Sansui XR-Q9 T/T (kind of long)

Sansuiman

I like big amps and I can not lie!
Subscriber
Greetings to all on the forum (especially to you Fred!) this is my first (and hopefully not last) post.

I have a question that I hope one of the other Sansui enthusiasts here can help with in regards to the XR-Q9 turntable.

I have three of the beasts, but they all exhibit the same problem - the automatic functions do not work (i.e. auto lift, play and return).

Pressing the start or lift (cue) buttons causes the "computer" indicator to flash, and the platter will turn at correct speed, but it will never auto cue the tonearm or rotate it into the play position. Eventulally the LED stops blinking and the unit appears to go into a locked up state - the buttons no longer respond.

I have the service manual, and am a fairly accomplished tech insofar as amplifier and tuner repair, but the tonearm transport on this is very complex mechanically, to say nothing of the logic contol circuits involved in this model.

Does anyone know of an inherent defect in the design, or a common problem for which there was a techincal bulletin, or some simple/stupid problem that I'm overlooking? Note that nothing is broken (gears, sensors, etc) and everything appears to be mechanically aligned in the auto transport assembly beneath the tonearm inside the cabinet, but it just won't work and I'm at the point of being stumped.

TIA for any input

Kevin
 
Sansuiman,

I found this post doing a search for information on the XR-Q9 turntable. Did you figure out was was wrong with your units? I have the same problem with the one I have.
 
Sansuiman and all,

I have a sansui XR-Q9 turntable with exactly the same problem.
Took it to a highly qualified audio technician, I say that because he was the only one that properly identified the problem.
The problem with the turntable is the Friction Disc part number 61423700 in the service manual. The disc has a long thin spindle attached with rotating threads\grooves that move the gears. Once the grooves become worn the gears will not rotate when in contact with the spindle as it turns. Therefore no arm movement to the record etc.
To fix the problem you need this replacement part. If anyone knows where to get this part PLEASE let me know. I dont know if Sansui have any in stock. Anyway I arranged for the technician to remove the part. Does no harm to the assembly. Simply you will have a manual tow arm instead of automatic and probably avoid any further damage to the assembly. If you find a replacement part simply replace it and will fix the whole problem. I am considering taking it to a mechanical engineer to see if can fix the threads on the spindle, replace it or make a new one.
These are one of the best turntables around and worth every bit of $ to repair. Hope this helps everyone out there with the same problem.
I understand your problem it is a complex piece of equipment but then you wouldn't expect anything otherwise from Sansui..
 
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Xr-q9

The problem isn´t part 61423700 (No 10 Friction Disc) Check instead Clutch Plates No 13 and 14 :yes:
 
XRQ-9 update - sort of

Stene and Starheaven and all,

Thanks very much for your input, it is helpful to see that you both suspect the same item(s) I have been considering as the cause of the malfunction. I have found another problem though - there is a rubber tire (almost like an idler tire in a cassette deck) but much larger that is sandwiched between part callout 18 and 14 - see Stene's attached image above to see what I'm talking about.

After dissassembling this multi sectional part of the tonearm transport, I found the tire to be very hard and slicked off (typical of a rubber part of this age - 20+ years old) and I suspect that it may not be pliable enough for the friction plate to "bite" in order to get the assembly to turn.

Note that not visible in the illustration are little grooves on the surface of the one fritction plate that mesh with the edge of the tire when engaged. Since the tire is hardened the grooves no longer grab it, therefore the lower assembly moves without actuating the upper assembly as designed.

The bad news is that I have not yet sourced a suitable replacement for the tire, as I beleive it has to be a very precise match size-wise. Also it is attached (glued?) to the plastic gear #18 per the illustration from the service manual and I am unsure of how to attach a new tire for long term reliability. Most glues will not hold reliably to the plastic of which these gears are made.

I am working on this but it has taken a back seat to other more pressing concerns at the moment. If (or rather when) I finally get a solution to this I will post here for other XR-Q9 and XR-Q11 users who would like to get these TT's back up to snuff. Of course, the way things are going this may take me a while.

Anyway, happy new year to all!

Kevin
Curator of the Sansui Museum of the Midwest
 
If you get the blinking computer indicator and no action it is most likely the microprocessor that is at fault. I had the exact same problem with my XR-Q9 three times and it was the microprocessor that was at fault. This TT is extremely sensitive to static. I'm not sure if there is any buffering components between the controls and the processor. Over a 24 year period I had to replace the processor twice. It finally crapped out again and I took the table out to the trash and bought a full up manual rig.
 
I have a XR-Q5 and with similar problems :tears: :

When I press start:
- quartz locked LED goes on
- computer LED blinks SLOW.
- the platter start rotating.
- BUT the arm is not moving at all.
- now the computer LED blinks FAST.

Then the LEDs go off and the platter stops rotating.

Anyone any idea?!? Any help is greatly appreciated :thmbsp:
 
audiosan said:
I have a XR-Q5 and with similar problems :tears: :

When I press start:
- quartz locked LED goes on
- computer LED blinks SLOW.
- the platter start rotating.
- BUT the arm is not moving at all.
- now the computer LED blinks FAST.

Then the LEDs go off and the platter stops rotating.

Anyone any idea?!? Any help is greatly appreciated :thmbsp:

Start a new thread -- this is an old one.

Paul
 
I know this a really late response to this thread, but I have an XRQ9. I've had all or combination of the problrms mentioned here. I plug the TT and use it manually a bit and it wil start working automatic perfectly. If I let it sit a week or two without using it , it willl get out of sync and I have to start all over. If I use it daily, it works perfectly all the time. I've been using it since about 1985 and it's a great TT. I have the matching AUd11 amp, Equalizer, and tuner I use the Amp and Tuner to run the Rear speakers to my Surround System. I Also bought the digital ready speakers with th 17" woofers ,midrange and tweeter. man....what read sound. i did have the extra tonearm that came with the TT but it was lost in a move at some time,,,,,
 
Start a new thread -- this is an old one.

Paul


What he said ^^^... the beginning of this thread is over 4 years old. Also you might want to consider placing it in 'Turntables and Tape' - here is OK, but you might get more replies in the other one.

(sorry, I think it's the right thing to do :yes: )

John
 
I just found this thread since I have a Sansui XR-Q11 and looked for some other stuff for it. I bought mine on ePay and it was not powered up; so I sent it to someone in Roswell, GA in an attempt to fix it.

He fixed the power thing but then discovered that the tonearm cueing mechanism is not working. He identified the broken plastic part and MADE IT!!! This solved the problem.

PM me if you need the address/phone of this guy. However, be prepared to pay some $$$ in the range of $250 since he said it took him a lot of time to manufacture this part . Hope this helps.
 
In principle, correct repair of the arm involves disassembling the entire mechanism; step by step, from bottom to top according to the exploited figure of the service manual.
Then, reverse reassemble all parts (cleaned conveniently). The worn components must be changed, the hardened rubbers must be reconditioned with a rubber reconditioning chemical or they could be changed directly. You should bear in mind the adjustments established in the service manual; all adjustments must be made without exceptions !!!, otherwise the computer could malfunction.
Pay close attention to the thrust and friction washers (13, 14, 19, 20) indicated in the exploded view, they must be in optimal conditions !.
The friction disc (10) must be greased with silicone grease and the components (21, 22, 32) must be greased as indicated by the exploded view.
The drive belt size (4) is critical, it should not be too tense, the micro motor is weak due to design.
Take into account that the adjustment with oscilloscope on the sine wave of 2.2 volts generated by the optical sensors is essential for the correct functioning of the servomechanism; this is not so practical if you do not have a signal retention oscilloscope (digital). :)

best regards
H.A.Z (titoman)
 
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Well now, this is a long dead thread resurrected. FWIW, I still have 4 XR-Q9 and 2 XR-Q11 and all still have non-working automatic functions.Yeah, 14+ years without much progress on that front, but there are always too many other things to be done.

Someday I hope I'll find the magic bullet that fixes these things, they are really nice turntables and it would be great to have them working correctly. In the meantime I picked up an SR-929 that is my primary table, and an XP-99 that was still NIB when I bought it years ago now. It works great, but doesn't see all that much use as it is part of a secondary system. I did find a few NOS CPU chips a while back, and have those in reserve if I ever determine what is actually wrong with these XR-Q models.

I still suspect a combination of bad rubber tires and belts, mechanical mis-adjustment and electronic mis-calibration together to cause the failure of the automatic functions as the likely explanation.
 
Indeed it is, and probably the very last true high end turntable Sansui made, as all that followed it were inexpensive plastic models loaded with gimmick type features like linear tracking, programmable track selection, even a double sided drawer load turntable that came out in the mid 1980's that could play both sides without flipping the record over.

The one thing the XP-99 lacks is a strobe to verify the platter speed, though I surmise it was probably omitted since the speed was computer controlled and didn't need visual verification. That assumes one has faith in the electronics to actually maintain dead-on speed.
 
I noticed a XR Q11 for sale ( non working ) locally for 150.00, no cartridge either. I have to hear back from the Seller to verify if it powers up and functions to whatever degree. I assume from what I have been reading that one can at least bypass the automatic featured use it manually?



I like the idea of actually owning one of these machines and realize it might need a fair amount of work in order to operate properly.
 
Yes, the automatic operation can be bypassed, though that is a shame as it takes out one of the key features of this model. They are sharp looking units, and if you don't mind using them as full manual tables, they are good performers.

I hold out hope that I'll eventually find a fix for the common failure mode on these models, but haven't had time to really tear into them and figure out exactly what is wrong. It appears to be a combination of mechanical and logic related failures.
 
Hope you can keep us updated on your ongoing efforts to resurrect them, I might need some further advice and guidance if I end up with this Q11. Where there is a will there is a way.........
 
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