DrTebi
Active Member
First of all, a big thank you to everyone here at AudioKarma, I couldn't have done it without you!
It was here where I gathered most of my "vintage amplifier repair knowledge", and what gave me the courage to just go ahead and try to recap this Sony TA-3200F...
I got it for under $100, but after running it for a minute or two, it started making "alien noises" (as my wife calls it) in the left channel. A bit of deoxit helped with the scratchy volume knobs, but the noise didn't go away.
Last week I finally decided to just try to recap it myself. If I would screw up, at least it wasn't a very expensive amp I would have ruined.
I examined all the caps, wrote down the values and brand names (all Elna and Nichicon), and found most of the exact same at Partsconnexion. Only two values were a tad higher in voltage. The two huge caps with the Sony lid I decided to keep though (I think they are hard to find anyway).
It was probably not necessary to replace all of the capacitors, and I understand that I did not need the exact voltages or brands either... I also did not have to use "audio-grade" caps... but in the end it was only about $20, so I figured why not. Here is the parts list:
1 x Elna Silmic II Capacitor 220uF / 6.3V, RFS Series
2 x Elna Silmic II Capacitor 470uF 16V
2 x Elna Cerafine Capacitor 1000uF / 10VDC
2 x Nichicon-023-Series KZ 10uf
4 x Nichicon-031-Series KZ 47uf / 100v
2 x Elna RFS Series 0.47µF / 50VDC
4 x Elna RFS Series 33µF / 25VDC
The power supply board with the original caps:
... and replaced caps:
I used desolder wick to get the caps off. Tried my best to get it all cleaned up, also used some acetone to get rid of some gooey stuff that was all over the board:
And here my first solder joints... not amazing yet, but I got better later on!
Some caps were smaller (although the exact same values), so a bit of bending was in order, using the old capacitors as a gauge:
Here the "before" picture of the amplifier board:
And the "after" pic, board installed:
And now he is happily singing again:
It was quite a feeling when first turning it on again... I am sure some of you must remember this, the first time re-working an amplifier and turning it back on, bringing up the volume... well, it worked, the noise is gone! I am pretty excited. Just hoping that this did the trick, and nothing else is wrong with it; played it today for about an hour, and it sounded nice and smooth, and super quiet when no source is playing.
The plan now is to use it in my active 3-way open baffle system (still under construction) for the mid-range or tweeters.
This was my first dive into electronics, well, besides RCA cables and a passive crossover I once built. It's a lot of fun, and I am planning to do more. Next on the list is Rod Elliot's P125 active crossover... which will be challenging for a beginner I suppose, but I guess I should keep thinking "who dares wins"
It was here where I gathered most of my "vintage amplifier repair knowledge", and what gave me the courage to just go ahead and try to recap this Sony TA-3200F...
I got it for under $100, but after running it for a minute or two, it started making "alien noises" (as my wife calls it) in the left channel. A bit of deoxit helped with the scratchy volume knobs, but the noise didn't go away.
Last week I finally decided to just try to recap it myself. If I would screw up, at least it wasn't a very expensive amp I would have ruined.
I examined all the caps, wrote down the values and brand names (all Elna and Nichicon), and found most of the exact same at Partsconnexion. Only two values were a tad higher in voltage. The two huge caps with the Sony lid I decided to keep though (I think they are hard to find anyway).
It was probably not necessary to replace all of the capacitors, and I understand that I did not need the exact voltages or brands either... I also did not have to use "audio-grade" caps... but in the end it was only about $20, so I figured why not. Here is the parts list:
1 x Elna Silmic II Capacitor 220uF / 6.3V, RFS Series
2 x Elna Silmic II Capacitor 470uF 16V
2 x Elna Cerafine Capacitor 1000uF / 10VDC
2 x Nichicon-023-Series KZ 10uf
4 x Nichicon-031-Series KZ 47uf / 100v
2 x Elna RFS Series 0.47µF / 50VDC
4 x Elna RFS Series 33µF / 25VDC
The power supply board with the original caps:
... and replaced caps:
I used desolder wick to get the caps off. Tried my best to get it all cleaned up, also used some acetone to get rid of some gooey stuff that was all over the board:
And here my first solder joints... not amazing yet, but I got better later on!
Some caps were smaller (although the exact same values), so a bit of bending was in order, using the old capacitors as a gauge:
Here the "before" picture of the amplifier board:
And the "after" pic, board installed:
And now he is happily singing again:
It was quite a feeling when first turning it on again... I am sure some of you must remember this, the first time re-working an amplifier and turning it back on, bringing up the volume... well, it worked, the noise is gone! I am pretty excited. Just hoping that this did the trick, and nothing else is wrong with it; played it today for about an hour, and it sounded nice and smooth, and super quiet when no source is playing.
The plan now is to use it in my active 3-way open baffle system (still under construction) for the mid-range or tweeters.
This was my first dive into electronics, well, besides RCA cables and a passive crossover I once built. It's a lot of fun, and I am planning to do more. Next on the list is Rod Elliot's P125 active crossover... which will be challenging for a beginner I suppose, but I guess I should keep thinking "who dares wins"