So, yesterday I received a rather nice P-202 MKIII that was dead on arrival. Opening up, I feared the worst as black belt goo is never a nice thing to deal with. However in this case the belt was fine (obvs, a new one will be fitted). The motor just needed a little help and micro lube where appropriate. However, there is a hum on playback and everything is very quiet, and the gain pots in the pcb have no effect. Im guessing the caps are done for, and fancying a challenge I thought I would have a go myself. Plus, with half my collection having been shipped to Marian and Paul Carrington, it will help take my mind of the almost empty cupboard . So.... question Which caps are needed, and where can I get them from. This is an experiment that could go either way... it was a cheap e bay find in fantastic condition but sold as a non working unit. If I can get her back up to scratch, i'll be happy.... if I cant, then no big deal. Thanks
I would suggest you get this (unless you can find it free elsewhere). http://www.analogalley.com/osccart/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=14&products_id=1478 then watch a load of videos on re-capping on Youtube (as I have suggested before the Sega Gamegear is a good place to start). Then practice on some completely gash unit. If the Aiwa is old enough to use leaded solder things will be easier. Similarly I would use leaded solder for fitting the new capacitors. Do you have a soldering iron etc already. A craft type illuminated magnifier is also a big help. Mine cost about £20. Good luck.
I have a full compliment of tools. Digital Solder Station, illumiated magnifying glass, hobby glasses, lead and lead free solder, braid, flux, desolder pump..... Im good to go apart from part numbers etc.... so will check that link out Thanks
I only spent a couple of minutes looking for a service manual so there could well be a free one out there. If the caps are the cylindrical type they are usually labelled, but it would be good if you could double check in a service manual. I would suggest RS or Farnell for new caps as they have a huge range, and quality assurance (i.e they won't be fake). I forgot to add that a higher voltage capacitor can always be used in place of a lower voltage one.
There was a very interesting topic in the old forum about different models of AIWA walkman capacitors Here is the link Hope it helps http://www.stereo2go.com/topic/aiwa-capacitor-replacement-guide.htm
PLOP hasn't registered yet or as far as i know not with his original ID. His topic on old forum was one of the best topics and a reference for Aiwa capacitors
shame the picture links are all dead... This Aiwa HS-p202MKIII has the exact same issue. Activate dolby and it just screams like a banshee...
The old site established a ranking of the participants according, if I'm not mistaken, to the number of their participations, to the number of times they were quoted by others, and to the number of appreciations obtained... Plop was ranked 1st when I signed up in September 2013. Unfortunately his last connection to the site was in August 2013, so I never had the honor to speak with him. And if I recall correctly, Plop was still ranked in the top three when the old site stopped last December, so after two and a half years of inactivity! I think it means something. I learned a lot from reading his technical threads and I wish I could thank him.
Plop was one of the most knowledgeable and experienced technical advisors on this site. He taught us just about everything there is to know and look out for in walkman electrical repair. As you guys have noticed, he has not been online in years- I too never had the chance to thank him. I would still be stuck with my dead Aiwas... doublecee: The P202 is an Aiwa Alpha-1 mechanism machine, notorious for having capacitor failure and everlasting belts (as you've noticed). They offer great sound quality and stability when fixed, but usually have a ridiculous number of caps (usually around 18) that needs replacing. As for what caps to use, my other topic with a list of walkman capacitors will work fine, choose the smallest diameter caps under 5.5mm in height. If I remember correctly, some caps are wider than the originals and will need to be slightly offset. This should fix your hum issue provided the leakage has not damaged your board too badly (also common in Alpha-1 Aiwas). You should also clean your board after removing all the old caps. I find that washing with baking soda, dish washing detergent, and isopropyl alcohol works well in that order, adding a little deoxit to switches and pots after.
Well I think it's time to bit the bullet and have a go! Wondering who the best cap supplier is in the UK andnis there a recommended brand. I'm assuming the backing powder is applied dry?
I just wet it with water into a paste- if you're worried, you can use distilled water (especially if you have hard water). I leave the paste to bubble up the acid for 10-20 minutes, then wash off with a brush. Then detergent, wash again, and dry with a hairdryer. Finally, isopropyl alcohol to clean off remaining flux and deposits. It's better to desolder components that can trap a lot of liquid that the hairdryer can't get (large switches, AM antenna). Mouser, Digikey, Farnell, Newark... go for the one with most of the caps you need and the cheapest shipped cost (I usually get from Farnell/Newark). For cap brands, most general purpose ones that will fit (like in my thread) will do fine. I usually get United Chemicon and Panasonic due to their size, and I feel that they have a better reputation than some of the others. One more thing: on Aiwas that leak, it will often leave a real nasty deposit on the cap traces that may require both your iron and a bit of careful alcohol scrubbing to remove. You should aim to get a clean, silvery trace to solder the new caps on.
I was going to suggest those three, and RS. We actually get most of our components for work from Farnell (who also own Newark in the USAand CPC in the UK) so as Bub said I would try them first. A few things to be aware of are that unless you have a trade account; Things like capacitors are often sold in fives or tens. There is a minimum order value of £20 to get free postage. Otherwise it is £3.95. A couple of times I have ordered a few capacitors (mains voltage ones) from a high feedback seller on ebay and they have come in Farnell packs. They obviously have a account and can make a profit by ordering them post free from Farnell then posting them on. I'm not complaining as their postage charge is less than £3.95. Going off topic but maybe of interest to people into home brew computers are that Farnell and RS are the two companies that arrange the manufacturer and distribution of Raspberry Pi computers.
Everything is starting to arrive. Just one set yet to land. So, on the modern day stuff, is the shorter leg positive or negative? How do you determine the polarity on the PCB if its not easily seen? Any help appreciated. Genuinely excited by this....
Usually the longer leg is positive. On electrolytic (cylindrical) caps, there is usually a grey stripe on the -ve leg side of the can. As for PCB trace polarity, generally you just have to compare the PCB to the schematic if it isn't obvious from where the traces come from/lead to. Keep us posted! Henry
The Aiwa likely has SMD caps but I'm not sure as I don't own that exact model. The stripe is negative. Take a picture and write down all the values and polarity before desoldering. If you bought through hole caps you can bend and trim the legs to fit the SMD profile.
