Recent content by Mike P

Thanks chaps. My copy of the service manual (downloaded from HiFi Engine) doesn't have that page.

I want to check the idle adjustment on a Kenwood KA-3080R amp. I have the schematics and they show a test point (W102) and associated adjustment trimmer but I can't see/understand what value I should be adjusting to? I'm probably being a bit dim but what am I not seeing? I'm getting about...

Sad news. They made me a custom turntable shelf recently and I travelled down to them to collect it in person. They seemed busy. I'm very pleased with the shelf.

The speed selector plater really let the unit down aesthetically so Simon ordered a new one from Riverside Audio and had the original serial number stamped on it. I think this is a really great service. Chapeau to Riverside Audio. The rivets were drilled out to remove the old one...

20240409_213002 by Michael Pickwell, on Flickr That'll need replacing then.

Spot the problem..... 20240409_212934 by Michael Pickwell, on Flickr

It's a good idea to clean the switch contacts as they're often really dirty. 20240409_204510 by Michael Pickwell, on Flickr Schopper had already replaced the spark suppressor capacitor but they use Rifa PHE series capacitors which I find to be prone to failure, so I removed it and fitted an...

The motor on Simon's had been previously rebuilt by Schopper and was still running very nicely but I still stripped it down for an inspection and service. Whoever drilled out the rivets was a bit heavy handed. 20240409_210256 by Michael Pickwell, on Flickr Happily there were no major...

One of my pet hates is the standard bearing cap on the TD124 which is a flimsy pressed sheet steel affair and next to useless. They're simply not stiff enough and over time the get deformed into a concave shape, which lowers the performance of the bearing. They very often end up weeping oil too...

The cover plate for the electrical connections board was cracked and broken. Since this covers the electrical connections it can be considered to be a safety critical item and needed to be replaced. Understandably Simon didn't fancy paying an extortionate price for a new old stock one, so I...

Even though Simon's unit has a replacement Schopper bearing the captive ball at the bottom of the spindle was already showing some wear and so was removed and replaced with a upgrade grade 5 ceramic ball. 20240328_205339 by Michael Pickwell, on Flickr

As mentioned above, there was a massive amount of slop/play in the idler wheel bush so the old one was pressed out and new one installed. 20240411_145854 by Michael Pickwell, on Flickr A new PTFE idler wheel washer was fitted too.

It was very apparent from the outset that Simon's unit had a few issues, both aesthetically and mechanically. From a function perspective the major issues were an absolutely horrendous amount of slop in the stepped pulley bearings and idler wheel bearings. The old stepped pulley bushes were...

While I'm waiting for the iron platter to arrive for Alf's unit I've been getting on with a couple of other rebuilds, a really tidy MK2 belonging to Mark and a MK1 for Simon that has been refinished in gloss black. Here's a pic of Simon's taken shorty after it first arrived. 20240328_194346 by...

English Acoustics paint their amplifiers in a wide range of colours. They're located next to a car dealership and they select a lot of car colours and have the chassis painted by the body shop.