I'm sure many of you have noticed the little plastic retainers that hold gears and clutches on their shafts inside deck mechanisms. If you haven't, that's o.k. because I pointed them out in the pic below. I've seen bigger versions inside little computer fans, as well.
Anyway, I decided to dig into this little removable deck from a JVC RC-S55JW I've had sitting around for a couple of years now. I was able to re-belt it, which was a real PITA - I mean - yeah, it was a pleasure - but then I found one of those little plastic retainers on a clutch to be MIA. I had nothing to cannibalize, so it was time for some "fabrication," if you could call it that.
Here's what I came up with (pictured is a prototype - I'll replace it the next time it rains):
So far, so good. It's a little thin, hence the distortion, so I'll be replacing it with a thicker one before I button it up. I don't ever want to open this thing again.
Sorry for the blurry pic - this thing is pretty small and it's hard to get a closeup with an old Galaxy S4.
Here's how I did it:
1.) Find one of those clear blister packs or plastic containers with a decent sized flat area - The heavier, the better...but not too heavy.:
2.) Cut off a small piece of a flat area from the plastic.:
3.) Using a sharp, pointed tool - in this case I used a soldering tool - carefully poke a hole in the plastic slightly smaller than the diameter of the shaft it sits on.:
4.) Now the plastic has a pucker that needs to be flattened out. Sand the bottom side of the hole with some finer grit sandpaper or an emery board. I reshaped the hole a few times when I sanded this.:
5.) Now you can cut it out. I used scissors, but a hole punch would have been much better. Then cut a slit in the new "retainer" so it can slide over the shaft and lock in.:
With a little luck, it should do just the trick. This one's been chugging away just fine since yesterday. I will still replace it with a more refined version before I call this deck a "job done."
This should work on all types of decks. This is also a reminder that repairing some decks is a little more than slappin' in some belts and callin' it a day.
Anyway, I decided to dig into this little removable deck from a JVC RC-S55JW I've had sitting around for a couple of years now. I was able to re-belt it, which was a real PITA - I mean - yeah, it was a pleasure - but then I found one of those little plastic retainers on a clutch to be MIA. I had nothing to cannibalize, so it was time for some "fabrication," if you could call it that.
Here's what I came up with (pictured is a prototype - I'll replace it the next time it rains):
So far, so good. It's a little thin, hence the distortion, so I'll be replacing it with a thicker one before I button it up. I don't ever want to open this thing again.
Sorry for the blurry pic - this thing is pretty small and it's hard to get a closeup with an old Galaxy S4.
Here's how I did it:
1.) Find one of those clear blister packs or plastic containers with a decent sized flat area - The heavier, the better...but not too heavy.:
2.) Cut off a small piece of a flat area from the plastic.:
3.) Using a sharp, pointed tool - in this case I used a soldering tool - carefully poke a hole in the plastic slightly smaller than the diameter of the shaft it sits on.:
4.) Now the plastic has a pucker that needs to be flattened out. Sand the bottom side of the hole with some finer grit sandpaper or an emery board. I reshaped the hole a few times when I sanded this.:
5.) Now you can cut it out. I used scissors, but a hole punch would have been much better. Then cut a slit in the new "retainer" so it can slide over the shaft and lock in.:
With a little luck, it should do just the trick. This one's been chugging away just fine since yesterday. I will still replace it with a more refined version before I call this deck a "job done."
This should work on all types of decks. This is also a reminder that repairing some decks is a little more than slappin' in some belts and callin' it a day.
