Let's Fix: Sony F1 Cassette Walkman

[@brianpatrickofficial]

Hello! I’m 14 and I love vintage stuff. I just ordered a WM-F46 recording Walkman which also has an AM/FM radio, and it’s a 1983 model. I love the 80s and I have always wanted a Walkman. I’m so excited!! Very cool video man!

[@TheRetroFuture]

Amazing condition!

[@seanptaco]

I just bought the same model and the person says it's "working/perfect" thankyou for this video. Now I'm prepared somewhat incase the device comes and he was lying. EDIT: he wasn't lying ! It works! I love it!

[@modo5128]

How many have you payed for it? Its €70,- to much for a defect WM-F1?

[@seanptaco]

@@modo5128 i payed 150 for mine. all working.

[@dmj-ju9zx]

The idler is no ordinary idler. They made it metal and heavy so that it would work as a counter-rotating flywheel to help maintain a steady playback speed while moving.

[@kristinalarson1278]

I remember whenever my Walkman would run out of batteries while playing cassettes it would sound like someone with a severe flatulence problem. It was quite hilarious in my 10/11-year-old-mind, LOL.

[@sjm4306]

I would wear cargo pants and have one side pocket for my walkman and the other for spare tapes and batteries. Then I got a discman, then a minidisc player, then an ipod, then a smart phone. I love the convenience of modern devices but will always love physical media.

[@brianpatrickofficial]

I’m 14 and getting a Walkman soon, but for now I have a Panasonic RQ-345 recording cassette player and when it runs out of batteries it slows down and I freak out lmao

[@sjm4306]

Lol, the portable cassette player I used when I was a kid had a speed adjustment wheel that I used to play with to make my music sound like mickey mouse or a demon.

[@brianpatrickofficial]

sjm4306 ahaha that’s awesome! I think the Walkman I’m getting tomorrow has a speed adjustment switch

[@finbah5706]

nice fix video. you should put in the title 'belt replacement cassette player" so others with same problem can easily find it. rather then generic titles.

[@ronmorck9770]

Do you have a video on the placement of the fast forward idler arm as I need to know where to put the spring.

[@sjm4306]

I had the exact same problem. I remember it having to hook to a nearby vertical bit of metal bent up from the midframe. I really wish I still had this unit to shoot you a clear video/pic but it went back to the owner shortly after I finished working on it.

[@ourinternetus]

Thank you for the help works great now. Biggest thing is don't let the idler wheel come off or up or the rubber wheel mechanisms behind it will pop out and its very hard to put back. Also the belt has to be absolutely straight with no twists even the slightest twist in the best you will get a wobble sound like the video stated. Thank you again!

[@sjm4306]

I've totally never removed the flywheel and accidentally let the spring and metal bracket ping off, had to spend 10 minutes finding them and another 10 minutes fiddling with tweezers to get everything put back correctly ... nope not me lol!

[@MarcoMazziniYT]

I have in my humble Collection the TCM-3 Cassette-Corder, which is the recorder version of your Walkman. It lacks the FM radio, but it has a tape counter on the front, and on the back instead of the belt clip there is a speaker. Fun thing is that it had the exact same issue of yours, so I'm guessing it's a common fault.

[@sjm4306]

Yep, drop in a new belt and she'll be as good as new

[@grecofabulous]

Hey great vid. I just grabbed a WM-8 at a thrift shop and none of the spindles move when I press the buttons. Battery light, lights up though. Any thoughts on what I should be looking at? I'm assuming even if belts were loose something would be moving.

[@sjm4306]

That would be the belt, luckily replacing it is usually pretty cheap and easy (a quick google search will net you some sellers who still make replacements). Most of the time I've found that on older units that haven't been serviced the belt doesn't just stretch, but either actually melts into a gooey mess or snaps completely. It's quite often that if you hear the motor spinning that one of these two scenarios is the case.

[@grecofabulous]

@@sjm4306 Thanks for the super quick response. Yeah I opened it up last night. I see the belts, but I don't actually hear anything when I press play/ff/rew so that's why I'm wondering if it might be something else. But I can start with belts if you think that's the right path.

[@grecofabulous]

oh to clarify, when i say "i don't hear anything" i mean i don't hear any mechanisms moving in the walkman itself

[@sjm4306]

Does the motor spin? That's the important detail. If not then there's something else wrong with the circuit/motor, if it does then it likely just needs a new belt and possibly a bit of cleaning. Can you press play and manually spin the motor or is it stuck/difficult to spin?

[@grecofabulous]

@@sjm4306 I don't believe the motor spins, but I will double check when I get home today. Thanks!

[@lumpyfuture1887]

I'm kind of 4 years late but I wanna ask something, I recently got a perfectly working WM-F1 with the lanyard and I'm wondering how can you remove the lanyard or is it even possible to remove it?

[@sjm4306]

I'm pretty sure you can remove it once you disassemble part of the case. I'd reference the service manual for instructions to get to the point where you have access to what's fastening the lanyard to the enclosure. Sorry I cant give exact instructions, I personally don't own this model (the one in this video was a repair for a customer so I no longer have it to check).

[@cesar122111]

the offspring cassette makes another appearance

[@amalikka6577]

Hey i got the other version of yours (tcm-3) but mine seems got a short circuit and cant turn on anymore, do you know how i can fix it?

[@sjm4306]

Hunt down the short using a multimeter to measure the reisitance on the power rail. Once you find the failed component, remove and replace it.

[@jordanh.2912]

I was looking at my Walkman, which has the same problem, and as I was putting it back together I noticed a black torsion spring where I was working and didn’t know if it was from the Walkman or maybe it was from something else. If it was from the Walkman do you know the location that it goes? I have the PP227. Thank you.

[@JerryWasARaceCarDriver]

You replaced main drive belt, but does the F1 have a second belt under the circuit board? If so, how to lift board seems difficult. I want to do this.

[@deylinjaypimentele.85]

Mind if anything can give me a link to some walkman belt kits? I also need it to go in and fix a Sony Walkman WM-F1. I don’t have anywhere else to go and get some support so that is why I’m here.

[@sjm4306]

You can get a multi-belt kit here: ebay.to/2Ni13vg However just be aware that some belts in these cheap kits will be duds and many have pretty bad wow and flutter. If you want a set of belts made custom and much better quality for your specific model you can get them here (I've bought from this seller in the past and can confirm the quality is much better than the cheap ones above): ebay.to/2NeldWW

[@dernuntius679]

The Walkman is in very good condition.

[@rat-in-a-suit]

Do you know exactly what belt it needs to be replaced with? Ive bought one that plays 'wobbly' and almost sounds like its under water (i knew there were problens with it when i bought it) and i believe the problem is the belt as its very loose

[@sjm4306]

Last I checked there was a seller on ebay who cut custom belts for many different walkman models. Search the model number and "replacement belt"

[@rat-in-a-suit]

@@sjm4306 thank you :)

[@shariibean1258]

I was replacing the belts in my wm-f1 and now the door won't close. I was wondering if you know how to fit that.

[@xvelliseraptor]

Hello! Do you do send in repairs? In that case, what price?

[@sjm4306]

I occasionally accept repair jobs on a case by case basis depending on my schedule. Price will directly depend on what the fault is and of course if any replacement parts need to be purchased.

[@ifyouleavenow5960]

Hey there! I know its like, a year later, but im I've been super interested in walkmans since I was like 13, and so far I've got like 7! (Mix of micro and normal) just today, I found the other variant of this one, the wm 1. It doesn't work at all, and I wanna know how to fix it:((( when I opened it up the batteries had blown up so I was hoping that by cleaning that up, I'd get it to work, but nothing. The belt looks decent too. It'd be great if you could help me out!

[@nathalie5676]

I have the same sony walkman f1 and mine works but it plays wobbly and just sounds off, I was wondering how much do you charge to repair it?

[@NeoGeo0133]

I bought one from EBay last year in February! The belt change isn't too bad! Just a few screws and just pop on a new belt! I would love to repair yours, I've repaired mine! :)

[@sjm4306]

Like elitebutters said it's not difficult, but if you would like me to do it I'd charge $30 if all it needs is a new belt.

[@NeoGeo0133]

@@sjm4306 Ahh a competitor enters the ring!! I'll let you fix his Walkman if he responds!! (I have my hands full trying to repair a cassette deck lol)

[@vincen4943]

beautiful machine!

[@Luke-san]

A 1983 walkman. 36 years old. ... damn now I am getting old. Btw I did try that trick to get the belts on my 1986 Technics RS-B49R soft again, but that was a no go. You could see that the belt was left in the same position for a long time as it would keep that form. In my quest to get the proper belts I found a lot of the belts like you have in a package but no flat belts. Why o why? Since I didn't find the correct length etc I had to buy an online kit that cost me an arm and a leg, meaning highly overpriced because they seem to know that you can't find the proper information.

[@sjm4306]

I've heard of people 3d printing custom belts using flexible filament and I'd like to try that but would worry that any tiny inaccuracy would result in very noticeable wobble.

[@owencrawford8416]

great vid dude

[@robertc5324]

Hello, looking for help in fixing the same Walkman. I’ve followed your instructions and yet the cassette plays very slow. How can I contact you?

[@aspinthereddragon9302]

i have a Sharp JC126 AM/FM stereo cassete player and the audio is distorted and slow and could a belt be the cause?

[@sjm4306]

Very much likely. Does the am/fm audio sound distorted as well (this could point to bad caps as well).

[@aspinthereddragon9302]

@@sjm4306 no it doesn't only the cassette player

[@sjm4306]

Yep, then sounds like you just need a new belt.

[@aspinthereddragon9302]

@@sjm4306 in fact yea there's something wrong with the radio, like sometimes it doesn't want to work and if you plug headphones in you can hear static but its muffled and can't get a station but sometimes the radio works

[@Fairiris1]

I have the same Walkman F-1 and I need help/repair badly. I tried calling several repair stores near me and none of them know a things about to to fix these. Mines in great condition and got if off eBay for $200. It’s been working well since I’ve got it months ago but now it’s going downhill. I tried just about everything I can and I feel like I’m either not doing it right or missing something. Can you help me please? I’m not sure how to get ahold of you personally

[@sjm4306]

Shoot me an email at sjm4306@gmail dot com (youtube sometimes deletes my own comments if I write out emails or urls correctly).

[@akshaydsilva3646]

My unit's headphone jack doesnt work. When i fully plug it in only side of the headphones work, when i try to adjust there's alot of distortion sounds. What can i do?

[@sjm4306]

Sounds like the jack contacts are either dirty (a qtip with isopropyl alcohol can be carefully inserted to clean) or the soldering on the jack's pcb pins need to be reflowed.

[@godzilla1315]

Hello, I was wondering I changed my belt on my f1 walkman and before I changed it the cassette motor works and the radio as well now after I took it off and replaced the belt I put new batteries in now the radio of the f1 won't turn on no red lights and now the motors won't turn and ideas how to fix

[@sjm4306]

Did you move any wires during the process? Sounds like there's just no power so I'd first check the soldering on any wiring inside and then inspect the battery terminal connections.

[@godzilla1315]

@sjm4306 yeah no wires were moved, all I did was take off the back and un screw the belt block on top of the rollers to add the new belt, no corrosion in the battery compartment

[@godzilla1315]

@sjm4306 one more thing, do you need to lubricate the new belts, before I play music on it and what is the best product and brand for lubricating belts and or oil

[@sjm4306]

Never lubricate belts, they need friction to work much in the same way that tires need to grip the road for a car to drive.

[@godzilla1315]

@@sjm4306 ok thanks

[@fedelinodimaya5397]

I bought the same model Walkman and I opened it and the speed dial was moved so I was wondering if you could tell me which was the speed dial was on yours

[@sjm4306]

I've sent the Walkman back to the owner so I unfortunately cant check. Also your walkman and this one were likely manufactured at different times and with variances in mechanical qualities so the calibration would be different as well. If you have calibrated/correctly working tape recorder you can record a known frequency tone onto a tape and play that back on the walkman requiring speed calibration so that you can tweak the dial till it sounds correct.

[@JerryWasARaceCarDriver]

I opened mine and didn't notice a speed dial. Where the heck is it?

[@heckinkek1644]

anyone who fixed this know what size band you need to purchase or what set of bands would be good? I've got one that needs a band replacement

[@808zhu]

That thing is huge.

[@sjm4306]

I remember lugging around similarly sized players when I was a teen. I usually wore cargo pants and one pocket held the player and the other spare tapes and batteries. Definitely dont miss that part.

[@808zhu]

@@sjm4306 Haha... I was in that spot too at some point. But it was high school with a discman and folder full of heavy metal CDs. What's the best model of Sony Walkman? I have my eye on a WM-F18.

[@sjm4306]

The best cassette walkman would have to be the dd quartz series but those go for silly amounts of money.

[@808zhu]

@@sjm4306 Right on. Beltless? I'm looking to enter the tech on a budget. $50 would be good. 😁 Waiting for a nice lot that needs a simple belt replacement. How you doing? All better now?

[@sjm4306]

Yep almost 100%, thanks for asking!

[@PEISFARTCOOKMONKEY]

My Walkman seems to have everything working but I still can’t get the cassette to play on it. I think it might need a new belt i don’t know tho any a ideas ?

[@sjm4306]

If you open the cassette door and press play does the spindle move? If you apply pressure with your finger does it still move or start slipping?

[@PEISFARTCOOKMONKEY]

sjm4306 it moves but when I just put a little pressure it go’s the other way

[@sjm4306]

If you open her up it and inspect the belt you can see if it is too loose. Another common problem is for rubber frictions edge drive mechanisms they get dirty and start slipping so giving any rubber parts a good inspection/clean is a good start.

[@PEISFARTCOOKMONKEY]

sjm4306 sounds good thank you very much

[@lei3230]

are you still willing to do repairs? the eBay link in the description doesn't seem to work

[@sjm4306]

I take repairs on a case by case basis depending on my schedule and the request, shoot me an email at [e-mail]

[@1walkgirl]

Neat, a 1mm square belt is needed, your belt seems to thick

[@KITT171]

Hi, I was wondering if maybe you might be willing, if I paid you, also don't know how much, if you could fix this Walkman WM-1 I just got? It's beyond me frankly, I just don't know. I mean I know it needs a new belt, that was a given I expected, and it does I can handle that, only has one as it is. However, the real issue is I don't know if that will fix the FF and REW not working, you can hear the motor making noise so maybe it is the loose belt. The more concerning thing and the real reason I'm motivated, in desperation honestly to reach out is BOTH headphone jacks, even with cleaning the ports still only make sound come out of one side of the headphones. This has trapped me with some other things in the past, usually just twisting the jack for the headphone around solves it, not this. I didn't expect this was going to be a issue with it, I don't even know what to do and I have tried looking around in general, YT, the internet outside of it, I can't find anything. The eject, also doesn't pop the door out but sometimes it seems it does, I can live with pulling it with my fingers out, shouldn't be that way either of course but it doesn't cause actual problems. I don't know if you will even see this but, please if willing let me know and maybe an email I can talk to you about it more in? I wish I could say I have anyone else I know that could help but, I don't sadly and I'd be very grateful to you trust me, even if it will cost me more on top of what it did cost. Thank you.

[@sjm4306]

Hey, sorry for the late reply, I get a lot of comments and it takes awhile to go through them all. Yeah, it definitely needs a new belt and as for the headphone jack issue it could be the volume pot or maybe the caps near the amp, hard to tell without testing it. I'm pretty bogged down atm so I've put a hold on taking new projects till I finish my current batch.

[@KITT171]

@@sjm4306 That's fine, things have changed since but still thanks.

[@omarsuasin]

How much this walkman if your going to sell it?

[@sjm4306]

This isn't my walkman, it was a customer's who paid me to fix it. I sent it back to them shortly after I fixed it and posted this video.

[@davidcorelli556]

@@sjm4306 Can you fix my WM1? It eats tapes and the eject button doesn't work.

[@blackham7]

Couldn't have Sony used better materials/mechanical when they built the Walkmans so that it lasted indefinitely. I have a TCS 310 but the plastic assembly at the bottom that moves the wheels and stuff is breaking and forming cracks ;(

[@sjm4306]

That stinks, yeah their low end plastic mechanisms leave a lot to be desired and as you said tend to go very brittle as they age. On the other hand I have a WM-3 from the 80s with mostly metal construction that still works perfectly to this day (only requiring a belt change of course).

[@jameshughes1574]

All need to go on eBay to FixYourAudio.com, out of Slovakia, they have the best quality belts built to oem specs, takes a while to arrive but you will not be disappointed, got my Walkman running like new again. Those Chinese multi pack belts are not even all way around and will cause wobble in sounds.

[@sjm4306]

I've bought from them before, great resource for hard to find walkman belts, pinch roller rubber wheels, etc. Not the cheapest but the best you can get nowadays.

[@jameshughes1574]

Correct I see it as you get what you pay for, great service and a long lasting product though.

[@cleverkitsune4302]

Takes forever to arrive and they still arent a good fit.. Takes close to 2 months to arrive

[@mr.whiskers6273]

Can you maby make a photo or video of the door mechanism

[@sjm4306]

Sorry I no longer have this unit as it was a repair for a customer.

[@mr.whiskers6273]

@@sjm4306 ah oké, the door of my Walkman was broken so that's why I asked. but I fixed the door with a spring from a pen

[@sjm4306]

I love creative fixes like this!

[@hwntwww]

How to add a line out to a Walkman? To plug into a hifi system

[@sjm4306]

Best to simply use the headphone jack, turn off any eq like bass boost, and turn the volume up a bit.

[@AQMusic97]

1:37 Minecraft door sound?

[@nextlevelgamez9243]

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