Sony TCM-260 Drive Belt

The Sony TCM-260 requires two drive belts consisting of the main belt 3-531-645-00, which drives the capstan flywheel, and a dedicated smaller belt 3-507-115-00, which drives the tape-winding clutch.

I managed to find very good replacements from a bag of belts I bought on eBay for two pounds. Using the WS-48 speed calibration cassette, I checked the speed after changing the belts, and it was spot on. One of the nicer features of this unit was the uniform tape speed as the wow and flutter was almost negligible.

It is not a straightforward job changing the drive belts in this unit because of the flywheel cover, which requires removing first. Three steel screws, which will require a releasing agent before they can be undone, require removing. There are also wires that route over the cover that requires moving.

Using my CQ-101A torque meter cassette, the forward torque was slightly lower than established parameters stated in the service manual; however, this was solved by cleaning all the rubber surfaces in the mechanism.

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