1983 Marantz CD-73 CD player power supply repair - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

howard · 14th Mar 2009, 11:03 pm

Hello again,

I acquired this Marantz CD-73 CD player in June 1985, it was a reduced shop-soiled/repaired unit and apparently had already had its power supply repaired. Of all the first generation CD players, this model was considered one of the best sounding as well as being built like a tank, indeed very few machines built since are as well engineered or as heavy. Over the years I have 'upgraded' my CD players, eventually acquiring a Marantz CD-63 Mark II KI Signature player in 1996 and there I stopped cos I haven't heard a better sounding machine at the price since .... but I hung on to the CD-73, my son had it for a while in his room and then I used it from time to time cos it sounds rather good and is more 'laid back' than the later machine.

It was totally reliable until a couple of years ago when the sound started to crackle. So about a year ago Ron Bryan very kindly resoldered some of the joints on the PSU board and that sorted it for a few months but then earlier in the year it started to hum loudly on switch-on which would eventually stop and then it would crackle a while .... but eventually it would work OK. Folk on the forum advised changing all the electrolytic capacitors on the power supply board and that's what has been done here.

First of all, I ordered new capacitors from Farnells, as follows ....

1 x 100uf 25v
1 x 100uf 50v
2 x 1500uF 25v
3 x 2200uF 16v
4 x 33uF 16v

These were all best quality Panasonic/Sanyo radial electrolytics with a temperature operating range of -55°C to +105°C, essential as the Marantz PSU does get hot. There are also a couple of small axial capacitors on the board, a 22uF, and lastly a 10uF (strangely missing from the circuit diagram).

The PSU is very simple to access on this machine, undo the two screws one either end of the heat sink on the back and it comes out. There's a connector on the left corner of the board (see first pic below), that does come off (prise up gently with a screwdriver) which enables the PCB to be turned over without putting undue stress on the remaining wiring. We found the best position to work on the PSU was with the machine stood on its end as shown in the (slightly fuzzy) second pic below. Ron replaced all the caps, no problems were encountered, remove the solder from the capacitor connections underneath using braid or a solder sucker making a note of the polarity of the wires (typically the side of the negative wire has '----' printed down it) before carefully pulling each of them off the board (three or four were also glued underneath) and then fit the new ones.

The two 100uf capacitors (top right hand of the third pic) were replaced first around a month ago along with the 22uf axial (in the middle). Both the original 100uf caps when tested were found to be absolutely knackered but the 22uf axial cap was fine. Replacing just those fixed the immediate problem, all the hum and crackling had gone. The voltages of the power rails were all checked on the six connections on the connector and found to be fine. Ron very kindly replaced the remainder today, simply for future peace of mind. The were no problems with the LM317 voltage regulators on this PSU, I gather sometimes that they also expire.

The first generation Philips/Marantz CD players have suddenly become very collectable, cos they are very good sounding machines. Their CDM0/CDM1 CD transports very rarely expire and it's usually only their PSUs which need overhauling to return them back into perfect working order.

My thanks to Ron Bryan for fixing this one.

Howard

KeithsTV · 15th Mar 2009, 12:09 am

Nice one Howard

I ended up doing exactly the same on the PSU of my CD73 although I had replaced the LM317 in 1995 as the 5v was erratic causing odd noises from both channels. I bought mine new in 1984 and replaced it with a CD63 in 1995, the ordinary one not the KI version.

I also had a dry joint on one of the LEDs but that was easily cured.

Does yours have all Philips ICs or does it have one of the boards, I can't remember which one, fitted with a Sony IC?

Keith

howard · 15th Mar 2009, 11:10 am

Hello Keith,

My CD-73 has the Philips 2 x TDA1540D + SAA7030 ICs, I would imagine it was the slightly earlier Marantz CD63 / Philips CD100 machines that may have had Sony ICs fitted briefly cos of the problems Philips had with their chips .... as illustrated by the 'fix' in my CD100 .....

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=37171

It does however have the same CDM0 CD transport as my CD100, not a CDM1 as previously thought. These early transports were the most reliable Philips ever built, whereas the CDM12.1 transport in the later CD-63 Mark 2 is notoriously unreliable, my KI Signature machine had a new transport fitted under warranty and I keep a new VAM1202 unit for it for when that expires.

There's an excellent website covering the history of the Philips/Marantz machines where service manuals can be obtained at very reasonable prices, here ...

http://www.marantzphilips.nl/

Howard

Steve_P · 15th Mar 2009, 4:52 pm

These just run and run don't they. A few capacitors and 26 years more...!

Cheers,

Steve P.

howard · 16th Mar 2009, 11:50 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve_P

These just run and run don't they. A few capacitors and 26 years more...!

Cheers,

Steve P.

These early Philips machines do keep on working and sounding good, more than a quarter of a century after they were built ..... it doesn't seem that long ago that CD was launched !

Howard

marcus 3500 · 23rd Mar 2009, 8:55 pm

Hi Howard

In i think 1988 i got my first cd player a Philips CD473 i think. I have not used it for over 16 years i wonder if it still works. It cost me at the time £400 i think, quite a lot of money for a 17 year old to spend on such things.

Just found it at the front of my workshop attic, but can not reach it.
Marcus.

Only just spotted this is in Success Stories sorry, my post can be deleted. Well done with your CD player Howard

14th Mar 2009, 11:03 pm	#1
howard Nonode Join Date: May 2005 Location: Godalming, Surrey, UK. Posts: 2,593	1983 Marantz CD-73 CD player power supply repair Hello again, I acquired this Marantz CD-73 CD player in June 1985, it was a reduced shop-soiled/repaired unit and apparently had already had its power supply repaired. Of all the first generation CD players, this model was considered one of the best sounding as well as being built like a tank, indeed very few machines built since are as well engineered or as heavy. Over the years I have 'upgraded' my CD players, eventually acquiring a Marantz CD-63 Mark II KI Signature player in 1996 and there I stopped cos I haven't heard a better sounding machine at the price since .... but I hung on to the CD-73, my son had it for a while in his room and then I used it from time to time cos it sounds rather good and is more 'laid back' than the later machine. It was totally reliable until a couple of years ago when the sound started to crackle. So about a year ago Ron Bryan very kindly resoldered some of the joints on the PSU board and that sorted it for a few months but then earlier in the year it started to hum loudly on switch-on which would eventually stop and then it would crackle a while .... but eventually it would work OK. Folk on the forum advised changing all the electrolytic capacitors on the power supply board and that's what has been done here. First of all, I ordered new capacitors from Farnells, as follows .... 1 x 100uf 25v 1 x 100uf 50v 2 x 1500uF 25v 3 x 2200uF 16v 4 x 33uF 16v These were all best quality Panasonic/Sanyo radial electrolytics with a temperature operating range of -55°C to +105°C, essential as the Marantz PSU does get hot. There are also a couple of small axial capacitors on the board, a 22uF, and lastly a 10uF (strangely missing from the circuit diagram). The PSU is very simple to access on this machine, undo the two screws one either end of the heat sink on the back and it comes out. There's a connector on the left corner of the board (see first pic below), that does come off (prise up gently with a screwdriver) which enables the PCB to be turned over without putting undue stress on the remaining wiring. We found the best position to work on the PSU was with the machine stood on its end as shown in the (slightly fuzzy) second pic below. Ron replaced all the caps, no problems were encountered, remove the solder from the capacitor connections underneath using braid or a solder sucker making a note of the polarity of the wires (typically the side of the negative wire has '----' printed down it) before carefully pulling each of them off the board (three or four were also glued underneath) and then fit the new ones. The two 100uf capacitors (top right hand of the third pic) were replaced first around a month ago along with the 22uf axial (in the middle). Both the original 100uf caps when tested were found to be absolutely knackered but the 22uf axial cap was fine. Replacing just those fixed the immediate problem, all the hum and crackling had gone. The voltages of the power rails were all checked on the six connections on the connector and found to be fine. Ron very kindly replaced the remainder today, simply for future peace of mind. The were no problems with the LM317 voltage regulators on this PSU, I gather sometimes that they also expire. The first generation Philips/Marantz CD players have suddenly become very collectable, cos they are very good sounding machines. Their CDM0/CDM1 CD transports very rarely expire and it's usually only their PSUs which need overhauling to return them back into perfect working order. My thanks to Ron Bryan for fixing this one. Howard Attached Thumbnails Last edited by howard; 14th Mar 2009 at 11:11 pm.

15th Mar 2009, 12:09 am	#2
KeithsTV Nonode Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: South Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 2,573	Re: 1983 Marantz CD-73 CD player power supply repair Nice one Howard I ended up doing exactly the same on the PSU of my CD73 although I had replaced the LM317 in 1995 as the 5v was erratic causing odd noises from both channels. I bought mine new in 1984 and replaced it with a CD63 in 1995, the ordinary one not the KI version. I also had a dry joint on one of the LEDs but that was easily cured. Does yours have all Philips ICs or does it have one of the boards, I can't remember which one, fitted with a Sony IC? Keith

15th Mar 2009, 11:10 am	#3
howard Nonode Join Date: May 2005 Location: Godalming, Surrey, UK. Posts: 2,593	Re: 1983 Marantz CD-73 CD player power supply repair Hello Keith, My CD-73 has the Philips 2 x TDA1540D + SAA7030 ICs, I would imagine it was the slightly earlier Marantz CD63 / Philips CD100 machines that may have had Sony ICs fitted briefly cos of the problems Philips had with their chips .... as illustrated by the 'fix' in my CD100 ..... https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=37171 It does however have the same CDM0 CD transport as my CD100, not a CDM1 as previously thought. These early transports were the most reliable Philips ever built, whereas the CDM12.1 transport in the later CD-63 Mark 2 is notoriously unreliable, my KI Signature machine had a new transport fitted under warranty and I keep a new VAM1202 unit for it for when that expires. There's an excellent website covering the history of the Philips/Marantz machines where service manuals can be obtained at very reasonable prices, here ... http://www.marantzphilips.nl/ Howard

15th Mar 2009, 4:52 pm	#4
Steve_P Dekatron Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Bolton, Greater Manchester, UK. Posts: 6,644	Re: 1983 Marantz CD-73 CD player power supply repair These just run and run don't they. A few capacitors and 26 years more...! Cheers, Steve P. __________________ If we've always had it, why is the Car Boot open? You're not sneaking another Old TV in are you...?

23rd Mar 2009, 8:55 pm	#6
marcus 3500 Retired Dormant Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: South Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 351	Re: 1983 Marantz CD-73 CD player power supply repair Hi Howard In i think 1988 i got my first cd player a Philips CD473 i think. I have not used it for over 16 years i wonder if it still works. It cost me at the time £400 i think, quite a lot of money for a 17 year old to spend on such things. Just found it at the front of my workshop attic, but can not reach it. Marcus. Only just spotted this is in Success Stories sorry, my post can be deleted. Well done with your CD player Howard Attached Thumbnails Last edited by marcus 3500; 23rd Mar 2009 at 9:04 pm.