Well the day arrived on Monday to tackle this beautiful beast........... I decided to rebelt despite the cassette deck working due to the full autostop simply not working I took it apart with some trepidation not really knowing if it was a good idea This is a complex almost over engineered machine with build quality to die for & even the internal design is extremely well thought out with every board, wiring loom, Psu tuner & tape deck all on pluggable connectors! Removing the 8 long case screws enables the back & sides of the case to be lifted without the need to unplug the antenna or battery leads (a nice touch) leaving the entire internals to be lifted clear after removing the sliders on top of the unit........this is Hitachi 8190/8290 territory just in a 'Rolls Royce' sort of way! Just 3 largish connectors seen below the tape mech to unplug for the speakers & the tape deck logic controls! This is where we reach the non novice stage - splitting the cassette deck mech to reach the belts which it turns out, were in a very tired state, both egg shaped & way too loose - the counter belt was just fine strangely but got replaced anyway!! This stereo wasn't bought as new, but it may as well have been.............it needed very little cleaning internally, the pinch roller was like new as are the heads & the rest of it, just crazy untouched condition for a year off 40 years The deck itself is not for the faint hearted, I counted 5 solenoids to relocate on re-assembly as well as being certain not to knock the flat belt off the flywheel - I had studied the deck intensely while apart partly out of fascination & partly to help me if anything went wrong!! It didn't! The deck sprung to life on replacing it into the chassis & connecting the logic board & headphones with good rewind/fast forward & play torque & a full autostop that now worked!! I knew there was no need to check the motor speed or head alignment - when these were built it was set up spot on & fixed with locking paint, even the external motor servo adjustment pot was still locked untouched!! Feeling relieved, I squirted servisol in all the switches & sliders, brushed the very small traces of dust that was inside the casing & chassis before reassembling it......... Next day the cleaning began - won't surprise anyone that I spent a whole day on cleaning what was already very clean, I wanted it to look the part - & it does now Sound quality is as expected very nice warm & balanced - Tuner is really sensitive & locks on to all available stations, the digital display works faultlessly & the lamp still works as does the lamp in the cassette compartment to show how much tape visually remains!! The tape deck is like a dream to use - precise logic controls are faultless & the gorgeous led bars respond fast & look so nice What else to say?? Nothing - this is one smart & desirable stereo, beautiful in every way!! Here are the images & video I Thank You Full Res Images Here: https://onedrive.live.com/?id=BEA218B70F2B18D1!28252&cid=BEA218B70F2B18D1
Outstanding lad, i wouldn't know where to start, the picks with the main deck split apart just wow...speak soon my friend
It was only when I saw the picture of the inside showing a Tuning Capacitor that I realised it is just a digital display rather than a synthesized tuner with presets. High Tech for 1979 but a bit outdated by the early 1980s when boxes like the Sharp GF-8 and Sony's own 2001 radio started featuring this. It just goes to show how quickly things were progressing back then.
One common thing I am finding with mains+battery machines is that the AC input socket and its internal switch needs to be stripped down and rebuilt. Basically so the tarnished contacts, especially the piece that connects the battery or the AC but not both, can be cleaned up so they work properly. Design seems common and the part that does the work is a small curved and notched plate a few mil across. I use tiny amounts of Brasso or silver cleaner on a cotton bud, then isopropyl alcohol for final clean. If you're having to wiggle the AC cord endlessly to get the power through, this switch is the problem.
Wow! I swear you could rebuild Darth Vader with all of that circuitry Good work. Always nice to get one like that together and working. Leads to a great degree of accomplishment...Well Done!!!
