Amstrad CPC 464 Cassette Unit Idler Wheel and Tyre

Brand New Replacement Idler Wheel and Tyre for the Amstrad CPC 464

THIS PACK CONTAINS 1 WHEEL & TYRE ASSEMBLY, NEWLY MADE FOR THE CPC 464

Newly made specifically to match the original CPC 464 idler wheel and tyre assembly in both size and colour.

The plastic idler wheel can become brittle over time and they often break when the old idler tyre is removed during a tyre replacement.
This listing is for a complete replacement wheel and tyre assembly. If you need just a replacement idler tyre, see our separate listing.

The idler tyre is a small but crucial part of the CPC 464 cassette mechanism. If the idler tyre is worn or broken, the tape will not be pulled past the head at a constant rate (if at all) which results in very poor loading performance and "chewed up" tapes.

I have serviced over 100 464's over the last few years and a damaged idler tyre and idler tyre failures are becoming much more common - particularly in the early edition 464's with the mechanical keyboards. It is an age related problem as the idler tyre rubber degrades naturally over time causing slippage (which isn't improved by changing the cassette unit drive belt), and eventually total breakage.

Early symptoms usually show up as "tape slipping", which is characterised by "tired sounding" loading tones from the speaker when loading games as the tape slows, then speeds up again.
Sometimes, small gaps are visible in the tyre, or the tyre falls off completely and you find it inside the CPC case (see photographs).

The idler tyres are very hard to find now and these are from a brand new trial batch we had specifically made. 
They have been tested extensively and work perfectly.

If your current idler wheel is OK and you just need an idler tyre, then see our other listing for just the tyre.