't catching on either of the 2 stop peg positions. I have a feeling this is my issue...or one of them...either way, your video has helped immensely in keeping me on the right track. Thank you!

Many thanks, Graham. This instruction video is absolutely brilliant! I have replaced two belts of my Sony TC-KE300 without any problem. My tapedeck is playing excellent again. Cheers from Holland.

I’ve ordered similar belts for the Sony LBT-D307. Your video will help immensely. Thank you.

Thank you for your hard work and effort , I have the very same deck and can now service with confidence and limited brain power which is something I lack ! Again thank you Sir !!

Thank you Graham. My TC-KE400S has differently configured motherboard and daughterboard. My unit appears to be two years older than yours, from the printed date. Your video was very helpful and I'll be ordering replacement belts, rather than spending out on a new unit. Big 'thumbs up' to you. : )

thanks for very detailed pics makes it a lot clearer where the belts actually go!

Thank you so much for this excellent video.I followed your very clear and concise instructions and had complete success. Having revived the deck I am amazed at how good it sounds. Bring back the Cassette! Thanks again

brilliant, i have the tc ke 500, now i can change the belts, thank you Sir.

super helpful thank you! one of gears on the drive side wasn't aligned afterwards and it was causing the tape to run off the cassette, took a while to figure out, good to check these are aligned before butting the top case on!

thanks for the info on speed adjustment - sorted my issue.

Huge thanks Graham. I have the TC-KE500S and was able to bring it back to life due to your video. The large belt had snapped and the small one had lost its elasticity. The 500S is a bit different when it comes to teardown and rebuild (a lot more wires) but the drive mechanism is the same. Was able to find new belts on eBay for $17 - including shipping from Portugal to the USA.

I just picked up one of these from eBay and it has a knocking sound during playback, so I will be using this video to help understand how to look inside. Thank you!

Thank you so much! This video was really helpful, also worked with my TC-KE300 (looks the same inside).

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU, I HAVE THE SAME TRANSPORT ASSEMBLY FOR MY TC-WR635S, I SPEND THE LAST WEEK TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET AT IT AND DIDNT THINK TO LOOK BEHIND IT.

You could connect it to the line or microphone input of a computer and use "wfgui" that will show the frequency (if using a test tape) and the wow and flutter. Not as precise as an oscilloscope, but it gets the job done.

Thank you! I replaced the belts on a Sony TC-K 490 which is similar. Your video helped a lot!

After watching this video (and one other one) I felt it was worth giving is a go. I ordered a set of belts from eBay for £10 This evening I replaced the belts on my Sony TC-KE400S and it appears to be working perfectly. It seems that Hazel O'Connor "Breaking Glass" tape that I bought from eBay was dodgy all along, it's still laying up :-( Now I have a fully working TC-KE400S, thank you. one point that may confuse some, is the tape speed adjustment, I know the video tells us not to touch the speed adjustment pots but I wonder how many people turned those pots? From experience (back in the 90's) I decided to turn some pots to boost the output on a Marantz tape deck = I ruined it :-( My Sony deck is now working, thank you. I really appreciate you taking the time to record and share your knowledge with us.....

That certainly was helpful! I hope your instructions are going to be working for my K415 as well, but I assume so. Thank you very much for your effort, almost 3 years ago...

Helped me fix my TC-K311. Mechanism looks pretty similar, if not identical :) Thanks!

nice video ..Tip :for speed calibration you can use you Phone with a programm called Sound Spectrum Analyser.. you just have to create a test audio cassette with different test tones on a callibrated cassettedeck..if you play this on your bad cassettedeck the programm will show you if the tone is too high or low..

out of all I watched this is on the money.

Good video. I have the same deck and the speed calibration was not up to the mark. This video taught me how to set it right. Thanks for sharing.

Great video, thanks. Looks like the mechanism is the same as in my TC-KB820S - I was wondering how to get to those belts and now I know. My belts feel a bit slack and I'm getting noticeable wow and flutter so I'm going to get some new ones in there. Your video has helped, many thanks.

Awesome video - fixed my tape deck by following this :)

Brill made my job easy...great tutorial Norm.

Thank You, that repair was relaxing even though i knew nothing about it beforehand.

That was awesome one of the best vids on belt changes I've seen.

OMG Exactly what I was looking for !! Thank you!

It is also worth checking that pinion gear you can see at 7:27 as they can split causing interesting malfunctions and chewed up tapes :(

Well made video Graham. Thanks.

Thanks for a very clear and informative video. I'm hoping my Sony tc-ka 6 es belt kit will require something similar!

7:20 On this mechanism, that little gear on the metal motor shaft is prone to cracking and spinning on the shaft, which causes all kinds of weird issues. If replacing the belts doesn't fix your tape deck, that is the likely culprit.

I didn`t change the speed but a little tip I`ve read many years ago: piano. playing piano it will tell you right away the right playing speed... and for the video part (contrast, colours, brightness ) are the waves.

Thank you! The TC-KE500S is very similar.

Thank you for this video,it,s helps alot.

You can really tell how well put together a sony tapedeck is when tearing it apart. Im damn sure that on a cheaper deck those tabs to hold the belts while you put it back together dont exist at all.

Very helpfull! Thank you very very much!!

R72 is used for high-speed recording calibration only.

Very helpful, thanks!

Great how-to. Worked for me, thanks.

Great video - managed to change the belts with not too many issues. Haven't used my tapedeck for years, finding the tapes are sounding somewhat underwater, just wondering if that's likely to be the fact that the tapes have been left in a loft for 10 years or not!

It is very helpful for me.

Excellent - cheers!

Thanks, legend. This was a great help

Thank You very much!! It helped me.

Thanks for a very well produced video. I have the TC-K715S It hasn't had much use from new . Has been stored in a room and just powered on and off every year for last 15 years. When I pressed play last year nothing happened ie the captain doesn't engage. Could this be the belt ? Just tried it again and the eject does not function. There is no tape in. Any advise appreciated

So I have the TC-KE400S and I followed your directions exactly and everything worked great. Except for the fact that my tape plays at insanely high speeds. I went to the back and adjusted the two parts like you send but it didn't change anything. Is there anything else I could do?

you are really great for doing this. It's the exact same model as mine which made it really useful for me. I used the first half of your vid to diagnose. And sure enough same problem. The big belt had expanded and come off. Just ordered the belts fro Thakker. And I'll add in my result if you're interested. Do you recommend doing any additional maintenance while it's open?

It helped me also...Thank you man!!! (Y)

download an app for a freq generator, then make a tape at 440HZ, then use a guitar tuner set at the "A" string and center the tuner as in move the motor speed until the tuner align at the a string.

I am about to make a repair of a (non-working) TC-KE500S deck that I hope requires only the belt, but I'll see how it goes. I give you all an update.

5:27 gracias

Hello. Thank you for your video Graham! Sending you a message from Edmonton, Canada. I have a similar unit. A TC-K707ES. I would like to replace the belts. Where did you purchase yours from in a Germany? Thank you kindly!

Great video and very well explained! I also have a question about my tape deck from Sony, so I changed the belts and it works too. The problem is when I press the stop button, the tape continues to run on the left side. What could be the reason?

very professional

Gostei do vídeo assim posso trocar as correia do meu

Excellent!!! Thank you

Sir, i wish i could give you 100 likes for this video. Thank You :)

sheeet, I was killing myself for over an hour... many thanks !

A bit more simple than my tck970es

Hi Graham. Thanks for the vid. I have similar deck. Both belts have melted with age. No motors are running. Do the motors need belts for them to operate? Do I have another problem to solve now? Thanks.

I replaced the two belts with a set from a “kit” online. The small take-up belt seemed too small and tight, but I installed them anyway. It SEEMED to operate fine, until it ate two two tapes! 😡. I wonder if anyone else has had issues with any of these “belt kits” you find online? And if anyone knows the actual Sony part numbers for the original belts?

Thank you.

get a 3khz test tape and use the free program wow and flutter meter with a 3.5mm to RCA connected to your PC easy

Thanks for this video. Where did you order the belts?

Hi! I have this deck! I changed the belts but it doesn't work well. It works in play, but if press fw or bw it comes back into play with a lot of noise and it also ruined the tape.It is very strange because everything has been cleaned and nothing seems broken. Can i try something else?

I have KE600S that needs some repair too. Does it have the same tape drive mechanism as yours? How many belts are there in that mech? Thank everyone for advance and advices.

Thanks for the video! I have a tc-ke500s with a problem. all mechanisms "work" but after a few seconds the music gets distorted and sound weird. I have cleaned and demagnetized the heads. Next thing is changing the belts. Hope this is the problem.... any suggestions?

Hello, I have a problem in replacing the pinch roller of my deck. I was able to take the pinch roler assembly and replace it with the new one. However there was a pin in the plastic assembly which holds the pinch roller that came off. I am not aware of how to place the pin in the assembly and put it back, Any help in this regard is highly appreciated.

play on another deck a tone of 440 hz or 1 khz and play it on the service recorder. use an app for tuning and.... exactly the correct speed

Hello Graham,Is it possible to change the pinch roller on this deck without taking off the transport system from the chassis of the deck. I have the same deck which is working fine now, but the pinch roller is shiny and will wear out shortly.Thanks for any suggestion.

You couldn't just by a "Chipmonks" tape to see if it was playing at the right speed?