D8443 sound problems

[80sKidWannabe]

I’ve recently noticed that the volume will change when I slightly touch any of the 5 sound controls on the front of the box, not just the volume control. It will also change volume if I push on the grille or the side of the box as well as while I’m carrying it.

When first looking online for my d8443, people on eBay would describe similar conditions and how the volume would sound better after they shook the box. A thread, which I can no longer find, cites corrosion around the bearings of the control knobs as the cause of the issue. I know my boombox came from an area near a large body of water.

I haven’t been bold enough to take it apart far enough to reach the volume control circuit. If anyone has resolved anything similar, please reach out to me. Am I going to need to replace the sound control board or is this something I can fabricate?

 

[floyd]

I can tell you this the volume knob becomes wobbly over time and that might be the problem. From my experience you can take a pair of pliers and crimp the housing of the potentiometer on the back where the tabs fold over to make it a little tighter.

 

[floyd]

I can tell you this the volume knob becomes wobbly over time and that might be the problem. From my experience you can take a pair of pliers and crimp the housing of the potentiometer on the back where the tabs fold over to make it a little tighter.

I have a spare control board for this somewhere but I can't guarantee it's a good condition even though the boxes were working when I took them apart to make a custom box out of the parts I have some leftovers and the volume control is one of them.

 

[floyd]

You have to go deep to get those controls out of the box but all of them come out on one board at least the ones with the knobs on it.
If I remember correctly the whole control board plugs in with a plug so you can just unplug it and work on it by itself.

 

[floyd]

I had one of these boomboxes in high school and I loved it so I'll always have fine memories of this boombox. I don't care what anybody says you got a lot of Boombox for your money when you bought one of these things considering how cheap they were new but if you were poor even that amount was a lot.

 

[80sKidWannabe]

I’ll take a look at tightening the knobs when I eventually have to take it apart again. Although I feel the knobs aren’t wobbly at all and the sound change only happens when something tweaks the board itself. Maybe the point where the board plugs in is loose and that’s the source of my issue

 

[floyd]

I’ll take a look at tightening the knobs when I eventually have to take it apart again. Although I feel the knobs aren’t wobbly at all and the sound change only happens when something tweaks the board itself. Maybe the point where the board plugs in is loose and that’s the source of my issue

That could be a loose part or a broken circuit board trace. I guess a close up inspection of the board is the first step.