Hitachi TRK-3d50E "3D System" doesn't seem to do anything?

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VW Darren

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Dec 31, 2012
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Hi, this is my first post and first 3D box.

It's a TRK-3d50E Hitachi which is absolutely mint. Just from its looks alone I was going to buy it -even if it didn't turn on!
It looks like it was tuned into BBC Radio 4 when it was first bought and since has never been touched. I don't know how the old boy I bought it from kept it so dust free. The thing has even still got the clear plastic on the tuner window and tape deck doors! I don't think it's ever been over 1/4 volume in its life :)

It's sounds ok. Goes very loud but the "3d System" button and its level slider don't seem to have any effect on the sound coming out. All 3 speakers are working and look as good as new.
When the red button is pressed a red light illuminates indicating "3D" is now in effect -but that's as exciting as it gets........

Where can I get a service manual if such a thing exists?

Absolutely loving the forum, especially the show and tell section -some of u guys may be in need of some medication for your addiction! I reckon heroin would be easier to quit. Probably cost less too!
 

jimmyjimmy19702010

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May 5, 2012
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Sunny Brisbane, Australia
VW Darren said:
Hi, this is my first post and first 3D box.

It's a TRK-3d50E Hitachi which is absolutely mint. Just from its looks alone I was going to buy it -even if it didn't turn on!
It looks like it was tuned into BBC Radio 4 when it was first bought and since has never been touched. I don't know how the old boy I bought it from kept it so dust free. The thing has even still got the clear plastic on the tuner window and tape deck doors! I don't think it's ever been over 1/4 volume in its life :)

It's sounds ok. Goes very loud but the "3d System" button and its level slider don't seem to have any effect on the sound coming out. All 3 speakers are working and look as good as new.
When the red button is pressed a red light illuminates indicating "3D" is now in effect -but that's as exciting as it gets........

Where can I get a service manual if such a thing exists?

Absolutely loving the forum, especially the show and tell section -some of u guys may be in need of some medication for your addiction! I reckon heroin would be easier to quit. Probably cost less too!
Sorry I can't help you with the cause but I've seen another 3D with exactly the same fault. Even after a full pull down, switch clean etc, everthing looked perfect inside but still, no bass!! The switch appeared to work as it activated the led indicator light but made no change to the sound. There is a separate amplifer for the woofers on those units - I can only summise there is a certain vulnerability with that section of the circuitry.

Good luck with finding a solution,

James.... :-)
 

neko

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Aug 18, 2010
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I have this hitachi and had the same problem :) Capacitors dryed up and bursted on mainboard, changing them for new ones helped :yes:
 

VW Darren

Member (SA)
Dec 31, 2012
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Manchester, England
Thanks for the replies. Looks like I'm going to have to open it up. Didn't want to but needs must.
I guess the previous owners taste in music didn't involve hard hitting bass!

neko said:
I have this hitachi and had the same problem :) Capacitors dryed up and bursted on mainboard, changing them for new ones helped :yes:
You say it "helped" -does this mean it fixed it?
 

VW Darren

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Dec 31, 2012
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Manchester, England
Cool. This gives me some idea of where to start looking.

I've been playing around with it and there is an ever so faint difference when the button is pressed so something is working.
 

VW Darren

Member (SA)
Dec 31, 2012
7
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Manchester, England
Fixed it!
I looked into testing capacitors and its easy with the right kit -thing is the testers can be expensive, around £80.
So before I wasted even more money I tested everything else.
I looked for dry joints. Checked the resistance of the volume sliders. Speaker coils. Basically anything I could test with a basic multimeter.
I don't know anything about electronics so I pretty much tested the whole board. I don't know what an amplifier circuit looks like or where the tuner starts. I even tried following the printed circuit from the switch and volume slider.
I read that capacitors can overheat and even dry out as mention above. Sometimes you can see that they are all swollen and even burst! Mine all looked fine :(
So I took a punt and bought a capacitor tester off eBay from Hong Kong -the bargain price of £22 came with a 2 week wait. It was worth it though :)
The board had two different colours of capacitors,blue ones and black. I tested them all. To do this properly they had to be removed from the board. ALL the blue ones were faulty :/ At this point I started to doubt the £23 tester!
So I replaced all the faulty ones -cost about £5 in total.
And it works!!! Oh does it kick some bass out now!!! If I'm honest, too much :) but the 3d volume slider takes care of that.



"NEKO" -Thanks for the tip where to start looking :0)
 

Northerner

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Apr 16, 2012
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Wow impressive work there Darren especially if you're not a electronics whizz already! Congrats :-D

Which eBay seller did you get the tester from?
 

VW Darren

Member (SA)
Dec 31, 2012
7
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Manchester, England
The tester was from uuitsu4u -they are under £20 now! Came with a cheapo battery -bin that and use a Duracell.

A word up for the capacitors -came from h.m.comp also on the bay.

Changing these also cured a problem with the right speaker being quieter when using tape -a problem I thought was linked to the heads or even a duff tape as I only have the one to test!
 

retrohead

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May 29, 2010
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United Kingdom
a bit older granted but i have the 9300e 3 piece and the loudness button is totally useless on it-no difference when on or off,plus 2 previous 8190s had the same fault :bang:
 

Line Out

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Jul 16, 2012
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This is fantastic! You don't know electronics and still fix boomers like a boss! :thumbsup:

I should probably do the same to my 3D80, it sometimes distorts and sound a bit rough at higher volume...
 
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