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The Idiot's Guide to Using DeOxit (revisited)

A dirty control can cause the volume to come and go on one channel or make a crackling noise when the knob is wiggled. As much as I like Deoxit, regular contact cleaner from Home Depot in many instances can work just as well.
 
Thanks for that info, I can feel the dirt when I turn the knobs. But this amp needs the face plate off to reach the pots. How do I get the head phone plug plates off? They have two notches to assist with unscrewing but I have no idea what to use. Also the on/off button has a little plate of its own which looks like it needs to come off too.
thanks for any help you can give.
 

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I've had success using longer tubing joined together and bent in different shapes to spray into the tiny weep holes in pots.
 
Yes, I could try this but can only see the edge of some of the pots. The pots in the centre of the unit are quite obscured. I do believe I need to get the faceplate off in order to access the pots at all.
I notice one channel is very quiet when I select 2channel but sounds somewhat better when I select 4channel. The other channel is ok. The quieter channel is the channel not the speaker as I've swapped the speaker wires around and the change corresponds. I get some popping and static and loud scratching especially when I turn it off, even with the volume down. Occasionally there is some distortion in volume for no reason. Part of the lit tuner section flickers off but if I tap it comes back on. Any ideas please? I love my old unit and the sound even just for radio. I have music on my computer that sounds real via my Sansui.
 
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Decided to pick up some Deoxit D5 and G5 today and have a go at my Aragons. The volume control on my preamp was just barely scratchy if I really moved it back and forth with nothing selected fairly quickly. When I opened the 24K Preamp open I was stunned at the build quality inside the unit, and was amazed that it was SO clean. Hardly a speck of dust in a piece of 20ish year old equipment. I hit all the contacts and pots with the cleaners, the Tiffany RCAs front and back and had to remove the substantial faceplate to get at the knobs. I then opened up my 2004 amplifier and found it obviously not as clean due to the vents over the heatsinks allowing some dust in. It was by no means ridiculous though. I cleaned the internal fuses, the rear fuse, speaker and RCA connectors and most of the internal point to point connections. Then I bolted it back up and watched the game for a bit. At halftime I rerouted some cables, and hooked everything back up. I don't expect major sonic differences, but any little bit helps and I'm happy knowing my equipment is now nice and clean.
 
THIS is the thread I have looking for. After 7 yrs I have just fired up my RSIIa's and my Denon DVD 5000. Snap, crackle and pop! From the player skipping and making lots of noises to the equalizer for the Infinities crackling at any adjustment.

Gonna clean up the equalizer, fuses, banana plugs, all connections points and may even open up the speakers as the EMIMM and EMIT adjustments also crackle a little...

Great thread for anyone starting up vintage equipment. Thanks!



DeOXIT performed as advertised --- All adjustments on my equalizer and the EMIMMs \ EMITS can now be made without any 'crackle'.
 
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Can anyone tell me if this 2-pack from Radio Shack would be an appropriate purchase? It has the Gold, but it's hard to tell what the other item is. The description calls it "Power Booster" but that seems to be an old contact cleaner product that Caig no longer makes (or maybe it was renamed). The price is right, and it's in stock locally, so it would be great if these two items are enough to clean the pots on my receiver.

[edit: it also describes the Gold as a "connector enhancer" for gold connectors, not a lube as the OP describes it. Is this a different product?]
 
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crafty35a said:
Can anyone tell me if this 2-pack from Radio Shack would be an appropriate purchase? It has the Gold, but it's hard to tell what the other item is. The description calls it "Power Booster" but that seems to be an old contact cleaner product that Caig no longer makes (or maybe it was renamed). The price is right, and it's in stock locally, so it would be great if these two items are enough to clean the pots on my receiver.

[edit: it also describes the Gold as a "connector enhancer" for gold connectors, not a lube as the OP describes it. Is this a different product?]
Click to expand...

That is what I used due to the convienence of having a Radio Shack close and not wanting to wait for mail order. The only issue with it is cost and the small size container and the fact that it is only a spray. Now that I have used it, I can see where you would want to be able to apply very small amounts via a toothpick or lint free swap of some sort.

Pretty sure you can do better buying the larger packages directly from Caig...
 
Thanks for the tutorial on Deoxit, as the Caig's website is a bit hard to decipher

BG
 
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Just want to thank you for this thread. I was getting crackle in my right channel of my old pioneer. Opened the hood and cleaned everything up and it's crystal clear. It's amazing what a simple cleaning can do. Thanks!
 
Glad I took the time to read this thread. A Technics receiver I picked up on CL, had a bad balance control. It was fine in the neutral position, and I left it there. Today I accessed the Pots and treated all of them with this magic stuff, and now the balance control works. Cleaned the CRA plugs too.
 
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