Smallest Sony Walkman made

[@echohunter4199]

I graduated high school in 1983 and I bought a cheaper, larger Walkman. The quality players like the ones in this video were way out of reach for a dumb kid, when a Walkman costs around $300, that’s well over half of my paycheck. I keep my eyes open for one of these more micro walkmans but I usually find the cheaper ones but I did luck out and find a top shelf player but it uses a long, rectangular battery so I haven’t tried it yet, had it for 12 years now, paid $5 at a flea market. Thanks for posting this video, great help.

[@MrPitatom]

I repaired a Sony WM-F701C walkman a couple of years ago. I bought the belt for it on eBay. There are sellers reproducing the belts for these walkmans, and they're very good.

[@nathancassius9484]

Instablaster...

[@FaSMaN]

eBay has belts for all three there is a nice community keeping these walkmans alive and they sell the parts on eBay :)

[@racecar_spelled_backwards868]

Ebay is the place to find those! IIRC they are sold by a guy in Europe. Techmoan got some for his vintage Walkmans (Walkmen?) this way.

[@adityamody8942]

I need the belt

[@therestorationofdrwho1865]

Would like to get one first lmao. Not easy now.

[@professorvoluck9311]

I have a mint WM-F10ii in black(not silver), rare, and I had no idea they were worth so much money until I checked EBay. I was even more shocked when I listened to the sound of the Walkman. It’s amazing even by today’s standards.

[@eman59461]

Just so u know this is one of my favorite videos from you. I love how you explained the working of That type of motor. I had a Panasonic shockwave tape player the thing took 1 AA battery that last forever and had all logic controls the headphones had a vibrating device for bass. IT was so cool.

[@logan317b]

I have one of the Walkmans from the Ex Series, the WM-655, and it's crazy how small they managed to make them with so many features.

[@Bluethunderboom]

I got my Sony WM-F18/28 from 1985 and the belt is not failing me yet and the radio is fully functional.

[@therealjammit]

In a pinch I've used "O" ring gaskets originally made for water pipes from the hardware store as replacements for drive belts. For absolute desperation do a Google search for "o ring cord" and "o ring splicing kit" and make your own.

[@awesomewav2419]

Jammit Timmaj good idea

[@litzdog911]

Great video! I'll have to dig up my old Sony Walkman and see if it still works. I did find that belts are readily available and cheap on Amazon, eBay, etc.

[@quinorodriguez3827]

I have a WM-F30. It's very similar to your F10. It turns on but it needs a belt replacement and some cleaning. It can turn on without a headphone jack plugged in. However FM works best when it's in expanded shape, but only the left channel is audible. The right channel is super low on volume. Both channels low on volume in compact mode and the volume knob doesn't affect the volume when compact. Help! Maybe you can tell me where to look and clean in this tiny contraption

[@MultiWirth]

Actually i think the hall sensors are only for a speed feedback control since this has a regulation circuit inside. You can make a brushless DC motor spin by just starting with whatever phase and create a moving field, the stator will eventually "snap in" and then it´s following the field.

[@12voltvids]

generally they have 2 hall sensors to report the phase and direction and an FG to control the speed.

[@sjm4306]

I was pricing these compact walkman's? ... walkmen? anyway about a year or two ago and they were ridiculous so I can imagine things are even more expensive now. Beautiful designs and very interesting in the way they were engineered.

[@AnOfficialAndrewFloyd]

sjm4306 *walkmans - no apostrophe

[@sjm4306]

A Floyd lol

[@12voltvids]

Oh no, it's the grammar police

[@12voltvids]

Yes ridiculous is right, but if some "sucker" offers me enough I will part with mine.

[@sjm4306]

12voltvids Lol yeah no one will complain if someone wants to throw money at them. I have a few pieces in my collection that I know will be worth a pretty penny that I am holding on to waiting for the "right" buyer as well.

[@bobsoft]

I remember having those in the 80s. The last one I had was the yellow Sports Walkman (waterproof)

[@AIexanderHartdegen]

Hello 12voltvids how much did these walkman cost when there was brand new in you country? Thanks

[@12voltvids]

Alexander Hartdegen They were not cheap. Probably close to 200.00

[@AIexanderHartdegen]

thank you

[@davidlegault9745]

A walk down memory lane for sure. Thanks again. Regards, Dave

[@kellycasey5442]

Great video! Inspired me to get my WM-F100 out and see... Sure enough the belt was goo. I mean GOO. It ended up as a few dark smudges on a rag! DeckTech in the UK has perfect replacement belts... After belt replacement and charging up the flat battery, we have a fully functional unit. I have all of the accessories - flat battery (plus two new batteries) spare flat battery holder, AA battery holder, carrying case, manual, warranty card. I bought it new in 1986... The only thing that hasn't survived is the folding headphones. I was hoping it was just a broken wire, but one of the drivers failed internally - irreparable... Not for sale - but wonder what the value is???

[@scharkalvin]

There was also a model with an FM only radio. I had one of those.

[@12voltvids]

Yes and one with an AM stereo FM stereo radio. I have one of those, but those were not really a walkman. A walkman had a cassette and a discman had a CD. Of course today you would never call a product a "walkman" Would have to be a "walkperson" Can't say man anymore, just like they want to change the Canadian national anthum to take the phrase "all our "sons" command and change it to "all or our command" What a fuc*ed up world we line in today.

[@JOB1925pk]

March 2024...I remove the back off my WM-F100II and WM-F100III both belts are goo...took me an hour to clean up everything...ordered two belts, can't wait to see if I can get these things up and running...both are in mint cosmetic condition and the radio's are both working...paid $5 each at an auction...thanks for the video!

[@AmyAndThePup]

This was super cool. I can't believe they made such small walkmans! I'm wanting a tape recorder with built-in stereo mics. I found a forum where someone listed some, and the best-looking one was the WM-F707. The only problem is, all the ones on eBay are parts only, or waaay outside my budget--$500, $600. If any of you have ideas, I'm all ears.

[@12voltvids]

Not worth it. Wouldn't pay more than 25 bucks myself.

[@jeffreyhickman3871]

That was GREAT 😊 TECH!! I remember these from my high school 🏫 days. This Walkman is now vintage. Just don’t order too many drive belts at one ☝️ time. You’d get the chance to use a couple of them, but the rest of them will turn into mush. Your friend, Jeff.

[@12voltvids]

I don't use tape period. Should sell this crap to folks with more money than brains.

[@stevenmann9769]

I bought a WM F100 as a parts machine for my WM F103. Interestingly the radio faceplate had also come off the F100. Although they are same dimensionally, the battery compartments are not directly compatible. The problem with my F103 is that the middle pulley is missing the brass weight... How would that ever go missing?? I believe that may be causing a persistent wow & flutter issue since I got it, although pinch rollers could also be an issue. It is weird since the F103 is otherwise in PERFECT cosmetic condition. Not a scratch or dent. I found a new belt too. It is a lovely piece of mechanical engineering.

[@frozenpotato5962]

my f103 also is missing the brass weight, so I'm not sure if they even had it from the factory.

[@stevenmann9769]

@@frozenpotato5962 actually, I don’t think they did. I bit surprising but there you are. It’s odd that Sony would make seemingly useless changes…

[@infinitecanadian]

Why would someone give you a thumbs down for putting a rubber band in? Belts are essentially just rubber bands.

[@12voltvids]

Don't try to figure it out. Not worth even worth mentioning. These loosers get their jollies out of it so let them have their fun. Notice I don't respond. I sometimes make a joke about doing something that the trolls won't like, such as using solder braid or pronouncing it correctly as solder and not the us way soder or Chinese way sorder. Nope I pronounce it correct and it drives them crazy. I know this because the same people lecture me about it in comments and I delete their posts which pissed them off more.

[@infinitecanadian]

@@12voltvids I pronounce it the way the British pronounce it, myself.

[@djijspeakerguy4628]

I put rubber bands in an old Aiwa all in one mini hifi system’s tape deck as the drive belts, and it caused serious flutter issues, enough to be unusable. I put cheap china drive belts in that unit to replace the rubber bands. (The original belts were just as cheap and started loosening up and slipping, so I didn’t care.)

[@infinitecanadian]

Do you know about that CD player that is actually smaller than a CD? The CD spins outside the disk. I fail to see the point, because surely it would catch on things.

[@12voltvids]

I worked for 20 years at a Sony dealer. I know everything that Sony made. They had a record player too that was vertical and the record played vertically sticking out. The disc man you are thinking about was for the 3" CD singles. If you played a normal CD it stuck out. Dumb design. They also had a mini dat deck that used postage stamp size cassette and another smaller video format called micro mv. Used a 4mm tape.

[@infinitecanadian]

@@12voltvids Oh, they make several record players like that. I think they have a couple made today like that (Techmoan has one). Postage stamp size cassette? Wow.

[@12voltvids]

@@infinitecanadian Techmoan found one. It is vintage. Sony didn't make them long. I scrapped several over the years.

[@infinitecanadian]

@@12voltvids Oh; I thought someone still made them.

[@philipchurch6327]

One used to be able to buy kits to make up belts with super glue to join the cut ends, not sure if they still sell them.

[@adityamody8942]

Do you have the folding ones. I have those too but they don’t work now

[@NakamoriAra]

Mostly commenting out of curiosity but I have a Wm-10 that I’ve been looking to repair. Brand new belt in it, but it has another issue with it. Upon pressing play it will begin to play, unfortunately about a second later it will release the play button, and stop. I’m definitely no expert but it seems it may be a tolerance issue to me. It might have just been played to death! I’d definitely appreciate a reply if you have anything to share.

[@12voltvids]

Auto stop mechanism worn out.

[@bouncybobcat5064]

How long does it tend to take a belt to go from working (not necessarily well) to goo? I put some new belts on an old Aiwa deck last year and it would be interesting to know how long ago it might have been last used. It was great fun cleaning up the mess inside that. With lots of kitchen roll and alcohol it eventually cleaned up nicely but I was still finding the occasional black blob for a while afterwards.

[@shaun5427]

We need a 3D printer to make rubber belts that's what we want

[@HDXFH]

I actually picked up a heap of belts from an electronics superstore in Taiwan

[@StefanMcSleaze]

Hey nice to see another guy having this amazing walkman!! Sadly i didnt find a real quality belt since now, they all lasts only few month and loosing strength over the time. Do you have an adress to get quality belts for it, so i would like to use and enjoy my WM20 in future?? Greetz from germany ;)

[@andicrooz2662]

How size rubber for this?

[@stevebrauch8327]

Amazon and ebay both show belts for these models and Amazon says it's a lifetime belt, for what that is worth. Nice video

[@stevenmann9769]

I have the WM F103 which is a slight redesign of the 100 from '88. Damn small!!

[@crow33215]

The black Walkman you have, do you know what the Erase Levers truly do? As the name implies do they just erase tapes? I feel mine is accidentally engaging and erasing my cassettes

[@AnOfficialAndrewFloyd]

A shame these used belts at all. They really needed to test the belt materials for longevity. I hope there's a Part 2 of replacement belts being installed.

[@12voltvids]

If I get around to ordering some, yes there will be a part 2. Now that I know the electronics works on them and all they need is a new belt.

[@therestorationofdrwho1865]

I want one.

[@kgsalvage6306]

I found another Sony item you might want to make a repair video of. I'd like to ship it to you. How can I do that?

[@kgsalvage6306]

Not interested in free items for a repair video ?

[@HDXFH]

Will that walkman stowaway in a cassette drawer?, neat

[@reeseyme9613]

will rubber bands work even if it doesn't last?

[@age_of_reason]

A rubber band will work but the Walkman will not play the tape at the correct speed and consistency. I just fixed a Sony Walkman put a regular rubber band in place if the worn belt and it plays but doesn't sound good. I will be ordering a new belt.

[@adityamody8942]

I have the wf100 , my belt is bad but it’s pristine condition and have a flat cell and AA cell holder.

[@patricknicolucci5073]

I checked ebay USA they have they are available

[@woofaki5550]

The last one looks so much like an Aiwa....

[@jacktheripper6716]

Used to have a Aiwa Walkman LX200 Green good little unit.

[@haggy38]

There’s a guy on Ebay, he sell very good quality belts, same size, he's from Slovakia

[@exasperated]

Yep. I've just started messing with personal stereos (and Walkmans), and tried the pack of 100 ill fitting chunky cheapy ebay belts. They'll make stuff turn where stuff had ceased to turn, but they're awful. My guess is they load the motor too much, but whatever the reason they're just useless. Bought one of the Slovakian belts (and a UK one, which looked identical to me) for an EX654 (which I made one of my typically tedious fix KZbins on - To be uploaded eventually) and... Spoilers - vastly better. In fact on the cheapy belt it spun things but was completely unlistenable. Found the links. Slovakian, takes a while longer (for me, UK bsed), but a little cheaper: www.ebay.co.uk/str/Walkman-Belts?_trksid=p2047675.l2563 UK, quicker (for me), but a few pence more expensive: www.ebaystores.co.uk/Mana-Tree-Replacement-Parts

[@mitch19636]

well done mate, well appreciated.

[@kgsalvage6306]

Why did Sony make so many different discman.? I have an ESP end was looking on EBay. Everyone was different.

[@ReganMarcelis]

What type of watch are you wearing and why, sentimental or very well made? I thought this was a NViDIA GPU from the thumb nail at first. I thought you were ready for the channel to EXPLODE. Get some computer parts in there, especially GPU's and give them away, it'll work. Trim the videos down a bit to and save the longer stuff for Live Streaming.... Just my "TwoCents" maybe Check out JayzTwoCents" videos.... He made it!... BTW: I'd love to see a video on some old "obtainable electronic stuff" that is made extremely well but nobody would usually be any the wiser. Usually that is stuff from Taiwan? ...Wonder why,...

[@sunnysun9887]

very good video , I may fix my . thx !

[@lnzdbr]

Does anyone know the belt length of the wm-102?

[@larslande]

I believe SONY WM-EX80 is the smallest ever made. This one is bigger due to the tall buttons, also the depth is hight due to the standard AA battery...

[@vk3hau]

Good channel, loving the content.

[@RETROGAMER56195]

I got a get a broken one for ressanol price for my tpsl2 Walkman build

[@kgsalvage6306]

I came across a sony fx-510 camcorder yesterday at a thrift shop. I almost got it just to send to you.

[@tacofortgens3471]

Those are well build walkmans actually metal pullies

[@futz48]

Do you shop KP Components (kpcomponents.co/ ) in Surrey for belts? I got a couple belts for my old Realistic SCT-33 cassette deck (old ones melted to goo) from them. Good prices and good inventory - very reasonable shipping costs and fairly quick service. No idea if they have Walkman belts - probably not.

[@kyoudaiken]

Why does rubber do that? Why didn't they have better materials?

[@lloydparks4974]

Awesome video ! ahhhhh......you should sell these to Lloyd :) lol

[@glenngoodale1709]

Thank You!

[@RobertKohut]

Interesting!! Amazing how a device that plays a tape is the same size as the tape!!....LOL

[@POIROT2070]

Contact Techmoan maybe he knows how to get belt for this old cool things

[@catsbyondrepair]

Sony still makes Walkmans

[@Ax3lN3ri]

there are alot of belts on line on ebay for each of the models and also on line you can fin it ..... also really cheap

[@joeldecker313]

here is the belt for this wm-100

[@Synthematix]

The many ways that manufacturers managed to make a piece of plastic spin is unreal, cassettes were never even intended to have music on them in the first place only as a cheap dictation machine, cassettes are a finicky media to deal with to say the least and you just cant get a happy medium with them, they degrade to shit and the smallest of magnetic fields destroys recordings completely. They were fun at the time but in 2018? ffs ive put all my tape stuff on ebay for the nerds and people claiming theyre better than a cd lol. Dont get me wrong in the 80s ive owned hell of a lot of tape recorders but thats because i had no option, cds recorders werent even a glint in the eye at the time.

[@12voltvids]

The guys that knew me when I was in broadcast would remember what I called cassettes. "Tacky little plastic things" As far as tape goes, I have always been open reel, and DAT. Cassette was only good for walkman, and in car use before CD came along. The sound was never great. Of course I am not a vinyl fan either. Couldn't wait for CD. I collect these things not to use them, but just from a collectors perspective they are kind of cool, just like the old micro size camcorders that used tape. An old CRT monitor as a display is just cool because of the heritage behind it, not because it is better. Same with plasma TV. Just something cool about how it works compared to modern stuff.

[@Synthematix]

Plasma now youre talking, id take a pioneer plasma set over anything today, i fucking hate OLED its piss poor and suffers burn in the worst out of any screen technology, i love phosfur displays mate a real big fan of good plasma sets, the colour even on a 720p panel will beat any 1080p lcd by a country mile, they look beautiful.

[@ifyouleavenow5960]

Synthematix do you still have your cassette players?

[@12voltvids]

I agree 100%. The Pioneer plasma sets were beautiful, and after Pioneer exited, they sold off the Technology to Panasonic. I have a 2008 TH42PZ800 Panasonic. A THX certified set that used the Kuro technology. It was given to me by a little old lady that was moved to a care facility, and the cable box they provided her was only SD. So she though the picture was bad and bought a new set and gave me her old one. It has a beautiful picture, the best I have seen. It is a spare to be put in service some day. I currently use a Panasonic plasma as my edit bay monitor, but not the same caliber as the PZ800 set. That one is an a league by itself. The OLED sets do look good, but the burn in issue is a problem. I have 10 plasma sets that are in working condition, and 2 broken ones I need to fix. Even my 480p ED plasma has a picture that is better than many LED/LCD sets. 2 of my screens have a bad panel though. One has a green vertical line and the other a red. They get used for video games only, and ne might get used as my advertising sign.

[@finbah5706]

westcoastresale on ebay makes thee belts, just measure it and give it to them. All are meant for cassette players and walkmans. they claim they have EVERY elt for EVERY cassette player ever made.

[@nicholasserio4031]

No thumbs down from me - using that rubber band from what I understand is just a try - but getting the right belt in repairing walkmans is hard.

[@eman59461]

Today's things are much harder to repair than Them old school tape players.

[@12voltvids]

Unti you have to change the motor drive IC mounted on a flexable PC board with componets mounted on both sides, so if you heat it up on a rework station the parts on the back side fall off.

[@eman59461]

Oh wow i would just use leaded solder on all the pins together and use the soldering iron to heat up all bridged pins similar to how i do USB ports when i cant use heat. it takes longer but i think its better than having stuff fall off the board.

[@HamtaroEL]

WM-F101 > WM-F30 > WM-20

[@HDXFH]

Sooo tiny

[@IamWhoIam2023]

Definitely not the smallest ones from Sony I remember having slim ones back in late 90s

[@12voltvids]

Sorry I disageee. I have worked on them all. The wm10 when closed is the size of a cassette clamshell case. The cassette compartment has to be pulled open to load the tape as it is smaller than the tape. There were other models that were small but when closed this one is smaller.

[@GovindaGopala333]

Its not smallest Walkman

[@12voltvids]

Ok smart ass then tell us the model of a smaller one.