PC202mk2 possessed by demon. Help!

Hello friends. I'm hoping someone kind can help me with exorcising a demon I have living within this beautiful AIWA HS-PC202 Mk II.

I don't really know how else to explain the problem, so could you please watch the video ?

I refuse to send this device back, it is in absolutely perfect exterior condition and far too beautiful and it was only about 90 euros not including postage. Though the seller absolutely insists that the device was working quote: "flawlessly" and he tested it right before sending apparently. :hmm:

Anyway. I can order a new belt if the device needs it, but what do you think about the battery compartment and the very angry demon living in the Dolby-C? Capacitors? Oxidization? Black Magic?



Thank you so much in advance for any help!

 

When I went to check again the device today to do some work on it and see if I could improve at least the battery connection. Sadly it won't turn on at all today. It seems the ghost has left my device and in doing so rendered it dead No matter what amount of squeezing or careful manipulation of the battery compartment.

I could kind of hear a faint 'mic drop' type sound when I plugged my headphones in and pressed play with some squeezing on the battery compartment but it was only once. So I couldn't be sure.

I get the feeling that perhaps using the device yesterday (because it had been so long without use beforehand) has stressed it to the point of just dying on me.

The only difference was that today I tried some brand-new batteries that I got from the store. I got some of these 'Ultimate Lithium' batteries that are meant to last up to 9x longer in most devices and 6x longer in digital cameras. I hope I didn't end up frying the device with these batteries. Though I did try the original two that I put in the device which are about 70% charged and again, nothing happened. So if I did somehow fry the device, it had to have been instant when I put in the new lithium batteries. I've been using those ultimate lithium AA's with my Sony WM-DD3 with no issues at all though... I'd be surprised if that was what fried my AIWA and made it take its last breath.

The AIWA battery compartment says "R03" batteries and the Energizers are "LR03". I'm not sure if there is a difference except the L for Lithium?

EDIT: Quora had an answer to this:

So I am going to rule out the new batteries damaging the device.

Here are some images of the battery compartment and the device:







I cleaned the corrosion from the battery compartment quite well yesterday but after fully drying out and with better light today it looks horribly rusted and terrible again. So I guess I need to have another go at trying to clear out the rust and corrosion.

Has anyone any new ideas what should be done?

I have ordered a spare belt for this device in-case it needs replacing. It will take a few days to arrive but I thought it smart to do that immediately as there was only 2 left that I could find. I don't know if I should buy the other one also. The belt was about 15 euros including postage.

One other thing I did notice was what looked like some kind of grease on the inside of the device? It's hard to see but it looks like face cream, I guess it's just grease and even though it's on the hinge it doesn't really seem practical as the grease looks seeped down into the sides of the device.



The next step is to open it up carefully and have a look at the belt and try to find out why it now won't play even if I apply pressure to the battery compartment. Marian has also requested that I measure the pinch rollers.

If anyone else could provide some comments that would be great. Either way, I'm getting really sick of eBayers that are insisting that their items are in "perfect working condition"...

EDIT: I also got to thinking that maybe the 'screaming' from the Dolby-C was likely due to the head not being aligned properly, as Dolby-C is very, very sensitive to alignment of the azimuth. Yet I can't test anything now that the device won't even power up...

FINAL EDIT: YES!!! After making do with what I had around and using some diluted Bicarb Soda water and soaking the battery compartment in the mixture for a while and then scraping off more of the rust and corrosion. I can now slot on the battery compartment and it will play without me even having to apply pressure to the battery side of the device to push the contacts together! A huge improvement.

Day #2 Video here:



The Dolby-C still screams at me, so it looks like the ghost is still living within my device. Also now it seems there are volume knob issues too not unlike those on the WM-DD33 that I recently returned. Looks like I absolutely do need to invest in a can of DeOxit or something similar. More to come on that one.

I'd still really appreciate some information on the Dolby-C issue. For now though the player seems to work very, very well and speed is totally constant. I cannot detect any playback speed issues at all. Though I am happy to know a spare belt will be in the mail. After testing the Dolby-B long enough now that I don't need to pinch the connectors together, I can say that the Dolby-B is better than that of my WM-DD3 and far better than that of my returned WM-DD33. Not only that but this device has MUCH more treble and clarity that the DD3 lacks, although the DD3 is VERY good. Truly AIWA was a force to be reckoned with and I can say for certainty that I will absolutely do what it takes to restore this machine to its perfect former glory even if it means prying the caps off and replacing them one by one.

Now I am running the device through a full tape to give it time to settle.

Here are updated images of the battery compartment after another attempt at removing rust and corrosion:



Thank you for reading.

 

Good Job! You could have saved yourself some troubles with some basic tester and external power supply
To hunt for Banshees awoken by Dolby C, I would go from the easiest (Deox-It onto the switch) to the tougher fixes of recap and actually reading through the ServiceManual
Whatever is in there, you have to open AIWA first, maybe my pains posted here will help...

 

Unfortunately I don't have the AC adapter and I've ordered some DeOxit. There seems to be only one business in all of my country that has it. It's not cheap stuff but I think actually it won't be enough if I keep buying these Walkmans! Thanks for linking your own thread. I'll open it asap to get those specs for Marian.

 

What a wonderful walkman!

 

Thank you Tim! I've a can of DeOxit on the way. Hopefully it'll fix the volume and Dolby-C issue or at least one of the two. I've also a new belt on the way too but until I open the device I can't be sure if it needs the belt replaced at this point.

 

Ah. You've answered my questions. If you been able to connect the correct the external power supply it would have worked without applying case pressure. Maybe your seller used an external power supply on it and had the Dolby off when tested. Personally I never use Dolby settings on any device as I think it clips too much off the higher frequencies. Each to their own. I was going to ask if the Aiwa has a Dolby IC mounted on the PCB like Walkman DC6 and similar devices. These are notorious candidates to fail and often it's one minute component on the IC mini board that dies so some settings work like no sound or No Dolby or only one setting working. To find your problem you'll need a component tester and the circuit diagram. If it has separate circuitry for Dolby C it will be a lot easier to determine where the fault is of course.
Having a few Aiwa players in the collection I know how temperamental they can be. My HS-P07 silver had to have case pressure applied to get it to run. They have a very PCB which over time warps slightly but it's enough to prevent the power switch to the motor from closing. By placing a small pad of foam between the case back and the PCB I fixed that problem only to find the motor now keeps running even though the transport has stopped.
Good luck.
B

 

The case pressure issue has been fixed thankfully by giving the battery compartment a thorough cleaning and scraping off any rust, corrosion or damaged metal. It now plays without needing to be pushed. I've also ordered another model that was being sold cheap which comes with a totally corrosion free battery compartment as a replacement for if/when this one fails. The seller described the second model I bought as being 'perfectly working' but if there's anything I've learned. Either everyone lies about these devices or NO ONE knows how to test them before selling.

A can of D5 DeOxit is also on the way to my address. It's very hard to find in my country and cost me a pretty penny but everyone I've read or spoken to personally swears by it. I'm hoping a shot of that to the volume knob and Dolby-C will fix them both up. At the very least it should hopefully fix my typical volume knob issues. For the Dolby-C I'm going to do a lot more research before I commit to any one problem but testing the board components via the method you suggested is definitely something I will do. I just need to look at getting the equipment.

In the meantime I'm still waiting for a Mk3 to go on sale somewhere, mostly for parts/comparison purposes. Let's see. I'll definitely report back when I've got the DeOxit and had a chance to clean and flush out any corrosion or otherwise in the volume and dolby.

Even if AIWAs are known for being fickle, I personally prefer the sound quality of the current Dolby-B setting on this AIWA over that of my Sony DD3 which even with no Dolby-B sounds a bit flat (could be just the internals though but my DD33 had the same 'issue'). The AIWA by comparison is crisp and treble is notably much higher. The only problems is that the Dolby-C screams and I need to keep the device on Volume 2, because any higher results in instant distortion/loss of audio on one side and/or will blow my headphones or ears (or both). Probably due to typical corrosion in the potentiometer.

The power supply I am still looking for btw, but realistically I want this thing working for daily use.

Thanks very much for the tips!

 

All good. I think anything with a belt is not going to produce sound free from noticeable wow and flutter. That's a personal preference of course. If you are wanting the best listening experience on a Sony Walkman its going to be DD9, DC2, D6C, and DD100. That would be my order of preference after years of experiment with various type IV cassettes and headphones. Purely subjective stuff of course and naturally none of these units come cheap.
Just another tip on Aiwa players. The belt has to be exactly within spec or the W&F will be very noticeable. I have had issues with HS-G08 HS-P07 and HS-G09 with belts supplied being even 1mm out. The G08 would not allow the head to retract on the Stop function and you cannot open and remove the cassette. Unit had to be dismantled to open it. After 4 belts the correct one was finally installed and its happy now but it does have very slight W&F present still.

 

Finally got my DeOxit in the mail today.



Gave both the Sony and Aiwa a shot in the volume, with the Aiwa getting another shot in the Dolby-C switch. Couldn't get my hands on any F5 only D5. We don't have F5 here anywhere... I didn't use a whole lot because some people have said D5 sometimes play nice with plastic but F5 is safe on plastic.

Going to let both models sit overnight before testing them tomorrow. I'm hoping at least the Aiwa's volume scratchiness goes away entirely and hopefully also the distortion on the volume. Fingers crossed it might also help the Dolby-C from screaming.

The Sony DD3 doesn't have any volume issues, it did have scratching and loss of audio on one side when I got it but some winding back and forth fixed that. I gave it a shot of D5 today anyway.

I also gave the battery compartment a shot and scraped the last bit of the rust off. Looks really shiny now.

I'll go into town soon and get a multimeter. But is a multi voltage / socket AC adapter really safe to use with these kinds of devices? I don't want to fry my devices if the current is a bit off or something...

 

Thanks for the reply. I read that guide actually before using the DeOxit after finding it via a Google search and a couple of Youtube videos to see how I should apply it properly.

The Aiwa has a 2V jack shown here:



Well after using DeOxit and then putting the devices into a drying room to dry for ~6 hours. I'm not sure if things are better or worse.

The Sony DD3:

The Sony DD3 has a a new(?) issue where after pressing play sometimes it just won't move. It seems to happen mostly when there's a LOT of tape left to play. Maybe it's the cracked gear and the gear connection issue is preventing there being enough pushing power to play the tape? What is troubling though is that FFW and RW are fine. No matter how much tape is behind or after the position I FFW/RW from it will do that [FFW/RW] without issue. At first I thought it was just the tape I was using and it did start happening with the new tape that I got in the mail today which I am sure hasn't been played in many years. So it could be that the tape is a bit stuck/gummed up or something. Though I tried it with another tape and the DD3 briefly had an issue playing it too but 98% of the time when pressing play, it worked.

When the DD3 does play though, the sound quality is amazing. Bass is juicy but not too pronounced so long as you don't put the volume above 8. From 8-10 it sort of reminds me of a DD33 with Mega Bass on 'High'. Otherwise the sound is clear, strong and feels very rich indeed. I was going to request to have the device serviced by someone here from the forums but after contacting a few different people everyone said they were too busy and to try again next year... so I think I'll end up just buying a gear repair kit and learning how to do it myself.

Here's a video of what I mean with the Sony DD3:



The Aiwa HS-PC202 MkII:

This Aiwa continues to trouble me. After using DeOxit. Now after pressing play the machine refuses to move at all. Briefly it sounds like you can hear the motor turn on before going off on its own. This happens if I press Play, FFW or RW. I don't know whether it's a voltage issue or not either as I don't unfortunately have a multimeter yet to check... Though I find it really hard to believe that it's not getting enough voltage because even though the motor refuses to move and only makes a sound for a moment. There's still white noise coming from the audio jack and despite the volume getting a shot of DeOxit it still makes a distorted whine above Volume 6 all the way to 10. So I guess one or more capacitors are busted and turning the volume to max puts too much power through the machine which reveals the cap problem as audible whine.

Here is a video of what I mean with the Aiwa:



I really don't know if I am making progress here or not. I wish I had an AC adapter and multimeter to rule out voltage issues but I don't. I also need to find my precision set of screwdrivers so I can open this up. Hopefully the DeOxit didn't short out something on the Aiwa. Maybe the lubricant is making the belt slip or something? There's too many things to consider here.

I would really like to know what other people think and what I should focus on doing next with both devices.

 

Your Aiwa is screaming/bad sound/distortion because the old electrolytic capacitors are bad, and need to be replaced. It has nothing to do with power supply, or cleaning pots and switches. Read my thread here: http://www.stereo2go.com/forums/threads/list-of-common-walkman-capacitors-2017.1246/ This is generally not for those that have limited experience with soldering.

Spraying Deoxit into random places is foolish and will likely get into the mechanism and ruin the rubber and lubrication. That's probably why your Walkmans are now dead, you have deoxit on the tire/belt. The correct method is to inject a small amount into the bare switch/pot on the board itself, and never use the spray, and never from the outside. Now you must disassemble both units and clean all the crap off the mech, and likely replace the belts/tire if isopropyl alcohol won't restore the grip.

 

+1 to what @bub said...

I should have used must instead of ...have to open it first... in my previous post, Sorry about that!

 

Hah today I learn a hard lesson then. It's no one's fault but mine and I am really very grateful to those who even bother to help So thank you really much.

Tomorrow I look online for some precision screwdrivers to replace those I have way back home that I couldn't bring with me when I moved for studies. If the belt is slipping on the Aiwa I'll clean off all the lubricant carefully and if necessary use the new belt I got for it that arrived today. I'll also give the rest a careful clean and clean up any of the DeOxit if it ran anywhere.

As for the DD3. I've got that booked in to be serviced by a professional and have the centre gear fixed. I think it deserves more talented hands.

I should have gone with my gut feeling that the Aiwa had faulty caps and that the volume was fine. Though when I got it the volume was also crackling so I figured I'd try my luck with the DeOxit. I had read that a half second tiny injection of DeOxit into the volume knob could flush out and remove any oxidisation but I should have waited until I had screwdrivers.

Anyway I'll cross my fingers and toes that I haven't done something unfixable. Otherwise the next thing I buy is rope for a noose (joking).

It's really annoying that where I live now (on an island) there is nothing here except a small store for food and post takes weeks to get here... if I lived in some kind of city or I was back home and not here for work I would have all of my own tools and even my father's old tools. At least I have learned that these devices have very specific needs indeed.

After I've inspected and cleaned the Aiwa I'll buy a few sets of caps. I've done plenty of soldering. My dad taught me when I was really young. I've modded my own Playstation 1 and 2 and fixed old Police scanners and such. I'm sure this will be much more delicate work (those caps look small) but this Aiwa was pretty cheap and will be good to practice on.

I'll update this post with photos of the inside of the Aiwa, but the Sony is going to get an expert's care. As it's a device in the absolute perfect of exterior condition, that's exactly what it deserves.
Oh but if anyone knows someone who really knows how to fix Aiwa's I'd dare say I'd be willing to consider sending this one off to have it fixed too because it's also in perfect exterior condition and I'd like to see it work again.

 

My recommendation for people new to recapping Walkmans is to buy a few similar, less valuable models and learn to do it there. Use a quality soldering iron (temperature controlled if possible, or low wattage), high quality desoldering wick (goot).
For SMD caps, the process is much more involved and likely isn't for a beginner.