Volume Problem - Please Help...
 

Hey gang! Lately, at a thrift store, I picked up an old 80's GE Radio
with AM/FM/VHF High bands. I've salvaged a few radios before, but this
one has me stumped. I turn it on and on all bands, the sound is VERY
low at the maximum volume. I shot some contact cleaner into all the
controls, and still nothing. I mainly picked up the radio because it
was a small one that also had the VHF high band.

I did open it up in the back to check the battery contacts, and someone
had left old batteries inside and it was a mess. Needless to say, it
was such a mess that it had pretty much destroyed the contacts, but
this one runs off AC as well. I checked inside and it was made in 1984.
Does anyone have any idea what could be wrong here?

I'm just a beginner here, but would like to fix it possible.

Jim

I'd start looking for an open electrolytic coupling capacitor in the
final output stage. Is there one in series with the speaker, like 1000uF or
so? In a very Low-power application, it could be as low as 100uF, I
suppose...

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hey gang! Lately, at a thrift store, I picked up an old 80's GE Radio
with AM/FM/VHF High bands. I've salvaged a few radios before, but this
one has me stumped. I turn it on and on all bands, the sound is VERY
low at the maximum volume. I shot some contact cleaner into all the
controls, and still nothing. I mainly picked up the radio because it
was a small one that also had the VHF high band.

I did open it up in the back to check the battery contacts, and someone
had left old batteries inside and it was a mess. Needless to say, it
was such a mess that it had pretty much destroyed the contacts, but
this one runs off AC as well. I checked inside and it was made in 1984.
Does anyone have any idea what could be wrong here?

I'm just a beginner here, but would like to fix it possible.

Jim

" bravely wrote to "All" (18 Feb 05 11:47:17)
--- on the heady topic of "Volume Problem - Please Help..."

ra From:
ra Xref: aeinews sci.electronics.repair:10882

ra Hey gang! Lately, at a thrift store, I picked up an old 80's GE Radio
ra with AM/FM/VHF High bands. I've salvaged a few radios before, but this
ra one has me stumped. I turn it on and on all bands, the sound is VERY
ra low at the maximum volume. I shot some contact cleaner into all the
ra controls, and still nothing. I mainly picked up the radio because it
ra was a small one that also had the VHF high band.

ra I did open it up in the back to check the battery contacts, and
ra someone had left old batteries inside and it was a mess. Needless to
ra say, it was such a mess that it had pretty much destroyed the contacts,
ra but this one runs off AC as well. I checked inside and it was made in
ra 1984. Does anyone have any idea what could be wrong here?

ra I'm just a beginner here, but would like to fix it possible.


Jim,

Since you mentioned it had batteries it reminds me of a portable
sw/vhf receiver I repaired this fall with similar symptoms, very low
volume. It turned out a solder joint had broken around a resistor leg.
Try signal tracing from the volume wiper.

A*s*i*m*o*v

.... Modulation in all things...