Stereosound 9000D radiogram

[Alanroy]

Hi. Newbie AlanRoy here.
I have just bought a Stereosound 9000D in wonderful condition.
The left and right speakers work perfectly when using the tuner. However, when playing records, only the right hand speaker works, despite playing with the balance slider. I have checked the connections under the turntable and also where the wires go under the tuner section. All seems ok. I have carried out a continuity test from wires that run from the stylus to the left hand speaker and all is ok, but playing a signal into those wires does not allow any sound from the speaker. Can anyone tell me what I ought to check in order to get sound from both speakers please? Could it be that I need a new stylus? Thank you.

[paulsherwin]

It won't be the stylus unless it's completely mangled.

Try cleaning all the switch contacts with cleaner such as Servisol 10.

[Alanroy]

Hi Paul. Thank you for your quick response. The stylus is ok, and in good condition (seemingly). I will get some switch cleaner as you suggest, but where do you suggest I spray it? I am assuming the back of the slider controls (treb, bass, vol and balance)?
I have to say, those slider switches seem to work fine when in Tuner mode, as do the two speakers, without cackle or hiss, making me think something more severe. Should I spray the cleaner throughout the circuitry at the back of the tuner module? Thank you.

[Radio Wrangler]

Look for the switch that selects whether you're playing a record or using the radio... it's probably amalgamated with the wavechange switching. It could be a rotary knob or a row of pushbuttons.

Give the switch a bit of working - they can start to clean themselves, but a squirt of contact cleaner can help a blt. A little in the right places is a lot better than spraying loads around everywhere.

David

[Alanroy]

Hi David. Thank you. That's very helpful. I have a row of push switches, including one for gramophone and one for tuner. When I switch from Tuner to Gramophone, the left speaker drops out. I will try the recommendations given and see where we go from there.

Thank you.

[Radio Wrangler]

There will be one switch unit behind each button, a rectangular plastic block with terminals sticking out into a printed circuit board, or maybe with wires soldered on. There will be a metal frame linking all the switch modules, and with it, a metal bar. pushing any button operates this bar which releases any other buttons which were already pressed in.

Getting contact cleaner into these modular switches can be difficult. I've had success going in from the opposite end to the button.

David

[Michael Maurice]

is the cartridge ceramic or magnetic? If magnetic, there will be a pre-amplifier before the switching, one channel could have gone down.

[Edward Huggins]

Your Stereosound is most likely to have a ceramic cartridge in the BSR autochanger.
So far I don't think you've checked out the cartridge contacts on the cartridge connecting pins. Make sure there is no oxidisation and there is a good fit on the LH connectors. Gently use tweezers if you can. Be careful as those thin wires are very fragile.

[Radio Wrangler]

The Stereosound radiograms were a bit on the cheap and cheerful side, but their thing was that they were filled with bells and whistles like built-in tape decks. Their finances would have gone for BSR, not Garrard, and a magnetic cartridge would have been most unlikely.

David

[John10b]

It would be interesting if you could take some pictures of this Radiogram, particularly if your going to look inside, as there is little information available.
Cheers
John

[Techman]

The very first test to make before any sort of cleaning, dismantling or anything else, is to do a 'buzz' test at the cartridge terminals. If there's a buzz from both channels with the volume control turned up, then this rules out the whole rest of the system and puts the blame on the cartridge or its contact connections in one quick and easy move. If there's only a buzz (or loud hum) from only one cartridge connection, then this is when you start dismantling and looking at the other areas suggested previously. There's four connections to the cartridge, two for each channel and you should get a buzz or hum on two of them (from each alternate speaker) with the volume turned up and the balance control set at mid point.

[John10b]

I agree Techman, and that is the first thing I would have recommended, but in first post it states that such a test (not a buzz test) has been carried out (“playing a signal .....”?), I’m not sure exactly what signal has been used.
Cheers
John

[Alanroy]

Hi John 10b and Techman and Radio Wrangler, Michael, Edward and Paul.
Gosh you have all been so helpful, I am overwhelmed. Thank you all very much for your contributions and suggestions/advice. I really appreciate it. So this is where I am at, at present. (I can take photos, as suggested but can I paste them into this site?) I have sprayed cleaner into the switch areas and have repeatedly pressed the switches on and off. I have done this over the last few days, but nothing has changed. The test I did with the 4 wires into the cartridge was to first do a continuity test from each wire to the speaker. This allowed me to identify the two wires that feed the left speaker. I then used croc clips to play music from my phone via a 3.5 male jack to male jack stereo lead from the phone, connecting one male jack to the speaker via croc leads, but nothing played. I did get a hum from two of the 4 leads when I handled them. A red one and a white one. The red one feeds the left speaker. The cartridge is grey, feels like plastic, not ceramic or metal? Putting a magnet to it shows it to be non magnetic.
Final observation, if I turn volume up to maximum, and balance slider to fully left speaker, i can hear music from the record if I put my ear right by the speaker. Any advice as to where I go from here? And what photos would help you guys to see what is going on? Again, many thanks for your invaluable help.

[Techman]

Yes he does say about a 'signal' and I wasn't sure exactly what he meant about that. The problem with disconnecting cartridge wires is that you can start getting into a muddle with what went where, and also disturbing the connections on an old ceramic cartridge can often make them start to go intermittent internally. Leaving everything in place and just sliding a thin screwdriver blade in the gap between the insulation sleeve and the body of the cartridge to touch the connection doesn't disturb anything and is done in less than the time it takes to wait for the kettle to boil to make yourself a cuppa!

[Alanroy]

Sorry, my last post wasn't worded to clever regarding the signal test. Croc clips from the jack plug directly to the speaker works, but if I put the croc clips to the two leads from the stylus, no music reaches the speaker. Hope that is a bit more clear??

[Techman]

Ah, you can't do it like that.

Just do that buzz test as I said and report back.

[Alanroy]

Latest update: Using aa jewellers eye glass, I have examined the pins at the back of the stylus. One of them is a tad loose in its setting and is quite corroded. (and it is one of the pins that supplies feed to the left hand speaker!) I have very gently scraped the pin with a scalpel (again using the eye glass) to remove most of the corrosion. I have then sprayed contact cleaner over the pins, reassembled it (having made notes as to what cable goes where!) and hey presto, it now works!!! I would never have achieved this without the tremendous help offered by you guys, so a huge thank you to you all. The sound from the left speaker, when shifting the balance slider around, is not as strong as on the right, but way better than it was. I feel another bit of careful cleaning and I shall be ok.
I do think I might be wise to buy a new cartridge though. Can anyone offer any advice as to where I might buy one, and what sort do I need? I have taken a photo of my existing one if it helps, along with the make of the record deck, just seem incapable of copying and pasting it here??

[Alanroy]

Hi Techman and everybody else in this group that have been so helpful and generous with their advice. I have messaged to thank you all, and give you an account of work in progress, but for some reason those two messages have not appeared here, only the one directly above (beginning "latest update") Maybe they will appear later??. In answer to your message Techman at 11.26 today, I did the buzz test and had a buz from two wires which then led me on to examine the cartridge. As explained in an earlier message (which has not appeared here yet), this led me to examine the cartridge pins. I don't know if the cartridge is the magnetic type or ceramic? It feels like plastic? Holding a magnet to it reveal it is not a ferrous body.

[Station X]

You first few posts would have required approval by a moderator. They've all been approved now apart from a duplicate.

[Alanroy]

Thank you Graham. As a newbie I have much to learn!!