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Should I Restore My SX-1010??

Ben Rothman

Ben Rothman

Active Member
Hello everyone! I am faced with a big decision to make. I have ordered every single part I need to do a full restoration on my pioneer sx 1010. All the parts will be coming in the mail tomorrow. So far the only things I have done to my sx 1010 are as follows: DeoxIT and Faderlube on all the pots and switches, replaced the relay, installed all new LEDs and added the 1N4004 diode between pin 9 and 10 on the protection board. My unit was fully functioning when I got besides having dirty pots. My question is, should I go ahead and totally restore this thing even though it works great and sounds fantastic? I mean if something where to ever break on it, at least I would have all the parts needed to fix it. But then again, I don't want to just fix things as they break. I would rather fix the whole thing at once. But I don't know if my unit would run another 30 years if I didn't do anything to it.
 
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You should re-paste the mounted transistors. Its part of good service. If you go that far, replace the problematic transistors and original caps in the amp boards.
That would cover the preventive maintenance on the amps and bring the reliability back up, preventing some expensive repairs later.
Other known issues are located in the pre amp/tone circuits and can be fixed and rebuilt at that time.
 
zebulon1 said:
You should re-paste the mounted transistors. Its part of good service. If you go that far, replace the problematic transistors and original caps in the amp boards.
That would cover the preventive maintenance on the amps and bring the reliability back up, preventing some expensive repairs later.
Other known issues are located in the pre amp/tone circuits and can be fixed and rebuilt at that time.
Click to expand...
I totally get what what you mean. When you say re-paste the mounted transistors do you mean the ones mounted to the heat sink on the power supply board?
 
I forgot to mention the power supply.
That has mounted transistors too. Rebuilding the PS is a good idea but it could be restored or replaced when it fails.
 
zebulon1 said:
I forgot to mention the power supply.
That has mounted transistors too. Rebuilding the PS is a good idea but it could be restored or replaced when it fails.
Click to expand...
Ok, I've made my mind up! I am going to do a full restoration on this thing! I will update you guys with pictures as I go about doing the work. The parts are coming tomorrow, depending on how much homework I have I may not get a chance to start working on it. I have set aside 3 hours to work on it on Tuesday so that should allow me to get a large piece of the puzzle all done.
 
It takes about 12 hours for a rebuild. Longer for the first one.
 
If you're rebuilding from a "kit" where you don't need to do any research, and the unit works, and it isn't filthy inside, and you have good skills I agree with Zeb on the 12hours. He's done it so many times however I doubt he remembers how long the first one took!!

The important part is doing it slowly and methodically, using a DBT as you go, 40W will dim if no shorts, you can test everything except voltages on 100W (will come out of protection), start with power supply and work one board at a time downstream.

It's not a race, plan to have plenty of breaks where it can sit on the bench for a few days un-touched between boards, take lots of notes and photos of each board at several angles before removing components including values and part numbers stamped on parts, it will help you to check each board before testing and avoid mistakes (or just nervousness). A great project if done as a relaxing hobby like many of us here do.
 
zebulon1 said:
It takes about 12 hours for a rebuild. Longer for the first one.
Click to expand...
Sorry for the late response! Have had a Lot of school work to do. Still getting used to this whole remote learning thing. I got the kit in the mail and decided this is way to big of a project to tackle as a first timer. I thought I could handle this because I totally rebuilt a dual 1229Q from the ground up myself. But, I have learned that I’m much more mechanically inclined than I am electronically. Yesterday (Tuesday the 4th) I dropped the 1010 off at my amazing local tech. He is doing the full rebuild for me and will have it done this Saturday! I plan on purchasing a smaller pioneer unit to work on and learn the ropes of restoring vintage equipment that way. Also the 1010 is my primary unit, and I really didn’t want to cause any damage to it.
 
Ben Rothman said:
I plan on purchasing a smaller pioneer unit to work on and learn the ropes of restoring vintage equipment that way. Also the 1010 is my primary unit, and I really didn’t want to cause any damage to it.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a very smart plan. All the best with your 1010, hope you are enjoying listening to it very soon :thumbsup:.
 
A 1010 is a hand full for a first timer.
At least you gave it a thought. Having the right tools makes a big difference. One slip and frustration ensues.
Get past that with some lesser models. Which are getting harder to find, cheap.
 
zebulon1 said:
It takes about 12 hours for a rebuild. Longer for the first one.
Click to expand...

Dang man...I just finished an 838, and it took me 20+ . Not an expert , but not a beginner either. Heck, just getting to the power amp board took me an hour! And those flattened leads on every component...drove me nuts. On the upside, it convinced me to invest in a good desoldering tool/pump
 
Yeah zeb's 12 hours is pretty optimistic for most people to achieve although l don't doubt he can do them in that time as he would have done many. It takes about 4-5 hours alone to go over all the soldered joints (not necessarily covered with the new caps, transistors, diodes etc) replace all of those pesky selector globes, clean the pots/switches & cleaning in/out. Then lots of extra time if there is tuner issues of course.
 
zebulon1 said:
A 1010 is a hand full for a first timer.
At least you gave it a thought. Having the right tools makes a big difference. One slip and frustration ensues.
Get past that with some lesser models. Which are getting harder to find, cheap.
Click to expand...
Yeah I know what you mean. My tech has been sending me pictures, it looks incredible. The first thing he did was rebuild the power supply from the ground up. He’s now working on the power amp boards. Man, I cannot wait for Saturday to come around!
 
Ben,
I think your receiver would benefit from the new PS. It's not something you need now but when the time comes and you have the extra funds, good for it.
The receiver has been worked on before, which many have been. It looks to have good bones. If it's minty, there's value in putting money in it.


Oldsansui441 said:
Yeah zeb's 12 hours is pretty optimistic for most people to achieve although l don't doubt he can do them in that time as he would have done many. It takes about 4-5 hours alone to go over all the soldered joints (not necessarily covered with the new caps, transistors, diodes etc) replace all of those pesky selector globes, clean the pots/switches & cleaning in/out. Then lots of extra time if there is tuner issues of course.
Click to expand...

I was optimistic and was meant to give an accurate assessment of what a strait, basic rebuild would be. My reverse physiology was not presented well.
I have the tools which makes a big difference in the speed and mostly, quality. The experience in dismantling the switches for a thorough cleaning (Not necessary for a first timer), which adds another three hours I didn't add to the to the 12 hour restore estimate
Replacing the incandescent with LED's takes another 1.5 hours. All this work is done while the restore is in progress so there are some efficiencies worked in.
I do enjoy working other audio and that is the way I learn. The 1010 is my favorite and never get tired of repairing and restoring them.
 
zebulon1 said:
Ben,
I think your receiver would benefit from the new PS. It's not something you need now but when the time comes and you have the extra funds, good for it.
The receiver has been worked on before, which many have been. It looks to have good bones. If it's minty, there's value in putting money in it.




I was optimistic and was meant to give an accurate assessment of what a strait, basic rebuild would be. My reverse physiology was not presented well.
I have the tools which makes a big difference in the speed and mostly, quality. The experience in dismantling the switches for a thorough cleaning (Not necessary for a first timer), which adds another three hours I didn't add to the to the 12 hour restore estimate
Replacing the incandescent with LED's takes another 1.5 hours. All this work is done while the restore is in progress so there are some efficiencies worked in.
I do enjoy working other audio and that is the way I learn. The 1010 is my favorite and never get tired of repairing and restoring them.
Click to expand...
Hi! Those pictures are from my tech, after he finished rebuilding the power supply.... the unit hadn’t been worker on before him. My grandfather is the original owner.
 
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