Help?
I have been recapping this radio very carefully. Each time i change out a few i retry the radio. Coming to the end i changed 4 caps in the rectitier and output circuits. These are paper caps, i have not changed out the E's in the rectifier circuit yet.
When i retryed the radio i lost AM reception and FM was weak. If i hold the antenna i can tune in AM stations with the volume turned up all the way and the sound is low. I can still tune in FM but it is not as clear as it was. I do have volume control and tone control.
I don't think i installed a cap in the wrong location, but maybe i did?
I have been looking at this radio so much i can't see it anymore, any help or suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks
Mitch

Sometimes it's not what you did, but something else happened while you worked on it. Bent tuner gang? loose or shorting antenna wires or coil. Component touching some other point? A poor solder connection? Go over the last work you did, check the correct values and connections.

:Sometimes it's not what you did, but something else happened while you worked on it. Bent tuner gang? loose or shorting antenna wires or coil. Component touching some other point? A poor solder connection? Go over the last work you did, check the correct values and connections.
:
On that last forum about this radio..The FM tuner detector circuit..did you use the electrolytic cap, or non-polar..I did that once, used non-polar and lost everything.
Also, did you use electronic cleaner to clean up the volume and selector switches? The tuner cleaner leaves an oily residue and may damage contacts....All I got other than above checks...BTW, these are quite the nightmare..been there. Good Luck

::Sometimes it's not what you did, but something else happened while you worked on it. Bent tuner gang? loose or shorting antenna wires or coil. Component touching some other point? A poor solder connection? Go over the last work you did, check the correct values and connections.
::
:On that last forum about this radio..The FM tuner detector circuit..did you use the electrolytic cap, or non-polar..I did that once, used non-polar and lost everything.
:Also, did you use electronic cleaner to clean up the volume and selector switches? The tuner cleaner leaves an oily residue and may damage contacts....All I got other than above checks...BTW, these are quite the nightmare..been there. Good Luck
:
Used an electrolytic on the detector circuit, all was well at that point after testing. Used an electronic cleaner on the band switch, nightmare started, nothing worked after this cleaning attempt. Kept working the band switch between am and fm until am came in with band switch someware in off contact range, slight movement lost it all again, tender movement brought it back. No fm at all. Had it yesterday though?
I need an 8 position wafer replacement switch for this radio.
Thanks for your response to my post, it helps to know your not going crazy with these problems.
All help on getting a new switch is appreciated. E' caps will be replaced after switch.
Thanks again
Mitch

About that switch. Wash it out good with rubbing alcohol.
Allow to dry. What ever that cleaning spray was, may be oily and has left some kind of residue. The switch itself is probably okay.

:About that switch. Wash it out good with rubbing alcohol.
:Allow to dry. What ever that cleaning spray was, may be oily and has left some kind of residue. The switch itself is probably okay.
:
:
Spray was WD40. switch was black on all contact connectoins, brushed with a tooth brush and WD40. Seemed to clean up but earler response says not getting good contact to the circuits for reception. If i hold the switch in a certain position between am and fm i can get am stations to come in but not at exact switch either or positions. I will try rubbing alchol first before buying a new switch.
I have rechecked all of my new cap replacements to the schematic. All are in the right place with the right values. This is driving me to question my sanity as this radio worked when i bought it.
Kind regards to you for your help and all who respond,
Mitch

WD-40 should never be used on rotary switches or anything involving RF circuitry. If sprayed on coils it will affect tuning. I'm not sure why, but I say this because of experience in doing it.

WD-40 can also cause trouble with some potentiometers. It depends on the circuit and impedance.

If you wait for the switch to dry a few weeks, things might come back to life. I sprayed the coils and switch in my Crosley Super 11. All stations were off and performance was terrible. As days went by, things improved, and slowly stations moved back into place. You might also consider spraying the switch with alcohol type brake cleaner. Keep away from all other parts or else you'll wash away colors, wax, etc.

T.

:WD-40 should never be used on rotary switches or anything involving RF circuitry. If sprayed on coils it will affect tuning. I'm not sure why, but I say this because of experience in doing it.
:
:WD-40 can also cause trouble with some potentiometers. It depends on the circuit and impedance.
:
:If you wait for the switch to dry a few weeks, things might come back to life. I sprayed the coils and switch in my Crosley Super 11. All stations were off and performance was terrible. As days went by, things improved, and slowly stations moved back into place. You might also consider spraying the switch with alcohol type brake cleaner. Keep away from all other parts or else you'll wash away colors, wax, etc.
:
:T.
:
I agree, use rubbing alcohol or electronic cleaner...oily residue has messed me up before...never again. WD could have ate away the plating inside. Some are just like a carbon paper/cardboard inside..Did you take switch apart and check the contacts? measure resistance across wiper?

WD-40 is the problem. It is not a good thing for radios. Wash the switch out good with alcohol, let air dry outside in the sun a couple hours. I am sure it will return to normal operation.

For this radio the problem is in the band switch, not the volume control. However...

It does work well with many volume controls. It can cause trouble with very high impedance ones, especially when they are coupled to a high impedance circuit. Carbon gets into the oil and causes leakage paths. I had a lot of trouble with this in my Zenith 5-G-500 and my DeWald BT-100 television vertical hold control.

I have recommended dielectric grease for volume controls, and it does work well with rotary switches. However, I have had trouble with some potentiometers in that there was still scratchiness. It seems that if the wiper tension is too delicate, the dielectric can break contact with the carbon. I especially had trouble with this in the throttle position sensor on my '99 Saturn. There were dead spots causing erratic mixture, timing, and acceleration. I finally got out the old WD-40, sprayed some inside, and now it works perfectly. The control is only in the thousands of ohms, though, so leakage, if any, will be negligible to the circuit.

T.

:For this radio the problem is in the band switch, not the volume control. However...
:
:It does work well with many volume controls. It can cause trouble with very high impedance ones, especially when they are coupled to a high impedance circuit. Carbon gets into the oil and causes leakage paths. I had a lot of trouble with this in my Zenith 5-G-500 and my DeWald BT-100 television vertical hold control.
:
:I have recommended dielectric grease for volume controls, and it does work well with rotary switches. However, I have had trouble with some potentiometers in that there was still scratchiness. It seems that if the wiper tension is too delicate, the dielectric can break contact with the carbon. I especially had trouble with this in the throttle position sensor on my '99 Saturn. There were dead spots causing erratic mixture, timing, and acceleration. I finally got out the old WD-40, sprayed some inside, and now it works perfectly. The control is only in the thousands of ohms, though, so leakage, if any, will be negligible to the circuit.
:
:
:T.
:
I've found that WD-40 can usually be effective on CARBON pots, but NOT on rheostats like those found in the antenna circuits on some TRF and Neutrodyne receivers. Also, even though WD-40 WILL work on pots, any future dust or contaminant will have a greater tendency to adhere to the surface. That's why it's not a good thing to use in door locks. Only graphite should be used there.
Terry

::For this radio the problem is in the band switch, not the volume control. However...
::
::It does work well with many volume controls. It can cause trouble with very high impedance ones, especially when they are coupled to a high impedance circuit. Carbon gets into the oil and causes leakage paths. I had a lot of trouble with this in my Zenith 5-G-500 and my DeWald BT-100 television vertical hold control.
::
::I have recommended dielectric grease for volume controls, and it does work well with rotary switches. However, I have had trouble with some potentiometers in that there was still scratchiness. It seems that if the wiper tension is too delicate, the dielectric can break contact with the carbon. I especially had trouble with this in the throttle position sensor on my '99 Saturn. There were dead spots causing erratic mixture, timing, and acceleration. I finally got out the old WD-40, sprayed some inside, and now it works perfectly. The control is only in the thousands of ohms, though, so leakage, if any, will be negligible to the circuit.
::
::
::T.
::
:I've found that WD-40 can usually be effective on CARBON pots, but NOT on rheostats like those found in the antenna circuits on some TRF and Neutrodyne receivers. Also, even though WD-40 WILL work on pots, any future dust or contaminant will have a greater tendency to adhere to the surface. That's why it's not a good thing to use in door locks. Only graphite should be used there.
:Terry
:
I will remove the switch tonignt and inspect, clean -if i did not damage it with WD40. And post results.
Thanks
Mitch

Not likely any damage was done--just stray leakage paths that have messed up the operation of the circuitry. Most likely everything will work fine (regarding the switch) after it is thoroughly cleaned and dried.

If you can, shield it from all other parts in the radio, or remove it from the radio (if practical), and obtain some brake parts cleaner from your automotive store. It sprays and is very handy. Otherwise, if you cannot shield the switch from other components, use alcohol in more controlled form.

T.

:Not likely any damage was done--just stray leakage paths that have messed up the operation of the circuitry. Most likely everything will work fine (regarding the switch) after it is thoroughly cleaned and dried.
:
:If you can, shield it from all other parts in the radio, or remove it from the radio (if practical), and obtain some brake parts cleaner from your automotive store. It sprays and is very handy. Otherwise, if you cannot shield the switch from other components, use alcohol in more controlled form.
:
:T.
:
Hello,

I need a new band switch. The switch has a piece broken off and is full of some kind of grit probably caused by the WD40.
This is a wafer type two position make before break for am and fm selection.
I see that AE has a few, any suggestions for where else to shop for one?
Thanks
Mitch

Once the phenolic material is very clean, it can be super-glued back together. Small pieces of dryer fabric softener can be added as reenforcement.

...Though from what I see in the schematic, this is a very simple three part two position switch, which should be very easy to come by. You might even pick one up at Radio Shack, though many of those are make before break, which might not be good.

You might be able to repair yours, though. WD-40 doesn't cause grit, but it makes for difficulty in gluing things back together, so clean it off well.

T.

:Once the phenolic material is very clean, it can be super-glued back together. Small pieces of dryer fabric softener can be added as reenforcement.
:
:...Though from what I see in the schematic, this is a very simple three part two position switch, which should be very easy to come by. You might even pick one up at Radio Shack, though many of those are make before break, which might not be good.
:
:You might be able to repair yours, though. WD-40 doesn't cause grit, but it makes for difficulty in gluing things back together, so clean it off well.
:
:T.
:
While i am going to try to clean and repair the original band switch, it is a Make Before Break (Shorted) switch.

If the repair fails to work i will try another new switch that i did get at the Shack. The new switch is also a rotary that i can configure to work.

Question: The new switch is a Break Before Make (Non- Shorted). This will break the circuits when i switch form am to fm and vise versa. Looking at the schematic, will this have any adverse efects on circuit operation. Don't want current surges or large voltage changes when i turn the switch position.
Thanks for all responses
Mitch