nakamichi repair - Forever Analog

August 24, 2021August 24, 2021

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.

August 22, 2021May 7, 2023

How To Replace The Belt and Idler Tire On A Nakamichi BX-2 Cassette Deck – With Photos!

I recently purchased a Nakamichi BX-2 cassette deck that was advertised as broken/for parts. The unit powered on, but when a cassette was played, it would only play for a couple of seconds and then stop.

I assumed the unit needed a new belt and while I was installing the belt, I should go ahead and replace the idler tire as well. In these Nakamichi decks, there is not a belt for fast forward or rewind like there is in some lower end Sony decks. Nakamichi uses an idler tire which wears out over time and needs to be replaced.

I placed an order with Vintage Electronics for the belt and idler tire as I’ve had great success installing their belts on other decks. I prefer to not buy belts on eBay or Amazon as it is likely the size will be wrong which will impact playback.

I will include a short step by step summary of how to replace both the belt and the idler tire and the follow up with photos to help better explain.

May 2, 2021May 12, 2023

How To Repair a Noisy Nakamichi BX-100 Cassette Deck

Read below for a tip on how to repair noisy recordings on a Nakamichi BX-100 cassette deck.

I recently purchased a Nakamichi BX-100 cassette deck off Facebook market for $40. The seller listed the item “as is” because the unit played tapes fine, but when a tape was recorded on the machine, it would play back with crackling noise throughout, especially on the right channel.

How to repair noisy recordings on a Nakamichi BX-100 cassette deck?

To remove the noise from recordings, clean the cassette deck’s heads, capstan, pinch roller, recording input sliders and the relay switch. Read below for step by step instructions.