So I won an auction for what WOULD have been a pretty decent Panasonic RX-5150 (this would make 3 for me). Seller had 100 percent feedback but obviously never had to pack anything large/delicate/electronic. Pictures speak for themselves. When I arrived home, the postal TURDS left the box split open with an upside down 5150 inside. Very little packing material and needless to say, she took some impact damage on the rear corner and there are sounds of loose parts inside. I have not attempted to power it up. Because the seller did a completely unacceptable job, I opened a case on Ebay. It's really sad because other than a little dirt here and there, it would otherwise be in very good to excellent shape once a full clean-up/restore was done. Now it's at best a parts unit. I gave the seller two options: full refund and return at their expense, or a partial refund (more like 75 percent due to cosmetic and obvious internal damage). If they accept my offer to keep it plus a refund, I will tear it down and inspect the innards to see what can be saved. What a pisser. Another piece of electronic history ruined by USPS morons and incompetent packaging.
Well if I had this model ( I have never had this 5150 ) and if you bought it from me ( you didn't ) it would be packed so well that you wont give a second thought about the packing and would want to see if it plays as well as it did in my last video of the boombox. Me: www.youtube.com/user/Cassette2Go/videos
Cassette2Go, I've been enjoying your videos on YouTube for years. I'm honored to be in the same room as you! I'm partial to the 5150, though it is by no means the top dog of the Platinum series, because I had one growing up. They are fairly common, several always on Ebay. I guess you could say they are the Toyota Camry or Honda Accord of Panasonic early 1980's boomboxes. Not the highest end, but not low end either. Well made, quality parts used (my other two have had only minor servicing such as cleaning the capstan/pinch roller, lubricated the capstan bearing and motor, demagnetized the heads, buttoned it back up and off they go. Electrically, they are 100 percent. They have separate amplifier ICs for left and right channels, a sign of quality! I'd love to get an RX-5250 which steps up with a two-toned fascia and Dolby B NR. The tape transport in these things is a real piece of quality Japanese engineering. Very low wow and flutter, good heads, and excellent circuitry. AC bias erase and record, even the 5150 makes a great sounding recording without Dolby and it's use of ALC. Can record on metal and chrome tape too. Hopefully the seller will get back to me, I'm really eager to pop this thing open and examine the carnage, it doesn't sound THAT bad, could just be broken plastic tabs, or worse. Either way, don't want to do anything to it until they respond. But you re right, I would not worry if I bought from someone like you, an SME (subject matter expert). The last 5150 I bought arrived so well packed and in near mint condition. It is my prized 5150, looks like a shelf queen and plays as good as the day it left Japan. Have done nothing to it.
Thanks for enjoying my videos and as you mentioned a 5250 here is my only copy of it, taken with my newest and I am still learning how to use it Canon EOS 70D camera However mine is not in the best cosmetic condition and I do not think the antenna is original but it is complete as is the rest of the radio having all of its parts, & after this pic I took I played it through its basic functions and it all still works since I serviced this back when another person sent me their for fixin's when I then at time I serviced mine at that time. IMG_0232 James Panasonic RX-5250 radio room and now I fear I have gone over the top posting the inside pictures of the Panasonic 5250 No I didn't change the speakers inside of the one I have but I thought about it.
I really admire your thoroughness and reverence for the technology. The inside of the 5250 is similar but quite different, mainly the tuner section is on a 2nd board. I'll post some photos of the inside of one of mine and you'll clearly see, and it makes sense as the 5150 is more of a mid-tier model, so it lacks Dolby B and it looks like they down scaled the tuner circuitry to meet a price point. That being said, the amplifier board looks identical. As an update, the seller made good on her promise and refunded me $75 and apologized profusely, blaming her son for the piss poor packing. As such. I went ahead and opened the box last night (once the eBay case was closed and the radio is officially mine) and things are not as bad as they seem. Just some broken plastic shreds from the side, but no broken boards, and everything else looks structurally intact. Amazing testament to how these things were crafted. Moreover, IT WORKS! I powered it up on my Variac and around 80 volts, it came alive! At full 117V, it plays loud and clear. Even the cassette mechanism functions (though the tape path is FILTHY and it will need a full restore). The FM stereo decoding is a little funny, so I suspect I'll have to recap the FM section (this is a common problem with this model) as well as do a full alignment. Other than the usual cosmetic blemishes, it appears to have survived. I am going to leave the damaged corner alone, the rest of the unit is in good shape. It is very dirty, looks like it spent a lot of time in the garage, so a fully teardown and cleaning will be in order. I don't feel as bad as I did when I saw the box sitting open on my porch on Monday. I imagined it was going to be full of broken board parts or something really bad like a detached speaker magnet bouncing around in the chassis, but that isn't the case. So at the end of the day, I got a good working unit with cosmetic damage on one corner that will probably clean up well and work for another 30 years once a restoration is done! Pics to follow.
