Another one for my hoard.
- Thread starter Beosystem10
- Start date
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- Tags
- hitachi late 70s ugly or not?
- Status
I buy my belts from http://members.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=dappletoft]these very helpful people[/url], they're very reasonably priced and their measurements are spot on.
I tend to use O-rings to replace idler tyres in cases where I replace the capstan sleeve as I have a box containing hundreds of O-rings in every conceivable size left over from my industrial past. Where the capstan sleeve is still healthy and is rubber, rather than the silicon I use when replacing a sleeve, then I always use a square section tyre as the Nitrile O rings can soon carve their own shape into the edge of a rubber sleeve. The last batch of square section idler tyres I bought came from a German seller who doesn't seem to be trading these days, I couldn't find their eBay shop when I looked just now but maybe I wasn't looking hard enough.
I tend to use O-rings to replace idler tyres in cases where I replace the capstan sleeve as I have a box containing hundreds of O-rings in every conceivable size left over from my industrial past. Where the capstan sleeve is still healthy and is rubber, rather than the silicon I use when replacing a sleeve, then I always use a square section tyre as the Nitrile O rings can soon carve their own shape into the edge of a rubber sleeve. The last batch of square section idler tyres I bought came from a German seller who doesn't seem to be trading these days, I couldn't find their eBay shop when I looked just now but maybe I wasn't looking hard enough.
Ah! Now if you'd asked me before I fitted it, I could have measured....woodnbox said:Thanks for the info.
Having trouble getting a flat belt to fit the hitachi cassette mech. What size did you use ?
The one I removed has a circumference of roughly 275mm, so twice the "length" measurement shown in the attached image plus the thickness of the jaws on my Vernier calliper. But being the one that I removed, and it being so slack that it had fallen off already, I think that the replacement would probably have measured around 7 or 8mm less in circumference, which made it tight enough not to fall off but not tight enough to overload the capstan bushes, my usual way of judging when a belt that I've offered up is correct for the job asked of it.
Next time I make a post that refers to fitting a new belt to something, I promise that I'll try to remember to measure the new belt and include that information in the post.
Well one was never going to be enough. I just took delivery of yet another Hitachi from the era when their stuff came with a bit of quality and weight to it.
An eBay bargain, possibly because it wasn't listed under boomboxes and I found it while looking at random valve sets, this one came with the original tuning knob - not seen in the image as its collar had split and wasn't gripping the spindle - which will be getting fixed by turning its inner cruciform fitting and collar out on the lathe, then fitting the temporary replacement knob inside the outer shell of the original with a little JB Weld to keep it there.
Needless to say, the tape deck doesn't work but in the case of this one, that's as much down to its having been in kitchen service as it is to anything else, the transport keys aren't positive in their operation and a little investigating has shewn that they're full of old lard or similar! The rest of the box is complete, undamaged but just caked in a light film of cooking-related fatty stuff so a good bath will figure in the plans I have for it which may include a respray depending upon how well the plastics come up after their deep clean. It's all satin black apart from the aluminium trim though, so an easy job with a rattle can and no need to fire up my airbrush for it.
Here she be:
Sound quality is slightly better to my ears than that of the 8155, with more bass and a less "in yer face" midrange, they're both good but this one sounds like the heavier box that it is.
In spite of the seller's stating that making it work on both channels required some fiddling with the balance knob, it came to life on both channels as soon as I powered it up and in fact the controls don't seem too scratchy at all, certainly nothing more than a scoosh with Servisol Super 10 will be needed.
FM was great as received, the AM bands all appeared dead but running the band selector through the positions back and forth a few times soon brought Short, medium and long wavebands to life and very lively they are too, with LW sound quality almost as good as FM when tuned to RTE Radio 1 or BBC R4.
Since buying this, I've seen another version that comes with shiny dustcaps but on this box, I'm preferring the black ones as they add to the subtle nature of the thing. First thing that Heather, my sister-in-law beast, said when she heard it this lunchtime was that it sounds a little like her old Sharp GF-9090. I wouldn't know as that box of hers has been on the to-do list since 1992 and is currently back at her place in Kingston, that's the one in Jamaica rather than Upon Hull or Upon Thames, I'm not going all that way to do a back to back comparison.
An eBay bargain, possibly because it wasn't listed under boomboxes and I found it while looking at random valve sets, this one came with the original tuning knob - not seen in the image as its collar had split and wasn't gripping the spindle - which will be getting fixed by turning its inner cruciform fitting and collar out on the lathe, then fitting the temporary replacement knob inside the outer shell of the original with a little JB Weld to keep it there.
Needless to say, the tape deck doesn't work but in the case of this one, that's as much down to its having been in kitchen service as it is to anything else, the transport keys aren't positive in their operation and a little investigating has shewn that they're full of old lard or similar! The rest of the box is complete, undamaged but just caked in a light film of cooking-related fatty stuff so a good bath will figure in the plans I have for it which may include a respray depending upon how well the plastics come up after their deep clean. It's all satin black apart from the aluminium trim though, so an easy job with a rattle can and no need to fire up my airbrush for it.
Here she be:
Sound quality is slightly better to my ears than that of the 8155, with more bass and a less "in yer face" midrange, they're both good but this one sounds like the heavier box that it is.
In spite of the seller's stating that making it work on both channels required some fiddling with the balance knob, it came to life on both channels as soon as I powered it up and in fact the controls don't seem too scratchy at all, certainly nothing more than a scoosh with Servisol Super 10 will be needed.
FM was great as received, the AM bands all appeared dead but running the band selector through the positions back and forth a few times soon brought Short, medium and long wavebands to life and very lively they are too, with LW sound quality almost as good as FM when tuned to RTE Radio 1 or BBC R4.
Since buying this, I've seen another version that comes with shiny dustcaps but on this box, I'm preferring the black ones as they add to the subtle nature of the thing. First thing that Heather, my sister-in-law beast, said when she heard it this lunchtime was that it sounds a little like her old Sharp GF-9090. I wouldn't know as that box of hers has been on the to-do list since 1992 and is currently back at her place in Kingston, that's the one in Jamaica rather than Upon Hull or Upon Thames, I'm not going all that way to do a back to back comparison.
Northerner
Boomus Fidelis
I love ones like this...they look a bit manky but have not been knocked about...give them a bit of a bath and they generally look like new...the kitchen grease seems to act as a bit of a protective layer 
Seen a few of those on the bay and I do like the black finish.
Congrats and I look forward to seeing it after its had a dunking and is gleeming again
Seen a few of those on the bay and I do like the black finish.
Congrats and I look forward to seeing it after its had a dunking and is gleeming again
So do I, but it'll take a good few weeks before it reaches the top of the queue to be brought back to something resembling clean and original condition. Before this one gets the treatment, I have a bunch of 1970s car radios to refurbish for a mate who's paying me money to do this for him. Assuming that his cheque doesn't bounce....
Then there's my regular job which is such a pain on days when boomboxes are crying out to be helped!
It'll get there and as it needs more than the simple tape deck repair that usually defines my eBay purchases I may even take photos and post a resto thread.
Now back to hunting for knobs and trying to remember why I was doing that.
Then there's my regular job which is such a pain on days when boomboxes are crying out to be helped!
It'll get there and as it needs more than the simple tape deck repair that usually defines my eBay purchases I may even take photos and post a resto thread.
Now back to hunting for knobs and trying to remember why I was doing that.
I've got a restored and fully working 8080 and agree they are a nice looking box. It appears from your photo that your band selector knob is non original as it should be the same style as the input selector knob.
James
James
Yes, that's correct. I've taken a cast from the function switch knob and the plan is to make one out of Magic Polymorph which can take a flash layer and should be indistinguishable from the correct bit. 
retrohead
Member (SA)
the 8080 is a cracker,nice and easy to fix on the deck too-once you get used to it-my l;ast one was bought 2 weeks ago and was covered in dust and muck,deck needed belts and i got everything done within 2 hours-now its a fully usable,great sounding big fat box oh and the 8155 is great john,not too bad sound either 
oh and the 8155 is great john,not too bad sound either - Status