Hello Again......!!
Finally managed to get myself one of these after wanting one for nearly 40 years
I mean - Who wouldn't want one??
This cost me £42.50 which all things considered is a bargain to me anyway.........
Cosmetically there was the wavechange knob missing (Temporary horrid Philips one it for now!) & pretty much non functional due to switches & knobs inside & out being stuck or just too dirty to possibly function correctly! Add to the mix a stereo that was pretty dirty & unloved for a long time, a cassette deck that had clearly not worked for a very long time & you begin to predict what lay ahead of me!!
The cassette deck in these was used in several Technics cassette decks between 1980 & 1983 & is a real goody - a deck that I have worked on many many times between then & now & I know it inside out!! Funny how you never forget some things in your life.......this mechanism is part of mine no question
So, front removed to start with, speakers unplugged & front cabinet with speakers put aside for now.......very heavy I mused as I put it safely to one side!
Next, cassette mechanism easily unplugged & removed along with it's plethora of cables & connectors - This deck is pretty much a masterpiece of engineering on it's own & I love them! HUGE oversized capstan flywheel made out of a heavy metal & beautifully engineered, driven by a wide flat belt from the motor - Two more small belts, one for reel drive duties & the other for the full auto stop idler wheel........
I took my time with this deck & really loved reliving the whole experience of doing a real quality re-build on a deck rarely found in a portable stereo! Capstan removed, cleaned back to shiny gleaming silver then shaft & bearing given a drop of fine oil before I performed the 3 belt replacement with just two somewhat unsteady hands! First time & success! - As I said you never forget how to!
Next, clean & regrease all the levers & moving plates, feed the motor shaft a drop or two of fine oil & refit the motor & flywheel plates & chech operation by manually turning the flywheel & checking all functions were working correctly - They were & I kind of knew they would do! Just over two hours to completely overhaul & restore this cassette mechanism to perfect working reliable condition
So very happy so far
Now to the main rear casing that houses all the electronics.........
I noticed quickly that the record/play switch was seized solid & mean really stuck fast!! Worst one I have encountered in all the years etc etc.........
Quite a few doses of Servisol later leaving plenty of time between sqirts, it was time to try & coax the switch into moving! Took a while & in the end, I used a jewellers screwdriver in the far end (Left end looking down into case) of the bar & it funally gave in & shifted
What a relief but perhaps short lived as will become clear as you read on............
All the other switchgear in this stereo is not easily accessible at all - In fact, that's an understatement! Lots of carefully easing extension pipes into the holes in the pots & switches, then dousing them all with plenty of cleaner whilst working the switches at the same time! They succumbed to the Servisol after some time spent cleaning them all!
Checked all main screws especially any that earth the various parts of the stereo together & pinched most up tight again after so many years!
Time to drop in the cassette deck & reconnect it all - Run it up to test mechanical operations......Perfect as I expected & extremely quiet when running in any mode, a fine deck indeed!! Just time left to polish the heads & clean excess oil from capstan shaft before new pinch roller comes into contact with it.........
Front panel put aside until the next day as I had had enough for the first day............
Next day, remove woofers & clean any dust & dirt off cones & grilles using a soft make-up brush, the woofers were dirty for sure but in excellent condtion still & were refitted to front panel before a really good clean up of the massive front panel casing - These machines are HUGE & very heavy without batteries!!
All said & done, the front came up much better that I expected it to & now has only light scratches & marks you would expect for a well used machine!
I decided to (As Always) run her up using headphones before reassembling case: This is where I discovered that we had a problem
Radio, perfect operation & excellent tuner too! Amplifier too - Exemplarary performance & all controls responding perfectly
Cassette deck, mechanically perfection & playback begins........on right channel only & right VU meter only working! So I lnow it's not the deck itself - removing the head signal plug on the main board & touching the pins confirms that the fault lies somewhere in either the cassette pre-amplifier OR that bloody record/play bar, which is what keeps playing on my mind! Other possible is a blown Dolby chip but unlikely I think...........
The fault is puzzling - when you try to record, the 'rec' led comes on but the record level control does little or nothing on either channel, also switching to auto level produces the same results - the microphones do register a tiny bit on the right channel but nothing on the left??? So I keep returning to the record switch & re-cleaning it even more maybe?? Everything else works as it should & I will find the answer, I just put it together for now & will look at it next time with a fresh pair of eyes & ears
For now though, I have to say: This stereo is an absolute beast with astonishing incredible sound from a portable, yes these sound quite extraordinary & despite the annoying fault, I am proud & very happy to own this one
I will let the images do the talking & a video that demands you put your headphones on & turn up the volume to a reasonable level - The video quality & the audio were captured really well & even through the stereo microphones on my Samsung S7 Edge, you can hear just how damn good these stereo's were & still are! 2.1 Speakers or HiFi audio will also amaze you!!!
Et Viola:
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https://youtu.be/pBux3fIX4KU
High Res Images Here:
https://onedrive.live.com/?id=BEA218B70F2B18D1!31159&cid=BEA218B70F2B18D1
Finally managed to get myself one of these after wanting one for nearly 40 years
I mean - Who wouldn't want one??
This cost me £42.50 which all things considered is a bargain to me anyway.........
Cosmetically there was the wavechange knob missing (Temporary horrid Philips one it for now!) & pretty much non functional due to switches & knobs inside & out being stuck or just too dirty to possibly function correctly! Add to the mix a stereo that was pretty dirty & unloved for a long time, a cassette deck that had clearly not worked for a very long time & you begin to predict what lay ahead of me!!
The cassette deck in these was used in several Technics cassette decks between 1980 & 1983 & is a real goody - a deck that I have worked on many many times between then & now & I know it inside out!! Funny how you never forget some things in your life.......this mechanism is part of mine no question
So, front removed to start with, speakers unplugged & front cabinet with speakers put aside for now.......very heavy I mused as I put it safely to one side!
Next, cassette mechanism easily unplugged & removed along with it's plethora of cables & connectors - This deck is pretty much a masterpiece of engineering on it's own & I love them! HUGE oversized capstan flywheel made out of a heavy metal & beautifully engineered, driven by a wide flat belt from the motor - Two more small belts, one for reel drive duties & the other for the full auto stop idler wheel........
I took my time with this deck & really loved reliving the whole experience of doing a real quality re-build on a deck rarely found in a portable stereo! Capstan removed, cleaned back to shiny gleaming silver then shaft & bearing given a drop of fine oil before I performed the 3 belt replacement with just two somewhat unsteady hands! First time & success! - As I said you never forget how to!
Next, clean & regrease all the levers & moving plates, feed the motor shaft a drop or two of fine oil & refit the motor & flywheel plates & chech operation by manually turning the flywheel & checking all functions were working correctly - They were & I kind of knew they would do! Just over two hours to completely overhaul & restore this cassette mechanism to perfect working reliable condition
Now to the main rear casing that houses all the electronics.........
I noticed quickly that the record/play switch was seized solid & mean really stuck fast!! Worst one I have encountered in all the years etc etc.........
Quite a few doses of Servisol later leaving plenty of time between sqirts, it was time to try & coax the switch into moving! Took a while & in the end, I used a jewellers screwdriver in the far end (Left end looking down into case) of the bar & it funally gave in & shifted
All the other switchgear in this stereo is not easily accessible at all - In fact, that's an understatement! Lots of carefully easing extension pipes into the holes in the pots & switches, then dousing them all with plenty of cleaner whilst working the switches at the same time! They succumbed to the Servisol after some time spent cleaning them all!
Checked all main screws especially any that earth the various parts of the stereo together & pinched most up tight again after so many years!
Time to drop in the cassette deck & reconnect it all - Run it up to test mechanical operations......Perfect as I expected & extremely quiet when running in any mode, a fine deck indeed!! Just time left to polish the heads & clean excess oil from capstan shaft before new pinch roller comes into contact with it.........
Front panel put aside until the next day as I had had enough for the first day............
Next day, remove woofers & clean any dust & dirt off cones & grilles using a soft make-up brush, the woofers were dirty for sure but in excellent condtion still & were refitted to front panel before a really good clean up of the massive front panel casing - These machines are HUGE & very heavy without batteries!!
All said & done, the front came up much better that I expected it to & now has only light scratches & marks you would expect for a well used machine!
I decided to (As Always) run her up using headphones before reassembling case: This is where I discovered that we had a problem
Radio, perfect operation & excellent tuner too! Amplifier too - Exemplarary performance & all controls responding perfectly
Cassette deck, mechanically perfection & playback begins........on right channel only & right VU meter only working! So I lnow it's not the deck itself - removing the head signal plug on the main board & touching the pins confirms that the fault lies somewhere in either the cassette pre-amplifier OR that bloody record/play bar, which is what keeps playing on my mind! Other possible is a blown Dolby chip but unlikely I think...........
The fault is puzzling - when you try to record, the 'rec' led comes on but the record level control does little or nothing on either channel, also switching to auto level produces the same results - the microphones do register a tiny bit on the right channel but nothing on the left??? So I keep returning to the record switch & re-cleaning it even more maybe?? Everything else works as it should & I will find the answer, I just put it together for now & will look at it next time with a fresh pair of eyes & ears
For now though, I have to say: This stereo is an absolute beast with astonishing incredible sound from a portable, yes these sound quite extraordinary & despite the annoying fault, I am proud & very happy to own this one
I will let the images do the talking & a video that demands you put your headphones on & turn up the volume to a reasonable level - The video quality & the audio were captured really well & even through the stereo microphones on my Samsung S7 Edge, you can hear just how damn good these stereo's were & still are! 2.1 Speakers or HiFi audio will also amaze you!!!
Et Viola:
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https://youtu.be/pBux3fIX4KU
High Res Images Here:
https://onedrive.live.com/?id=BEA218B70F2B18D1!31159&cid=BEA218B70F2B18D1
And, as you said, a very visual unit. I am in love with the signature tweeters of this model and also with its killer VUs
