How To Replace The Belts In A Nakamachi CR-1A Cassette Deck With Photos!

I recently purchased a Nakamichi CR-1A cassette deck that was listed as is/for parts. This is the second CR-1A deck I’ve bought recently as I was surprised by how well this little two head deck sounds.

The owner stated the tape would not play, nor would it fast forward or rewind. I assumed new belts were needed and ordered a set from Vintage Electronics.

Nakamichi CR-1A decks require two belts. One to operate the main the flywheel and the other to operate the counter. There is also a Nakamichi CR-1 model that, I believe, has an idler tire that operates the rewind and fast forward modes. The CR-1A replaced that model with a plastic gear as you will see in the photos below. If you have a CR-1 and it’s no longer rewinding or fast forwarding, you will need to replace the idler tire as well. It should be very similar to replacing the idler tire on a Nakamichi BX-2 that I also posted here.

I documented how I installed the belts on this new CR-1A to share here. I will start with a step by step explanation of how to install the belts and then post photos below.

How To Replace The Belts In A Nakamichi CR-1A Cassette Deck

1. Remove the four screws holding the case in place. Remove the top of the case.
2. Remove the one screw on the top of the front panel.
3. Remove the two screws on the bottom of the unit.
4. Remove the ground wire on the side of the transport.
5. Remove the counter belt from the white pulley.
6. You will now be able to pull the transport back to better work on.
7. Remove the two corner screws on the faceplate.
8. Remove the old counter belt from behind the right gear and replace with the new one.
9. Reinstall the screws for the faceplate.
10. Remove three screws on the rear plate holding the motor. Note one screw on the far right might be hidden underneath the wires.
11. Gently pull back the plate to provide access to remove the old belt and install the new one over the flywheel and pulley.
12. Reposition the tape transport in the original position and install the counter belt over the white plastic pulley.
13. Reinstall all the appropriate screws. Don’t forget about the ground wire screw on the side.

Instructions with Photos

Once you install the counter belt, simply reinstall the ground wire and the other screws and test to see if the transport is operational.

I Love These Nakamichi Cassette Decks

I grew up listening to cassettes on low end decks, often the dual decks you see with the burned out belts that no longer work. This led me to believe all cassettes have poor sound quality.

During the pandemic, I started watching the Cassette Comeback YouTube Channel and began learning about different types of tapes and better decks to play them on.

Of course I drooled over the high end decks like the Nakamichi Dragon, but I also read that their lower end models sounded exceptionally well and could be found for a great price. That was how I purchased my first CR-1A and I was surprised with just how great it sounded. There was a lot more high end resolution and bass and very little hiss, especially when I started recording with Type II cassettes.

Since then I’ve bought and repaired a BX-100 and a BX-2 which both sound great as well.

If you are interested in giving cassettes another chance or if you are just getting started collecting cassettes and want a great deck to start with, try to find a Nakamichi CR-1A. You will love it.

Before You Go…

If you enjoyed this article, please sign up for mailing list below!