Hiyall ! - 20 years ago around 1990 i purchased an ultracool tech toy.... the top-of-the-line, black /metal body AIWA HS-J900 AM/FMStereo Cassette Recorder ("HS-J303/900" on owner manual), a “Walkman”-size high-end unit at a (now long-gone) east Hollywood, CA gifts /electronics store for around $200 (including tax).

IMPORTANT NOTE : I thoroughly searched Google and eBay for this ”AIWA HS-J900” but found only a pic of a silver boombox !....apparently a different, later AIWA unit with the same name (???) ! Anyway, I will upload some PICS of it (shown next to a ruler for size reference), ASAP.

AIWA HS-J900  Features :

- Preset Buttons for 10 AM/FM stations

- Digital Dual LCD Clock

- 11-hour Playback

- Auto-Reverse Record /Playback

- Multi-function LCD Digital Display and Battery-Charging Light

- Front Preset / Time Set Buttons

- Front Power / FM / AM / Tape Slide Switch

- Multiple Audio Slide-Switches on side (for Metal /CrO2 Tape, Dolby B NR, Pause and DSL**)

(** "Dynamic Super Loudness")

- Stereo Headphone and Microphone Ports

Included Accessories (all black, all mounted w/ the unit in an interior clear-plastic mold w/ bubble-wrap and cardboard, in the original black /gold graphic box, w/ front see-thru cellophane window) :

- Snap-on-bottom Rechargeable Battery Pack (black),

- Snap-on-bottom AAA-batteries Pack (black),

- “AIWA”-imprinted Custom-fit soft plastic Belt Case(w/ front see-thru soft plastic section)

- “AIWA”-imprinted clip-on Lapel Mic

- Original A/C adapter

- “AIWA”-imprinted Folding Stereo Headphone *

- Dual-Headphones Adapter Plug

- Owner Manual

* MISSING PART : This part was misplaced and lost several years ago.

The unit is really beautifully designed (with a front oval-shape surrounded 16:9 LCD Digital Display window) and is extremely compact. I have carefully kept it in it's (very fine condition) original box in near mint condition (including all the accessories), but it has not been functional for several years and so i want to get it repaired, if possible, ASAP.

QUESTIONS :

1. Is there a place in Los Angeles / San Fernando Valley (or a mail-in location) that can repair this type of unit ?

2. Any online sites that sell original (or replacement) parts and accessories for these old AIWA units ?

3. Is there a website that would possibly have info and pics of this unit, or what the current collector value is ?

4. Can anyone share any other INFO or PICS on this (scarce or rare ?) ultracool unit ?

PLEASE REPLY SOON  Thx !     - Paul M. / HyperCat77 / zor77@juno.com

Hello and welcome to the site.

The AIWA HS-J303/900 are pretty much the same unit. I think the differences are down to the frequency increments on the digital tuner. One is 200/10kHz and the other 50/9kHz FM/AM step. If you still have the owner's manual, this should give you clues as to the differences between the two model variants.

To answer your Qs...

1. I am not in the US, so am sorry I can't give you an answer to that. Good luck finding a competent local tech experienced in repairing/restoring antique walkman in particular aging AIWAs with all their particular issues. With the world being a throwaway global society there are fewer and fewer repair centres these days, let alone good techs in those remaining. Better to learn how to service and fix them up yourself (practise first on a cheap and nasty throwaway model first), or befriend a tech on this forum. There's at least one on here from USA.

2. You can try digi-key or mouser online for internal parts such as expired capacitors. For external or mechanical parts, give partstore.com a try. Doubtful you will get anything for a 20+ year old walkman, but you never know without looking.

3. There are few sites with links to walkman. See the stickies at the top of this section for links to those. As to collector value; any walkman is only worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it. If you have one, just enjoy it for what it is now and not dwell too much as to how much more an investment it will be for you in another 20 years time!

4. Have a look on Google images. I found a few images when I typed in the appropriate terms.

Hi Paul,

The J900 is commonly known as J303a, as Minty and Plop said. It's very close to the excellent JX303, without reverse recording, bi-azimuth adjustment and without feather-touch buttons.

Here's a crop of the '89 catalogue:

Thank you Plop, Minty and Hurodal for your helpful replies !!!....i will use your suggestions to try to find a place to get this unit repaired affordably.  I also hope to find another original AIWA headphone* to replace the one i lost.

* CORRECTION :  The original (lost) headphone was NOT a folder as i had mistakenly mis-remembered; the folding unit was a later compact SONY headphone i bought a few years later to replace the original lost AIWA headphone.

Any more INFO / PICS from anyone on this unit, the AIWA HS-J900 /303, are very much desired and welcome !

- Paul /  HyperCat77

here's the complete previous image, without cropping the additional info. I took from a brochure scan that has been uploaded by another member in this forum (I don't remember his username) some time ago.

hurodal -    Thx for the pic w/ the side info !  One different thing about that pic is that it shows earbuds instead of the over-the-head headphone, which fit into the clear plastic mold in the box, surrounding the recorder (w/ both visible from the front, behind the plastic). 

The original earphone also was imprinted with "AIWA" on each black earpiece, and each metal side-strip of the metal headband was extendable for comfort preference.  I always regret misplacing and then losing that headphone.  Finding another one for sale may be like finding a dinosaur bone.

You're lucky: it appeared a mint, boxed unit on eBay:

 http://www.ebay.es/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200703195607