Sharp GF-A2H(BR) - Rollin' My Sleeves Up (Again!)

Here we go again! So then, a £10 fare being duly paid, I've provided a permanent home to a forlorn little chap called Sharp GF-A2H(BR) for the duration.

The young chap as he arrived:






At first glance this little gem appears to be in a reasonable condition, radio works fine, tape head needs a little attention but functions are sound, aerial straight/complete etc. BUT........if I was to say the paper speakers had seen better days that would be the understatement of the year! I knew this beforehand and, rather than some uncaring ol' fool dump this little gem, I've set myself the task of making the speakers good as a first step in the renovation.

Here's the sad truth of the situation:


I suspect these - or something like them - are the culprits because there's a large enough gap in the rear casing for them to enter:


and................I'm dang sure I can see the teeth marks!:


I suspect (!) I need new speakers and, having no experience of the technical specifications of such things (although I can read the information for the most part!) I'd appreciate confirmation of exactly what I need. I'm posting quite a few pictures as the print on the speakers isn't very clear but what I am posting are the best shots I managed from both speakers. Some images are in black & white to reduce the file sizes:








The height of the speakers cannot exceed the exiting speakers as there is a post within each speaker case that fits against the speaker with just a thin piece if padding in between.






If the speakers are a lost cause I'll use the main part for supplementing a DAB/CD radio via the DAB/CD unit Line In to increase functionality using the extra Wave Bands as I have the perfect place for it:

I suspect these - or something like them - are the culprits:
DSCF0871.JPG


That is NOT good, but how would they have gotten in there

I have had a few paper drivers chewed by squirrels that got into my garage, little buggers!

If you are tossing the drivers however, SAVE the dustcaps if you can as they may come in handy later.!

Nice looker again, Christine.

I was smiling till I saw the speakers, then I was

How could they have gotten in there?

Amazing how well the main unit fits in the cabinet!

Looking forward to seeing where you go with this.

duckman said:

I suspect these - or something like them - are the culprits:

DSCF0871.JPG


That is NOT good, but how would they have gotten in there

I have had a few paper drivers chewed by squirrels that got into my garage, little buggers!

If you are tossing the drivers however, SAVE the dustcaps if you can as they may come in handy later.!

Nice looker again, Christine.

Click to expand...

Thanks, duckman. I don't know the history of this BB although it was at a charity shop before it came to me, once I pointed out the condition of the speakers (as seen through the grills) they couldn't wait to get rid of it....................and, yes, I did make a donation!

Lasonic TRC-920 said:

I was smiling till I saw the speakers, then I was

How could they have gotten in there?

Amazing how well the main unit fits in the cabinet!

Looking forward to seeing where you go with this.

Click to expand...

If you look at the areas of the speakers where the cables emerge you'll see spaces large enough for pesky critters to enter. However, there were no dropping so I don't think they'd been there for long, maybe a bit of punk rock blasting away scared 'em off?!!!

Yeah, I was going to ask if there were ports in the back.

Damn critters!

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk

Dang!!! Could have been termites 🤔


Bad Boy Bill

It's not that there's any consolation in the age of the speakers, if you look closely you'll see they look almost mint. The colour reproduction doesn't do the speakers sufficient justice, they are dust free and really do look almost mint - well, what's left of 'em!

I need 2x speakers:

12cm, 3.2ohms, 3.2w. In the centre of the speaker is marked 'MAX 5w'.

Not being speaker savvy, why does the tell me 3.2w as well as 'MAX 5w'?

I have no Service Manual (at this time) so can't determine a part no. this way but I have found this UK supplier listing a Sharp GFA2 Woofer for £15.36 (+ a bit of a bung for the taxman, I suppose), there are no further details.. I feel this may be the correct speaker, could I be right on this? Worth a shot maybe?

The above company contact details state:
"Sorry, but you cannot collect parts from this address. We're a delivery only company". With a lead time/delivery time of approx. 10 days I would think that this company is just a middle-man in the supply chain, buying in from an outside supplier, so I can't even send them a speaker as a sample for comparison asking for "same-same, Mister!"

I've now determined from the first three speaker pics and a re-examination of the speakers under artificial light that the difficult to read print states:

12PB71SA

and I've a gut feeling this may be the Sharp part/item/stock no. but only for this reason:

I've an Hitachi currently stripped down and this has a part no. on the speakers in the same manner as the Sharp GF-A2 has, I referred to the Hitachi Service Manual parts list and this confirms the number printed on the (Hitachi) speaker is the same as the part no. listed in the Hitachi Service Manual.

Using the supplier I noted in my previous post, the cost of two speakers +Taxmans' bung +P&P would be a little over £40. If such a thing was available I could probably buy a half decent used model for around this price! As it stands, my GF-A2 is in pretty decent overall condition so I'm happy to pay the £40+. After all, it's not a prohibitive fortune and it's not about the money, it's about the box, yes? And...................this is the only one I've come across in my limited experience and I like it!.

Today I removed the casing to get at the tape deck area 'cos the sound reproduction 'left a lot to be desired', it sounded very rough indeed. Inside is far cleaner than I could have expected, hardly a speck of dust anywhere.

There's another surprise in this box: The cassette head appears to have been sprayed at the point of production, prior to the part no. being applied, and the paint has gone beyond the intended surface and onto the playback head. A little pitting along with a dash of what may be rust compliments this ruined head. I've done what I can to clean the head to no avail, I should think this has never worked correctly from day one!


There is also corrosion on the metalwork in the battery compartment requiring remedial work. So, new speakers and new tape head required to get this back on the road.

I'm really surprised with this box, I knew it wasn't perfect when I acquired it but the evidence points to a box with little use so it's not the usual wear & tear, neglect or abuse that's wrong with this box in the main - it's the silly things! I've sourced the parts but, for now, it'll be put aside awaiting a spare cash day for the parts.

Am I disappointed? No, definitely not.

That's all for now, folks!

What size are the speakers? I may have some that will fit the bill, but the cones are black.

oldskool69 said:

What size are the speakers? I may have some that will fit the bill, but the cones are black.

Click to expand...

Hi, oldskool69 - that's very helpful and kind of you.

The physical size of the speaker is 12cm/120mm wide, the height being 40mm. The centre spacing for the mounting screws is 90mm. The height is important as a post on the rear of the speaker case sits against the speaker with a small soft pad in between. The pics above with the meat rule indicate the sizes.

My above post, no's. 9 & 10 have the technical spec :12cm, 3.2ohms, 3.2w. In the centre of the speaker is marked 'MAX 5w'.
(Sharp part #: 12PB71SA is what I see printed on the speaker, I have no Service Manual to confirm this with but I believe this to be correct).

If you are able to help this would be great but please don't rush just yet. I'm far away from you so It wouldn't be fair without me confirming a more local supplier first. Also, their is no panic because I've been accumulating projects for the winter to keep me going:
Hitachi TRK-8300
Hitachi TRK-8600
Panasonic RX-C36
JVC RC-656LB
.................so far - although I'm always on the look-out for a bargain!

Please let me know if you do find a couple of speakers, black cones are no problem, and I'll see how things go at my end. If my source can't oblige me then I'll let you know and we can take it from there. Thanks again, oldskool69.

No prob. Just want to see what's in the bin that may help.

I've never seen an eaten speaker before, that's a new one!

If I'm not mistaken shouldn't be any sort of coating on the tape heads, that gunk on there is probably just plastic residue that wore off tapes being played, or worse, someone left a tape in play mode while not in use for a long time.

Hi, caution. It seems the wrong colour to have originated from a tape as it's a light-ish green and....................the print info is on top of the green-ish colouring.

On a more positive note, I've found the same specification speakers (in fact, they appear to be identical speakers from the same original manufacturer) I need inside a newly acquired Panasonic RX-C36 (cost to me: £0.99 plus about £5.50 plus p+p) so this has the potential be a less costly way to source speakers although not this particular box (well, not yet anyway!).

I have a complete donor box if you want it. It'll cost a pretty penny to send from the USA tho. If it's worth it to you let me know.


Jboogie2384

Jboogie2384 said:

I have a complete donor box if you want it. It'll cost a pretty penny to send from the USA tho. If it's worth it to you let me know.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1448499574.222768.jpg


Jboogie2384

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Thank you very much Jboogie2384 - that's very kind of you indeed. Just for now, I've put the box aside 'cos I've realised the speakers can also be found in other brands of similar sized BB's such as the Panasonic RX-C36 I've recently acquired for £0.99p! (The panny needs a cog for the deck so cant be used but it'd make a food short-term doner box.)

Anyway, thanks again!

Update:

I've now sourced a pair of doner speakers from a (2nd) Panasonic RX-C36L which are physically the same as the existing/damaged speakers in the Sharp but, as I'm not technically minded, I would appreciate some feedback as to whether or not they are suitable.

I wired the doner (Pannie) speakers into the recipient (Sharp) speaker terminals and the output sound was fine when the unit was turned on. Can I use these newly-found Pannie speakers in my Sharp GF-A2 or will this be a technical no-no because of the wattage ratings?