AKAI Reel to Reel Cams

thingiverse

These are replacement cams for Akai reel to reel tape recorders. These were designed for an X-1800SD but should fit many other Akai and Roberts reel to reel recorders made from the 1960s until the 1980s. These Akai tape recorders have a very high incidence of the pot metal cams crumbling to pieces making the machine inoperable. These 3D printed cams are a good replacement to get these otherwise good machines running again. The printed cams should have a tight friction fit on the control lever shafts, but you can also tap the set screw holes if desired and use the original broken cam set screws to hold the new cams in place. I recommend printing out of a durable material like PETG at high infill (I used 90%) for maximum durability. I also printed these with a 0.1mm layer height.