I have had this Panasonic player quite a few years and always liked it because of its small size. Panasonic achieved this by making it run from one AA battery. There appear to be a whole series of similar Panasonics using the same mechanism A few months ago I tried the tape mechanism for the first time in a year or so and found it was struggling. As streched belt(s) seem to be the most likely cause of the problem I ordered a set from Mihokm. There are no screws in the case, it just clips together. As the tape controls go through it you have to start unclipping from the battery compartment end (with the battery door open). Inside the main PCB is on the top, blocking all access to the mechanism It is held in with just two screws and 5 solder connections connecting a header on the motor board to the PCB These have to be disconnected - I used desolder braid which is great for this type of job, being less likely to damage the tracks than a desolder pump. The board can then be lifted up being careful not to damage the wires near the play head. It was at this point I hit a problem. Mihokm's kit had two short belts while my player had one long one. Contacting Mihokm he was very apologetic, explaining that Panasonic must have changed the design. However, using pictures of the belt I had taken out to judge the size, he would send me a new longer belt in the post. This turned up very quickly and appears to fit but I was too busy to solder the player back together. On Dec 31st I decided I would finish a few repair jobs I had started and got out my tools and soldering Iron. I was impressed to see that they have used a brushless pancake type motor. These were orginally designed for applications like spinning the head on VCRs and disc drives, where speed stability is very important. With the new belt the player is now working properly again Thans again to Mihokm for excellent customer service
