I was tempted by this Schwinn Continental.
I like local history, and this 1973-1974 bicycle license sticker from Cedar Rapids is cool.
The small frame didn't fit me, and Char wouldn't be interested in a boys' bicycle, so I passed. I left with a Pixies Acoustic: Live in Newport concert DVD instead.
I headed to the TV in my garage when I got home.
I thought I'd watch some of the Pixies' concert while I messed around at my workbench. I couldn't. The Apex DVD player rattled like a metal box full of marbles when I pressed the eject button. Well, shoot.
Buying another used DVD player isn't a big deal; all the thrift stores sell them.
What makes the Apex player special is that it is a cheap unit made in China. Many times Chinese manufacturers skip the step where they set the region code. It's not advertised as such, but this Apex model (AD-1600) is a region-free player that is compatible with both PAL and NTSC DVDs. That's handy when I want to watch the Turkish Superman while working on a bicycle.
I considered throwing the Apex away, but I decided to void my warranty and open it up. I don't know anything about DVD repair, but it couldn't hurt to look.
I spotted a problem as soon as I removed the cover. This broken, rubber belt was hiding in the corner.
The black pulley wheel (on the left in the picture) turned when I manually moved the disc drawer. The smaller motor wheel below it spun freely. My guess was that the broken belt used to connect the two.
Daphne had a bag of rubber bands that I could dig through.
It's not a perfect match, but this band looked like it might work.
It was lucky that the wheels were so easy to access. The band quickly slipped into place with the help of a toothpick.
Fingers crossed:
I don't know how long this repair will last, but the Apex avoided the landfill for now. I'll keep a few extra bands in the garage and call this a win.
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