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Yamaha C-50 mini-relay replacement?

B

billbillw

Well-Known Member
I have a Yamaha C-50 preamp that I picked up recently. Hadn't been used for a long time, dirty, but in pretty good shape, cleaned up nicely and everything seems to work fine except for it being plagued with dropouts and or distortion from the various little relays inside. Yamaha was so smart to put in 5 separate mini-relays into this sucker. They are used to mute and switch various low level signals. I've done some research and found out that just about everyone with a C-50 has had problems with these relays. At the time, they were supposedly good quality, gold clad, blah blah blah. Original part was a Matsushita HB2YD-DV24V. Basically an 8-pin dual poll relay. See the attached photo. It has a clear cover that comes off quite easily. They are so small, I've not been able to really clean them very well though. I took a small brush and tried to work in some de-oxit and isopropyl. It helped some. There now only seems to be one that is still giving trouble. Unfortunately, it is the main mute that switches on/off when the headphone is plugged in and it causes problems in normal listening. I've tried to work that one some more, but it still seems unreliable.

I find nothing when I search for HB2YD. It does seem that the part was replaced by NAIS/Aromat HB2E-DC24V which was pretty popular and common during that era. Seems that the HB2E is now obsolete as well. Its got a funky pin configuration with 6 pins on one end and two on the other.

Not having much luck finding the HB2E from reputable sources. Any suggestions?

Here is a link to what the HB2E looks like with pins shown.
http://www.icphotos.org/photo/HB2EDC24V1H110.html

Alternately, if anyone has a suggestion on how to clean these tiny relays better, I'm open to that.
 

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I don't understand how manufacturers can sell something used in trillions of products over a period of years and then suddenly stop making it. Especially in a case like this, where the only real difference is pin position in the new parts. As a PCB designer, I can tell you that from a board-layout standpoint, it's ridiculously trivial. I just don't understand it.

That being said, I do have HB2E parts in 24-volt, NOS. If you are interested, feel free to PM me.
 
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PacificStereo said:
I don't understand how manufacturers can sell something used in trillions of products over a period of years and then suddenly stop making it. Especially in a case like this, where the only real difference is pin position in the new parts. As a PCB designer, I can tell you that from a board-layout standpoint, it's ridiculously trivial. I just don't understand it.

That being said, I do have HB2E parts in 24-volt, NOS. If you are interested, feel free to PM me.
Click to expand...

Planned Obsolescence at its finest.
 
ryuuoh said:
A relay is a relay. They all clean/replace the same.
Click to expand...

You obviously haven't looked at my photos or into any of the issues I've stated above. These relays are tiny (less than .8" long and about .4" wide. They also have a unique pin-out pattern that is not reproduced in any modern relays. AFIK, they don't disassemble like the larger relays for easy cleaning.
 
billbillw said:
I have a Yamaha C-50 preamp that I picked up recently. Hadn't been used for a long time, dirty, but in pretty good shape, cleaned up nicely and everything seems to work fine except for it being plagued with dropouts and or distortion from the various little relays inside. Yamaha was so smart to put in 5 separate mini-relays into this sucker. They are used to mute and switch various low level signals. I've done some research and found out that just about everyone with a C-50 has had problems with these relays. At the time, they were supposedly good quality, gold clad, blah blah blah. Original part was a Matsushita HB2YD-DV24V. Basically an 8-pin dual poll relay. See the attached photo. It has a clear cover that comes off quite easily. They are so small, I've not been able to really clean them very well though. I took a small brush and tried to work in some de-oxit and isopropyl. It helped some. There now only seems to be one that is still giving trouble. Unfortunately, it is the main mute that switches on/off when the headphone is plugged in and it causes problems in normal listening. I've tried to work that one some more, but it still seems unreliable.

I find nothing when I search for HB2YD. It does seem that the part was replaced by NAIS/Aromat HB2E-DC24V which was pretty popular and common during that era. Seems that the HB2E is now obsolete as well. Its got a funky pin configuration with 6 pins on one end and two on the other.

Not having much luck finding the HB2E from reputable sources. Any suggestions?

Here is a link to what the HB2E looks like with pins shown.
http://www.icphotos.org/photo/HB2EDC24V1H110.html

Alternately, if anyone has a suggestion on how to clean these tiny relays better, I'm open to that.
Click to expand...
I know that this thread is really old but as a help to anyone searching for how to clean this relay, the easiest way. To clean this little relay is to cut a small width from a sheet of regular printer paper. Cut approximately 1/4" wide by 4" piece of paper and then spray this with your cleaner. I used the De-Oxit Gold G5 as these maybe gold or some other precious metal on the tips of the contacts. With a pair of tweezers slide the paper between the contacts. When you have this under both contacts, press down lightly on the top of the contact and then pull the paper back and forth several times. After doing this you will see that the paper has turned a darker color where is was slid between the contacts. That dark color is the dirt that was removed from the contacts. This is really all that is needed to clean these very small contacts. Don't use a lot of pressure as you can damage the contacts.
 
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