Fitting a belt to a Citizen 3.5" drive.e.g UODC-45A; UIDA-38A

This job requires some very small screwdrivers, patience and a steady hand. These instructions are given in good faith and I cannot be responsible for damage that you may do to your drive. However it is not too difficult; I have done a few without too much hassle. I recommend that you work over a folded soft cloth so that if you drop a screw it won't bounce away. As you remove screws or other parts place them in a receptacle for safe keeping. Often the longest and most frustrating part of a job is searching for missing parts. The drive is of robust construction so don't be afraid of handling and working on it but at the same time be careful not to force anything or use undue force. It should come apart fairly easily; if more than fingertip force is needed you've probably left a screw in, so investigate before proceeding.

Place the drive on a work top with the cover uppermost and the 26-way connector furthest away from you. Although you will probably need to pick it up for some operations the following instructions refer to this orientation.

1) Remove top cover ( 2 small screws at corners)

2) Remove 2 tension springs, 1 each side.

3) With a small screwdriver or knife, lever up RHS (side opposite heads) of the loose plate. If you look you will see that the plate is located in slots by small guide pins. These pins may need to be released from slots by judicious springing of plates. Don't use much force; it isn't necessary and may do damage.

4) With the RHS of plate lifted clear of frame, lift the top head as far as possible and carefully slide out plate from between the heads. DO NOT on any account remove the top head or you will not be able to realign it with the lower head (unless you have special equipment and the necessary skills).

5) The belt can now be clearly seen; note carefully how the belt is fitted and make a sketch. There are slight differences in belt runs between different models. In all cases the drive motor has to be removed which is done by removing the last remaining screw near the motor (the other 2 were removed earlier with the top cover) and lifting off the motor assembly. For some models the motor cable connection has to be unplugged from above first, others have a wire connection which can remain connected.

6) On some models the belt can now be taken off, on others a small bracket near the large drive wheel must first be removed; it is held with one small screw.

7) Clean the drive motor pulley with meths, lighter fuel or something similar and take the opportunity to clean the heads, using a cotton swab and head cleaning fluid.

8) Replace the belt and motor, making sure that it runs true and free by turning the large wheel with a finger. If necessary reconnect the motor plug.

9) Lift the upper head as far as it will go and thread the plate between them. Ensure that the pins engage in their slots by inspection, then carefully ease down the RHS and press gently until the pins on that side are also located correctly. Replace the 2 springs then try a disk in the drive.

10) With luck it will accept the disk, but if it jams you either haven't got all the pins nicely in their slots or you have forgotten to replace the springs (it won't work without springs although you can simulate the effect of the springs with judicious finger pressure).

11) Replace top cover.

All that remains is to test the drive. If you've followed the instructions and the drive still doesn't work then there's something else wrong which is beyond the scope of this instruction.

Ron King

e-Mail address...... ron@king27.freeserve.co.uk