How to Proceed Fabricating Long Discontinued Cassette Walkman Part

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by 469792_deleted, Dec 24, 2013.

  1. 20131224_100016.jpg Hello all!
    I am new here and heard about this place listening to a radio documentary on the CBC here in Canada.
    I was driving in the car, and once reaching my destination, just parked and listened spellbound ...
    To my dilemma and how 3D printing might help ...

    I am a big fan of the old Sony cassette Walkman.
    As it turns out, 4 of the best 6 Walkmans that Sony made had one fatal design/materials flaw that has killed virtually all of them, with no replacement part.

    At issue: the main drive gear has a metallic center (to accommodate a magnetic clutch) with plastic outer gears.
    Over time the plastic shrunk and split, breaking the outer gear.
    At best is works with a giant click, at worst it just completely fails over time.


    I have attached a picture for reference.

    Is there a way to scan the original broken plastic gear and extrapolate worn or broken teeth?

    Can it be made in two halves that are then glued to the main metal gear with a thin CV glue?

    I know there is a large Walkman community looking for this part, with 4 really great units all suffering from this problem.

    Any thoughts on how I might proceed?

    Or is the dual material wheel a show stopper?

    View attachment 48071
     
    Last edited: Dec 24, 2013
  2. JACANT
    JACANT Well-Known Member
    PM sent.