Turning a cassette player into a massager - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: MustardBoar
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 07, 2025, 10:36:12 pm
content: Hello,I have read the must-read and the other mandatory posts. I am a complete newbie and didn’t start yet because I don’t know where to start. But please don’t brush me off yet!Also I have looked through other forums and asked AI’s and the redirections brought me here. So even if you don’t like my post you might at least give your opinion, lots of opinions would help a lot.I want to convert a cassette + portable cassette player : into a massager. it will be a one direction continuous massager.NB: not a pistol massager but a real pushing with the skin massager ,where the magnetic band will be replaced with a more robust band that has a few “balls” wrapped around it every few centimeters.it will also massage a zone that can be shorter or longer than the length of the cassette, so I will need an extra device that should stretch or shorten the contact length.Also because the limb to massage will not be a leveled texture, I will need an other device to push the band in the crevices and let it be pushed by the bumps.And finally , the speed of the massage will be 3 speeds (from slow to mid to fast) so I would need to modify the cassette player too (because it has only “play” and “FF” forward speeds)I am open to suggestions of where should I buy the devices to make this project and how to “merge” them .PLEAAASE , I got no teacher and the internet is failing me , I need humans to help me DIY this as it’s been a whole year and I am getting desperate and only know this forum (if you know other forums tell me too ;(Thank you for reading anyway.

author: Analog Kid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2025, 02:04:31 am
content: Wellll, OK.The project sounds a bit iffy, but there are much iffier projects out there, so I'll play along for now.First thing that comes to mind is, why use a cassette player as a starting point? That seems pretty complicated. Why not start with a simple motor-driven platform of some kind that you can easily build, perhaps a motor with a drive pulley, an idler pulley and a belt containing your massage "nubs"? Seems like that might be a lot simpler.Looking forward to hearing more details on this.

author: timeandfrequency
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2025, 10:33:30 am
content: Hello MustardBoar,I just read your message.Quote from: MustardBoar on May 07, 2025, 10:36:12 pmMy dishwasher is broken right now. I'll put the plates and glasses in the washing machine. Should be OK.Well, if even AI gives up and redirects you to the EEVblog forum to ask for humain help, that's a clear sign of an outlandish and cockamamie idea or project.AI ​​has become too polite and doesn't even dare to give a definitive opinion when what's asked is too crazy. Just so as not to offend the person who asked. A human (like me) does not have this kind of reluctance.It is generally a bad idea to rebuild a device/appliance for a use other than that for which it was designed : much work for most of the time a subpar result.IMO, your project (turning a cassette player into a massager) just comes from a bad dream and is nothing else than a no go.Et si ce n'était pas suffisamment clair, je peux te l'expliquer en français.Do you have access to a well-equipped workshop for easy drilling, sawing, welding, turning, and milling, and also a 3D printer ?Are you proficient in the safe use of this kind of equipment ?

author: pcprogrammer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2025, 10:59:30 am
content: Apart from it being a bit weird of an idea, a cassette player won't be able to provide the needed force. The motor in it is small and uses a drive belt to drive the mechanism that transports the tape. Apply a bit of force and the belt will start slipping.With "balls" wrapped around a new band, it won't even be able to move it. In a cassette player there is the capstan and a rubber roller that take care of the tape speed. The sprockets that wind the tape on the wheels are set up to take out any slack and can speed up or down as needed.And why do it like this when you can buy "proper" massagers for not a lot of money. If you want to reinvent the wheel, do it properly and get a proper motor and build on that. Forget the cassette player.

author: Analog Kid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 09, 2025, 07:48:31 pm
content: So it looks like the OP might be a "drive-by" poster here.