Aiwa AD-R40

I found one of these on the bay and decided to throw a bid up on it ($5) so I figured why not, turns out I was the only bidder so I got it.

I didn't expect much, ad said it wasn't working and in the picture it was missing the record level knob and it looked quite bad (the top look as though it was pulling away from the unit). It arrived today, for the most part together. The top was off and the knob and a few screws were in a pill bottle (quite surprised, I didn't expect to get it ).

I already had a good idea as to what was wrong with it, and I confirmed it as soon as I plugged it in. The belts are worn out. The heads get stuck in a half way up position and the solenoid will just click twice and it won't do anything. So, I helped it along by moving the flywheel on the back of a capstan and it clicked to life. The heads popped up and starting playing.

I changed out the belts and gave the heads a really good cleaning while I had the mechanism out then put it all back together. After I had it operating on the bench, I looked at the lid again, it looked really shiny but yellow and scratched. I realized it still had the protective plastic on it! Underneath, the metal is mint! :thmbsp:

I have it on my bench playing dredg and I cannot believe the sound. It's still a little slow because of the tension on the belt (they stretch out a little bit and go back to normal speed within 2 hours).

The quick reverse feature is working perfectly too.

This cassette deck is identical to the Realistic/Optimus SCT-88. Here are some pictures of it on my bench.

Aiwa made some really good cassette decks. I own a AD-F770 and a AD-F660.

I have read about those decks, they both look very similar to the Realistic SCT-83.

I agree, they did produce some nice decks

I know this is an old thread,but any chance someone has a diagram of the belt install on this Aiwa? I bought this one of these a while back with trashed belts,bought new ones from Vintage HiFi and with the belt installed in what I assume is the right pattern,the belt is just too loose. any thoughts?

Since the OP stated towards the end of his post that "It's still a little slow because of the tension on the belt (they stretch out a little bit and go back to normal speed within 2 hours).", he can't have found the right belt either!

yea,this one seems to be an oddball.Looking thru some of the data bases,its one of the few Aiwas that dont seem to have a service manual available.

Aiwa ad-r40u

I have two of these decks and the proper (drive) belt size is an FBM 8.6" (you can use an FBS if a medium is unavailable, but it slips of during reassembly and make the installation a lot more of a cussing situation than it needs to be).

I bought a service manual specifically for the belt install and it is absolutely useless, and it is on my "to-do" scan list.

The belt path is quite simple. Tuck one portion of the belt under the pcb so that it is on the little black pulley directly above the two large pulleys. Bring the rest of the belt under the corner of the pcb around the left side of the left pulley and back around and up between the two pulleys. Here you will place a hook until you reattach the motor portion of the head assembly, then just pull the belt past the pulley flange and slip it on. Piece of cake.

Yup, same transport as the AD-WX777 dual. Bought the 8.6 belt and it went on although it felt pretty tight at first but it played just fine. There is a little plastic retainer clip in the middle of that PCB that can be pushed over and the PCB will lift about 2mm where the belt needs to squeeze through. once you get it through, there is a little pin that you can snag the belt on so when you put the motor back on, all you have to do is move the belt over and tighten the motor. Also there is a small spring at the lower corner of that transport that can pop off. It will cause both capstans to engage in opposite directions. Smooth sounding deck, but my 777 doesnt have HX (but it does have type I bias AND type II bias control knobs)

Hello,I have a Aiwa AD-R 40 the same deck and having a hard time finding the 2 belts needed to replace,any suggestions...thx

I just bought a belt kit off eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Belt-Kit-F...4-37b4-4aca-9d41-c20ff4aed6ee&redirect=mobile

I've gotten a lot working but the quick reverse jams up. I'm thinking maybe it is a problem with the springs losing tension.

Hello all !
Just a little trouble from me...
I have the WX777
I Changed belts BUT when the motor runs on ff or play whatever side the belt does NOT sit in the middle of the plastic pulley.
It goes to the one side and there is a big change in speed and quality.
I have double checked the belt, the big metal capstans and the motor.
I found that I can pull a little bit the motor axle(with the white pulley) but when I do not pull it it retracts to the motor.
I Have stuck
Can someone please give me a light to this ?
Thank you.