Crown 850 deck help!

Hey all, I'm a busy rabbit this week with more boxes open than Deal or no Deal.

If anyone could help me with this one I would appreciate it.
The Crown 850 is open to take a look at the belts and deck. Basically the deck is playing "warbly" and not steady, does that make sense ?
It kind of sounds like the speed is off. The belts look ok to be honest and the FF/REW functions perfectly.
Would anyone happen to know if it is adjustable internally or does it sound like I have a knackered motor ?

On second look at the belts, hmmm I think one of them is an elastic band
And I think that the capstan belt isn't a flat belt but a long square belt.

Back to trying to find the correct measurements for this deck

Anyone any clues please ?

well can you pull the deck out and take a pic of the underside that would help

Yeh had to wait for a little charge in the camera battery hehe. I played around a little more and it does seem like it is just the belts. Phew.
The top black one is a new one I just added to try. The white one a poor kid has lost his elastic band, he used to play with, for the last 25 years. I'm sure that should be a round belt, not flat.

yes that beige belt does not belong there you need to change that and it will be fine...

one of the round ones should work ,,,

Yep thought as much. I need to find someone who may know the correct belt sizes so I can get to ordering some.
The ones I have won't fit, or for that long are all flat.
Failing that I'll have to order 10 belts of different sizes or so.

not sure the website name i belive its studiosoundelectronics.com has belts and they sell a kits with different sizes

docs said:

Hey all, I'm a busy rabbit this week with more boxes open than Deal or no Deal.

If anyone could help me with this one I would appreciate it.
The Crown 850 is open to take a look at the belts and deck. Basically the deck is playing "warbly" and not steady, does that make sense ?
It kind of sounds like the speed is off. The belts look ok to be honest and the FF/REW functions perfectly.
Would anyone happen to know if it is adjustable internally or does it sound like I have a knackered motor ?

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there is also a speed control screw under that blue sticker on the cassette motor.

Oh great I did wonder but thanks a lot for confirming that.

I tried a few various belts on it, one was really too tight but the warbling went away, it just played a tiny bit slow.
Once I get the new belts on it I'll see if that screw will straighten this sucker out.
Cheers.

i bit tight as long as everthing continues to work might be ok just adjust the speed on the motor,, but if its really tight where you have problems with deck not working then that is a no go and would not recommend using it like that,, remember over time with use the belts will stretch a bit, i have put belts just a tad smaller and its worked as long as its not excessively tight it will cause fast wear on plastic parts not good.......

Too tight is an excellent way of wearing out the bearings including those in the motor, and also permanently skewing the rubber motor insulator mounts. Don't do it. Get the right belt or none. The first time you need to find an obsolete motor because it's burnt out or starts squealing will be the time you wish you didn't overtension the belts.

Great advice thanks. I've closed the box up for now pending purchase of more belts. Cheers.

PostEnder said:

Over six and a half years later, Dave, did you get the right cassette-deck belts for your Crown CSC-850 while avoiding the ruinous experience of installing too tight a rubber belt (or too tight a set of rubber belts)?

Click to expand...

PostEnder said:

Over six and a half years later, Dave, did you get the right cassette-deck belts for your Crown CSC-850 while avoiding the ruinous experience of installing too tight a rubber belt (or too tight a set of rubber belts)?

Click to expand...

Wondering the same thing.. What are the right sizes? My belts were goo..

Make 2 to 3 loops with a cotton thread on the wheels the belt is running, and then hold it tight, glue the end with nail polish. Let it dry. Now make a cut to take the thread out. Then measure the length. Order a belt 95% of the length you measured. It worked well for me. ~ Royce

BoomboxLover48 said:

Make 2 to 3 loops with a cotton thread on the wheels the belt is running, and then hold it tight, glue the end with nail polish. Let it dry. Now make a cut to take the thread out. Then measure the length. Order a belt 95% of the length you measured. It worked well for me. ~ Royce

Click to expand...

Ah, simple but genius! (Copied into my 'Hints & Tips' txt doc.)

Crap Ive done 2 and cant remember sizes

Hey, Royce, like our MyOhMy indicated with her reply, that's quite some belt-sizing hack (or "improvisation") that you recommend. Uh, when you speak of "a belt 95% of the length you measured," do you mean an intact (uncut) cassette-deck belt positioned so its uncut strips are straight and parallel, almost touching one another? (Somewhat like what one sees in the image below from the WJOE Radio website):



Or do you mean that the tape-deck belt to be replaced should be cut (obviously no longer usable as a tape-deck belt) and laid out flat, with its ends in opposite directions for the measurement?