Sony TCS-430 motor damper thingy (flexible filament)

thingiverse

My Sony TCS-430 Cassette-corder had a bit of a problem, it plays fine with almost no wow and flutter, but when you move it around rapidly or click the buttons a lot, the belt sometimes would shift into a twisted position (so that the part going around the motor pulley is rotated 90° cross-sectionwise compared to the part going around the capstan pulley/flywheel), after which wow and flutter go way up into horrible. And the belt is the right length, because I got a new one from DeckTech and it otherwise works fine, whereas a slightly shorter one from a bag of assorted belts from China makes the wow and flutter worse. So I turned to the next rubber thing around, being the rubbery motor damper which is sticky to the touch and suspiciously soft (which can indicate that it doesn't hold the motor in place well enough), and I recreated that from TPU based on the dimensions of rigid parts (pulleys, chassis, motor) more than the deteriorated piece of rubber. After replacing it I'm not sure if wow and flutter is better or worse as there isn't much but still some and I do not have the equipment to measure it, but the belt doesn't get twisted after bumping the machine, or at least it hasn't yet. If you choose to replace that, do it at your own risk, level the bed really well. Then print a few and pick the best looking one, and DO NOT lose the spring that is between the motor and the chassis. It grounds the motor, and you will hear the buzz from the motor if that spring is absent or requires a bit of wiggling to get a better contact.