Dowser
Learning to bodge again..
After picking up a cheap CD50 from someone that had NOS'ed it and fitted back gates all over the place, but came without a TDA1541A...then spending ages fixing all the faults on it (cables mis-connected, laser ribbon not even connected, laser power VR o/c), I got into discussions with the seller. He had a lot of other Philips/Marantz vintage kit.
Collected today - highlights are a CD104 and CD204 modified to work with an external Abbas Audio clock. I was very skeptical, but price was good enough to hear, repair, resell.
See photos below - guy had glued crystal/glass all over the place, internal and external!
CD104 is heavily, heavily modified - all caps replaced with black gates, extra decoupling around TDA1540s, TDA1540s replaced with earlier ceramic versions, power supply heavily modified, etc, etc.
All wired up to accept an Abbas Audio external tube clock - how can that possibly work, it sounds like a stupid idea?
Sounds fantastic, but have not listened to my CDI for a few months now - back-back test on the cards. But first need to fix it - after 10 mins the left channel goes quiet. Need to investigate, will start with swapping the 1540s around.
Also got another CD204, also wired for external clock and NOS'ed - new caps, but not so heavily modified. Also sounds good with tube clock....but skips, need to work on servicing it's CDM1 mech I think.
ALso got a Marantz CD74 and Grundig 9000 as part of deal, not opened them yet.
Photos;
Crystallized....
Removing the shit
Hopefully I can remove this shit
There's even glass inside!
Black Gates all over the shop
What are those little boards fitted to the regulators?
Extra decoupling around TDA1540s
Ceramic TDA1540Ds
Fully recapped;
External tube clock
Also covered in glass/crystal
External clock - looks like a stock crystal in there;
Making music, very nice music, for 10 or 15 minutes...
Anyone ever played with external clocks for CD players?
Thanks, Richard
Collected today - highlights are a CD104 and CD204 modified to work with an external Abbas Audio clock. I was very skeptical, but price was good enough to hear, repair, resell.
See photos below - guy had glued crystal/glass all over the place, internal and external!
CD104 is heavily, heavily modified - all caps replaced with black gates, extra decoupling around TDA1540s, TDA1540s replaced with earlier ceramic versions, power supply heavily modified, etc, etc.
All wired up to accept an Abbas Audio external tube clock - how can that possibly work, it sounds like a stupid idea?
Sounds fantastic, but have not listened to my CDI for a few months now - back-back test on the cards. But first need to fix it - after 10 mins the left channel goes quiet. Need to investigate, will start with swapping the 1540s around.
Also got another CD204, also wired for external clock and NOS'ed - new caps, but not so heavily modified. Also sounds good with tube clock....but skips, need to work on servicing it's CDM1 mech I think.
ALso got a Marantz CD74 and Grundig 9000 as part of deal, not opened them yet.
Photos;
Crystallized....
Removing the shit
Hopefully I can remove this shit
There's even glass inside!
Black Gates all over the shop
What are those little boards fitted to the regulators?
Extra decoupling around TDA1540s
Ceramic TDA1540Ds
Fully recapped;
External tube clock
Also covered in glass/crystal
External clock - looks like a stock crystal in there;
Making music, very nice music, for 10 or 15 minutes...
Anyone ever played with external clocks for CD players?
Thanks, Richard