Aiwa 990 boombox just bought has some damage

[stereomann]

Hi I bought a aiwa 990 off of mercari
The total with shipping was around $75 shipping was more than the radio
It was sold as unknown working condition
But it seems to have been damaged in shipping as the screw post that hold the back on and all speaker post are broken so the speakers are loose inside the radio does power on and work but controls need to be cleaned
Its missing some switch covers and rec knob also it needs replacement antennas

Do you think it's worth keeping or should I send it back? I only have 2 more days to decide
The shipping weight says 30 on the box but it doesn't seem to weigh that much I wonder if I can get some money back on the shipping or maybe get insurance money back but it wasn't packed the greatest.

Aslo does anyone know where the antennas connect to they were unhooked when I took it apart

And how easy is it to take out the circuit board so I can clean the controls and change the belts if I decide to keep it.

Also does anyone have any parts for this boombox? Let me know thanks

 

[Superduper]

Nobody knows your restoration skill level, only you can determine if it's worth keeping. But $75 with shipping included is definitely very cheap for that model, you can't find that radio in the states for $75 shipped. Even with the damage, it still looks like it's very salvageable. But of course, I've had lots of experience fixing shattered and broken screw towers so I'm not as scared as someone who hasn't dealt with those before.

 

[stereomann]

thanks for the info
I'm pretty sure i can fix the post if they are still there maybe with jb weld or maybe something better. if not i was wondering if the grills came off of the front of the radio maybe i can use screws washers & nuts to attach the speakers to the radio but I'm not sure how I'm going to go about it yet

i guess the hardest thing is finding switch covers and the broken Rec knob which i guess is not really needed but more for looks maybe someone can 3D print them? i really don't know much about 3D printing or how much it would cost.

i know the tape deck needs new belts so I'll have to start there with the tape deck to see if any thing else is wrong with it.

Fm radio tuning seems a little off not sure if the pointer can be moved but i guess i can try it

 

[Tinman]

If you think you can fix it and be happy with the results, keep it.
If you don't think you can or it's too much work, return it.
I'm not familiar with Mercari's policies but if you keep it, at the very least you should get some kind of refund.
If you're not happy with what the seller's resolution is and you want to keep it, ask them to file a claim.
They might just refund everything and tell you to keep it.

 

[Northerner]

Bargain even in that condition, posts are fixable. These have a complex gearing in the deck that’s hard to work on, might need more than a belt to get running

 

[Ade]

Hi i would keep if it was me ,the price isn’t that much for a boombox,if you havnt had much experience in restoring them ,it might be a great project to start on ,and if you do manage to get it up and running,it’s a great feeling ,cheers Ade

 

[BoomboxLover48]

That is such a beautiful boombox to have!
With some time, dedication and patience you can turn it out into a beautiful boombox in your collection.

 

[stereomann]

I ended up getting it for free.
I'm in the process of removing the tape deck the belts have turned to goo not sure if I'll be able to get it working but I'm going to try.
I already cleaned the switches and pots

As far as the post for the speakers I tried using super glue and jb weld but as soon as I tightened the screws they broke off again so I will need to try something else. Or maybe not put them as tight. I glued them back on and they seem strong when I touch them. I guess just putting torque on them broke it and the plastic being brittle probably doesn't help any. Maybe melting the plastic will help I guess I can try it

 

[BoomboxLover48]

For broken posts I applied minimum JB weld Plastic Weld to hold it in place for 24 hrs. Then wound a layer of 0.5 mm copper wire on it and applied a JB weld layer on top of it. That really worked well for me. Slipping a thin metal tube over it will also strengthen the reinforcement.

 

[Plasticity]

I always liked that box. I think the JB weld was a good idea. Hope it holds for you

 

[Chris2onmusic]

I’m glad in the end it was free! If you can get it going you got yourself an excellent boombox good luck with the gluing!

 

[Ghettoman]

i've owned a few of the Aiwa 990, and i still have Nightmares over that cassette deck, way too over engineered, there was absolutely no need to make a deck that complicated, i would have been much happier with a piano key manual deck, well they are actually a manual deck, with the Gear Section at the bottom, they are a really nice looking radio but that deck makes me shiver, and when i see one for sale i don;t even click on it, i just scroll on by. i've heard of people re belting them, only for them to only last a couple of months and fail again, i think it happened to Docs a while ago. just a bad bad bad design, shame because like i said, Very Nice, Cool looking radio, and they sound really well too.. if i bought one again i wouldn't even attempt another deck repair, i'd just use my bluetooth module on it and forget the deck.

 

[AE_Stereo]

post for the speakers

Watch this video at around 36:00.

You will get an idea, how to repair it.

 

[Ghettoman]

Watch this video at around 36:00.

You will get an idea, how to repair it.

i clicked on the video, the video shows techmoan repairing a Sharp GF9191, i will search on Youtube and search for a Tpr 990 repair and check it out.. I've actually repaired a handful of Tpr990 decks over the years, the deck itself is actually ok, it's just the Gear Box at the bottom that i can not stand, it was just a silly idea.. it reminds me of the G deck on a Panasonic VCR. i'm not sure i'd want to repair another now, because even after repairing it, every time you use it, it will forever be fingers crossed hope it still works.

 

[AE_Stereo]

i clicked on the video, the video shows techmoan repairing a Sharp GF9191, i will search on Youtube and search for a Tpr 990 repair and check it out.. I've actually repaired a handful of Tpr990 decks over the years, the deck itself is actually ok, it's just the Gear Box at the bottom that i can not stand, it was just a silly idea.. it reminds me of the G deck on a Panasonic VCR. i'm not sure i'd want to repair another now, because even after repairing it, every time you use it, it will forever be fingers crossed hope it still works.

I suggested this video for the repair of the broken plastic legs.

 

[BoomboxLover48]

Watch this video at around 36:00.

You will get an idea, how to repair it.

Great Information!

A glue you can apply, and then shape as needed is so useful!
SUGRU Moldable glue!

I never knew there is one like this in the market!
What do I know?

It is available on Amazon.

 

[Tinman]

Great Information!

A glue you can apply, and then shape as needed is so useful!
SUGRU Moldable glue!

I never knew there is one like this in the market!
What do I know?

It is available on Amazon.

JB Weld has this.
It sets up pretty fast so you can probably turn the threads into as it sets up.

 

[caution]

I love their PlasticWeld, it works great on nylon parts.

 

[Tinman]

I love their PlasticWeld, it works great on nylon parts.

That's good to know, nylon is tough.

 

[stereomann]

Thank you everyone for the info before seeing any of this I ended up using super glue and baking soda it seems to be holding fine so far the worst thing that would happen is that if they break I'll have to repair them again.

The tape deck is another issue like everyone said that thing is a pain to work on I replaced 3 belts
And at first the main motor was running and wouldn't stop then the belt on the flywheel popped off so I had to put it back on. After taking apart the bottom part where the buttons are it's not running constantly anymore but the small motor for the buttons does not seem to be working unless something turns it on to select one of the functions on the deck or maybe it's bad. I'm not an expert but I'm not sure why they would make something so complicated I've never seen a deck that hard to work on before and I repaired at least 10 cassette decks before usually it's just belts. And on one nakamichi deck it was a bad motor. I really don't use cassettes that much anymore and haven't really since the 90's it's just a point of trying to get it to work but if worst comes to worst I'll just leave it as it is and not worry about it.