How To Change Tape Counter Belts For ReVox A77/ B77/PR99

[A-Line]

Not sure if this has already been posted but for those that have ReVox machines here's a nice instruction video.

I have to change these stupid belts about every 8-10 years. Belts are still available from ReVox for this and other applications as well.

 

[DonH50]

Way back when I was doing techie stuff that little belt was a royal pain. I found a source of general-purpose rubber/nylon belts and used them instead much as shown in the video. The original is a sort "plasticy" belt that gets very hard and brittle over time. The vexing parts not shown are:

(a) Accidentally dropping a screw into the body of the deck, leading to at best contortions lifting and tilting the beast to get the screw to fall out, and at worst further disassembly to find it; and,

(b) Fishing out the broken little belt when it has managed to drop inside (leading to repeating (a), natch).

I usually used an alcohol swab to clean belts and rollers, though am not sure that is still advised since alcohol can soften the rubber. I would swab then wipe with a dry cloth (not paper towel!) belts and rollers, easy to do whilst I had everything apart, and clean the heads at the same time.

 

[A-Line]

Way back when I was doing techie stuff that little belt was a royal pain. I found a source of general-purpose rubber/nylon belts and used them instead much as shown in the video. The original is a sort "plasticy" belt that gets very hard and brittle over time. The vexing parts not shown are:

(a) Accidentally dropping a screw into the body of the deck, leading to at best contortions lifting and tilting the beast to get the screw to fall out, and at worst further disassembly to find it; and,

(b) Fishing out the broken little belt when it has managed to drop inside (leading to repeating (a), natch).

I usually used an alcohol swab to clean belts and rollers, though am not sure that is still advised since alcohol can soften the rubber. I would swab then wipe with a dry cloth (not paper towel!) belts and rollers, easy to do whilst I had everything apart, and clean the heads at the same time.

The other belts are easy to change and fortunately I've only had to replace the drive belts 2 times since I bought my MKII in 1983.
The tape counter belts suck though..
I still use original belts as replacements.

 

[DonH50]

The other belts are easy to change and fortunately I've only had to replace the drive belts 2 times since I bought my MKII in 1983.
The tape counter belts suck though..
I still use original belts as replacements.

Yah, of course, the hardest one to replace is the little counter belt that always breaks. They are all fairly easy to change, fortunately, if you don't drop a screw. Not like some other decks we shall not name that are a bear to disassemble and a rat's nest to replace. But by far the worst for me were the old video tape (cartridge) decks, just a nightmare of belts, motors, wheels, and moving mechanical parts.