Akai AJ 525 in pretty bad condition

[initial_dave]

Hey there, my name is David and I'm new to this forum so please forgive me if i sound clueless. Basically what happened is, I found this pretty cool looking boombox at my grandparents place, like extremely neglected and they gave it to me saying it doesn't work.

Thing is, it kinda does work. Like the radio is okay (maybe i just don't know how to tune it properly) and I can connect my phone using aux and the sound is alright.



However there are some glaring issues. First up, the entire cassette part of this machine is busted. This is my first boombox so I got no idea about technical terms or whatever but even I can tell it's gone. The cassette door is straight up missing, the buttons don't do anything (eject button still works so that's something lol)



Also there's this display kinda thing on the side? Doesn't work either. Screen looks whited out and none of the buttons do anything.



Also, only one of the level display lights work. Actually only one of the speakers work so that's probably a more important concern haha. The right speaker works and the left speaker level indicator works. Also the clear plastic is really dirty.



So yeah that's the gist of it, basically I want to try restoring this baby to whatever level possible, but like I said, I'm new to the scene so I'm pretty clueless.

Here's what I'm hoping to achieve:
1)Find or fabricate a door for the cassette
player.
2)Fix the left speaker (hopefully the level indicator as well)
3)Fix the cassette player (i don't even know what's wrong with it)
4)Fix/replace the display thing on the side
5)Clean all the clear plastic or even better, replace with a darker plastic/fibreglass
6)Touch up the other aesthetic defects on the outside

Some additional constraints: I am a second year college student on a 2 month semester break so while time is not an issue, money is. Also I live in India so getting parts is probably going to be difficult.

I know what I'm asking for is gonna be really difficult but there isn't really any boombox culture here in India so I got nowhere else to talk about this. I'd really appreciate any suggestions, opinions, ideas, and if by some crazy coincidence someone has already gone through this, figured everything out, and is willing to help me, that would be amazing.

 

[Tinman]

Welcome.
The cassette player issues are usually worn or broken belts.
Sometimes it's a motor but usually it's the belts.
How many there are and what size, unfortunately, I can't tell you.
There are clear plastic polishes, you'll have to see which are available to you.
They do a good job with cleaning and getting fine scratches out.
It's hard to tell but the lcd screen looks like it might be shot.
You won't know until you take it apart.
You should have some kind of cleaner for your switches and potentiometers.
When you take the radio apart, take pictures of everything, I mean everything.
You can't have too many, trust me.

 

[initial_dave]

Welcome.
The cassette player issues are usually worn or broken belts.
Sometimes it's a motor but usually it's the belts.
How many there are and what size, unfortunately, I can't tell you.
There are clear plastic polishes, you'll have to see which are available to you.
They do a good job with cleaning and getting fine scratches out.
It's hard to tell but the lcd screen looks like it might be shot.
You won't know until you take it apart.
You should have some kind of cleaner for your switches and potentiometers.
When you take the radio apart, take pictures of everything, I mean everything.
You can't have too many, trust me.

Heyy thanks for the reply!

I really hope that the only thing thats wrong with the cassette player is a faulty belt drive/motor, because I'm pretty sure that repairmen around here can take care of that. Thing is im more concerned about the fact that none of the buttons actually do anything, As far as I know, the buttons are mechanical, like if i press start or rec then the respective head should rise right? Won't know for sure until I take it apart.

Any idea if I can replace the LCD display if the other circuitry is fine? I think its just a normal 8 segment with backlight, should be able to find something that works at a hobby shop maybe.

Another thing is, the dials and buttons feel kinda wobbly, do I need new springs? Or does cleaning the internals fix stuff?

And yeahh thanks for the tip about pictures. I remember my dad told me to document it while dismantling my telescope for cleaning and that really helped. Of course, a telescope is a lot easier to dismantle than a bommbox but the point still stands

Anyways, thanks for the help, all advice and ideas are appreciated : )

 

[Tinman]

Normally it takes a belt or multiple belts to get things to move on a cassette player.
No idea about the lcd since I've never needed to replace one.
Hopefully, if it is broken, you can source one somewhere.
As far as the wobbly knobs and buttons, cleaning them won't fix that.
Maybe someone was in there and didn't tighten whatever is supposed to hold them in place.
Some knobs use a sleeve on the inside of them, possibly someone left them out.
Just guesses, you won't know until you take it apart.

 

[floyd]

Hey there, my name is David and I'm new to this forum so please forgive me if i sound clueless. Basically what happened is, I found this pretty cool looking boombox at my grandparents place, like extremely neglected and they gave it to me saying it doesn't work.

Thing is, it kinda does work. Like the radio is okay (maybe i just don't know how to tune it properly) and I can connect my phone using aux and the sound is alright.

View attachment 57315

However there are some glaring issues. First up, the entire cassette part of this machine is busted. This is my first boombox so I got no idea about technical terms or whatever but even I can tell it's gone. The cassette door is straight up missing, the buttons don't do anything (eject button still works so that's something lol)

View attachment 57316

Also there's this display kinda thing on the side? Doesn't work either. Screen looks whited out and none of the buttons do anything.

View attachment 57317

Also, only one of the level display lights work. Actually only one of the speakers work so that's probably a more important concern haha. The right speaker works and the left speaker level indicator works. Also the clear plastic is really dirty.

View attachment 57318

So yeah that's the gist of it, basically I want to try restoring this baby to whatever level possible, but like I said, I'm new to the scene so I'm pretty clueless.

Here's what I'm hoping to achieve:
1)Find or fabricate a door for the cassette
player.
2)Fix the left speaker (hopefully the level indicator as well)
3)Fix the cassette player (i don't even know what's wrong with it)
4)Fix/replace the display thing on the side
5)Clean all the clear plastic or even better, replace with a darker plastic/fibreglass
6)Touch up the other aesthetic defects on the outside

Some additional constraints: I am a second year college student on a 2 month semester break so while time is not an issue, money is. Also I live in India so getting parts is probably going to be difficult.

I know what I'm asking for is gonna be really difficult but there isn't really any boombox culture here in India so I got nowhere else to talk about this. I'd really appreciate any suggestions, opinions, ideas, and if by some crazy coincidence someone has already gone through this, figured everything out, and is willing to help me, that would be amazing.

If it has the soft touch tape that control buttons then nothing will move if the belts go bad because the belts basically assist in it's like power assist for the buttons.

 

[AE_Stereo]

This unit has motor/solenoid operated cassette tape deck controls. Means, when you press a button, a motor or solenoid will activate the mechanism and engage the Play or Rewind functions. So you need to replace the belts first to check if the mechanism functions.

The LCD is the display for Tape Counter. There are some Youtube videos which describe restoration of smeared LCD displays. Try your luck.

For the faded acrylic displays, try using the same techniques for restoration of faded Car Headlights from youtube.

 

[initial_dave]

This unit has motor/solenoid operated cassette tape deck controls. Means, when you press a button, a motor or solenoid will activate the mechanism and engage the Play or Rewind functions. So you need to replace the belts first to check if the mechanism functions.

The LCD is the display for Tape Counter. There are some Youtube videos which describe restoration of smeared LCD displays. Try your luck.

For the faded acrylic displays, try using the same techniques for restoration of faded Car Headlights from youtube.

Ahh I see. Yeah maybe I shouldn't write off the cassette player so fast.

I'm just asking but if anyone has ever done a project like this, what are the odds that you can actually get a boombox back to working condition? Like in my case, there are a lot of factors that could be why this particular unit is in bad state now, like neglect, the humidty (Indian climate is not kind to electronics) and dust. Honestly I'm impressed that the radio, aux, and speakers actually still work (I think the left speaker just has a bad contact because it sometimes works for a second or so before going back to being silent)

Thing is while I'm sure I can take this thing apart, I am much less confident in putting it back together, so hopefully over this weekend I'll meet up with one of my dad's friends and he'll help me take a look.

On another note, I have a few questions about this particular boombox, like what is IPSS? there are a few controls related to that and I'm not really sure about what that is. Also, there are two on/off buttons near the bottom and I'm not quite sure what they are supposed to do. And if anyone knows the dimensions for the cassette door, I was thinking maybe I could 3D print it? What do people normally do in that situation?




Anyways, while I'm not sure how this project is going to end, I'm really grateful for all the advice. Like always, any ideas/help is really appreciated!

Thanks

 

[BoomboxLover48]

IPSS is a music search function. You can search songs based on the number selection you make (press and select a number) when you engage both play and fast forward or play and rewind.
I have the same model in very decent condition all working but missing a volume knob.

IPSS is like AMSS system (Automatic Music Select System)

The tape door is same that of AJ 505 model.
I also have that model in my collection.

 

[Reli]

View attachment 57323

Those buttons are for Loudness (which pumps up the bass and treble for low-volume listening), and Sleep Timer (turns off the unit after a certain period of time, usually 30-60 minutes)

 

[initial_dave]

IPSS is a music search function. You can search songs based on the number selection you make (press and select a number) when you engage both play and fast forward or play and rewind.
I have the same model in very decent condition all working but missing a volume knob.

IPSS is like AMSS system (Automatic Music Select System)

The tape door is same that of AJ 505 model.
I also have that model in my collection.

Wow its really cool to see this thing in good condition, mine has a lot of scratches/dents and other cosmetic things that I dont think I can fix. Honestly I don't mind them too much, I think it adds to the vintage aesthetic. I think the only cosmetic issues that I want to fix are with the clear plastics and the cassette door. Your pics also helped me realise that my unit is missing the back cover of the cassette player as well thats supposed to hide the mechanism. I'm guessing maybe someone tried repairing this and then messed up because I dont see why else that piece would go missing as well. Also that is really interesting about the IPSS, like see I was born in 2003 so I honestly don't know much about cassettes and the associated technology. But now that I got this machine, i really want to fix it haha

Those buttons are for Loudness (which pumps up the bass and treble for low-volume listening), and Sleep Timer (turns off the unit after a certain period of time, usually 30-60 minutes)

Okayy I didnt have the patience to test the sleep timer thing but the loudness button definitely does make a difference, even ifthe boombox is firing from only one speaker.

Anyways, apparently theres a guy who specializes in fixing old tape decks so I thought I'd try showing him mine and see what he can do. On another note, do people have to deal with missing cassette doors often? Like I was just browsing OLX and a lot boomboxes are in similar condition, with the cassette door missing. What do people normally do about that?

 

[Reli]

Anyways, apparently theres a guy who specializes in fixing old tape decks so I thought I'd try showing him mine and see what he can do. On another note, do people have to deal with missing cassette doors often? Like I was just browsing OLX and a lot boomboxes are in similar condition, with the cassette door missing. What do people normally do about that?

Unfortunately that is a very rare boombox, so it will be difficult to find a new door. Maybe other Akai models have similar doors? You could measure it and see which other models would fit.

 

[initial_dave]

Yeah so yesterday I took my boombox to a few different shops around town and all of them said its beyond saving. Basically wasted a whole day. Most of em basically said they can't fix ols boomboxes anymore because its difficult to get belts, which in hindsight does make sense. Like even if I wanted to fix it myself, I got no idea from where I can source parts for this.

To make things worse, when I got home I realised the volume knob actually fell out and since I don't know the exact time, it could be anywhere. So far from fixing it, my boombox is now in (marginally) worse condition than when i started which I find really annoying haha

Anyways, I doubt I'll get any help with the cassette deck, so now I'm just hoping on at least getting all the speakers working, so I canuse aux and radio.

As for the volume knob, will a normal potentiometer knob do? Only the inner volume knob fell out, the outer ring knob is still there luckily.

 

[Reli]

What country are you in? The shops who work on these things are usually in low-rent areas, surrounded by laundries and nail salons. Guys who fix TV sets and CD players and VCRs.

Belts don't need to be for a specific model. They just need to be a specific size. You can buy them in a kit with several sizes.

 

[initial_dave]

I'm based in India, unfortunately no one seems to really care about boomboxes and stuff like that over here. Didn't know that about kits, that makes things a bit more hopeful for me. Anyways right now some urgent family stuff came up so haven't really been able to work/research about the box but hopefully I can get back to it, maybe finally dismantle/clean it.

Any recommendationsfor cleaning or antioxidants or touching up the paint? That kind of stuff?

 

[floyd]

You need some electronic cleaner and fader lube . if you can get the fader lube into the switches and other controls it will probably help.
You have to be careful not to get it on the circuit boards . the best thing to do is stuff some paper towels around the area where you'll be spraying to protect anything you don't want to spray. The spray can has a plastic tube sort of like a needle to get into small spaces. You can also spray some of the tuner Lube into a bottle cap then use a syringe to insert it into any openings in the controls that are too big for the spray.

 

[floyd]

I wouldn't give up on the Boombox what my advice is if you want to keep it or eventually buy another Boombox or even start collecting is to learn what you can off the first one .
I'm an old softy I would keep it even if it didn't work just because it's a cool and rare boombox.

 

[initial_dave]

Oh yeah definitely gonna hold on to this box, it was my grandparents' so its kinda special. Also looks really really good if nothing else and I'm hoping it'll get better once we do some maintenance on it. Next time i go to my native place, I'm gonna take a few measurements, cuz one of my friends who works with design said he'd help me 3D print the cassette deck cover, and maybe a replacement for the missing knob if possible. I'll probably dismantle it once I figure out where I can get some fibreglass or plastic to replace all the clear plastics, most of it is really scratched up so its probably better to straight up replace it.

 

[Reli]

I would just measure the tape door and look on Ebay for a door from a different model. Any model, as long as its door dimensions are similar. Doors usually are 2-piece, and you only need the front "window" piece which is usually flat, so you could glue it onto yours. You might need to grind off any mounting tabs on the replacement "window", to make it flat enough to glue onto your door.

Just search "boombox tape door" on Ebay, find one with a similar color and style you like, and ask the seller for its dimensions.

Hope that helps

 

[Radio raheem]

Good luck this is the first time i have seen one of these up close and well worth some love, things like this can take years to do but do not give up hope....i have one like this and it took about 4 years to do but it kept me focused and gave me something to lookforard to during my times of depression.....anyway good luck i'm sure you will get there in the end

 

[initial_dave]

I would just measure the tape door and look on Ebay for a door from a different model. Any model, as long as its door dimensions are similar. Doors usually are 2-piece, and you only need the front "window" piece which is usually flat, so you could glue it onto yours. You might need to grind off any mounting tabs on the replacement "window", to make it flat enough to glue onto your door.

Just search "boombox tape door" on Ebay, find one with a similar color and style you like, and ask the seller for its dimensions.

Hope that helps

Ebay isn't really that big in India, we got OLX and most boxes i've seen there are missing the tape door as well, I guess its just easy to lose haha. But I'll keep looking, anyways whatever I find will probably end up looking better than a 3D printed door to say the least.

Good luck this is the first time i have seen one of these up close and well worth some love, things like this can take years to do but do not give up hope....i have one like this and it took about 4 years to do but it kept me focused and gave me something to lookforard to during my times of depression.....anyway good luck i'm sure you will get there in the end

Thanks for the encouragement! Yeah this is definitely a long term project, and I've kept the boombox at my grandparents house cuz there's a guy in the neighbourhood who said he wanted to take a look at it so I can't really work on it now but it's all coming together.

Turns out belt kits are available on amazon so with some luck I can find the sizes I need, we can find fiberglass at hardware shops, I got a guy to3D print the missing door, and I think I can find a potentiometer knob for the volume control (or print it if that doesn't work). Once I get the stuff for cleaning it up then I can get started for real, hope it turns out alright XD