TI Program Recorder rubber belt drive?

[jedimatt42]

So I just received a nice black and silver TI Program Recorder from ebay, but I'm a little scared to turn it on... It looks like there is a rubber belt driving it ( not having taken it apart to really tell... )

 

How has that belt held up for folks over 30+ years?

[Iwantgames:)]

Mine still works but my Tandy CoCo tape recorder belt broke. Need to replace that at some point

[+Schmitzi]

yes, no problems here on 3

[Omega-TI]

Mine still works too, but then again it gets used only about 0.00000000001 % of the time...

[Opry99er]

They are surprisingly sturdy... I have had 3, none have failed.

[jedimatt42]

Thanks! Great to here!

[Opry99er]

The one I am using now is about to get a workout... I have 50 cassettes which will each need a three minute program recorded per side plus two small programs at 30 seconds a piece.

 

That recorder is about to get 350 minutes of hard use in the next 2 days.

[Iwantgames:)]

Make them cassettes

[am1933]

My unit is still going strong, which is more than can said for some of my others, I have two Zx Spectrums with the integral tape unit and the bands have had to be replaced on both, I have an Atari XC11, XC12 and 1010 and the belts have failed and been replaced on all of them.

The only other unit I have had no problems with is my Acorn shadow tape deck.

[+Schmitzi]

.

 

if my last one fails, I am going to whistle :O0

 

[Vorticon]

I recently replaced the belt drive band on my Omnibot robot's cassette drive, and this was a great source for them:

http://www.studiosoundelectronics.com/cassette.htm

[Iwantgames:)]

Awesome I can get belt for my TRS-80 cassette deck now

[Opry99er]

If my cassette deck belt were to ever wear out, it would be tonight... 2 straight hours of recording and checking data on these demos. LOL!!!!

 

2 more to go... I'll probably finish tomorrow. But these program recorders are BEASTS, man....

[jedimatt42]

When I was a kid, my father told me that this TI computer would last forever because they made electronics for NASA. I don't know if that is true or not.

Looking at my TI Program Recorder ( which works fine BTW. I was just being a bit chicken ), it has 3 power source options. Battery, AC, and 8V DC. Who does that?

 

It was good to hear the other tails contrasting the TI recorder still working while other vendors didn't do so well.

 

We benefit from a forgotten art of build quality.

[Iwantgames:)]

My GE tape deck also has 3 power inputs (Died a week after I got it) and my TRS-80 tape deck has 2, DC and battery, inputs (has broken belt)

 

But my TI tape deck is still running strong

[Vorticon]

When I was a kid, my father told me that this TI computer would last forever because they made electronics for NASA. I don't know if that is true or not.

Looking at my TI Program Recorder ( which works fine BTW. I was just being a bit chicken ), it has 3 power source options. Battery, AC, and 8V DC. Who does that?

 

It was good to hear the other tails contrasting the TI recorder still working while other vendors didn't do so well.

 

We benefit from a forgotten art of build quality.

 

That's NASA for you: triple redundancy