Does anyone have experience of how to use the Din line-in/ line-out socket on a 70’s Hitachi? I have a Din to 3.5 stereo jack cable that works well as a line in to the tape in of my old B&O Beomaster 2400, but I don’t seem able to drum anything up using this cable into the Hitachi I’ve been posting about. The cable is wired to pins 2,3&5. As the pic shows, the Din socket is labelled Rec/Play, so I’m assuming that’s a line in and a line out. I’ve tried switched to ‘tape’ with no tape in place and with a tape in and ‘rec/play/pause pressed. Internet searches suggest some people have had no issues with using the Din socket on similar aged Hitachis, but there’s little info other than confirming the wiring to the pins and someone mentioning an attenuated -10db cable working well. Though I’d ask you Dudes before becoming a novice hassling the dedicated electronics experts elsewhere and being dazzled by their science!
We have very little DIN over here but I know they have a ton of different pin-outs, make sure everything is connected correctly, this might help. https://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/interconnect/2828
It’s pretty old tech - even when I first got ‘into’ hifi as a teenager in the late eighties RCA was pretty much standard here. Hence my confusion over whether it’s me, the cable or the ‘box that isn’t working! I need to eliminate user error, then cable compatibility before assuming the electronics are at fault…
I’ve managed to find a schematic and it would appear, from what I can see, that pins 3&5 are line outs for my Hitachi. Aaah…. The vagaries of Din plug wiring!
This thread may give you an idea of how to play with DIN in/out. https://boomboxery.com/forum/threads/need-help-for-my-panasonic-rx-5250ls.32470/
Best to buy a DIN lead going to four phono plugs then find the right ones by trial and error. Touching an input with the volume turned up should normally give you a click and buzz in the speakers
That’s just where I’ve got to myself this evening! 5 pin Din to 4 RCA should let me find lines in and out and then I could always chop off the RCAs and stick on a couple of 3.5mm stereo jacks…
Sorted! For a miserly £5 I managed to secure both a 5pin din to 4x RCA cable and twin RCA to 3.5mm stereo jack adapter with 48hr delivery from EBay. They arrived this morning and I’ve just been playing with them. Connected to an Amazon Echo Input (via the yellow and white cables in this instance) with a tape inserted and pause/play/record pressed plus a switch on the rear turned to “rec/play” I have access to Spotify! Sound quality is similar to FM radio, better than I’m still generally getting with cassettes. Volume level is perfect. So, method proven for a fiver, I’ll have to think about the way ahead! Better quality leads? Do I really need the line out? At the very least I can now justify my purchase as a cool new Alexa!
The motor will be running continuously when you play with Rec+Play+Pause pressed. To stop the motor, insert a 2.5mm blank mono jack in the Remote socket that you see between the Mic sockets! When you insert the Remote Jack, the power supply to the motor goes through the jack. So if you short the pins of the jack, motor will get supply. That is how the remote is designed - To stop and resume recording while using MIC. 70's Tech!!
Thanks AE, more top advice! I came across an old phone lead with a 2.5mm Jack last night and gave it a go. Wow! With the tape playing, if you stick the Jack in, the motooor grrrrrrrriiiiiiiindddsssss toooooooo aaaaaaaaa halt! Volume definitely matches the radio through this line-in, so what’s the path to the amp and why are cassettes - even pre-recorded - significantly quieter? Is the feed not going through the recording head if it needs play/rec/pause pressed to be heard?
