Sony CFD-50 boombox repair: fix mashed button, replace melted drive belt, clean & degauss tape head

Customer paid $90.74 for this item ($39.99 item price + $45.01 shipping + $5.74 tax). The eBay fees totaled $12.01. Cost of goods sold (COGS) was $16.50. Actual shipping cost ended up being only $34.55. Net profit was $21.94, before income taxes.
I don’t remember how much time I spent repairing this boombox, but it was probably a minimum of four to eight hours. If it was four hours, then I made $5.49 per hour working on it. If it was eight hours, then I made $2.74 per hour. Starting a business is incredibly difficult, and when experiencing a learning curve, one must be patient. It can take years before a skill is built up to the point when fixing a boombox like this only takes an hour or two.
Another time factor to consider is the time it takes to source the item (shopping at thrift stores, yard sales, estate sales, online platforms, etc.), listing the item, and accounting/bookkeeping. More valuable items to sell rarely show up, but learning what the high-value items are helps, as many people walk right by high-value items without even knowing it.
I do like old boomboxes, so working on boomboxes like this is more of a labor of love than anything else. I find satisfaction knowing that I kept another one out of the landfill! It now has a second life with a new owner. Someone who pays good money for something like this will be much more inclined to take good care of it than someone who got it for free or a low price.
I hope you got something out of this video, whether you’re fixing your own boombox for fun or are reselling boomboxes, or both!

[@Happyland_Motel_Gamer_Cat]

I am just wondering, Could you share a link to the seller where you bought the belts? Thanks.

[@random-ramblings]

Hi! I’ve bought assorted-sized belts from various eBay sellers. I’ve tried expensive ones and I’ve tried the cheapest ones. They’re all the same and they all come from China. So search “square rubber drive belt for cassette” on eBay and sort by cheapest. Don’t waste your money on anything but the cheapest. That’s what I do anyways. If you only want to fix one machine, look up rubber drive belts for that make and model of machine. Maybe you don’t need the assorted sizes. If you go for the assorted size lots of belts, try to get a large enough assortment that hopefully includes the size you need. Some of them list sizes. Measure what you have, and do your best. Check the sellers feedback and return policy. There’s plenty of sellers that sell belts. I wouldn’t just stick to one seller. In general, I go for the cheapest. It’s a buyer’s market on eBay right now. I hope this helps!

[@JeffreyGroves]

That screw that you "don't want to take out" holds the antenna in place. You need to remove that when you need to replace the telescoping antenna. The belt in mine completely turned to goo. It was unrecognizable as a belt. Sony belt quality. I had to use 99% IPA to remove all of the goo. Where did you buy the replacement belt?

[@random-ramblings]

Yes, that’s true about the antenna screw, didn’t realize that until after I made the video, hehehe…. From what I’ve seen, all belts deteriorate, regardless of brand, if given enough years. The thicker the belt, the longer it lasts, generally speaking. I just get packs of belts of varying sizes on eBay. I’ve tried three different eBay sellers, from cheap to expensive. All three packs of belts look and behave the same for me so far, so I’ll be going for the cheapest belts from now on. As long as the cross section of the belts is square, and as long as the belts are thin enough, it’ll do the trick. Anyways, thanks for stopping by!

[@mmalta8042]

I’m currently trying to repair a Sony CFD-55 boombox and your video was helpful for removing the front piece. I got the cassette component out but it looks different and NO idea how I’m going to replace the belts (more than one). Any tips or ideas on how to get my hands on a repair manual? No videos on KZbin specific to that model that I can find.

[@random-ramblings]

Hi M Malta, thanks for stopping by! I took a look around and can’t find a service manual for the Sony CFD-55, oddly enough. Seems like most service manuals for Sony devices are out there on the internet, but apparently not this one. That’s a bummer, because this is such a cool-looking boombox with some great features. I sold this boombox on eBay already. I wish I could be of more help to you on this. Good luck on your repair project! If you do find the service manual, please feel free to share a link to it here in the comments on this video. I’m sure others are looking for it as well. (If anyone else out there can help, please chime in, thank you!)

[@AnubisRules1969]

I added a comment a couple days ago with all of the belt information and now I don't see it. What's up with that?? Here it is again: SBS 7.0 - 7" (17.8cm) circumference .046" (1.2mm) width and thickness.

[@random-ramblings]

Hi Anubis, thanks for providing that helpful info! Don’t know what happened there, this is the first comment I’ve seen with this info you’re sharing

[@AnubisRules1969]

@@random-ramblings when I see the comment count, it shows a certain number, but that number is one short when I count the actual comments - anyway, hopefully this one stays up!

[@random-ramblings]

Yeah, no idea what KZbin is doing. Oh well, I do see your comment from yesterday, so that’s good! :-)

[@AnubisRules1969]

The 1st one was a lot more detailed but the last one was more to the point!

[@random-ramblings]

When tech screws up and forces me to do second drafts, my writing often comes out more refined, so sometimes it ends up working out for the best! 😃

[@elizaeth3107]

do you know what size belt you used for the tape player?

[@random-ramblings]

Hi Elizabeth, thanks for stopping by! I just buy those super cheap sets of “square rubber drive belts” from eBay that come in various sizes (go to 16:37 in this video to see an example of that). Then you can try different sizes until you find one that’s snug enough but not too tight. If it’s too tight, the belt might wear out prematurely. Don’t be afraid to tinker with it. Try two or three different sizes and note which has the least “wow and flutter.” I usually figure out which belt is the best size before putting the boombox completely back together - with the tape mechanism back in place and the front cover still off, you can usually still play tapes. Just don’t touch anything metal on the inside if you’ve got the boombox plugged into the wall. Or just run it from batteries if that makes you more comfortable, but most of the electricity running around in there is low voltage DC anyways, so nothing to worry about, unless you touch the wrong side of the transformer connections. I’ve tried out these packets of belts from different eBay sellers, and whether they’re cheap or expensive, they seem to be the exact same belts out of China. So I say go for the cheapest and save some money!

[@elizaeth3107]

@@random-ramblings thank you!