Repairing Of Speaker And Change Of Tape Head Done In Panasonic RX-5055F Radio Cassette Player
Those of you, who have not read my previous article on the same set, may please do so using the following link https://jestineyong.com/modified-capstan-wheel-base-support-in-panasonic-two-in-one/
This set was completed and delivered in April, 2019 and did a revisit in March, 2022 with the complaint that output was coming only to one side. I checked and confirmed the complaint and inserted a headphone and found that the outputs were ok on it. So, the suspicion was on speaker. I opened the set and did a thorough cleaning. Then when I checked continuity of one speaker, it was found open. The wires going to the speaker were found ok. So it was an inside short.
Unfortunately, this type of speakers is no longer available in the market. The measurements were six inches in width, (6.⅟2” between screw holes) and 2⅟4” height or depth. I combed every known source to get a replacement but in vain. Same type of coil, paper and spider were also not available in the market. Ultimately I removed the paper myself, cut the spider and took the coil out. Found that the coil wire was cut very close to the end. So, with the coil still held in place on the distorted paper former (result of my unskilled removal) and the speaker frame, I approached my friend who does the job and requested him whether he can fix a new paper and spider and fix the coil back.
Well, to my surprise, he agreed. While giving delivery of the speaker next day, he told me that he had to fabricate both the paper and spider by joining two different types by cutting and shaping, but at-last the speaker was working like before! Can you guess how much he took as charges from me? I shall answer this question at the last! In the meantime, just guess and mention this in your comments, without reading the answer! (LOL). I fixed the speaker back and played Radio and Tape, both of which was working very well. But the tape output was not good enough. The FF was not working, as one of the gear wheels was defective and no replacement was available. Since the head was found worn out and I had an equivalent original head with me, I went ahead and replaced it. Following is a picture of the worn out head.
I aligned the azimuth after fixing the new head and made it in position so that a peak undistorted output was coming equally on both speakers. I used the output mode “mono” for adjustment and then did a trimming in “stereo” mode.
Cleaned and lubricated the switches and controls and also the mechanism. The tape output was excellent when played with company original cassettes lying with me as well as the cassette that was there inside the set when customer brought it. Job accomplished and satisfaction got added to the collection bag.
Now, answer to the question: Nothing at all! In fact, he refused to take anything from me! What a guy! You can very rarely find such people! I told the customer about it and requested her to use his services for servicing of home appliances such as Mixer-grinder, water heaters, irons, geezer etc. as he is focusing on that. That is the only way I could ensure a return for his help.
Special notes (1) Always use a Headphone while doing the head azimuth alignment. It should be done in mono mode, if available. In this set, there were three modes of play; Mono, Stereo and Ambience. Never align it in Ambience.
In mono, align the screw for a peak undistorted output evenly distributed to both the speakers so that you get a good output correctly centered at the back of your head. Then put it in Stereo and do very minute adjustment if necessary. Following is an image I just copied from google:
(2) Never give up when we come to dead ends. There will be a solution, if our determination is strong enough! (3) Look at the life we could give for this set; i.e., it visited in April 2019 in a totally spoiled condition and came back with a different problem only in March, 2022. What does it show? Replacing all electrolytic caps and retouching the board from one end to the other is the master key for a prolonged life of a set! Is this proof enough for skeptics?
This article was prepared for you by Parasuraman Subramanian from India. He is 72 years old and has more than 30 years’ experience in handling antique equipment like Valve Radio, Amps, Reel Tape Recorders and currently studying latest tech-classes conducted by Kerala State Electronics Technicians’ Association. He has done graduation in BBA degree, private diploma in Radio Engineering and retired as MD of a USA company. Presently working as Consultant to Hospital and other institutions.
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21 Comments
Leave a Reply
Anil Kumar V K
May 4, 2022 at 1:03 pm
good job,sir
Parasuraman S
May 8, 2022 at 11:13 pm
Many thanks!
Albert van Bemmelen
May 4, 2022 at 1:19 pm
Your skills are a blessing for fixing all kind of defect sets. And that fact no doubt played a role in the fantastic help you got in fixing the cone of the bad speaker by joining both the paper and spider with cutting and shaping its cone.
In case it may be of any help in the near future, I found that these cones can also be found on Aliexpress upto about 12 inch in size, See here
Parasuraman S
May 8, 2022 at 11:14 pm
Many thanks for the comments and link!
Imoudu.O
May 4, 2022 at 3:02 pm
Well well!!, thanks for sharing sir.
Parasuraman S
May 8, 2022 at 11:14 pm
Many thanks!
Abigail Karonga
May 4, 2022 at 10:23 pm
Greetings
Yet again your article is well explained and so helpful, though for me I see less value in preparing the equipment like that but it inspires me to learn your strategies of bringing it back to life
Parasuraman S
May 8, 2022 at 11:15 pm
Many thanks!
Lakshmi narayan Singh
September 20, 2022 at 11:40 pm
I need a help regarding my national Panasonic rx 5050 f my boombox works on cassette player and line in both but it's radio not working when I move selector switch to radio cut of powering, any suggestions plz revert if possible
Babu M S
May 5, 2022 at 12:53 am
Well done sir,you articles is spoon feeding.
Parasuraman S
May 8, 2022 at 11:15 pm
Many thanks!
Lynn Blakely
May 5, 2022 at 5:47 am
Another repair done well. It is nice to have friends to help when needed, how we treat others pays dividends.
Parasuraman S
May 8, 2022 at 11:16 pm
Yes true! A relationship built like a dove's tail will help us fly high!
Mark
May 7, 2022 at 3:40 am
Excellent job. Recap is the answer.
Parasuraman S
May 8, 2022 at 11:17 pm
Many thanks!
Waleed Rishmawi
May 7, 2022 at 8:30 pm
There still good repair techs out there. There are some techs here who are experts and we are willing to help each other out by cutting down on repair cost and in return I advertise their business in the community. Thanks for sharing
Parasuraman S
May 8, 2022 at 11:17 pm
Many thanks for your valuable comments, dear friend!
Yogesh Panchal
May 7, 2022 at 11:26 pm
Excellent job!Sir,
Re coning of the speaker is interesting job if you can arrange proper material.last i had replaced and aligned the magnetic Head in cassette player almost 25 years back thanks for reviving those memories .
Parasuraman S
May 8, 2022 at 11:18 pm
Many thanks, Yogesh!
biju
May 9, 2022 at 1:21 am
how to know the head is worn out?
Parasuraman S
May 11, 2022 at 6:53 pm
First clean it thoroughly using IPA. Then check it with a lens. If you find tracks of tape that has cut into the head and/or the azimuth is worn out, replace it. If the sound is not good enough and there is variation in tone also, the head might have got worn out.