Trying something a bit different for this video. I've seen a lot of you saying that my videos are too short so let's see if this one is too long haha. I want to post a nice balance of 10-20 minutes videos that have more of a story and videos that are longer and more instructional like this one. I find both to be fun to watch on different occasions but let me know what you think. I've got some bigger receiver projects coming up that I'm excited to show more of!
Hi Mat, I plann to order speaker delay relay from AliEx and to install it in the Pioneer sx 424. What voltage should i look for in order to use some of its own receivers voltage, thanks in advance
If you’re hoping to add a speaker protection circuit, you’d need to design the whole circuit which is something I’m learning to do but not currently educated enough to give you pointers. There’s a lot of info you’d need to add it in. If you wanted to add it inline with the speaker outputs you might just be able to add the relay but if the only goal is to remove the thumb sound at startup, this could do the trick. If you’re looking to add a relay to protect the power switch you could use most any solid state relay or triac that is rated for upwards of 3A and 120/220v depending on your location.
How can you call a capacitor replacement a restoration? As a receiver, proper AM and FM alignment using a signal generator and the service manual would be much more comprehensive, and beneficial to performance.
I just bought a SX-424 yesterday and this was helpful for taking it apart for cleaning. I'm not replacing anything but it's looking a lot better already and sounds great for a mere 14W!
And also: Don't use 'rubbing alcohol'. Get yourself some 91 to 99% pure isopropyl alcohol, either at a good pharmacy (91%) or a good hardware store (99%). 70% has too much water to be used in this application. The 90%+ will evaporate quickly, and leave no residue, and it's stronger.
You need to buy a high quality miniature long-nose plier with insulated handles (15 - $40) to use instead of tweezers. I use both smooth jaws and serrated. Also a matching high quality miniature wire (diagonal) cutters. Whatever they cost, get them. Take care of them and they will last the rest of your life. Digikey or Mouser have them. Also McMaster Carr.
Thanks for the recommendations! I actually just bought a pair of 90° needle nose to use for some stuff but I still like my tweezers. I have a plastic spudger if I'm poking at things that still have current in them. I'll probably get some really fine needle nose pliers at some point though so thanks for the recommendations!
Talented folks like yourself are sorely needed. My techie who had restored several pieces of vintage gear for me will close up shop and retire in early summer. Alternatives that are conveniently close by does not exist.
Why thank you! I appreciate your sentiment. I am hoping to be part of keeping these beauties going for many more decades and continue to pass on the knowledge to new people. Sorry to hear your local tech is retiring. I hope he can enjoy his retirement very much. If he's looking to sell any non working amps, receivers, etc. Send him my way!
Great video thank you for the time and effort you put into this. I have 1 424 and 2 434's waiting for me to get off my butt. This was my motivation. 73's
Why thank you! I'm very grateful to hear that you've found it to be valuable! I hope your restorations go well. The 424 and 434 are great little receivers.
I’m not saying you doing anything wrong. But one thing the pros do is look over all old soldering joints can be dry and loose connections. Some just reflow all soldering just to ensure the best possible connection.
I do this as well! Guess I must not have mentioned it in the video. There are usually certain power transistors that will get hot enough to melt the solder so I always check the power supply and amp boards at a minimum. Thanks for watching!
With those old power cords that are not polarized, you can check the component's lower voltage potential on the chassis. How? Simple, take a DMM and set it to AC voltage. Take one lead and put it to your AC power ground and the other lead to the chassis. Plug in the component and try it both ways and the one with the lower voltage is the correct one. It can actually sound better too. In fact, do this with any component with or without a polarized plug(use a cheater plug), especially turntables. You just might be surprised at the difference. Also, make sure the component is not hooked up to another one. A Hakko FR301 desolder station isn't a bad thing to have around if you plan on doing this kind of work. For me, it was a godsend and I'm just a sometime tinkerer.
Thanks for the tip! I plan to get a FR301 at some point but I wanted to get fast with solder wick. I enjoy the solder wick but it's definitely slower than a 301 would be.
I just picked one up from a Thrift store, plugged it into my dim bulb tester, panel lights up, have to hook up some speakers next. So glad I found you. Will be watching and learning.
Hey Peter, thanks for the request! I'd love to make a video on that in the future. Truth is, I need to get more test equipment than what I have and I think it would be most beneficial to make a video showing all of it. I also need to rebuild my bench to handle all the equipment...lots to do haha. I will definitely make a video on it all as soon as I can! Thank you for watching!
Oh that's awesome! How much did you score it for? I wouldn't replace them if it works fine unless you want to restore it fully. It will likely develop issues in the next 10 years if you use it a lot but nothing that would cause more damage than whatever components failed. There are a few known-to-fail transistors in there that cause a loud popping or humming. If it were me, I would change out the small value capacitors (4.7uF and smaller) and replace the known bad transistors in the phono amp and pre amp. Thanks for watching!
Oh that's right! I forgot about that series of Sansuis. They have a different look to them but the 771 looks really nice! That early to mid seventies vibe. @@ewhibs
I just, 1 y ago, found this "new" hobby. Vintage audio just sound better imao. I just recently bought a simple vintage scope. Are you using one to diagnose problems? If so, maybe you can show us how to use one in vintage audio. Maybe just basic diagnosis. Thanx again tho.
Nice! That's amazing. It's a fun hobby that can become quite addictive haha. I don't have a scope currently but have my eyes on one that I will be buying in the next month. They are nice to have and necessary for some calibrations and such but I have been trying to get as good as I can without one before buying one. I will definitely make some videos on scopes in the future!@@tcp1966
