This is an update on my re-manufactured replacement cassette gear, a common problem with this line of boomboxes. Please note that this is ONLY about the gear which is located under the belt driven flywheel, having helical teeth, and not the other gear which tends to yellow, soften, and break. The other gear is on the side near the tape counter mechanism. I will probably be designing a replacement for that one someday.
After 3+ weeks of testing the re-manufactured part, I'm happy to say it holds up quite well. I'm almost ecstatic over having a fully operational D8443 myself. They seem so boring without the use of the cassette mechanism. The real trick now is to get them mass manufactured (as cheap as possible) so other D8443 owners can theirs working again.
I've ordered a small batch so far, but I don't expect them to arrive until early-to-mid April, after which, I need to ensure the center hole is drilled to the proper size and diameter. I kept the initial batch small, in case they don't mass manufacture as well as I expect. I don't want to lay out a lot of money for potentially defective items.
To keep with the spirit of the forum rules, and because I'm a relatively new member on this forum, I'm not explicitly posting sale details for the gears until my mysterious "minimum number of posts" sales restriction is lifted. However, I do feel I have fulfilled another "spirit" of the forum by contributing to the cause of boombox collecting and preservation by making these gears available for purchase. If/when I do make them available for sale, I will most likely use a "buyer protective" service like eBay or a PayPal shopping cart.
Until then, fellow D8443 owners, please be patient while I wait for delivery of the replacement gears!
Jeff
After 3+ weeks of testing the re-manufactured part, I'm happy to say it holds up quite well. I'm almost ecstatic over having a fully operational D8443 myself. They seem so boring without the use of the cassette mechanism. The real trick now is to get them mass manufactured (as cheap as possible) so other D8443 owners can theirs working again.
I've ordered a small batch so far, but I don't expect them to arrive until early-to-mid April, after which, I need to ensure the center hole is drilled to the proper size and diameter. I kept the initial batch small, in case they don't mass manufacture as well as I expect. I don't want to lay out a lot of money for potentially defective items.
To keep with the spirit of the forum rules, and because I'm a relatively new member on this forum, I'm not explicitly posting sale details for the gears until my mysterious "minimum number of posts" sales restriction is lifted. However, I do feel I have fulfilled another "spirit" of the forum by contributing to the cause of boombox collecting and preservation by making these gears available for purchase. If/when I do make them available for sale, I will most likely use a "buyer protective" service like eBay or a PayPal shopping cart.
Until then, fellow D8443 owners, please be patient while I wait for delivery of the replacement gears!
Jeff