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General Category => Amstrad CPC hardware => Topic started by: Bryce on 15:26, 23 February 18

Title: Dodgy Drive Belts
Post by: Bryce on 15:26, 23 February 18
A word of warning:

A user sent me a 3in Drive to repair and included a "new drive belt" to use that he bought from a seller called Cool Novelties on ebay. I checked the item on ebay and the photo is of a real belt, however, the "belt" he was sent is a piece on Bicycle inner tube and is definitely not suitable for use as a drive belt.

If you happen to need a new belt for your drive, buy them from Retro Computer Shack, which I can confirm sells the real deal.

Bryce.
Title: Re: Dodgy Drive Belts
Post by: GUNHED on 15:33, 23 February 18
Get it from acwsoft. The best stuff on ebay.  :P
Title: Re: Dodgy Drive Belts
Post by: Bryce on 15:49, 23 February 18
Quote from: GUNHED on 15:33, 23 February 18
Get it from acwsoft. The best stuff on ebay.  :P

Good to have a second source, but he's a bit pricey compared to Retro Computer Shack.

Bryce.
Title: Re: Dodgy Drive Belts
Post by: Vyper68 on 16:09, 23 February 18
I get my belts from Dataserve Retro the guy who sells the Tape Counter units these days. That bother i had with the 464 Bryce and the power socket that had been damaged stemmed from the guy using a PSU bought from Cool Novelties. They sell a CPC6128 kit with 2 wall wart PSU's and i'm sure from the picture i saw the 12V is a 12V 1A Centre Positive and i'm sure my RetroComputerShack is Centre Negative ... :o
Title: Re: Dodgy Drive Belts
Post by: ||C|-|E|| on 18:04, 23 February 18
Huum... I know that Cool Novelties shop. They sell cables and many other things that are quite usable. Too bad they decided to go that way with the belts  :-X
Title: Re: Dodgy Drive Belts
Post by: Vyper68 on 20:56, 23 February 18
Quote from: ||C|-|E|| on 18:04, 23 February 18
Huum... I know that Cool Novelties shop. They sell cables and many other things that are quite usable. Too bad they decided to go that way with the belts  :-X
I haven't bought any of their belts - the problem i had was a guy bought my old 464 and i think he broke the solder joint on the power socket and he said he had bought a PSU from Cool Novelties and it had been a really tight fit. I took it back and had to reflow and repair the solder on the Power Socket.
The issue i saw with the 12V 6128 PSU is something i saw on their website. I am sure the one i saw was the 12V as it had a Gender changer cable in the same shot and this was Centre Pos where my 12V PSU is Centre Neg and it would be a big thing to get wrong if you used it i would have thought.
Title: Re: Dodgy Drive Belts
Post by: ||C|-|E|| on 22:21, 23 February 18
I only saw a few cables from them and I think that possibly a PSU. I remember having a look from the outside and they seemed more or less OK. However, I was not aware of all those problems. Great to know abour them!  :)
Title: Re: Dodgy Drive Belts
Post by: Gryzor on 18:57, 25 February 18
Indeed, Cool Novelties is quite good, this is surprising...


How on earth do you know it's a bicycle thingie? :D
Title: Re: Dodgy Drive Belts
Post by: Vyper68 on 20:32, 25 February 18
Quote from: Gryzor on 18:57, 25 February 18
Indeed, Cool Novelties is quite good, this is surprising...


How on earth do you know it's a bicycle thingie? :D

To be fair they have might have bought them from a supplier who has passed off inner tubes as proper belts. If they have produced them themselves and just passed off cut up inner tubes that is not cool. You would imagine they sell belts for other computers ( Spectrum +2/3, C64 C2N Datasettes, Atari 1010 & XC12 Cassette units etc.
I am almost tempted to do some "secret shopper" and see what i get sent.
Title: Re: Dodgy Drive Belts
Post by: Bryce on 09:25, 26 February 18
Quote from: Gryzor on 18:57, 25 February 18
Indeed, Cool Novelties is quite good, this is surprising...


How on earth do you know it's a bicycle thingie? :D

It's thick rubber with crooked edges and the molding seems are still visible. I'll post a picture of a real belt beside it later... You'll see for yourself how obvious it is.

Bryce.
Title: Re: Dodgy Drive Belts
Post by: Bryce on 20:53, 08 March 18
Sorry, took a while to get around to taking a photo. I don't think you need to be a hardware expert to spot which one isn't a real drive belt?

Bryce.

Title: Re: Dodgy Drive Belts
Post by: Gryzor on 17:52, 11 March 18
Well, they're the same colour at least.
Title: Re: Dodgy Drive Belts
Post by: Bryce on 08:21, 12 March 18
Quote from: Gryzor on 17:52, 11 March 18
Well, they're the same colour at least.

That's only due to my bad camera work and lighting. The dodgy one is more grey, the real one is black.

Bryce.
Title: Re: Dodgy Drive Belts
Post by: ||C|-|E|| on 09:29, 12 March 18
I like the shoddy and twisted one. It has lots of character.
Title: Re: Dodgy Drive Belts
Post by: Bryce on 09:58, 12 March 18
Quote from: ||C|-|E|| on 09:29, 12 March 18
I like the shoddy and twisted one. It has lots of character.

What it has in character it lacks in suitability!

Bryce.
Title: Re: Dodgy Drive Belts
Post by: Gryzor on 14:32, 12 March 18
With enough effort everything is possible, like my grandmother used to say.
Title: Re: Dodgy Drive Belts
Post by: Bryce on 14:58, 12 March 18
Did I mention that it's 4 times thicker than a real belt, 15mm shorter than it needs to be, has rough non-uniform edges, molding seams, lumps on the edges from bad scissor-work and (as seen in the picture) a twist? A cheap rubber band would be more reliable.
Tell your grandmother that it's more effort than it's worth.

Bryce.
Title: Re: Dodgy Drive Belts
Post by: ||C|-|E|| on 10:14, 13 March 18
Well, I am completely sure that now the fake belt feels completely demotivated and she has lost the will to live. There is no chance she will work now, even with all the effort. It would be better to prepare a proper burial for her.
Title: Re: Dodgy Drive Belts
Post by: Bryce on 10:16, 13 March 18
The "belt" is currently being used as a rubber band for my sons coloured pencils.

Bryce.
Title: Re: Dodgy Drive Belts
Post by: ||C|-|E|| on 12:23, 13 March 18
At least she found the meaning of her life  :D
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