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How to clean a tuner (analog)

I have a Fisher 400 that has been sitting without a case for a few years and is covered in dust....is it safe to vaccuum the tuner fins, with a brush attachment?

In post #1 it says "don't touch the fins"; does this mean fingers only? Or don't touch them with anything? Including a brush vaccuum attachment?

Thx!
 
bolero said:
I have a Fisher 400 that has been sitting without a case for a few years and is covered in dust....is it safe to vaccuum the tuner fins, with a brush attachment?

In post #1 it says "don't touch the fins"; does this mean fingers only? Or don't touch them with anything? Including a brush vaccuum attachment?

Thx!
Click to expand...
Don't touch the fines with anything. Compressed air would be better. You can use the kind that comes in a can. Do it outside so you don't blow the dust into your house. Use the shop vac and brush for the rest of the assembly.
 
I have a Pioneer SX-828 and I'd like to perform this procedure. Unfortunately I do not know how to remove the cover plate that goes over the FM front end. It appears to have two inaccessible screws and a tab that looks welded or soldered shut. Has anyone removed this cover on an 828?
 
T Foolery said:
I have a Pioneer SX-828 and I'd like to perform this procedure. Unfortunately I do not know how to remove the cover plate that goes over the FM front end. It appears to have two inaccessible screws and a tab that looks welded or soldered shut. Has anyone removed this cover on an 828?
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I think that top plate just snaps into place. It may be soldered also. Look at it carefully, it's the piece with the 2 fingers on the top surface that rest on the tuner chassis.
 
I drove myself a bit crazy trying to figure it out as it seemed like it should be a no brainer. The solder would not melt off on that top section and I noticed that there are two screws below in the front that can't be accessed and I don't know if they are holding the cover on but it looks like they may be. It's weird because it looks like they really went out of their way to seal this thing.

The reason that I wanted to clean is I'm having a minor issue where the tuner works well but for some reason the stereo light has a tendency to blink from bright to dull and back when locked into a stereo broadcast. Some stations it's more obvious (less bright overall) than others based on signal strength. Lately I've also had instances where the stereo light is on and then just shuts off even though it sounds like it is still in stereo (signal strength meter remains the same). I have a SX-727 that I am comparing this to and that one never blinks from bright to dull - it's either in stereo and brightly on or not. Plus the 727 tuner sounds a bit better on comparison - you can tell when listening through headphones in stereo. I found a shop in my area that can do alignments but I wanted to do this procedure first. I think there is a chance there is some corrosion there because I did a full recap to the unit and when doing so noticed there was a lot of corrosion in the speaker relay which caused intermittent channel output issues (which is the reason I did the full recap). Do you think this procedure has a chance of solving this stereo problem or do you think it's an alignment issue. I'd hate to bring this thing in for alignment when all it is is a dirty tuner. Thanks so much for your time and advice.
 

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It does sound like the tuner needs cleaning. You can easily tell if you hear static when tuning on both sides of a station a small amount, like a noisy control.
You need a better soldering iron, a larger tip, like 1/4" wide, or a soldering gun.

T Foolery said:
I drove myself a bit crazy trying to figure it out as it seemed like it should be a no brainer. The solder would not melt off on that top section and I noticed that there are two screws below in the front that can't be accessed and I don't know if they are holding the cover on but it looks like they may be. It's weird because it looks like they really went out of their way to seal this thing.

The reason that I wanted to clean is I'm having a minor issue where the tuner works well but for some reason the stereo light has a tendency to blink from bright to dull and back when locked into a stereo broadcast. Some stations it's more obvious (less bright overall) than others based on signal strength. Lately I've also had instances where the stereo light is on and then just shuts off even though it sounds like it is still in stereo (signal strength meter remains the same). I have a SX-727 that I am comparing this to and that one never blinks from bright to dull - it's either in stereo and brightly on or not. Plus the 727 tuner sounds a bit better on comparison - you can tell when listening through headphones in stereo. I found a shop in my area that can do alignments but I wanted to do this procedure first. I think there is a chance there is some corrosion there because I did a full recap to the unit and when doing so noticed there was a lot of corrosion in the speaker relay which caused intermittent channel output issues (which is the reason I did the full recap). Do you think this procedure has a chance of solving this stereo problem or do you think it's an alignment issue. I'd hate to bring this thing in for alignment when all it is is a dirty tuner. Thanks so much for your time and advice.
Click to expand...
 
has anyone used Canadian Tire's "MotoMaster Electrical Contact Cleaner"?

Ideal for removing dust and debris from electrical contacts, connectors and switches
Dries fast, leaving no residue behind
Safe to use on most plastics

product link
(has a tab leading to product data sheet)

CONTAINS:
Heptane 40-70%
Propane 15-40%
Isopropyl Alcohol 3-7%

???
 
ssouci said:
has anyone used Canadian Tire's "MotoMaster Electrical Contact Cleaner"?

Ideal for removing dust and debris from electrical contacts, connectors and switches
Dries fast, leaving no residue behind
Safe to use on most plastics

product link
(has a tab leading to product data sheet)

CONTAINS:
Heptane 40-70%
Propane 15-40%
Isopropyl Alcohol 3-7%

???
Click to expand...
That is essentially the same thing I use.
 
great!... because I can buy it at my local Cdn. Tire store for ~ $9 /can

other cleaners mentioned on this thread are actually not so easy to get in Canada (or a total rip off with shipping)

I'll just get some of that, unless someone has a better suggestion for Canadians? (especially online)

thanks!
 
Just read all 414 posts and most links...14 years of questions, answers, and many comments about great improvements in tuner performance, resulting in an untold amount of listening enjoyment.
All this stemming from dr*audio's OP on Jan 17, 2008. Thanks to all the participants, and especially to dr*audio for 14 years of guidance.
Ok, so here's another...Saying "put a drop of Faderlube on each contact" is a little confusing since they don't use that name in their Fader product lineup...what DeoxIT Fader product to use? There's F5 spray, F100 spray, F100 squeeze tube, F100 needle bottle, and FaderGrease injector syringe. With the sprays I assume you would collect a shot and apply a drop manually.
What current product do you use? >>>>>Also why does CAIG say these Fader products are for conductive plastic components [whatever that is?] and not for metal to metal contacts ????

{CLE, PARMA, CLV, JCU, RUW, BUZZARD, MISTAKE, NORTHCOAST, GUARDIANS?
 
EBA963E6-EB41-4E47-A5A6-FB61A7747185.jpeg This is the style applicator I prefer to use on them. I use the Gold over the Fader. Never considered using the Fader there until now.
 
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Ok thanks -that looks like older packaging with the FadeLube product name. The CAIG website has the same F100L product now renamed as just DeoxIT Fader [not FaderLube] My question now is between the F100L Fader [FaderLube] with needle dispenser, or the DFG-213 FaderGrease with syringe applicator. It seems that the original lube on the tuner capacitor shaft more resembles a grease?
Also why does the CAIG site say all their Fader products are for conductive plastic faders and controls...what is conductive plastic???
08_DFG-213-8G.jpg
07_F100L-L25C_2.jpg
 
I wouldn't worry about the conductive plastic application. The purpose here is to protect the metal from exposure to air. I would not use the grease, it might attract dust. Use the stuff in the bottle. I have been buying the stuff in the aerosol can and spraying it into a film canister, allowing the solvent to evaporate then I put it in a syringe.
 
Reading through this, I see that sometimes people doubt whether or not a cleaner is truly "non-residue" or "leaves no residue." If in doubt and you want to prove it, spray some on a clean piece of clear glass and let it dry. If it does in fact leave a residue, you should be able to see it on the glass (might need to look at the glass from various angles and in different lights).
 
Wolfdaddy said:
Reading through this, I see that sometimes people doubt whether or not a cleaner is truly "non-residue" or "leaves no residue." If in doubt and you want to prove it, spray some on a clean piece of clear glass and let it dry. If it does in fact leave a residue, you should be able to see it on the glass (might need to look at the glass from various angles and in different lights).
Click to expand...
The other way is to look up the MSDS, it tells you what is in it.
 
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