Aiwa AD-WX727 Inside View

Inside the Aiwa AD-WX727, we see that they have used integrated circuits to reduce the size of the printed circuit board. This of course improves reliability and power efficiency. Majority of the tape decks of the 90s used ICs, which meant they had huge amounts of space inside. Each deck has a dedicated tape transport mechanism and its own motor, which is always a good sign. I have often seen machines where they use a single motor that drives the mechanism of both decks by utilising very long drive belts. Those ones are a nightmare to repair if the belts require replacing.

Interestingly, playing a cassette on one deck powers the motor of the other deck as well. This is probably why the drive belts on both decks tend to fail at the same time.

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