Philips EL-3302 Videos

Here are some videos of a Philips Compact Cassette Recorder EL-3302. This video shows the tape path. The erase head is always within the tape path.

Capstan Flywheel

Here is the drive belt pulling the capstan flywheel. You can also see the clutch assembly, which is the white plastic wheel. The clutch mechanism drives the tape-winding spool.

The most common thing to break in these machines is the drive belt. There are plenty of electronics shops providing replacement drive belts. A generic belt of the correct circumference and thickness is a good alternative.

Clutch Assembly

This cassette recorder does not have an auto-stop facility. When the tape reaches the end, the clutch reduces the torque to the take-up winding spool by slipping. This prevents the tape from stretching.

A felt material sandwiched between the plastic disk and the copper disk allows the two disks to slip when the tape reaches the end. If the felt material has worn out, then the take-up spool will not wind the tape. If you find that your cassette recorder always mangles the tape, then this is the place to start investigating.

Sometimes this issue occurs when the tape is exactly mid-way in the cassette when both spools have an equal amount of tape. This is when the take-up spool stops winding because of insufficient torque from the clutch assembly.

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