HELP PLEASE Watson RR-5600

[sbsshadow]

Morning all

Im talking to someone in Germany about a Watson RR-5600 , he says that the casette is running slow and is probably the sound head or the belt ??

Is this common ? is this an easy fix ?

I wanted a fully working box as my first one, but this would cost double the price of this Watson

Do you think its worth me taking a chance on this one ?

Thank you

Stephen

 

[docs]

Hi Stephen, when getting in to collecting boomboxes you have to learn fast that they need occasional care and attention. Some more than others.

What that means is that now and then, your units will need servicing. That might mean new cassette deck belts or a contact clean of all switches and ports etc. AND quite often you may encounter an electronics issue which renders part of the unit non-working.

The service element is very common and almost completely standard which is why you either pay a bit more for a serviced item or just accept that you need to service it when it arrives.

Hope that helps.

 

[sbsshadow]

Hi Stephen, when getting in to collecting boomboxes you have to learn fast that they need occasional care and attention. Some more than others.

What that means is that now and then, your units will need servicing. That might mean new cassette deck belts or a contact clean of all switches and ports etc. AND quite often you may encounter an electronics issue which renders part of the unit non-working.

The service element is very common and almost completely standard which is why you either pay a bit more for a serviced item or just accept that you need to service it when it arrives.

Hope that helps.

Yes, good advice, thank you , do you think if I buy this one I will be able to get parts for it ? and do you think it will be an easy job to do ?

Again, thank you for the quick reply

Stephen

 

[Styleking]

Stephen,

The Watson RR-5600 is a variant of the Helix HX-4636 and I believe there were many other manufacturers of this box as well? The good news is that with many variants sold, you usually will have a larger pool of boxes to scavenge from when looking for replacement parts. That being said, getting any vintage OEM electronic part is never easy. But this site has a great group of members who are excited to keep these old beasts running. Once you determine what the issue is you could throw up a post in the Boxes/Parts wanted section and see if you can get lucky. Also search the Restoration/Repair forum for any posts that might pertain to your box or repair.

Good luck,

Jerry

 

[sbsshadow]

Brilliant, thank you , I will post here if im lucky enough to get it and then once I have determined the faults

 

[Reli]

If it's just running slow, it's usually just a slipping belt that needs to be replaced. It's not caused by a bad head. Bad heads make the music sound muffled, not slow.

 

[sbsshadow]

Thank you very much, is that a difficult job ?

If it's just running slow, it's usually just a slipping belt that needs to be replaced. It's not caused by a bad head. Bad heads make the music sound muffled, not slow.

 

[Northerner]

Belts on a box like this are usually pretty easy. It’s the smaller ones where everything is packed in that tend to be trickier

 

[sbsshadow]

Belts on a box like this are usually pretty easy. It’s the smaller ones where everything is packed in that tend to be trickier

Fantastic thank you, I just waiting to find out if I'm going to get it or not

 

[Lasonic TRC-920]

These boxes have their pluses and minuses,

The Good:
Easy to work on
Decks are very basic
Parts are common (as mentioned above)
Easy to rebelt
Looks awesome

The Bad:
No line in (Radio and Tape Deck only)
Sound quality of the decks is "OK", nothing to write home about
Deck doors are fragile, especially near the spring that pops the door open. Common point of failure.

Over all, if having a line in is not important to you and you have a little bit of mechanical skill, the average collector can repair this box. Take pictures of EVERYTHING as you take it apart, so you know how it goes back together. Be gentle with the deck doors when you remove them and you should be good to go.

This is a very collectible, I have one and LOVE IT! It looks the part 100% and gets pretty loud! Hope this helps

 

[sbsshadow]

These boxes have their pluses and minuses,

The Good:
Easy to work on
Decks are very basic
Parts are common (as mentioned above)
Easy to rebelt
Looks awesome

The Bad:
No line in (Radio and Tape Deck only)
Sound quality of the decks is "OK", nothing to write home about
Deck doors are fragile, especially near the spring that pops the door open. Common point of failure.

Over all, if having a line in is not important to you and you have a little bit of mechanical skill, the average collector can repair this box. Take pictures of EVERYTHING as you take it apart, so you know how it goes back together. Be gentle with the deck doors when you remove them and you should be good to go.

This is a very collectible, I have one and LOVE IT! It looks the part 100% and gets pretty loud! Hope this helps

Yes a great help thank you very much

 

[Transistorized]

I might be the exception....but much like building a balsa wooden RC airplane, sometimes the enjoyment is watching the radio come to life.

If you have the gift, it makes the radios and the hobby more interesting. If not, well...your in the right place and surrounded by those who know