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Pioneer Elite System

D

ditton 66

New Member
Hi,

I purchased the following Pioneer system some twenty years ago and has provided me with truly good service and exceptional sound.

F-91 Tuner
PD-73 CD Player
CT- 91A Cassette Tape Deck
AD-91 Amplifier

I believe above is the 'Elite' brand but not marked.

With Celestion Ditton 66 Studio Monitors and Rega Planar turntable and Goldring cartridge.

I'm been under pressure from the family to get a more 'modern' look system, especially as the speakers are so large. I however have resisted all attempts so far.

Now the CT-91A is giving trouble. The repair shops says I need following spares to effect repair but they have been unable to locate.

RXM 1016 CAPSTAN ROLLER

RXA 1240 PITCH ROLLER

RXA 1328 PITCH ROLLER

REB 1073 BELT

REB 1074 BELT

REB 052 BELT

I wonder if any one can assist me and know of any shop that may have these spares in stock. Appreciate the equipment is very old but its true quality and I have no wish to discard this pc if spares are available somewhere.

Thanks /brgds
Peter
 
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I take it you mean the A-91D amplifier.
It's part of their Reference series that came right before they started using the Elite name. I have a PD-M900 from that lineup. From my own experience with that and from what I've seen of the rest, it's some great quality equipment. Hold onto it unless you ever get something that truly is better.
 
What ever you do, don't part with it. I've got that CT-91a too, had to go through the belts, and idler tire assembly a couple of years ago. Now she works as good as new.
You'll regret it if you sell it. :nono: :tears:
 
Do not give in. CT-91a and PD-73 are extremely rare and the whole system consists of the finest examples of black face period Pioneer equipment. If pinch rollers cannot be obtained, you can try terrysrubberrollers.com for a rebuild. The mechanism is pretty similar for all 3-head CTs of that era. The part numbers you gave are a little bit off. RXM 1016 is Capstan motor assembly, most probably needs just cleaning and removing of carbon deposits. Belts can be bought as a kit for CT-A9 from fleabay , or from marrscommunications directly. Cheaply belts can be got from MCM Electronics: FRW7.7 belt will replace REB 1073, 42-1990 belt will replace REB 1074, and SCQ5.3 belt will replace REB 502 (not 052). In addition, you can get 32-710 idler tire to replace the original. Keep the pieces, and good luck.b
 
Thanks your replies

I'm in Uk, Tried Pioneer themselves and I got a box standard response that most parts are discontinued. I find it hard that such a large manufacturer does not offer help and assistance for their equipment. Some repairer must have these parts on the shelf. I will try all suggestions - thanks your help and I hope to let you all know in due course how I get on. I really dont want to change or part with any pc of this system. Like my speakers purchased in 1972 they are (i think at least) the best. I just had them refurbished by Wembley Speakers in London and the Owner said never sell them the cabinets and components are better than a lot of top end speakers these days.

thks/brgds
Peter
 
Check Donberg in Ireland. In Germany, too. ETuS Landgraf might have your parts. RXM1016 can be substituted with RXB 884. Search for belt numbers REB 501, 502(E), 509. Definitely get the idler tire RXA 1554. Pinch rollers can be replaced with those substitutes: RXB-876 (right), and RXB-877 (left).
 
Hope I'm not too late to join this thread but...

I have a PD-73 in good condition except it will only momentarily spin-up discs and of course won't play them at all - I think the laser or some other part of the transport isn't functioning properly. Does anyone have pertinent advice? My gut instinct is to try and save it...
 
First, you should start a separate thread on this matter. Second, check for dislodged laser eye. Carefully turn the player on it's side. Then lock the transport lock screw on the bottom. Then turn it back and listen for the rattle- eye might be rolling around in the case. Well, I would open up it straight and do the inspection. Maybe the eye just got dust on it. If laser looks OK, get the service manual, open the case, darken the room, and go through the test sequence. Observe the laser, at one moment it should move up and down, and light up in red. Just don't look straight to it, bad for your eyes, kinda. Further actions depend on what I would find during this quick examination.
 
Well, wasn't too sure about the etiquette re a new thread, especially as I have a parallel interest in the CT-91 as I have a sick one of those too. On that subject, I need the main belts but MCM Electronics won't deliver to New Zealand so I will try your other suggestions from above, thanks hennessy. Back to the PD-73, yes the laser lens had fallen out. Should it be glued back in, and if so, with what? I have a PD-8500 service manual (same internals, or so I was led to believe) from hifiengine and will follow your advice re the test mode. Thanks again.
 
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I am sure you 'll get the belts. MCM do not make them, they sell Russell/PRB belts, so do the search and cross-match - you might find suppliers down under. Or use Marrs/ebay.
Now - PD73. Internals are not the same as pd-8500 - PD-73 is better. The laser is PWY1011, same as in 7300, 8500, and some Japanese home market models - very rare. So lets glue it in. I can describe my method, others might use different. Tools/supplies: box of toothpicks, preferably Pioneer, but any other brand works well enough, 5 minute epoxy, precision tweezers, 99,9 isopropyl alcohol for electronics, small liquor shot glass, compressed canned air, and I use head mounted magnifier glass with light. No coffee - so hands are tremor-free.
Pour some iso into the glass, drop the eye there. The eye will have some yellowish residue on it, let it stay there. Disassemble as needed to expose the laser unit. There is no need to pull it out of the sled. Now, if you are good, you can unclip 3 or 4 clips on the top portion of the pick-up plastic housing and remove it. There might be a small piece of cloth tape and a weight. Remove those: they can be reinstalled after. Work carefully, slow. I use dentist tools, small picks, precision tweezers. If you chose not to remove top portion of the pick-up housing, the deposit of epoxy is possible but difficult. Take out the eye with tweezers, blow it dry, position it back in it's seat. The traces of old glue under magnification are used as a guide to install the eye in the same EXACT position. Use tweezers and toothpicks. Get the epoxy ready. Do not use any other glue - otherwise you kill the laser. One toothpick holding the eye steady with the other take tiny drops of epoxy and deposit it around the eye where it meets it's seat. If the top cover is not removed, use one toothpick to move laser assembly sideways in it's opening to deposit epoxy around the eye. CAREFULLY!. Wait overnight, assemble, run test sequence. If have oscilloscope, check alignment. Hope it works.
 
Firstly, hennessy, whether it works or not you deserve recognition for the quality of your advice. Thank you. Secondly the CT-91 is repaired - a local one-man-band hifi specialist repairer (with an excellent reputation) took about 1 hour and sourced the replacement belts himself. Thirdly, he is willing to take on the PD-73, will take your advice on-board, and has the resources to do the post-surgery analysis. I'll update this thread next week.
 
Progress (or lack of it) report

Well... we (tech and I) set the machine in test mode as instructed in the PD71 manual I found (can't find a freebie PD73 yet), with the lens in situ but not glued. When the >>| button is pressed which "turns ON the laser diode and raises and lowers the focusing activator" then the laser moves up and down but there is no sign of light from it. Note that this was with the laser assy manually shifted as far back in the machine as it would go, i.e. out of the shade of the disc mechanism. Back in normal mode, again with lens in situ but not glued, we saw that it will briefly try to spin-up a CD. When we tested in normal mode, lens not in place, it won't even try to spin-up a CD. Therefore the presence of the lens seems meaningful, even if the laser appears to be emitting no light - and assuming we're doing the right things, or we may be missing the right trick for seeing the laser light. Any advice appreciated, as always. Nick.
 
Do not expect the light from the laser come out like from a flashlight. Most of it is emitted in infrared spectrum and for the most part is invisible - darken the room. For further testing, PLEASE re-glue the lens correctly. When the laser assy operates, the focus and tracking servo causes it to vibrate at high speed, and a loose lens will dislodge in no time. Without lens nothing will operate, because system control chip has to get Focus OK signal from RF amp to initiate other servos sequentially, therefore there will be no "spin-ups".
 
Great explaining hennessy!

Dutchnick, if you can find out where the tech got the parts, maybe post a link for the OP, in case he still hasn't found any.
 
Regarding the CT91 belts, the tech has been in the business for a very long time and sourced these from his own considerable stock so with greatest regret I can't help with the OP's issue.

Regarding the PD73 - thanks for the clear advice again hennessy. Testing in a properly darkened room shows that the laser is in fact functional. Next step obviously is to glue it, and I'm trying to source some 99.9% IPA per your earlier notes. On examination, the traces of original glue provide a bit of a puzzle. The seating area is a circle. Visualizing that as four quadrants, the glue remnants in the laser assembly are in two opposite quadrants, and the glue remnants on the lens are likewise. Way too neat but, should the lens be reseated glue-on-glue (as if the lens was originally fixed with two applications of glue in opposite quadrants) or glue-on-gap (as if there would have been a continuous application of glue around the circle of the seat)? And is there any significance to the small "flat" on the edge of the lens? Sorry for the interminable questions but the glueing is rather *final* and I am apprehensive. Thanks again for any advice.
 
Do not worry about 99.99 iso. 91 iso will do, also ethyl alcohol 96 will do, just do not waste ethyl alcohol, it is very tasty:beer:, I like it a lot. Ethyl 96 can be obtained in any Polish Deli. Do not use any 70 iso or any other rubbing alcohol: they contain oils. The alternative safe degreaser for plastic is - no joke - regular vodka. Just blow away the residual condensation with computer duster.

About the belts - if your guy pulled them from his treasure chest where he kept them for 20 years, there is not much of improvement over the old ones. Rubber must be as fresh as possible. If you get hold of your own, put them in the fridge to prolong storage life.

About the laser. I cannot comment about the significance of the flat surface on the side of the eye. I found it in different spots depending on a pick-up model. When gluing in I would suggest matching glue on glue. That's how I do, and that's what's been there originally. Therefore, I suggest using good magnification and LED headlight. Sometimes I need 10X to discern the glue match. Try to look at the length of the glue line on the socket and corresponding length on the eye. Match them both ways, and decide which position is more likely. "I feel your pain" - considering that these pick-ups are unobtainium.
 
OK, time for an update. After this, maybe no-one on AK will ever talk to me again but here goes. Having ascertained that the laser is functional, and being assured by the previous owner that it had 'just stopped working one day', and the fact that the lens had become detached... I decided to work on the assumption that it would work OK if I could just get the lens in the right orientation. So without glueing it, and with due regard to the old glue traces, I tried it a few ways but of course the lens can be unsettled by the movement it undergoes. I needed something sticky but impermanent. With nothing to lose, I applied a pin-head's worth of blu-tac on the seat to stabilise the lens and after a few respositionings I am now listening to Led Zeppelin IV on it, quite happily. I now know exactly where the lens needs to sit; the only question is whether the blu-tac is serendipitously aligning the lens on its seat in the horizontal plane. in a way that the glue never could. Hmmm.
 
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