I discovered this while fixing/restoring my Magnavox D8443.
I needed a drive belt for the cassette deck and could not find an immediate replacement from my collection of parts and salvage equipment. The original belt was square cross-section, 5.2" ID, with .032" flat sides.
After looking around the house for ANY kind of rubber band, I asked my daughter if she had any rubber bands. She said she had a bunch of those Silly Bandz.
I was desperate enough to try them. After all, they were square cross section and the ID was only a bit under 5". In an facetious gesture, I used the hamster shaped band, just so I can say my boombox was "hamster driven"
Believe it or not, it actually worked! The belt was driving the mechanism. Although it was running slightly slower than normal.
I checked the band for any damage and noticed a notch of rubber was nicked away, so I replaced it with another band, a Hippo shaped band. Everything sounded normal now. I think I'll just keep it in there for the time being. And thanks to the cat, I know I'll always be able to find a replacement as the cat tends to carry them all around the house, losing them under the couches or behind the cushions, where they'll never get misplaced.
I needed a drive belt for the cassette deck and could not find an immediate replacement from my collection of parts and salvage equipment. The original belt was square cross-section, 5.2" ID, with .032" flat sides.
After looking around the house for ANY kind of rubber band, I asked my daughter if she had any rubber bands. She said she had a bunch of those Silly Bandz.
I was desperate enough to try them. After all, they were square cross section and the ID was only a bit under 5". In an facetious gesture, I used the hamster shaped band, just so I can say my boombox was "hamster driven"
Believe it or not, it actually worked! The belt was driving the mechanism. Although it was running slightly slower than normal.
I checked the band for any damage and noticed a notch of rubber was nicked away, so I replaced it with another band, a Hippo shaped band. Everything sounded normal now. I think I'll just keep it in there for the time being. And thanks to the cat, I know I'll always be able to find a replacement as the cat tends to carry them all around the house, losing them under the couches or behind the cushions, where they'll never get misplaced.
