Voltaic Vintage Repair & Restore

A pair of Heathkit W-5M Amplifiers went home today....

They were totally rebuilt using the David Gillespie design (search Audiokarma Untapped Potential: Heath's W-5M). They sound great and will last a lifetime!

Heathkit WA-P2 Preamp restoration. Re-stuff the can cap, re-cap, deoxit and test.

It has been way too long since my last post. Here is a project I've been working on for the last few weeks. A pair of Heathkit W-5M amps. Total redo using a David Gillespie design.

Restored a Pioneer RT-909. There's something about watching those reels going around!

Acquired this TU-717 off the marketplace for $75 as non-working. The seller is a pawn shop owner who couldn't get it to work. Main fuse was missing, replaced it, powered up with a dim bulb tester, no problems found except for burnt out lamps. Replaced with warm white LEDs and all is working great. I'll probably re-cap and perform alignment.

Changing leaking electrolytic capacitors on a Roland FP-8 keyboard main pcb. Also cleaning up the mess the electrolyte leaves behind.

My client tells me this keyboard was used by Marvin Gaye!

Client pick-up...
Sansui G-9000, Sansui 9090DB, Fisher 800T, Pioneer SPEC-1, Holman Pre-amp.

Sansui 9090DB:
Pinned Dolby board. Washed and dried entire unit. Cleaned and polished k***s, front face and acrylic. Sanded front bezel silver to remove oxidation and applied WD-40 to prevent oxidation. Replaced fuse resistors driver board, power supply, power relay board and illumination board. Replaced TR01-02 on tone control, TR01 on Mic. Amp, TR13 on tuner board with KSC1845’s. Replaced RL01 relay on power relay board. Replaced tuning meter lamps with blue LED. Replaced all indicator lamps. Replaced dial pointer lamp. Dial lamps were not replaced(to keep desired color). Replaced old thermal grease on output transistors and power supply transistor. Applied de-oxit D5 and faderlube to all control pots. Applied de-oxit D5 and gold to all inputs/outputs and switches. Adjusted bias and offset to specifications. Adjusted Dolby levels (F-2655). Performed power meter adjustment. Verified all operations.

Yamaha CR-2020 complete restoration and repair.

PLEASE READ
January 2024

For the next six months I will no longer be accepting new clients. I need to focus on my existing clients and their equipment to shrink my queue and shorten their turn around time.

I started this page to showcase my own equipment repairs and restorations. From there it morphed into a small repair and restoration venture with a turn around time of 4-6 weeks. Now that turn around time grown to 4-6 months. I need to shorten that. This is not my regular job so I only work on your equipment evenings and weekends.

I appreciate all the support and the trust everyone has given me with your irreplaceable items.

This is not a step-back, but a catching-up!

Please contact me in July of 2024 if you need my services.

Thank you everyone for your understanding. I look forward to meeting you in the future.

-Joel

In the middle of a full restoration for a Yamaha CR-2020 receiver.

Sansui QRX-9100 fully restored! She's a beaut!

For sale Pioneer SA-706 Integrated Amplifier
Asking $500

Professional full restoration by myself. All electrolytic capacitors replaced, faulty signal transistors replaced with modern day equivalents, bias and offset adjustments, de-oxit, new thermal grease and cleaned inside and out.

Cover has been professionally powder coated.

Everything is working as it should including the phono input. Ready to be used for another 30+ years!

Comes with a 60 day warranty.

For sale Sherwood S-7600 asking $250

Professionally restored by myself including full re-cap, tuner alignment and de-oxit. Ready for another 30+ years of service!

Wood case does show some imperfections. FM does not go into Stereo mode.

Everything else is working as it should including the phono input.

Own one of the first all silicon receivers ever produced!

Performed a full restoration on this beautiful Pioneer SPEC-1 Preamplifier.

Working on a Grundig console tuner. The signal strength meter did not work. Tore it apart to find the magnet was loose. Epoxied the magnet in place and re-assembled. Soldering those coil springs is really touch and go!

Yamaha M-85. New binding posts, recap, relays and adjustments.

Customer wanted new vinyl on the G-9000 case.

Getting close to finishing repair and servicing of a Sansui G-9000

Shipping out this beautiful Sansui AU-719 after restoration and new binding posts.

Huge Sansui G-9000 in for repair and restoration. Many output transistors are shorted and right channel driver board has a few bad transistors and resistors. Once all get repaired the restoration can start!

Kenwood KR-9600 monster receiver cleaned up and ready to rock! Washed and dried entire unit. Cleaned and polished front face, k***s and clear dial. Power supply mod. New power switch with triac to take the huge in-rush current. New Q1 & Q2 on power boards to reduce dc offset from 0.18V to 0.00VDC. Replaced all indicator lamps. Replaced all dial and meter lamps with warm white LED.

The TA-200W modules are still working great since this one is a later production run with output transistors in parallel with the modules.

Classic Sony Walkmans ready to go back to their owner. Replaced the main center gear and a lot of preventive measures performed to keep these going for a long time.

Brought this Marantz 2238B back from the dead. Spent Better part of 40 years in a humid garage. Eleven transistors had legs that corroded away! After cleaning, transistors replaced and adjustments, this one is playing nicely again.

Cool Realistic quad receiver. Needed the dial string re-strung. Cleaned/polished the front face and k***s. Deoxit and faderlube. Checked current bias. Ready to be put into service!

Final shots of the Sansui Eight before she goes back to the owner.

Making the output amplifier adjustments on the Sansui Eight.

Repaired this cool little Advent FM Radio (C28 was bad). This pulls in stations extremely well!

Re-stuffing the main caps on the Sansui Eight.

Ready to wash the Sansui Eight.