I love all my Panasonic players - but the J9 is one I've been looking to grab for a long time. The metallic silver metal body is VERY attractive and sleek looking. The player it self is very simple, and it comes with a carry case. I was very excited when I saw one hardly used still in the original box. Since I am only in my late 20's I never got to experience opening up a "new" cassette player for the first time, so I savored every moment and took plenty of pictures..... First Impression: All the Paperwork: Hello beautiful! - Time is not nice to headphone felt :*( For anyone wondering - yes it functions, but with quite a bit of wow/flutter - I opened it up to se how easy it would be to replace the belt and...... Its under the board! Usually not a problem - but this board is almost 90% flexible, ribbon-type of board I've never seen before and I was afraid to even attempt to move it out of the way without SOMETHING snapping in half given it's age. SO it looks like I'll have to enjoy this with a little W&F... If you have any suggestions on how to get to the belt - or know of someone who has worked on these units before please let me know! It stills looks SO sharp
What a catch! Something one would expect to see in @kent or @Boodokhan collections! Congratulations!!! I would have offered my help but it is way beyond my finances and hunting skills to find a substitute should anything go wrong during restoration.
Looking at the S6 area I can see what you mean. In fact there apears to be two overlapping boards. I did rebelt a much later Panasonic RQ-E27V and on that the motor was soldered directly to the PCB and had to be desoldered to lift the board up and get to the belt. Maybe Panasonics designers had no concern about ease of future maintenance.
I've worked on the RQ-KJ1/WJ1/SJ1 series that have a similar full flex PCB, and in my opinion they aren't actually that fragile. They're "swingy" enough to give good access to the m I understand your fear though, as I experienced it myself the first time around. My RQ-J9 did came in working condition, so I haven't tried rebelting it, but it too has a bit of flutter so I'll try that soon perhaps. I guess the main tip would be to make sure every screw needed is removed. A bit trickier than your usual unit perhaps, especially without the manual (which seems to be unavailable for free online), since the flex PCB means that the screws may not be where they usually are: - On a component on a different level than the PCB itself (like a switch on the chassis) - Perpendicular to the main part of the board (on a bent section) - On a flap below part of the PCB/another component Some parts like the headphone socket/switches may be a snap-fit component and some unsoldering is usually necessary to fully swing out the PCB.
Thanks for the photos, there's nothing like a cardboard-boxed unit, soon after this most manufacturers went to a clear plastic clamshell that didn't have the same high-level appeal. The degrading foam on the headphones is normal, and it's always the ones that aren't black, it tends to be a cool color only with certain brands, that you'll never find again. I try to keep all my screws in order and I use a really bright LED flashlight when taking these apart. Having an automotive magnet, the kind on an antenna base is nice when you drop the little screws into the unit. If it's not coming apart easily, you are most likely missing a screw, don't force it, keep looking. Another trick I learned is to put old panty hose on the end of a vacuum, if you drop a screw you can find it with the vacuum.
If motor is hardwired to the board, you will have to desolder it before opening. My Panny Walkman was totally busted, but by the time I realized that finding burned transistor is beyond my skills I could desolder it in under 15sec (reminded me of my sad AK-47 etc training years) If belt is all thats needed, it should be easy, but you have to figure which pins to desolder. Post your progress
When it comes to changing belts on walkmans the most difficult one goes to Panasonic and AIWAs. Most of AIWA and Panasonic portable cassette players require some form of desoldering in order to access the movement part. If you don't have experience with desoldering skills do not attempt to touch it since you might accidentally make permanent damage to this beautiful walkman.
