Restoring a Pioneer PL-630 Turntable

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You may not need to disassemble the switches. Just spray DeOxit D5 from the back, then actuate the each control 40-50 times. Wait 30 minutes, spray in a bit more, and actuate around 30 times more. The problem should clear up. The controls in question are Speed Select, Quartz Lock, and Pitch.

You will have to open the unit up. You cannot get the DeOxit in until you do.

Enjoy,
Rich P
 
Re-Capping: Motivations, Considerations, Results

My experience: Recapping generally yields only an incremental improvement in the way a unit sounds, but should significantly increase the life-expectancy of a unit.

Here are your incentives/motivations, so balance them against cost and/or effort:

  1. I have measured a large number of caps, replaced during a recap. The majority are at or below the low end of their specs, unless they are in a location where they get thermally stressed.

  2. When 'lytic caps go, as the odds of doing so rises rapidly once their rated life expectancy of around 20 years has been reached or exceeded, they go any one of 3 ways, drift out of tolerance, fail open, or fail short. They all drift, and statistically, failing open or short is about a 50/50 mix.

  3. If a cap fails open, you may notice, you may not, depending on where it is in the circuit. Generally the fault is easily repaired, with minimal peripheral damage.

  4. The main risk: If a cap fails short, it can, and generally does, take out significant associated circuitry (ie. semiconductors made out of unobtainium).

  5. Recapping is cheap, part-wise, averaging $0.35 per cap, but labor is high. A good tech can be counted to be able to replace around 10 caps per hour (including unit disassembly, cap removal, pad cleanup, cap installation, and flux cleanup). Even if the tech only charges $10 per hour, in a unit with 150 caps to replace (not uncommon on gear I work on), the labor really mounts up when it takes 15 hours to do the job. Typical modern labor costs are in excess of $60 per hour. AK restoration artists are not in it for the money (but money is nice), so we generally do not charge anywhere near that rate, but our labor is worth that rate.

  6. The MOST IMPORTANT aspect of a recap, is the opportunity to refresh all circuit board solder joints. Flow-soldered connections have only about a 30-year life expectancy. In my experience, I have solved more problems caused by old, oxidized, fractured solder joints than by failed/drifted caps. Here is where the real bang for the buck is realized, and MUST NOT be underestimated.
With all of these aspects considered, recapping is really only a viable procedure for upper end gear, unless the gear owner is an avid collector, and wants all of a series in excellent condition, etc.

Rich P
Do you have list of caps for this pl630? And where is the best place to get them? I have 2 of them. I would like to do this to one that is not working real well.
 
Some folks provide recap lists. However, such lists generally prove to be unreliable, because any particular model of equipment undergoes many changes during its production life. There is nothing more frustrating than ordering all you need for a piece, and to be in the middle of a tough job, only to discover the need for a different value, voltage, or unexpected part. You then buy the part and pay the shipping premium, only to discover that you need another one, and so forth. Even I go through each piece, account for each cap, and mark it as considered, then I generate a purchase list for that piece. I do order extras each time, so I have various values and voltages in stock, if I miss something.

As for types and sources, this previous post in this very thread addresses that: https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...a-pioneer-pl-630-turntable.92333/#post-928141

Good luck,
Rich P
 
In my opinion, the PL-630 is the nicest consumer turntable Pioneer ever produced, having the same specs as their TOTL PL-C590 with its PA-5000 tonearm, with the addition of full automatic operation (and it's prettier too). This table is truly elegant in design, and for the purists who fear that the automatic functionality and mechanism will detract from the sonic performance, unless an automatic function is active, no additional mechanism is in contact with the tonearm in ANY way (the mechanism is fully retracted from the tonearm). The suspension for this table is so good, you can put it right on top of your speakers, and run up the volume...there will be no feedback or howling. My main rig will never be without a couple of these beauties.

This thread is for those who have had a PL-630 since they bought it new, or discovered Dad's PL-630 in the closet, and want it to perform up to, or exceeding, original factory specs. After almost 30 years all of these will need some restoration operations performed on them, even if they appear to 'work'. They may work, but you will never know what they can 'do' until you bring them back up to full steam.

Here is an overall list of operations I perform on these units, before offering them for sale (in my opinion, none are optional):

  1. Rebuild the tonearm drive mechanism (most of these units have very sluggish tonearm drives at this age, if they function at all).

  2. Supplement the rubber of the suspension boots (most are pretty dry and cracked).

  3. Replace all electrolytic capacitors (they have only a 20-30 year lifespan)

  4. Refresh all circuit board solder joints (flow-soldered joints also have only about a 30 year lifespan)

  5. Verify the power supply voltages and filtering.

  6. Clean and deoxidize all user controls (most units have dirty controls, which don't show up audibly, but in table speed instability).

  7. Perform a complete platter drive and speed meter calibration/adjustment

  8. Optimize the tonearm settings for the cartridge (VTA (vertical tracking angle), lifter height, rest height are all adjustable)

  9. Optimize the stylus drop point (where the stylus sets down on the LP)

  10. Perform a complete cosmetic detailing, including polishing out the dustcover (there are a couple of tricks and gotchas, even for this operation)
The Pioneer PL-630 has 6 circuit boards, with 24 caps, and the parts cost for the caps alone is approximately $12.00. The labor for the complete restoration, for a good tech, will likely be 15 to 20 hours.

The unit you will see belongs to a fellow AKr. If he decides to chime in, you will be able to get his opinion as to value and changes in performance. Here is what the unit looked like when it was all done...

View attachment 33476

Note: Don't attempt this job without a service manual. You'll be sorry if you do.

Rich P
excellent job done.......I too had restored my Sony and Technics turntable in the same fashion..........
 
You may not need to disassemble the switches. Just spray DeOxit D5 from the back, then actuate the each control 40-50 times. Wait 30 minutes, spray in a bit more, and actuate around 30 times more. The problem should clear up. The controls in question are Speed Select, Quartz Lock, and Pitch.

You will have to open the unit up. You cannot get the DeOxit in until you do.

Enjoy,
Rich P
Thanks! Now it Works perfectly, had to order Deoxit from sweden.
 
Rich, I too want to thank you for this thread!

I was iced in over the weekend so I had the time to do the restoration on my 630 per your advice. I haven't had a speed flutter since!

I am now trying different cartridges from my collection to hear what matches up best with the arm. So far a Denon DL-60 (moving magnet) and a Nagatronic's 195IE (moving iron) sound fantastic! A Denon DL-103D didn't pass the test...too compliant, I believe.

I did a search to see what others ran on their 630's and came up with some info to get a fix on the mass of the arm. Since mid-compliant carts are working well so far, I believe it falls in the medium mass category. In the last couple of years I have come to understand the "numbers" don't always tell the whole story, so I experiment. If the cart/arm doesn't make me want to put the next record on, I set it aside knowing it's day will come.

I understand you like the Benz Micro MC Silver which tracks @ 1.7-1.9 grams...which fits into my theory of mid compliance. May I ask if you like the Silver because it is high output and thus will fit more peoples needs, or does it have something over the Gold (low output) that I don't understand because I haven't heard them?

Thanks again!
 
Hi,

I like the Silver because it images like a video. I am guessing but, I would expect the Gold to be pretty much like the Silver, but requiring a pre-amp or transformer. My gear consists of pre-MC equipment. Yamaha pre-amps included MC capability, but most of Pioneer gear (my specialty) did not. I may go for an MC pre-amp at some time in the future, but what I have sounds good enough so that I am not motivated to experiment further. I have not tried a cart on the PL-630 that I did not like. I have reviewed several here on AK. If you go for the gold, I would be interested to see what you thought of it.

BTW, I run my MC-Silver at 2.00g.

Enjoy,
Rich P
 
Rich,
I am in the midst of following this authoritative guide on my 610 and am at the cleaning of the tonearm lifter. Step 9 says to apply a drop of tri-flow on the motor shaft bushing. What/where is this?

Thank!
 
motor has two bushings;. rear is usually less a shot of lube front? don't over to it. dab of grease perhaps. (a small one)

good luck.
 
Rich,
I am in the midst of following this authoritative guide on my 610 and am at the cleaning of the tonearm lifter. Step 9 says to apply a drop of tri-flow on the motor shaft bushing. What/where is this?

Thank!
Tri-Flow is a teflon-bearing light lube (spray). The carrier evaporates away, leaving the residual lubricating elements behind. Spray a bit of Tri-Flow into its cap, and dip into the liquid with a wooden toothpick. Apply what you pick up to the motor shaft where it exits the housing, until you see a nice indication of wetness (but not too much). Both ends, if they are visible and accessible ( I don't remember). Spin the shaft for a bit, to distribute the lube, while it is still wet.

Enjoy,
Rich P
 
Great thanks, easy enough. Basically trying to get a little of the lubricant down into the shaft I am guessing. ?

Also, the work I am doing is on a 610 - the non automatic version of teh 630. The user controls are therefore quite different with less of them. The 610 does not have a Start/Stop button which you dont have anything on for cleaning. it does have a arm lifter that looks the same. Is there anything that should be done to this for cleaning?
 
The controls that rotate or move in and out a significant amount are OK for DeOxit. The ones that just move a very small amount, and provide a bit of click feeling, are snap dome switches, and attempts at cleaning them, in any way, will damage them.

Enjoy,
Rich P
 
I've got two of these and the first one (the one I've had the longest) did just fine after I went through it. But the second one has this troubling, persistent problem with speeding up well outside of normal parameters. (In excess of 78rpm, WELL in excess).
But if I stop it, and start it again from a dead stop (while the tone arm still was still engaged) it will return to the correct (aligned) speed. Quartz Lock being engaged does not affect the problem. It does it on both "sides" of the speed control.
 
I've got two of these and the first one (the one I've had the longest) did just fine after I went through it. But the second one has this troubling, persistent problem with speeding up well outside of normal parameters. (In excess of 78rpm, WELL in excess).
But if I stop it, and start it again from a dead stop (while the tone arm still was still engaged) it will return to the correct (aligned) speed. Quartz Lock being engaged does not affect the problem. It does it on both "sides" of the speed control.
You will likely need a proprietary control chip. I hesitate to tell you which one, because you will need an oscilloscope and service manual to begin troubleshooting. If a chip is needed, you will have to get one from a parts unit.

Sorry for the bad news,
Rich P
 
Thanks, Rich. You are the MAN, when it comes to these 'tables. Your restorations were a big help in working on both of these. I actually DO have a parts carcass 630 that I've taken parts from for both of these units. (Fascia, Appearance type....)
I'm sure I have the chip in the "sacrificial" unit. I have both an original SM (came with the parts sacrifice unit) and an Oscilloscope. Which chip? I may have two of them (exclusive of this third unit, which is otherwise really nice) if the chip's on the "Meter/Speed Control" board.
Thanks in advance! (PM me, if that's preferable.....)
 
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Start a new thread, begin it by restating your symptoms, and a list of your available parts and test equipment, then PM me a link to the new thread.

Enjoy,
Rich P
 
Finished the restoration of my PL-610 and it is working like a champ! Thanks Rich for this very helpful and informative thread. it was a lifesaver and made the project fun.

Now on to the 630 that came along int he middle of my work on the 610 for a price I could not pass up.
 
Also verify that proper functioning in repeat mode (where the arm returns to the start of the LP).

Hi Rich! First of all i´d like to thank you for your work, it helped me a lot so far. Sorry if my english is not good but i´m from Argentina (we speak spanish). I´ll try to explain my problem as good as i can to see if i can get any help.
With the help of your guide i've succesfully repaired many things that were wrong with my unit. However i couldnt get to work properly the REPEAT MODE. Let me explain myself:
1- when in press the start button, the tone arm lifts up and moves to the exact position it is supposed to (after some calibration of course, including all the steps in your tutorial). The record starts and plays ok until the end.
2- when the records ends, the auto return function works ok an it returns to the rest position without any problem.
3- if i press the stop button at any time, it will always work ok, leading the arm to its rest position an stopping the spinning of the platter.
4- WHEN THE REPEAT BUTTON IS ON, the records stars playing ok until the end. The auto return works again ok , BUT when the arm moves towards the begining of the record to start again (to repeat), IT FAILS THE PLACE WHERE IT DROPS THE STYLUS, an it drops it about 1,5cm out of the record, outside the platter!!!

I've checked a few things:
- the pickup plate clears the bottom and edge of the optical sensor. I've read the service manual but i cant find any reason why it is working this way.
- I thought that it might be in relationship whith the slits in the plate and the optical sensor, but i dont understand why it ONLY FAILS in the REPEAT mode.
- Could the gear/plate "A"and the microswitches be involved?

I'd really apreciate Rick and everyone else opinions about this. I love this turntable, and i dont trust anyone else to touch it, so i'm looking foward your help! Thank you very much in advance.
Rodrigo
 
Common, and not correctable problem. There is no separate adjustment for the repeat drop point. Sorry.

Enjoy,
Rich P

Thank you very much for your help Rick. That was a really fast response! I feel a little disapointed that it is not correctable, but i think i can live without the repeat function. This forum and this post are the best.
Regards,
Rodrigo
 
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