So I got my walkman from a thrift store a while ago and it's an WM-F17. It's playing weird and slow and I've figured out that it probably needs the belt replaced. I've done a lot of research on how to replace a belt and where to buy a new one but my problem is that I can find very little on the model I have. Even on a lot of the websites dedicated to cataloguing walkmen (walkmans? what's the preferred terminology??) it's missing. It's kind of driving me crazy, like I've got a ghost cassette player Anyway, the specific problem I'm having is that I can take off the back pretty easily, but to access the belt to actually change it I need to take off the front piece. I've downloaded the manual and tried to follow the instructions for removing it, but there must be something I'm missing because I've had no luck at all. I have to move the cassette lid shaft? but I absolutely cannot budge the thing. The images in the manual leave a lot to be desired as well. IDK if someone has this model in this forum, since it apparently doesn't exist but maybe someone has a similar model that opens the same way and can give me some advice? I know the one I have can be opened bc I can see that someone's wrapped the belt multiple times around one of the pegs, I'm assuming bc it was already loose and they were trying to tighten it. Unless some models are just strung like that?? I've included the image from the manual that's confusing me, and I can post pics of the actual walkman tomorrow but it's past my bedtime now. I was thinking tonight I'd just open the thing up and figure out what size belt I needed to order but I have ended up spending waaay more time on this than I anticipated .-. Sorry for such a long post! Any help or commiseration would be appreciated
Update!! I've managed to actually find the belt and access it without having to take the front off like I thought I had to, which is good because I have made 0 progress on figuring out how to do that. It is a little fiddly and tricky to put the belt back on, but I've done it a couple times with the old belt now so I'm confident when I get the new one I'll be able to replace it well. The thing I mentioned in my previous post that I THOUGHT was the belt is actually part of tuning the radio, not sure how it works but it's fascinating to watch all the little wheels turn. I'm really hoping that my fiddling around with the insides of the thing isn't damaging it further, I'm being really careful but yknow, stuff happens. I'm really excited to fix it fully and see how it works after!! I'm also looking into how to fix the volume wheel, which is staticky and bad to listen to when you're adjusting the volume. I also think I should clean some of the inside parts that are old tech grimy. I know I can clean out the battery compartment because I've had to do that for a lot of my old furby's in the past, and I'm hoping the same method (a little bit of rubbing alcohol/lemon juice on a qtip) will work on the other grimy parts. I also have pictures! I really love the look of this machine and the tactility of the buttons and everything. I really hope I can fix it up good because I really want a cassette player and I don't want to have to buy another one. The third picture is the grime on the board that I want to clean, if anyone has advice I would love to hear it! Fourth image shows how I have to lift the electronics panel thing to access the belt, fifth is where the belt goes and the sixth is the part that I thought was the belt at first, oops!! Again, if anyone has this or a similar model of walkman I'd genuinely love any advice you have!!
