Hitachi VT9300E - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

togsodar · 19th Oct 2016, 11:41 am

Hello everyone, This is my first post, so firslty i'm an amateur to electronics, i have replaced a few capacitors in the past and i have the basics in terms of equipment, multimeter and soldering iron. Im not affraid to give things a go and id rather learn to fix something than to pay for someone to do it. Ive bought myslef a cheap Hitachi Vt9300E video player.

The power button works to light up the on light and the stop button stays lit red, the clock comes on and i can adjust the clock and timers so im sure this board is ok. I don't seem to be able to select channels as theres an led for each channel button and none light up there was a missing fuse on the channel selector board which I've replaced but i don't know why it was missing. I get no life out of the video mechanism at all, no noises, no hums, no smells of burning etc.

Is there anyone out there who has fixed one of these or who may be able to point me in the right direction as to what it may be, my worst case scenario is that one of the chips is shot and it's a no go, but if it's a case of just replacing a capacitor or resistor somewhere then that'd be great. Ive looked over all the boards in the device and they all look ok, no blown or leaking capacitors, one minor bit of burning from what i think is a resistor and some minor corrosion around a few joints but nothing major.

Many Thanks for looking.

Nickthedentist · 19th Oct 2016, 1:27 pm

Hello and welcome.

It does rather sound like someone's been there before you, and given up. Sometimes this is very bad news, but not always.

It sounds like one of the power supply rails is missing. You will need a service manual to work out which one. These sometimes turn up on eBay, or someone here might sell you a spare one.

As you say, if the big, voltage regulator chip in the power supply has died, things could be very tricky, but it could easily be something much more trivial.

Sorry I can't be more specific. The last time I mended one of these was 20 years ago, and I gave my last one away to somebody here at least 5 years back.

Nick.

Welsh Anorak · 19th Oct 2016, 4:08 pm

Hi there
Not sure about the fuse. There were some Hitachis for rental that used an odd hours timer that fitted into a fuseholder - could this be your fuse?
Anyway, check the obvious first. Are you in line input instead of TV? If it in Timer mode? Have you put a tape inside? I'm not intending to be rude; it's just we've all delved in without checking the obvious!
Assuming it's a power issue you'll need to have a look with a meter at each output and see if one's missing. It's a simple power supply so shouldn't be too hard to work on and I think the voltages are printed by the socket.
I might have a manual somewhere - I'll have a look.
Good luck!
Glyn

19th Oct 2016, 11:41 am	#1
togsodar Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Swindon, Wiltshire, UK. Posts: 1	Hitachi VT9300E Hello everyone, This is my first post, so firslty i'm an amateur to electronics, i have replaced a few capacitors in the past and i have the basics in terms of equipment, multimeter and soldering iron. Im not affraid to give things a go and id rather learn to fix something than to pay for someone to do it. Ive bought myslef a cheap Hitachi Vt9300E video player. The power button works to light up the on light and the stop button stays lit red, the clock comes on and i can adjust the clock and timers so im sure this board is ok. I don't seem to be able to select channels as theres an led for each channel button and none light up there was a missing fuse on the channel selector board which I've replaced but i don't know why it was missing. I get no life out of the video mechanism at all, no noises, no hums, no smells of burning etc. Is there anyone out there who has fixed one of these or who may be able to point me in the right direction as to what it may be, my worst case scenario is that one of the chips is shot and it's a no go, but if it's a case of just replacing a capacitor or resistor somewhere then that'd be great. Ive looked over all the boards in the device and they all look ok, no blown or leaking capacitors, one minor bit of burning from what i think is a resistor and some minor corrosion around a few joints but nothing major. Many Thanks for looking.

19th Oct 2016, 1:27 pm	#2
Nickthedentist Dekatron Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Oxford, UK. Posts: 17,864	Re: Hitachi VT9300E Hello and welcome. It does rather sound like someone's been there before you, and given up. Sometimes this is very bad news, but not always. It sounds like one of the power supply rails is missing. You will need a service manual to work out which one. These sometimes turn up on eBay, or someone here might sell you a spare one. As you say, if the big, voltage regulator chip in the power supply has died, things could be very tricky, but it could easily be something much more trivial. Sorry I can't be more specific. The last time I mended one of these was 20 years ago, and I gave my last one away to somebody here at least 5 years back. Nick.

19th Oct 2016, 4:08 pm	#3
Welsh Anorak Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: North Wales, UK. Posts: 6,927	Re: Hitachi VT9300E Hi there Not sure about the fuse. There were some Hitachis for rental that used an odd hours timer that fitted into a fuseholder - could this be your fuse? Anyway, check the obvious first. Are you in line input instead of TV? If it in Timer mode? Have you put a tape inside? I'm not intending to be rude; it's just we've all delved in without checking the obvious! Assuming it's a power issue you'll need to have a look with a meter at each output and see if one's missing. It's a simple power supply so shouldn't be too hard to work on and I think the voltages are printed by the socket. I might have a manual somewhere - I'll have a look. Good luck! Glyn