Also, why does old battery gunk have to look like earwax... 😅

Once you get the battery working, check how the belt is. Hopefully it's easy to change.

What's wrong with it / what are you having trouble with?

Kinda hard to offer advice without knowing what the difficulty is.

Thanks! The belt seems to have a pretty forward config!

So unfortunately there seem to be two symptoms:

1. The spinning units do not rotate - need to change the rubber band?
2. There is only sound in one ear (right) - I did clean the headphone jack...

That's awesome!

For issue 2, Can you clean the tape head?

Done! Forgot to mention, that it also has an AM/FM receiver and that's how I checked the audio.

Opened it up again and found the culprit for issue #1 🤣

I mean, only one ear working is what makes a walkman a walkman.

Whaaaa?😅

Sorry for spamming you. Bada bing bada boom.

White vinegar is better than alcohol for cleaning battery corrosion. Battery acid is actually a base, so the acidic vinegar neutralizes it.

Another thing worth noting is that these things usually have a screw somewhere that adjusts playback speed. Though, it doesn't always look like a screw. You may find that you have to adjust it after you get the new belt.

Thanks! I did indeed find not one but two adjustable potentiometers. I wonder what the other one is for... Radio tuning or volume?

I know that other models have one for the radio, so that's probably it.

Vinegar, then isopropyl to clean the battery contacts.

And I'll bet it needs a new belt.

Lots of people on YouTube doing these kinds of repairs. Techmoan, msmadlemon, etc.

Thanks! 🙏💞