Technics SL-D202 won't spin

[Starquest]

I've had this SL-D202 for many years. Now it won't spin when I move the arm out. This problem started suddenly, just now. After powering off, it will start spinning for a second, then die out again. I sprayed some contact cleaner on the pitch control, but that didn't help.

It's somewhat chilly in my basement, around 56. Been that way for a while now since it's winter. And just before this started, I went to grab the finger lift and there was a small static discharge that I heard thru the speakers. Could that have fried something? As I said, it will occasionally start for a second, then stop.

Any ideas? HELP!

Edit: And now it's working again! Why would there be an intermittent problem like that? Is it the mechanism that starts the motor?

Edit 2: dead again. Stopped during playback

Edit 3: If I wait a while and get it going, leave the tonearm over the record, I can turn the power off, then back on, and it will resume spinning, no problem. I can do this repeatedly. But if I move the tonearm back to the rest, where it turns off the motor, then try to start it again, it won't spin. Does this point to the starting mechanism?

 

[Balifly]

Possibly point to a sticky tone arm actuated micro switch. :scratch2:

Have a look at the service manual for the Technics SL-D303.
http://www.vinylengine.com/library/technics/sl-d303.shtml

There is no service manual for the Technics SL-D202.

 

[Starquest]

Possibly point to a sticky tone arm actuated micro switch. :scratch2:

Have a look at the service manual for the Technics SL-D303.
http://www.vinylengine.com/library/technics/sl-d303.shtml

There is no service manual for the Technics SL-D202.

Thanks for the reply. I have a D202 service manual that was kindly provided by another AK member. I'm looking at it now, and that section of the manual looks the same as on the D303. There's a part called S1 or Arm Switch. Do you see that? It's on the top left of page 9. Or the exploded view on page 17. It looks like a device with three wires coming out that go to a connector assy (part #107)

Is it possible to clean the switch with contact cleaner or some other means?

 

[Balifly]

Thanks for the reply. I have a D202 service manual that was kindly provided by another AK member. I'm looking at it now, and that section of the manual looks the same as on the D303. There's a part called S1 or Arm Switch. Do you see that? It's on the top left of page 9. Or the exploded view on page 17. It looks like a device with three wires coming out that go to a connector assy (part #107)

Is it possible to clean the switch with contact cleaner or some other means?

You probably need to wipe off or scrape off the harden grease first.

Apply the contact cleaner to loosen up the switch and then apply a small amount of lithium grease afterwards.

Let us know the result, good luck!

 

[Starquest]

Alright. Do I need to remove the platter before attempting this? Sounds like a dumb question, but I'm envisioning the unit being on its side anyway, tonearm side down. I ask because I tried to lift the platter and it didn't want to easily come off, and I didn't feel like forcing it. I've never had the bottom of a TT off either.

I'm guessing the prolonged cold temps in my lower level would exacerbate this issue. I hadn't used this TT for a couple weeks probably.

As for the grease, would this work?

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lucas-Oil-8-oz-White-Lithium-Grease-10533/202535870

 

[Balifly]

Alright. Do I need to remove the platter before attempting this? Sounds like a dumb question, but I'm envisioning the unit being on its side anyway, tonearm side down. I ask because I tried to lift the platter and it didn't want to easily come off, and I didn't feel like forcing it. I've never had the bottom of a TT off either.

I'm guessing the prolonged cold temps in my lower level would exacerbate this issue. I hadn't used this TT for a couple weeks probably.

As for the grease, would this work?

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lucas-Oil-8-oz-White-Lithium-Grease-10533/202535870

You will probably have to to work from the bottom.

You will need to remove the platter with a good rap on the spindle with a screw driver handle.

Remove the headshell and gently secure the tone arm too.

The white lithium grease should work.

 

[eb2jim]

I doubt lube on a Technics is killing the platter. Spin the platter with your finger, and give it a shove. It should more than likely spin freely. My suspicion is the power supply as I had one do the same. If you get to the point that you can pop the bottom off and check the transformer first. It should feed 18v out. If the power supply gets messed up it cooks the transformer and the diodes feed juice back into it and it kills the thing.

 

[Montycat]

Does the strobe light also go out when the motor stops? If so that might mean a bad power cord or something early in the power supply. Even check the wall plug and try it elsewhere.

Use contact cleaner on the switches and work them many times to distribute the fluid. DO NOT APPLY GREASE or oil to switches. Grease can go on the plastic mechanism pivot points in very small quantities, but in fact I use good quality synthetic 10w30 in most spots that need lube. The spindle for example, from above, can take a drop or 2 just below the bright steel part.

I would suggest also pulling or jiggling any little socket connectors that attach to circuit boards. They could potentially be loose or need cleaning too.

 

[Starquest]

Does the strobe light also go out when the motor stops? If so that might mean a bad power cord or something early in the power supply. Even check the wall plug and try it elsewhere.

Use contact cleaner on the switches and work them many times to distribute the fluid. DO NOT APPLY GREASE or oil to switches. Grease can go on the plastic mechanism pivot points in very small quantities, but in fact I use good quality synthetic 10w30 in most spots that need lube. The spindle for example, from above, can take a drop or 2 just below the bright steel part.

I would suggest also pulling or jiggling any little socket connectors that attach to circuit boards. They could potentially be loose or need cleaning too.

The strobe and other lights stay on the whole time.

 

[Thocom]

Try cleaning V1 and V2 pots on the PCB. I had a similar problem and that corrected it.

 

[Starquest]

Try cleaning V1 and V2 pots on the PCB. I had a similar problem and that corrected it.

I don't imagine those can be cleaned from the top.

Interesting thing is I brought it upstairs where it's warmer (68-69F) and it seems to be working better. Plus the cue mechanism no longer operates at a glacial pace

 

[Montycat]

I don't imagine those can be cleaned from the top.

Interesting thing is I brought it upstairs where it's warmer (68-69F) and it seems to be working better. Plus the cue mechanism no longer operates at a glacial pace

No they can't be cleaned from the top. You would have to open it up from the bottom, as you would for cleaning the control visible on top too, or the switches previously mentioned.

Note the position of the Vr1 and Vr2 when you clean them (which requires spraying them and rotating them with a small screwdriver multiple times). You will need to play with them until you can get a stable accurate speed with the other top mounted control. I usually try to find the sweet spot where the top control can get the correct speed at very close to the middle of that control's sweep.

 

[Starquest]

FIXED IT!! (I will post pictures tomorrow.)

Balifly was right: the problem was the microswitch. More specifically, the lever under the tonearm that depresses the switch was not depressing it far enough. So I took a very tiny piece of the outer jacket of some romex cable and slipped it over the little cylindrical part that pushes the switch. Works now; there's now a nice satisfying click when the switch engages.

Of course, the sad thing is that I went completely out of my way to do it. I got the platter off and took the bottom of the unit apart. I sprayed contact cleaner on the main pitch control and the two pitch control resistors (which don't look anything like what they do in tutorials regarding earlier models like the SL-1500). I also sprayed some cleaner in the microswitch. NONE of this cleaning was necessary.

I also nearly ruined the deck twice. Once, in the middle of testing, I forgot to remove the platter and turned the whole thing over. BAM. Oops. How it didn't crack the dust cover is beyond me. Then when I was playing around with the tonearm with the TT on its side, it went too far and disengaged something to where I couldn't get it back to the resting position. I was starting to get concerned at this point, but I messed around and figured it out somehow. Lesson there: if you are dinking around with the TT on its side, REMOVE THE COUNTERWEIGHT.

--

ANYWAY. Here is the REALLY sad part. This problem can be fixed without even taking the bottom off. All you need to do is remove the platter. There is an access port under the platter where you can get at the area in question. Technics must have known this could be an issue and smartly made it easy to access.

 

[Montycat]

There's nothing sad about about any of that. So many controls can benefit from the cleaning that you can look at it as preventative maintenance. Removing the bottom cover also gives you a much better view of what's going on.

Another lesson when dinking around. Remove the headshell. Perhaps you did of course...but it's always a good reminder.

Anyway, I'm glad you got it working.

 

[Balifly]

Glad to see that you were able to fix it! :thmbsp:

 

[Starquest]

Thanks guys. I did remove the headshell before starting any of this, but as I mentioned, that isn't necessary in order to do this repair. I still think the cold temp in my house may have caused the spring-loaded microswitch to contract just enough to cause this failure.

Another couple tidbits in case anyone runs across this thread.

The platter is held on by a circular magnet. That may be obvious to the more experienced folks around here, but I couldn't discern that from all the reading I did. There are no clips, and it doesn't need to be put back on the spindle in any certain way. You just put it on the spindle and give it a spin, and it will set itself. This particular unit was made on 27 May 1981, and I doubt the platter had ever been removed since the initial assembly. So it was tough to remove it the first time, but I didn't need to smack the spindle to do it. I just put both thumbs on the spindle and used my index fingers to pull up on the platter.

The two variable resistors can be cleaned from the top. They are very simple devices. On these models, these resistors are labeled VR202 and VR203. Looking at the top from the front, VR202 is on the left and controls 45rpm.

I think part of the issue is that the D/Q/202/303 series doesn't get much attention, but looking at prices on ebay, that appears to be changing (for better or worse). So it was sort of hard to find a lot of information.

It's sort of funny how, when you move the tonearm to the end of the playing area, and it begins the auto-return process, the platter needs to be turning for it to finish. If you power-off the machine, you can "pause" this process.

My other D202 has a non-functional auto-return and stop button, but at this point I'm not all that eager to dive in another one.

Thanks again for all the helpful suggestions!

 

[Montycat]

Good learning process for you!

Just one correction though if I may. The circular magnet does not hold the platter in place; it's actually part of the motor, acting with the platter as the rotor (rotational). The part with the coils in it is the stator (stationary). It might seem that way but really it is the weight and the friction fit on the spindle that hold the platter in place.

There is a more or less accurate article on the principles of direct drive turntable motors here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct-drive_turntable

 

[Starquest]

Good learning process for you!

Just one correction though if I may. The circular magnet does not hold the platter in place; it's actually part of the motor, acting with the platter as the rotor (rotational). The part with the coils in it is the stator (stationary). It might seem that way but really it is the weight and the friction fit on the spindle that hold the platter in place.

There is a more or less accurate article on the principles of direct drive turntable motors here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct-drive_turntable

Thanks for the correction. I did notice when I was poking around that there did not appear to be a true motor. It's really an ingenious design.

 

[MacNoob]

Pre-dinking-around checklist:

Lock down arm
Remove headshell
Remove counterweight
Remove platter

Sounds like you figured it out

 

[TableNoob]

H

Thanks guys. I did remove the headshell before starting any of this, but as I mentioned, that isn't necessary in order to do this repair. I still think the cold temp in my house may have caused the spring-loaded microswitch to contract just enough to cause this failure.

Another couple tidbits in case anyone runs across this thread.

The platter is held on by a circular magnet. That may be obvious to the more experienced folks around here, but I couldn't discern that from all the reading I did. There are no clips, and it doesn't need to be put back on the spindle in any certain way. You just put it on the spindle and give it a spin, and it will set itself. This particular unit was made on 27 May 1981, and I doubt the platter had ever been removed since the initial assembly. So it was tough to remove it the first time, but I didn't need to smack the spindle to do it. I just put both thumbs on the spindle and used my index fingers to pull up on the platter.

The two variable resistors can be cleaned from the top. They are very simple devices. On these models, these resistors are labeled VR202 and VR203. Looking at the top from the front, VR202 is on the left and controls 45rpm.

I think part of the issue is that the D/Q/202/303 series doesn't get much attention, but looking at prices on ebay, that appears to be changing (for better or worse). So it was sort of hard to find a lot of information.

It's sort of funny how, when you move the tonearm to the end of the playing area, and it begins the auto-return process, the platter needs to be turning for it to finish. If you power-off the machine, you can "pause" this process.

My other D202 has a non-functional auto-return and stop button, but at this point I'm not all that eager to dive in another one.

Thanks again for all the helpful suggestions!

Hey starquest, I am about to purchase a SL-D202 that also won't spin. I am going to attempt at using this thread to fix it. Thanks for your post, and if you are still on on this site then maybe I could reach out to you in the near future if I have anymore questions.