Sony HP-610A refurb project

Montycat

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I like fixing stuff up. It gives me great pleasure to bring something back to life, though sometimes it can be a bit frustrating. It can seem like a waste of time and money at times, but it does keep me off the street so is usually worth it.

With that in mind I bought this Sony HP-610A at the VV the other day.

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It was $30. When I first tested it it worked, kind of. However in removing the turntable, a Dual 1211, to have a look inside I shorted the suspension foot on the power supply cap and blew the fuse. Easy to fix that though it is a soldered in fuse.

The top is kind of nasty but otherwise it looks pretty decent and is more or less all there.

SONY HP610A by Buhduh, on Flickr

There is no counterweight or headshell but it being a Dual 1211 is nothing special anyway plus I had a 1218 in the garage and have several sleds. It does at least have both spindles.

The power switch has an On and an Auto/Off position. It actually did not turn off in that position and it is related to the turntable function so that when the record finishes it can shut the system off. That wiring I should be able to transpose to the 1218. I also had to remove the "stand" and RCA cable bracket in order to drop in the 1218. Other than that it goes straight in.

Sony HP-610A by Buhduh, on Flickr

Dual 1211 in the Sony by Buhduh, on Flickr

You can see how close to the capacitor the suspension at the top left is.

Sony HP-610A inside by Buhduh, on Flickr

The blue wires and switch that I might have to move to the 1218 to have the Auto/Off switch work.

custom wiring Sony HP-610A by Buhduh, on Flickr

And the 1218 set in place.

Dual 1218 in the Sony HP-610A by Buhduh, on Flickr

Anyway, I'll be working on those over the next little while and see how it goes. I don't expect miracles but I think I can spruce it up nicely.
 
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These were lovely little 'compact stereos', as they were referred to back in the 70s. The Duals were quite nice, too, even though they did not have the same features as the normal Dual TT's imported directly to the US by United Audio.

Also, recap the receiver and you'll have a nice system to pair with a nice set of KLH or AR speakers. It makes a nice den or study system.

Cheers,

David
 
Your Dual 1211 counterweight is not missing.. That model does not have one per se, has a spring for tracking force. The Dual 1218 you installed is a major upgrade. Also, I'd lay off AR (save for very efficient models like the 4 or KLH unless similar, avoid 4 ohm loads). This is barely 10-15 Watts RMS into 8 ohms. It is among the best compacts sold in the USA.
 
Spring loaded, eh? That makes sense. There is barely enough room inside the cover for the weight on the 1218 and the back end of the 1211 arm is different looking. I'll probably put the 1211 back until I get the other parts in order than so I don't "waste" the 1218 if I can't get the rest working well.

Thanks.
 
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Leave it to Kent to know the turntable.

ADS has some efficient models. low to mid-90dB numbers for their speakers. Probably work well with that unit.
 
I soldered in a fuse holder to the wire wrap pins to which the original fuse was directly soldered so it's easy now to change the 2 amp fuse. Cleaned up the face today too and started on the top. It looks great with a full complement of original bulbs and worked well on AM & FM.

Sony HP-610A cleaned up by Buhduh, on Flickr
 
There's a pretty decent looking top on a popular auction site right now.

Thanks. I just put a "watch" on it. I will go have a better look at the one still in the garage as I don't think I can justify the $100 CAD that one would cost me. It does look nice though. :dunno:
 
I understand completely. The 610A is a neat unit but not worth putting a boat load of $$$ in.
 
I did a bit more work on this today.

The wood cover now looks more presentable though I still have to polish the plastic part. The 1218 will fit though I had to cut out a corner in the plywood it rests on, near the tonearm base. It's completely unobtrusive though as it's hidden underneath. I still have to solder the tonearm output leads to the muting switch though.

It's coming along. :)

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Even closer to completion.

Sony HP-610A Dual 1218 by Buhduh, on Flickr

Sony HP-610A cover by Buhduh, on Flickr

I installed the 1218. Soldered wires to the internal connector to the amplifier board, did some typical Dual service to the 1218 and played with the hinges which won't quite allow the lid to fully close. The counterweight actually had to go too far back and would hit the lid, but I glued a couple of steel washers to the back of it so it does not have to push out so far and now clears. The plastic got polished a bit and the stained lid (not quite a match to the original but close enough) has some Howard's on it.
 
I have one of the that I am working on for a friend. Any help on how to remove the faceplate? Power switch is busted and I need to get to it. Screws in from the front but I'm not sure how the faceplate comes off.
 
I've had one of these for a decade that works fine (other than having to manually turn it a little for the motor to kick in), but all of the sudden it only works in mono, there is no sound when the switch is to stereo. I don't know anything about working on turntables. Any suggestions?
 
I soldered in a fuse holder to the wire wrap pins to which the original fuse was directly soldered so it's easy now to change the 2 amp fuse. Cleaned up the face today too and started on the top. It looks great with a full complement of original bulbs and worked well on AM & FM.

Sony HP-610A cleaned up by Buhduh, on Flickr

Do you or anyone else know what type of lamps/bulbs are needed for the dial scale lighting?
 
My first stereo in the early 70s was a Sony HP510. Always thought it sounded good and seemed well built. You will enjoy yours i am sure.
 
I soldered in a fuse holder to the wire wrap pins to which the original fuse was directly soldered so it's easy now to change the 2 amp fuse. Cleaned up the face today too and started on the top. It looks great with a full complement of original bulbs and worked well on AM & FM.

Sony HP-610A cleaned up by Buhduh, on Flickr
I know this is an old post, but I am restoring a HP-610A now and need to replace the stereo lamp. Nothing in the service manual states how many Volts / mA for the lamp. Did you replace it, do you know what you used?
 
I know this is an old post, but I am restoring a HP-610A now and need to replace the stereo lamp. Nothing in the service manual states how many Volts / mA for the lamp. Did you replace it, do you know what you used?

I don't remember and can't find the 610a manual but I checked the similar HP-511 and found this. The stereo lamp is PL-1

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I don't remember and can't find the 610a manual but I checked the similar HP-511 and found this. The stereo lamp is PL-1

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Thanks for the response. I found a picture of the HP-511 and it does look similar. I measured the HP-510A voltage coming off the tuner board for the lamp, and it reads 7-15V DC. According to the schematic, it has 14.5 going to the lamp.

Looking at the HP-511A schematic, it appears to be 4.5V going to the lamp. So that would make sense that the 4.5V lamp in that unit.

I am not finding any options for a 15V lamp of this size. Maybe I can use a 12V with a resistor?
Any input on this is welcome.
Thanks!
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