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- Thread starter Transistorized
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floyd
Boomus Fidelis
It indeed is an M70 slider Floyd. This is the treble slider that a wiper got loose on.
This is a beater box that has been patched, glued and has a few minor issues. This slider was one of them.
I could do the rest while I've got it apart but the others are working for now, and this thing is just going to get sand down in it. It already had a rough life so it's a perfect beach machine.
The Left / Battery meter is dead and one antenna is missing but otherwise functional 100%. Hopefully get the treble working on both channels and then it will be a good beater.
floyd
Boomus Fidelis
I love a good beater box. The one m70 I did own had a bad balance slider and I'm just too clumsy to work on these lol.
floyd
Boomus Fidelis
What I meant to say was the right side volume slider didn't work. It was just stuck in place.
floyd
Boomus Fidelis
Believe it or not the only m70 I've ever seen in person was the one I had. I only paid 40 bucks for it and it was 39 bucks too much after I got it lol. This thing looked like it was stored in a chicken coup. I also bought an mx920 from the same seller and it must have come from the same chicken coup. I knew it was going to happen but his prices were super reasonable.
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caution
Member (SA)
I love my M70s but the top-mounted sliders always skeeve me out because of the sand and dirt that could get into them.
caution
Member (SA)
Reconditioning pots and sliders ain't no joke, one bad move with those feelers and the show's over.
Very true. Every single M70 I have opened has enough fuzz on top of the cassette mech to make a sweater. Every control is just waiting for dust and debris to make their way into the radio. When I store my M70s, I always lay the strap over the controls so the dust won't be as likely to make it in there or lay them on their backs. Dust still gets in there.
I also use a tiny bit of die electric grease in the treble pot to get the smooth feeling back to it which I am sure will attract more dirt long term...but in this case, I only did the treble so it will be smoother than the rest. They do have a felt pad on top that is supposed to aid in the prevention of some particles getting in them but I'm not going all out on this box because it might very well get accidentally knocked over into the sand this year and come back a true parts box.
I'm happy to report that it's all back together now. Treble and bass now working on both channels. Yay! Aside from the cracked case, non working Left VU, missing antenna, repaired carry handle, missing battery door (which I can borrow from another one of my M70s), it is working and sounding excellent.
The only electrical issue it has now, is a motorboat sound on cassette function (playback) when auto record is selected. When on manual, it doesn't do it. Since I don't record on it, I leave the switch on manual and it plays cassettes without any motorboating sound coming through the speakers. It very well could be the record bar but I've already sprayed it with DeOxit with no change but again...it's a beater box.
It's the perfect beach box for all of those reasons. I actually got it as a parts box, but it showed promise and it seemed like it wanted to live.
Here it is playing a cassette happily in the living room.
floyd
Boomus Fidelis
It's worth it's weight in gold if you can take it out and use it without the stress involved in taking something nice and worrying about it getting scratched up or dirty .Very true. Every single M70 I have opened has enough fuzz on top of the cassette mech to make a sweater. Every control is just waiting for dust and debris to make their way into the radio. When I store my M70s, I always lay the strap over the controls so the dust won't be as likely to make it in there or lay them on their backs. Dust still gets in there.
I also use a tiny bit of die electric grease in the treble pot to get the smooth feeling back to it which I am sure will attract more dirt long term...but in this case, I only did the treble so it will be smoother than the rest. They do have a felt pad on top that is supposed to aid in the prevention of some particles getting in them but I'm not going all out on this box because it might very well get accidentally knocked over into the sand this year and come back a true parts box.
I'm happy to report that it's all back together now. Treble and bass now working on both channels. Yay! Aside from the cracked case, non working Left VU, missing antenna, repaired carry handle, missing battery door (which I can borrow from another one of my M70s), it is working and sounding excellent.
The only electrical issue it has now, is a motorboat sound on cassette function (playback) when auto record is selected. When on manual, it doesn't do it. Since I don't record on it, I leave the switch on manual and it plays cassettes without any motorboating sound coming through the speakers. It very well could be the record bar but I've already sprayed it with DeOxit with no change but again...it's a beater box.
It's the perfect beach box for all of those reasons. I actually got it as a parts box, but it showed promise and it seemed like it wanted to live.
Here it is playing a cassette happily in the living room.
View attachment 58909
Usually. But I got a stash of NOS alps stereo sliders from the same series although the resistors and knob shaft dimensions are different so it’s not a perfect drop in for these applications. However the internal feelers are identical so I just cannibalize the innards to rebuild trashed ones. One stereo slider has both a left and a right feeler suitable to rebuild either the bass/treble on the M70/838 or the balance slider on the 838 or the mono L/R feelers too on the volume and record level sliders.
I remember the day I discovered the treble issue on the right channel. That was a sad day, but I knew that I had to wait for a day where I woke up with the patience for this. Today, I woke up and glanced at this radio in the corner of my room and I instantly knew, it was time and that I was in the right frame of mind to do it without getting frustrated. My room for error was zero, outside of sending you, Norm, a private message for parts help
.Sometimes, I am amazed at what I am able to accomplish. I have come a long way and will do my best to keep my radios alive on my end. I seriously think I could quit my day job and repair boomboxes at this point
I know that it tends to fade over the years, but for me, when I succeed in a repair like this, I need a grin-ectomy