UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Powered By Google Custom Search Vintage Radio and TV Service Data

Go Back   UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum > General Vintage Technology > Success Stories

Notices

Success Stories If you have successfully repaired or restored a piece of equipment, why not write up what you did and post details here. Particularly if it was interesting, unusual or challenging. PLEASE DO NOT POST REQUESTS FOR HELP HERE!

Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 27th Aug 2012, 8:12 pm   #1
Steve_P
Dekatron
 
Steve_P's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Bolton, Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 6,644
Default Sony CD Players – CDP XE 720. 2 off, same fault.

These may not yet be considered vintage, but there are a lot around and most of them work without any problems. So when a local estate near me planned to do a 4 day RSL each year, a couple of these players should do the job, along with a computer or two.

Here in Bolton, we now have a radio station that calls itself a Community Station, but I was kicked out for being disabled! They went a stage further last year when they gave these kids 2 faulty CD players and only changed them on the eve of the broadcast. When the same two CD players appeared this year, from this so-called Community Station, I pulled rank on the girls that ran this 4 day event, which the kids love, and brought these two CD players home to have a look.

On a Radio Station, the ability to choose one track of a CD is important so the knob which these players have to do this is pretty important. It didn't work on either one!

I thought they just needed a quick spray of Switch Cleaner, but neither of them responded. This was, I found when I opened them up, due to them having been dropped and in one case, the PCB broken. Now, when this happens, some or all of the keys stop working because they are all fed to a processor chip via a resistive network. At the end of it, in this case, is the knob in question, which is not a knob but two switches in a knob like case, with the earth in the middle.

So, out I came with the meter and we traced it through. The print to the knob was open circuit as I could see by the cracks on the board. So I glued the boards together as best I could and gave them time to set. Then, I got some wire and repaired the boards.

Now with the boards resoldered, the next job was to get the CD players back together again, which was not as easy as it sounded. Getting these apart was interesting, but getting them together with one hand was even more fun. First, the PCB had to go back in it's place and be screwed back in place. I then tested the knob again to be sure.

Then fit and screw the front back onto the unit – correctly. After a number of tries and a few swear words, they were in place and screwed back down. With these, you need to take the Sony Cover of the CD Caddy, and putting that back was equally bad fun.

So now we have 2 working CD players here and as I type this, one is playing the best of Credence Clearwater Revival as I give them a last play of something decent before they go and play stuff like Jessie Gaga or whoever the kids like this week

The invoice should sort the men from the boys when they go back to that community station...



Cheers,

Steve P.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	SonyCD2.jpg
Views:	253
Size:	89.2 KB
ID:	70123   Click image for larger version

Name:	Sony CD1.jpg
Views:	204
Size:	79.1 KB
ID:	70124  
__________________
If we've always had it, why is the Car Boot open? You're not sneaking another Old TV in are you...?
Steve_P is offline  
Old 28th Aug 2012, 7:42 am   #2
radiotircoed
Pentode
 
radiotircoed's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Tircoed Forest Village - Swansea, UK.
Posts: 193
Default Re: Sony CD Players – CDP XE 720. 2 off, same fault.

Community Radio should embrace disability. Ours does.
__________________
Radio Tircoed - Working for the Community
radiotircoed is offline  
Old 28th Aug 2012, 11:50 am   #3
Nickthedentist
Dekatron
 
Nickthedentist's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,820
Default Re: Sony CD Players – CDP XE 720. 2 off, same fault.

Thanks for the tip Steve.

These were cheap machines but are reliable and work well, and as you say, were very popular.

I have two: one was a fiver from the local charity shop, the other came from the flat bins that I get loads of stuff from.

The first one basically worked but the display sometimes fades out - cracked print was the culprit.

The second one had a disc stuck inside because the eject button didn't work because of - you've guessed it - cracked print.

Seems like a bit of a stock fault, then.

Nick.
Nickthedentist is offline  
Old 31st Aug 2012, 3:49 pm   #4
jay_oldstuff
Octode
 
jay_oldstuff's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Hyde, Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 1,074
Default Re: Sony CD Players – CDP XE 720. 2 off, same fault.

I have four of these machines in hire stock at work and I think i now have had every one of them apart to repair similar faults all caused by cracked print. saying that they do lead a hard life at out place and have outlived a number of newer more expensive machines.

Jay
__________________
The light at the end of the tunnel is probably the headlight of an oncoming train
jay_oldstuff is offline  
Closed Thread

Thread Tools



All times are GMT +1. The time now is 4:44 pm.


All information and advice on this forum is subject to the WARNING AND DISCLAIMER located at https://www.vintage-radio.net/rules.html.
Failure to heed this warning may result in death or serious injury to yourself and/or others.


Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright ©2002 - 2023, Paul Stenning.