Hi all. Purchased one of these today. Found that the idler pulley rubber has hardened over the years so obviously will need to be replaced. It still plays but fast forward and rewind are very slow since the pulley slips. Will this also affect the auto reverse function. It works when I press the auto reverse button but will not do it automatically.
I've got one but I haven't played with it in years, I think the auto-reverse is gear driven by a separate motor......
Idler wheel relatively easy to replace. Works separately to the UDAR system. I did a write-up on how to replace the idler if you can be bothered searching over on tapeheads...
I saw that one. Just need to get an idler rubber belt. Was easy enough to disassemble. I cleaned it up with some warm soapy water and used some 600 grit sandpaper to roughen it up a little. Working well at the moment but will replace it nonetheless. Also replaced the light in the cassette well. Original had blown. Since it's 12v, I used a small automotive white led. The auto reverse wasn't working either but with a little contact cleaner on the switch, it's now working.
I've used Rubber Renue with some success but finding a replacement tire is the best repair. Good luck!
Naka RX-202 decks are quite reliable rigs ..... Built like land rovers, the UDAR mechanism is nearly indestructible. A bit of investment to bring yours back into shape; keep your maintenance up regularly, and it will serve you reliably for years to come. I've held a sweet RX-202 for 30+ years now ..... A joy to utilize in my studio workshop. Cheers
I haven't replaced the belts yet but they seem to be in good condition. Quite difficult to get model specific belts in Australia and with the pandemic going on right now, worldwide shipping is a disaster. I've done some cleaning and re-greasing, demagnetised the head and replaced the idler tyre. These decks don't come up for sale very often over here so definitely keeping this one.
