This getting back into cassettes thing is growing… So having sorted the ‘78 Hitachi and been playing with the Sanyo Walkman sized dictaphone/ recorder to prove taping from new school sources, I thought I’d have a look at what else might be lying around the family’s cupboards! Introducing the Trio/Kenwood KX-54 I bought new probably around ‘85 as a young teenager with summer job wages to blow… Now I’m aware it’s nothing special, but it’s here, it’s free and I know it’s not been abused! So far I’ve removed the tape transport, got the belts (or what was left of them) off and cleaned everything up ready for replacement. I bit the bullet and ordered a big bag of belts this time, which should arrive later today. Just hope all these spare belts don’t lead to yet more projects…
Good luck with your project, decks like yours get decent money over here with the new found love of cassette tapes. Don't forget to look over the tape counter belt, sometimes they're tied into the play mech. They always look good but they get hard and slip, causing the deck to shut off. I've never bought the grab-bag of belts, I have a huge box of NOS belts, but I've heard they are hit or miss with sizing.
Well, that’s it all back together and seems to be working well! Strangely, it was a lot more fiddly than the old boombox I did first time round. Four belts replaced - two definitely the correct length, two ‘best guesses’. A drop of sewing machine oil on the bearings and a tiny smear of fresh white grease where required. So now I can give these ‘new to me’ cassettes I procured a ff/rw before I find out what (if anything) is recorded on them!
