Tape Drive Belt Diameter - CPC464?

[TrainingForUtopia]

Hi,

what's the right tape belt diameter for a CPC464? 70mm?

Thanks & Regards

TrainingForUtopia

[steve]

You could measure one of these belts Amstrad CPC 464 Replacement TAPE Drive Belts 2 Pack | eBay

Another listing has a pack of 5 belts which works could save a few pence if you needed 5 belts.

[TotO]

It is expensive... Take a look on Produits disponibles - Cent Pour Cent, some left in stock.
1 = 1.50€, 2 = 2.90€, 5 = 4.90€

[TrainingForUtopia]

Thanks, but i know all the sellers & shops like retroshack an others ... i only wanted to know the measures of the belt.

[TotO]

Ø 74mm,  1.2mm²

[TrainingForUtopia]

Thanks ...

[steve]

Cutting up an old rubber band to save a couple of Euro's is probably not a good idea.

[TrainingForUtopia]

Well ... you don't know, why i asked this question ... so don't tell nonsense or make your own special assumptions.

We have an old radio and tape technician here in town, who sells new belts for many tape drives ... and that's why i asked for the diameter.

Good enough for you? Yes? Fine ...

[Bryce]

Cutting a rubber band is always a bad idea, but don't underestimate a cheap rubber band. A correct sized rubber band actually works fine, if you can find one. I have a 3in drive (FD-1) that's been running on a rubber band for the last 10+ years. Never bothered swapping it for a real belt, because it works, perfectly.

Bryce.

[steve]

Hmm....I think I hit a nerve there.

[TrainingForUtopia]

Hmm....I think I hit a nerve there.

No, you are only very weird. Well, read what i wrote ...

We have an old radio and tape technician here in town, who sells new belts for many tape drives ... and that's why i asked for the diameter.

These belts are good quality, too ... so what do you want? Only here to provokate me or to buy a belt at retroshack? We don't know each other und you are a very unpolite person. I only asked a simple question. Please search for another "toy". It can't be true ... i'm here to talk about the old stuff and i'm not searching for a wimp who provokates me because of nothing ...

Welcome to my ignore list ... 

@Bryce: Thanks for your answer.

Anyway ... Please delete my account, thanks.

[Gryzor]

Wow, this escalated quickly.


Steve made an assumption which was incorrect and he should probably have asked first why you'd need to know; but that does not make it either weird, impolite or deserving such a harsh answer. Seriously?

[Dizrythmia]

I thought Steve was just injecting a bit of light hearted humour into the situation. I saw no malice in his comments.

[Gryzor]

I guess I'll chalk this up as an instance of friendliness and casualness being mistaken as rudeness.

[Dizrythmia]

Maybe a possible language & cultural barrier too?

[steve]

Sorry, it was meant as a joke which is why I put a smiley at the end.

[Velktron]

Cutting a rubber band is always a bad idea, but don't underestimate a cheap rubber band. A correct sized rubber band actually works fine, if you can find one. I have a 3in drive (FD-1) that's been running on a rubber band for the last 10+ years. Never bothered swapping it for a real belt, because it works, perfectly.

Bryce.

It depends on how sensitive the device (or listener    ) is to "wow & flutter". For audio use, a rubber band used for the capstan & flywhell, which are supposed to run at a constant, controlled  angular velocity, a W&F figure above 0.1% is considered unacceptable, at least for certain kinds of music (piano becomes indeed too "tremolo" ). For voice or hardcore gabber music, it might still be OK 


For a digital device, it depends on how the data stream timing is derived. If it's derived from zero-crossings of the signal itself (as it's likely to happen in differential-Manchester-encoded media such as floppy disks), then the tolerance for W&F might be quite high (unintuitively, one might think that data would be more delicate than certain "golden ears"    ). In fact, the CPC 3" drives are the only floppy disk drives I know that use belts    All other designs I've seen (even older units), use direct drive spindles with brushless DC/stepper motors.


That being said, there ARE a few cases where you can use a generic rubber band instead of a special black neoprene belt:

• You (or the computer) doesn't care about W&F. It might be the case with the Amstrad CPC too, I don't know.
  
• The belt is used on a component which is not as speed-critical (e.g. counter belt, or takeup spindle).
  
• The deck has a heavy flywheel, large enough to use a wide (at least 4 mm) band.
  

[Bryce]

No, I'd never recommend a rubber band for hifi audio equipment or newer digital equipment, but for a CPC tape drive or disk drive it easily stays within acceptable tolerances.

There were a few other drives that used belts. The NC200 slim 3.5in drive used a belt (which is next to impossible to change = Beating a Mitsumi D353F3 drive into an NC200 ) and some Atari ST drives used a belt too: http://www.videonew.be/sites/default/files/floppy_bad_belt.jpg .

Bryce.