SONY CRF-320 Receiver Restoration Repair and Modification
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- Опубліковано 23 вер 2024
- Detailed SONY CRF-320 repair and restoration video. This receiver is very much the same as the SONY CRF-330K, but without the tape machine. Follow along through the entire troubleshooting procedure, and learn how I discover and repair all the problems. See how the receiver performs after the alignment.
Are you interested in learning my thought process in Electronic Repair? If so, click here and join the thousands that are becoming great electronic troubleshooters, designers, and repairmen: www.patreon.com/MrCarlsonsLab
@maciej wrotek I thought Polish people were intelligent. Can you do this? Didn't think so. Stop feeding your Cat Junk Food! That is so inhumane.
Thanks, I was a member for quite some time, problem was, my CC went over and I got cancelled. Oh well must mean I can't afford to learn right now, and with the China Virus I guess no sense in making any new or renewing a commitment right now. I did love being a patrion member for the time I was, it was wonderful to check out all the projects. Never did build any but I was tempted to begin with that pre-amp for the AM receiver. I have many radios now from my mother, who went into the nursing home a couple years ago, and my two sisters who passed on last year, they always did every thing together...
@Maciej WrOtEk 7&,7,
when you pulled the front and rear cover off i said ' Beautiful ' !
£raft
Hi Paul, I am so amazed at your OUTSTANDING level of EXPERTISE in ALL instrument repair, restoration, and complete understanding of operation and application!!! Your accomplishments in developing your lab and restoring vintage electronic test equipment while providing an exclusive video of every detail required to do it is INCREDIBLE. Your videos are an invaluable source of education!! Thank You, Lou
Once again you never cease to amaze me with your complete skill and ability to repair equipment. Without having to order parts and sit and wait for weeks for them to arrive only to find out that they sent you the wrong parts . Your education and understanding of how things deteriorate over time is one thing, but the patience yhat you portray is humbling to me. I used to take things apart just to try to figure out what was the problem with it but my lack of education was a downfall and I felt defeated by something that I had no ability to fix .You have taught me to be patient with myself and not to let my emotions rule the roost.
Thank you again.
Mr Carlson: I just wanted to note that here in the U.S.A., those particular Line Cords are quite common - they were used in many brands and types of different "shoebox" tape cassette recorders, various sound systems including equalizers, tuners, pre-amps, amps and a myriad of other 120V, 60Hz pieces equipment. Several of the local thrift shops that I frequent have them on a regular basis (used, tested) for under one U.S. Dollar. It might be pertinent, if in search of such a line cord, to visit various U.S. based Surplus Businesses. In any event, I just noticed that this video is from 2016 and somehow I have managed to have not seen it before. I'm thoroughly enjoying this video. I would also like to thank you for the numerous times that you have mentioned the importance of the "outside foil" end of a capacitor. Although I suppose that it could be my imagination, it seems that when observing the "outside foil" polarity when replacing old caps on old computers, the unwanted RFI emissions seem to be reduced significantly. You, Sir, are a veritable genius and IMHO, one of the greatest UA-camrs out there. Kudos.
When this man fixes your electronic device, it’s coming back to you fixed. Don’t question the bill, just pay it and be grateful he chose to do the job. This was a joy to watch and yes, I love the old Sony stuff. Thank you!
In this day and ages, someone who can and will is national treasure.
Wonderful to watch.. I am in my late seventies now and was a radio and TV service engineer back in the day... I doubt I will ever own a CRF-320 but I was fascinated to watch how you went about fixing all the problems on this receiver.. I would have been honored to work alongside someone like you...!
The most amazingly complicated shortwave receiver I have ever seen. You have a remarkable skill set.
I love that someone fixes this stuff, it's becoming a lost art! You have great patience! Very enjoyable to watch!
absolutly.... now , tech and service centers are told to just "slap a new board In It" . And some businesses just say its cheap enough to just replace it! uh .... no...... Many of the good techs like Mr Carlson are moving to the Big shop in the sky or just don't wanna get invloved in it.. techs are a long lost breed especialy the guys like him . I'm a tech but , know nothing compared to him....but old dogs can learn!!
Hi Mr Carlson, I was a Sony main agent in London for over 25 years and in the midd 1970s before internet I sold about 3 of these fantastic radios mainly to overseas clients. I must confess these radios were consider so complex that I would always send them back to Sony for repair. I hate to think how much time you must have spent on this one.
I must congratulate you and give you maximum stars for a very well produced video. I would even go to say the best video I have seen on you tube to date.
Thank you again for letting me relive my youth. I would buy one but would hate to buy one with a problem because finding an engineer competent enough to fix it would be a nightmare.
Thanks again
Thanks for taking the time to write Jeremy!
I was going to add that when the ICF 7600 came out I sold hundreds. I personally ended up with an ICF-SW55 which came in a nice fitted case and all the wire antenna and power potable power supplies.
I brought it second hand and it was one of those machines that suffered from the dreaded capacitor problems and had the capacitors replaced. Unfortunately the person who had replaced the caps had stripped the screws poles and had glued the case shut with four small dabs of glue ! Anyway it works and the FM is in stereo. I have never really understood why the world has been plagued with capacitor problems ? I have heard various stories but as I don't know the science behind how electrolytic capacitors are made I don't know the answer. It seems to come to prominence in early 2000 and affected almost all manufactures of electronics from Sony Apple to Dell. I had a number of iMacs that died and whist I did have a go at repairing one I gave up in the end. Saying that I still have a Sony TA88 amp and tuner and a beautiful TA5650 V-Fet amp which is in brilliant condition. I worked mainly in the Hi Fi trade in London as a buyer and manager of a couple of stores in Central London. My main branch was at Marble Arch just off Oxford street.
I did try to teach myself electronics and when to an evening class where I built a TRF Valve radio with I think they were called Repanco coils and a Jackson tuning capacitor. It was a brilliant radio but sadly I gave it away along with all my Quad Valve gear. When you work in the Hi Fi trade you get quite dismissive of the quality of stuff you give away. My engineer at the time was not very good and his workshop was a shamble.
I would like to know where you got your training in electronics ? I found most people who were any good got their training in the armed forces because they had to be good. I have subscribed to your channel and the only other people I watch are Nick Adams and a Scottish guy called Big Clive. I will watch more of your videos as they are so professional in the way you present them. Thanks again. I won't ask you how much time you spent on the CRF 320 but if I had paid an engineer to fix one the the way you did I recon his labour costs would have exceeded the original cost of the radio which I think was about £400.
It's sad that radio bands are vanishing fast. There has been talk of the British government selling off the FM band for other uses which if the do will piss me off end as I have several high ent tuners and radios that work on that frequency. At one time I wanted to get a SW ham licence and talk to people on the other side of the world but perhaps they use the internet now
Dear Paul - your SONY CRF-320 video is: 1) A labor (labour) of love of the highest order; 2) An illustration of how much you respect what SONY did when they designed and built that receiver, and a demonstration of its worth - because, obviously, you thought enough of it to be willing to tackle this particular example and bring it back to its former glory - and then some; 3) With the attention you focused on the plastic gears, what happens when less-than-superior materials are used, and how that affected the long-term usefulness of this set; and, finally, 4) A remarkable demonstration of your wealth of knowledge as you went deep inside this set as you needed to, to isolate and repair what was preventing it from working properly , as well as showing us viewers WHY you have such a fine set of test equipment on hand to turn to when you need it, AND that you KNOW how to approach solving each mystery as you come across it.
A wonderful tale, so well told, one which kept me glued to my screen throughout the entire length of your presentation.
Paul, you are, hands-down, the best presenter of technical information on UA-cam, or anywhere else, for that matter. I'm SO glad you're willing and able to put each of your programs together so well, and in fine high-resolution video, which is essential for us viewers to be able to REALLY see what you're doing.
Thank you, thank you!
Thank you for your very kind words Jos, I'm just happy to share what I know. I appreciate you taking the time to write.
Very well said! I couldn't agree more!
Yup!
I agree 100% with Jos, very well said.
....I've always said, when a person has a wealth of knowledge and they are truly a craftsman at their trade, they are doing mankind a wealth of justice when they share it, what's more,when they are able to do so with such eloquence and tact, we are all the better for it.
Knowledge is the greatest "gift" to share.!!!
Thank you Paul.
Back when Sony was made in Japan and was Like no Other.
Funnily enough, Sony does still manufacture locally for the domestic market in Japan, and those products tend to be high quality
Well hopefully depending on the extent of Japan's pull out of China, we'll start seeing this range of consumer goods being MIJ again. I would absolutely pay a premium for a Japanese made, more conscionable product.
@@BenSamaChan You can still get vehicles made in Japan though most are made overseas now. I bought my Toyota 4 runner because its still made in Japan, the Scion XB was a Toyota made for the JDM as well. The scion was new in 2005, now I passed it on to my daughter. When I was a kid my uncle had a Sony radio my other uncle brought back from Okinawa. Great stuff.
Mr Carlson is one of a kind , a real radio engineer. With excellent mechanical engineering skill as well as electrical. The CRF 320 is an excellent radio and one of Sony's best when radios were built really well and not down to a price like everything is these days. I like to see things being repaired and not just thrown away. This radio is now better than the day it left the factory , and thats just great.
I hope your videos inspire the next generation to study engineering.
Sony made such wonderful stuff back in the day. Like there was really a pride taken in the products. The tactile experience of operating this stuff is difficult to explain to someone who hasn't experienced it. The only way you can get consumer electronics with the same sort of feel, fit & finish now is to spend a BUNCH of money on boutique gear. Sony was mass-market with their stuff.
The world of photography is much the same way. Back in the day, mechanical cameras had a tactile element that like you said is difficult to explain - "mechanical art" is how I like to think of it. Today's digital cameras can produce fantastic images but in the hand they feel disposable rather than a tool a person can take pride in owning.
Peace.
I'm in love with this receiver now. That LED mod really brings it back to life. It's quite amazing.
The auto-play algorithm just brought me here.. I don't know if I'm going to stay for a two-and-a-half hour long video but this channel looks pretty cool!
I've never seen one of these receivers - very cool looking machine!
Yeah the people who had these definitely had three cars in the driveway. We had one.
Exactly my thoughts, it looks like its from the future, super stylish
exactly. i show that to my grandfather and he say i used that in iran vs iraq war for connection
@@jeffreycollins7297 so did we, but with limited $$ managed to buy a cheap us navy surplus receiver....ya had tubes... bigger in size, ( which kept ya warm dxing those winter nights )... & worked great even connected to the 300 ohm TV antenna... plus . . room inside to hide a few "items" from the siblings
Form follows function at it´s best!
You are the most inspiring perfectionist who never becomes boring, who always gets me to go the extra mile. Thank you so much. Kind regards.
You belong in the hall of fame for Electronics..!!!
Thank you for sharing your expert knowledge with us and at no cost to we your audience.
Your technical skills are far more superior than 99 percent of electronics techs.....
You should be working for a major electronics concern/manufacturer and paid hundreds of thousands " if not more "...
Best wishes as always. Frank
(Retired tv tech)
There is no other UA-cam video I would rather watch than Mr. Carlson reviving one of these works of electronic art.
I've lots of other subs to other people but what is it about Mr. C's vids that I can studiously watch for over 2 hours. My appreciation Mr. Carlson for giving me that injection of excitement to dust off my own repair equipment and to pull out of the loft an old tuner-amp, a Rotel RX-202. One channel failed a while back and after your video I downloaded the schematics and I'm going to put this precious heirloom back into working order.
Looked into old buying one of these old Sony machines and they command pretty high prices even now. After seeing the engineering inside these they are worth every penny.
Jesus H. Christ ! You are a genious.
You have absolute mastery over electronics and above all .... As the Brits say "You have the patience of a cow".
I am a retired ship master and in the earlier years when there was no other entertainment on ships, I had purchased a German Grundig Satellite 21 band radio. It was my companion. It served me well for many long years without repairs.
Today you reminded me of those days.
Thanks.
Capt. Hosi Khan.
When I was young a long time ago I used to visit the Sony Showroom at the lower end of London's Regent Street and just look open mouthed at these beautiful receivers and dream of owning one. I never did! I got my ham licence in 1979 and have played radio ever since. Your wonderful videos take me back to when I used to look at radios and see beautifully made quality pieces of gear. I have modern stuff now, but just feel it is all made to a price rather than made for quality. Your workmanship and skill amaze me and thanks so much for putting the videos on.
i thought i was the last person who repaired something to keep using it and to extend its lifespan. i keep being told to throw it out and buy another, i keep saying cheaper to fix it. i just hate our disposable society , we used to repair computers to the component or module. i am quite envious of all the test equipment in your work room , what a beautiful work room you have, i have watched several of your repair video's, your trouble shooting technique is the best i have ever seen, your knowledge is just superb. we all stand in awe of you. keep up the magnificent work, in the world of video's 1-10 you rate a 12+.
there is something magical with those old school dials. Thank you Carlson, for showing this stuff to rest of us who have never seen these things. You are a dedicated man. Thank you for sharing your work as well.
Paul, your patience and attention to detail are just plain astonishing. Very well done, sir!
Thanks Robert!
Paul, I absolutely love your videos,and your knowledge of electronics and troubleshooting is phenomenal! After 30+ years in the same profession I still continue to learn from your videos. Even if I have to set through alot of "sold" "der" and "fair" "rads". Lol J/K but hey I live in the south U.S. and people complain at some of my words. Keep up the great videos!
I only wanted to say that I don't know how I got here, but I stayed and watched the whole thing anyway just because this was a pretty amazing, detailed and concise breakdown. I'm most likely never going to do a repair such as this, but it was a pleasure watching you do it with excellent commentary. Keep doing what you are doing, it seems to be working!
Superb i admire anyone whos got the knowledge to do such repairs both electronic & mechanical im a radio amateur and a shortwave listener the sony crf320 is a lovely piece of kit very impressive thanks for this video i truly enjoyed every minute.
Watched the entire video last night, really interesting. The CRF-320 is an amazing design, probably the last SW receiver designed without a micro controller. I was sufficiently interested to download the service manual and study the schematic. No expense has been spared in the design, with all the best techniques such as up conversion to a high first IF, and a synthesiser architecture with potentially quite low phase noise. I expect the IP3 ( third order intercept ) would be quite good especially with the tuned preselector. The frequency plan is cleverly arranged so that drift in the second LO ( 45.6MHz) cancels out, as the same oscillator is used to downconvert the 1st LO.
The preselector is unique, where both the capacitance and inductance of a parallel tuned circuit are varied together. This clearly gives a much greater tuning range, and keeps the L to C ratio constant. If you think about the resonant frequency equation, just tuning the C will give a frequency range proportional to 1/sqroot(C), however tuning both the L and C will give 3.3 times the range.
I see that Sony had to switch in a different tuned coil halfway through the range using a cam and a microswitch. It is not clear how this works with the capacitor tuning, as one would expect a sudden jump in frequency when the inductor was switched. Perhaps Mr Carson could clarify this. I would have liked to see the response of the preselector on the tracking generator setup.
I designed a number of budget marine receivers for the yachting market in the early 80's, culminating in a fully synthesised design using a microcontroller. Unfortunately I was very constrained by cost of manufacture, and had to make many compromises that resulted in rather indifferent performance. Sony seem to have really splashed out on this receiver. It almost has the appearance of a pritotype with all those brass screening cans. I would be surprised if they ever made much money on this design. The original retail price of $1500 was a fortune in 1976.
I have to say I've been watching this channel for a few years now and it never gets old. Great job, Paul. Thank you.
Thanks for your kind feedback Tom!
I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT IT IS HUMANLY POSSIBLE TO MAKE THOSE CIRCUITS AND KNOW WHAT EVERYTHING WILL DO, LET ALONE TROUBLESHOOT IT AND THEN REPAIR IT. MATE YOU ARE OUTSTANDINGLY SMART!
Nijel Vidler, AND... he knows his materials and mechanical engineering to a point where he can FIX things which no one else even notice. OMG. Yup... totally awesome! de KQ2E revisiting this gem for about the third time.
This is the most beautiful receiver I’ve ever seen in my life, I bet it’s worth a small fortune.
Back in the 80's (1981 to 1986 tbe) when I was working as a sales clerk, I used to sell those SONY CRF-type models, together with the ICF-7600A model as well (for those people wanting to listen to their home radio stations when living or traveling abroad, thus needing something a tad smaller) until the fully digital era began with the ICF-7600D or ICF-2001D models…
SONY just made THE best stuff, whether it was with their invention of the Walkman or their TRINITRON CRT equipped TV sets among loads of others.
So, me too, I'd probably go through all the hassle, just like you did, Mr. Carlson, in order to repair/refurbish such beautiful electronic "relicts"…
Thanks for letting us visit your lab and giving as such a detailed insight on how you're approaching a repair service for a device like that... 2:27 hours of both education and entertainment worth while!
Nowadays, we need a permit to even own a certain set of equipment (that's not even touching it. Just owning it)
Very well done, no wasted words and great use of the camera to show exactly what needs to be seen. Having been in electronics repair for a career, I feel obligated to give Sony credit for outstanding documentation such as the block diagram you show for this radio. Sony professional equipment went the extra mile with X-ray views of circuit boards and a complete theory of operation. Unfortunately, less was provided as the years went on, but Sony was tops back in the day. Thanks for all the time and effort you put into this.
Thoroughly and professionally performed and explained, even for an old hand like me. Your collection of test equipment has me green with envy.
The spring loaded layered gears in this equipment I have used and adjusted in one of my previous electronic engineering jobs in the defence industry. These are known as anti-backlash gears, and new sets would come from the supplier with a hooked metal tool (to line up the two sets of teeth to enable meshing of an inserted gear) that looks almost identical to the one you made here.
A wealth of experience and knowledge, and a truly professional repair, realignment and modifications of these well made Sonys. Bravo sir!
It is absolutely unbelievable how much work you put into fixing and upgrading this radio. It works better after your effort than it ever did new from Sony. I can hardly believe how deep you had dive into the inner circuits of this thing to make the frequency generator work again. And then all the gear repairs were mind blowing. Such incredible determination required to get it all done to completion. You wore me out just watching. Amazing video journey.
Glad you enjoyed Allen!
Fantastically in depth work, I don't know any one else who can do both the electrical and mechanical repairs on any equipment.
+Nick Moore
Thanks Nick!
MR CARISON WHAT A KOOL SONY CRF32RECEIVER TEX ME
Now I am addicted to Mr. Carlson videos. What a great Master of its trade. I Know to be this proficient in electronics it requires a lot of smartness and a lot of patience. He really makes Electronics fun and joy. I remember one of my Electronics courses professor saying one day that whoever is pursuing Electronics education or just a technician, is a man who is refusing to grow up; he just changes toys in reference of the fun and joy that Electronics has on us. And I 100% agree.
Jesus what a complicated machine! You have the patience of Job, my friend. Hats off to you. Nice work as always.
+ShooterReady
Thanks!
This is an awesome piece of equipment! It was a real pleasure having you walk through most of it, and share your knowledge and experience. Kudos for the engineers at Sony who designed this marvel, they did an incredible job.
I really should've chosen a career in the electronic industry... Fascinating. Watching you disassemble, diagnose, and repair a piece of yesterday's technology, even upgrade components making them better then when new, Very Cool. It is quite obvious you enjoy your work, and who wouldn't! Thank You for sharing. Your knowledge of electronics is amazing!
Watched the whole video and enjoyed it allot. Very impressive work.
+notionSunday
Thanks!
+notionSunday So did I. Don't have the set and probably never will but watched it end to end. A great learning experience.Obviously thumbs up.
Yup. Very impressive. Kudos.
Amazing repair video and demonstration of patience and dexterity. Learning a lot from your videos. I am a 66 year old hobbyist from India.
Thanks for watching!
3 years later and here I am watching this video. I've never seen a reciever like this but good lord sir you are a hero!
What a treasure trove of electronic and mechanical knowledge, I have just tested COVID +ve and while binge watching you tube , have come across this fantastic presenter !! Born in 73 I am a self taught electronic engineer who has always been a hobbyist before it became my career. Now nearly 5 decades later I own a company designing and manufacturing power electronic & Iot equipment. Besides hardware design I oversee embedded development and cloud infrastructure programming and yet am completely spellbound by Mr. Carlsons infinite knowledge patience and perseverance. In all probability Mr. Carlson will be my first person supported on Patreon. What is even more exciting is I built some basic RF gear including a 46-49 MHz phone scanner using MC3361 and NE602 in the 90s along with some pirate FM transmitters using a vco and single power stage ! Now with time his explanations ring crystal clear !!
This video is pretty much like a "SONY CRF-320: The Movie". Top notch repair you've done there, you sir are a pro!
+MrJohhhnnnyyy
Thanks John!
Yup, just grab yourself some popcorn and enjoy:)
I was head of service agent training at TCE (Thomson Consumer Electronics) one time. Man, that is one well produced video. Lovely machine. Thing is, there's one such used 300R for sale in my area. Good to know the problems with this model before putting down the $$$. Many thanks again, and looking forward to more videos. Take care.
_Sooo_ happy I came across your channel here on UA-cam! . . . . Nothing, but _nothing_ beats watching someone who really _know_ what they are doing in such a fashion as _you_ do Mr. Carlson! - As one having a _wide_ range of interests (even though, not necessarily the electronic competence to understand the details down to the nitty gritty _component_ level - this for me, was anyhow a _thrilling_ journey right from the outset until the end! - I'll readily admit, that the tour you took me (us) through, was better than _any_ ''box office movie''!!! - It also sparked some thoughts re. the Japanese technicians that 'conjured up' this fine radio back in the day, and the myriad thought processes that lay behind the finished product....! As a former merchant mariner, I distinctly remember leaving Yokohama (Japan) at the time I had purchased my brand new Sony FM/LW/MW/SW PLL Synthesized Receiver *ICF-7600D* - and right after departure, as I unboxed it , and switched it on inside my cabin onboard, dialing in on the receiver's shortwave, tuning in on the 13-meter band, and suddenly was listening to _direct radio reporting_ from my country (Norway), as they were celebrating the national holiday (May 17th!) - _loud & clear_ - sans external antennae 📻! . . . . So, yupp, those 'nerds' at Sony sure knew what they were doing, as so nicely illustrated by yourself Mr. Carlson!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you for uploading this _gem_ of a technical tour taking us along with you!
(Needless to say: I'm obviously a new subscriber...!)😉👍 Thanks again!
I watched the whole thing. I don't have a CRF-320 but I love detective stories. After seeing all the mechanical guts of this thing, I really appreciate my fully digital CommRadio CR-1.
You got that right
Absolutely amazing skill set you have... Outstanding job! Thanks for sharing...
+ScoutCrafter
Thanks!
Very impressive Sir... and very clear.
I seriously admire your knowledge, patience, and your great communication skills.
Mr. Carlson: Like the magician, the magic is not in the wand. Your extensive and impressive line of brand new looking equipment means nothing if it wasn't handled with the dexterity, professionalism, and knowledge that you have. I'm simply flabbergasted! Your video is top quality and your voice modulation could not be clearer or pleasanter --Tony Conte/HP1KL (Panama)
HP1KL, I concur. --KV5JMK (Shreveport)
I rebuilt the PTO in a Collins 75S3-B one time. And aligning the PTO and Dial so they track together is a real job. In the end I had less than 50hz difference end to end on the PTO and dial. Wonderful video and explanation. Thanks Paul!
I really enjoyed this. Thank you. Incidentally, inspired by your videos, I have just sent off for a batch of components to try to make my first simple project (a little circuit someone proposed to keep a powerbank "alive" even when certain devices are drawing only minimal current from it). I would not have even been able to decipher the circuit diagram without having watched your videos. Thanks again! I loved the look of the Sony after your lighting modifications.
I am so amazed to the point of being hypnotized by your wisdom in instructional repairs. Thank you for giving me faith in people such as yourself are out there that use UA-cam most effectively and responsibly!
Watched this twice in the last month, one of my favorite Mr Carlson's videos the production values are so good in his videos it must involve a lot of work to make them....Much appreciated by many.:)
Thank You for your kind comment Harry!
My wife walked into our computer room and asked me if something was wrong with me because I was so unusually quiet watching this video. She had to snap me out of the trance I was in! The nylon gear "stop" repair caused my brain to go into gimbal lock! Your structured reasoning and repair skills are just amazing.
+newjerseybt
Thanks for the kind words! When the wife has to check on you, I know I have done something right. :^)
Love your videos! The care and patience you put into this receiver was incredible. I watched every second and learned quite a bit. Thank you Mr. Carlson!
It’s just amazing how you dig through all the complication and figure out what’s wrong. Fantastic video.
Holy mother of God that beast is beautiful. Wonderful presentation, as always! You are to electronics as Bob Ross was to painting. You can make even the most mundane of procedures very enjoyable to watch, and most importantly, learn. You're a huge asset to the community. Thank you.
Thank you for your kind words Mr Wilson!
It's amazing, the quality of workmanship once enjoyed by our world, in general. Great quality on the workmanship of the repairs, Paul!
+AMStationEngineer
Thanks!
What a beautiful receiver I've never seen anything like it. I was glue to the screen watching your work and at the end the radio came to life. Thank You for sharing this video I definitely enjoy it.
You're welcome Ruben.
There are very few people around like you who would know details of repair to such a great extend.. nice watching.. !
This was more of a rebirth, than a repair. You are absolutely amazing!
Just spent two and a half hours of my life on this video...
Totally worth it!!
You continue to amaze us Mr.Carlson, I am simply in awe of your thoroughness while repairing and explaining during these videos. Thank you very much for the work you are doing and sharing with us!
+Kallenator1988
Your welcome! Always glad to share :^)
This is a gorgeous rig, I picked one of these up by blind luck at a hamfest, owner said it wasn’t working, but the plug was damaged and works just fine. And is in new condition.
With box and manuals. Man it’s one beautiful radio, it seems to work perfectly in every way. The gods are shining on me. It needed some basic cleaning and one of the knobs needed to be readjusted. He gave it to me for 50$. I felt so bad, I found his call and told him the radio only had a bad main plug. He was pissed at first, but I PayPal him another 100$ and he was happy about it. But still showed some remorse, which is to be expected. I had offers for this at 6-700$ from other hams. It’s probably one of the most gorgeous radios I have.
The lights are not as blue, they seem more green to me. But after opening it up and inspecting the radio, it appears nothing was modified. The radio was extremely clean inside, except for some dark oil like substance near one of the pods. Cleaned it and inspected it for about 2 hours. Had one or 2 wires that were dry rotted, replace them going to the main board. Just Incase they were on their way out. I noticed inside the top of the radio was a silver shield over part of the board, wasn’t metal, just like a flat piece of stiff cardboard with a metallic side up. Thinking it was some kind of shield, it was taped on, but was very dry. Replaced the tape after cleaning some switches and spraying some tuner cleaner for good measure.
Left it on for 2 days, changing bands from time to time. Not a hiccup. I have around 20 shortwave radios as I do collect them for many reasons. The same day I came across a frg-100 for 100$ mint condition, added that to my collection after changing the meter light which was out. Otherwise worked perfectly. Some days the gods are shining on you. I have 4 frg-100 radios now. And 2 dx-160’s that I rebuild back to factory specs. First radio I owned as a child at 14. Discovered SSB on that rig, what a surprise that the Donald Duck sounds was actually a ham radio, didn’t understand back then, it’s great when you teach yourself something, even if it’s something obvious... 73...
Thanks for taking the time to write! Thats a great story.
Hi, I'm trying to imagine how GREAT it would feel. To have your Pride and Joy Repaired in such a Special way and knowing you are able to watch the video. Wow!! These Videos that I have been watching so far, are of such High Standard and with complete Logic, it's a bit like watching a 1945 on wards "Military Training Video" or "Archives on the Atom Bomb and Radar Systems" ect. So Accurate and Concise, with a tiny bit of humour. Who needs to go to Tafe, when you can go and watch Mr Carlson's Lab. When I go shopping today I'm buying a week's worth of Popcorn and Fantails. A big, Thank you. From one of your newer web Students...
Thanks for your kind words Shane!
+Mr Carlson's Lab
Pride in workmanship! This the most thorough, detailed, and high quality troubleshooting and repair video I have ever seen regarding any electronics product on YT. Thank you! Sony really was the best when it came to general purpose consumer electronics, they were the Apple of their time. It's a bit sad to see how they have fallen in the past several decades.
+Mr. Carlson's Lab
So did you ever determine if the unit was worked on by repair techs outside the Sony factory, or were the alterations the result of extensive rework at the factory? Maybe this was an early production unit or even a pre-production unit which was reworked for production approval.
Shayne Fitzgerald I couldn't write it better, exactly my words!
It is wary rear privilege to watch a Mozart performing his art!
I have about no knowledge about electronic but still I feel that it is easy to follow, I learn a lot and it is just fantastic to watch! :-)
imickey503 just wondering are you the Mr turbo Incabyoulater man. love your videos on the transfer of the 2 spermulater bearings. Great work. But this gentleman is on a different kind plane of examples of great experience for perfection and a true master of his craft. Great work; and thanks for the experience of watching you bring this great Sony back to better than new reconditioning. And thank you both for your contributions. I'm a Sen. Master Benz Tech 30 years & work on the older green Alpine's for fun, and throughly enjoyed your time and the video! & Thanks again!!
This and the 330k are the coolest looking radios Sony ever produced. What I'd give to have one of those bad boys but they're mega expensive these days! Great to see these being restored! That design is too good to let it fade into history!
One of the best videos I've ever seen on UA-cam. Incredible detail, tasteful upgrades, thoughtful explanations, outstanding craftsmanship/troubleshooting , and a sweet receiver. Thank you for bringing us along Mr Carlson.
You're Welcome! Glad you enjoyed.
Hi Paul, Glad to see a real wide spectrum repair person in action. I was such a person when I started my last job 32 years ago. I lost some of my familiarity during the 32 years by working mostly on the equipment in the facility, much of it embedded. It is so gratifying to see that someone else recognizes the difficulty of the makers of equipment to balance the cost of manufacturing good equipment to the cost and ability to successfully market the product. Much of the older stuff is built with a 'stiffer' electromechanical edge while the newer stuff has the advantage of higher quality electronics. Of course there is an abundance of el cheapo electronics to stay away from, hence, the tendency of some of the newer stuff to barely make it through the warranty period. I started in the USAF in Link Trainers, mostly vacuum tubes and motor/generators. Even the test equipment was all vacuum tubes with their 1+ hour warm up times.. Thank You for your thoroughness, it requires time to do the job correctly, something my 'business degree boss' could NEVER get a handle on. I had to send items out to repair occasionally to prove I could save him some money and a lot of time.. Thank You again for your knowledge and willingness to share it... Michael
aw man these older front panels are gorgeous
Just Wow. Your patience, courage and ingenuity are outstanding. I too watched the entire video uninterrupted.
Glad you enjoyed Jeffrey! Thanks for your kind comment!
Mr Carlson I never thought I could watch a 2 and a half hour video on electronics repair. When it was over I was saying it that all? You Sir are Awesome the Dr. and Master of electronics. This man is so fortunate to have such a nice Radio especially after Mr. Carlson went through it. Want to take this opportunity to wish you and all of yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays.
Thanks for your very kind words Gary! Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
Wow, awesome video! I know this comment is really, really late, but I'm glad I found this video. Excellent troubleshooting and repair by someone who really knows what they are doing. I'm guessing that you have somewhere between 70 or 80 hours into the job, at today's technician prices of $80 U.S. (probably low for what an actual repair station would charge) not counting parts, just time, you are well north of $5,000 I bet. But wow, so educational and detailed. Oh, and I didn't count the number of hours added by documenting the whole thing with video. Well done Mr. Carlson.
Wow! Gave myself 3 days to fully appreciate this video. Its the finest and most concise documentation of masterful repair work I ever had the pleasure of . . the pleasure of . . devouring.
Thanks Frank!
Thanks for a very informative video. I am tempted to perform the LED upgrade. In the late 70's I purchased a CRF 320 receiver. I still have it, although it to has the problem with the 'sticky' SW tuning dial... at least I now have some idea how to fix it. I used to work on Betamax equipment, and always appreciated the attention to detail that SONY afforded the design of their products. Pride of my 'old' SONY kit is a TC 880-2 reel to reel tape recorder.
Paul, your skill as a mechanical engineer equals your expertise in electrical engineering. I simply do NOT have the patience to do the level of repair you exhibit here. It drives me WILD seeing what you have put up with just to "get it right." God bless! de KQ2E
Thanks for your kind comment Bruce!
I clicked for the great looking radio, and I stayed for the whole repair. Far above my paygrade, but the end result was worth it. A GORGEOUS, if almost unprocurable device....Envy level 100%
That's it!! I've decided you are an alien!! Just amazing your level of knowledge!
Mr. Carlson is very knowledgeable.... Enjoy all of his video's, especially this one. He has the patience of Job. Even if I had his skills, I don't think I would take on some of his projects. A true professional. Keep the video's coming. Jim
Caution: Intelligence At Work.
Lovers of electrons, whether they are flying in a glowing vacuum tube or travelling in a semiconductor, will fall in addiction.
If UA-cam had to host only one channel about Electronics, Mr Carlson's Lab would be my candidate.
This Sony CRF-320 video is an absolute masterpiece.
I feel smarter being one of his subscribers and Patreon.
Thanks Alastor!
The attention to detail....the thoughtfulness, experience, talent, creativity, forethought....you took a really nice radio and turned it into a treasure!!! Your videos are not only informative and educational, they are a kind of therapy for me. I would love to see the kind of detail and care you did on this one put into my ART-13 transmitter, but sadly I have neither the equipment to work on it, the time, the space, or parts to do so. Maybe someday in the future after my home is paid for, and a few other bills eliminated, I will have the time at least and can start on the process of making it happen. Keep up your excellent work!!!
Thanks for your kind words Wayne!
These videos relax me for some reason
You can really appreciate how extraordinary this radio is. It was manufactured about 1978 give or take a year. Sony were obviously marketing this to the mega rich. It certainly is pure eye candy with a bold statement.
This restoration, being both electrical and mechanical, shows your 'curriculum vitae' in all its glory. I have shared this link with quite a few of my friends. If there was a contest for radio restorations then you would be the winner by a country mile. Awesome job, wells done.
Thanks Anthony!
Epic. Thanks for these long videos a lot of us really enjoy them.
+William Reeve
Your welcome William!
you are one fantastic technician thank you for sharing I am a ham operator and I work on all kind of radios I'm glad I found your Channel fantastic working you do keep it coming
Mister : beautiful repair and accuracy mind for the explications !!! and for the LED cirtuit board i have no words ...thanks for all ...perfect job ...
I'm learning many things and really perfect job !!! Thanks for the time and the share
Eric from France Long life for you Mister ...
"Explanations". Don't feel bad, Bergart Eric, I had to look it up myself and I am in the US. :-)
I can't believe I've just spent 2 and a half hours watching something I had no interest in before, now I'm hooked lol.. great presentation and detailed information.. tha is for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed!
This was one of my favorite repair videos. Masterfully done, with brilliant instruction and explanation. Very well done and thank you for sharing.
+Nicholas Hyer
Your welcome Nicholas!
This takes me back to my bench technician days. This is great...I think these skills will eventually be lost. The half-split thinking and isolating circuits is something that isn't taught any more. Even getting schematics is near impossible for modern equipment...heck, even the part numbers are obscured or carry proprietary labels to prevent repairs. In today's world, run a couple software diagnostic routines, maybe run the radio on a test fixture, identify the board and replace it. I've restored a number of old broadcast receivers and have always cringed when it comes to the mechanical controls and cables. You make it look easy. Well done sir...well done.
Yeah, I hate being a young man today, with the way the worlds going, economy sucks, thing's are built horribly, it's sad all the way around.
This is the first of your videos i've ever seen so saying I was surprised at 0:09 would be an understatement.
Paul, just revisiting this video again and I noticed the rework of the large tuning disk and the advance mechanism. I repair antique clocks and in some movements there are similar cammed gears in the spring winding arbor. This mechanism is called a" Geneva Stop"..and in a clock is used to prevent overwinding of the clock spring.. In the case of the CRF-320 it is used to limit the full travel of the tuning dial.. amazing video... and love your channel Sir.
Thank you for recording your work on this receiver. It is definitely instructive, and your presentation held my interest from start to finish. The renovated product is simply beautiful in both looks and performance.
Thanks John!
That's one awesome-looking piece of gear. It's like something from a 1970's Bond movie. Amazing know-how to restore something like that.
I'm blown away by how much Mr Carlson knows about all sorts of stuff. Definitely a genius!
I swear the man can see electrons moving about.
THAT is what I wish I could do!!
@@jlucasound I think that he is a genius !
Angry Pixies.
His pseudonym is Neo and he can see the Matrix
I almost hate watching this guy. He's just too smart. It makes me feel, uh, not so smart. Seriously, people like that make me very envious.
Of course I'm a genius when it comes to taken things like that apart. it's the putting it back together I have trouble with.
Let me just say that your audio equipment that you used to make this video must be TOP of the top shelf. I had to knock down 15 clicks to keep you from waking the baby. Nice video too.
I had YT set on auto play before I made that comment. Now I realize I need to take off Auto Play when the baby goes to sleep because of Mr. Carlson's Lab and since I've subscribed. Truly IMPRESSIVE.
That's a beauty of a receiver, even more so with LEDs in it now.
This receiver must have been ridiculously expensive back in it's day. I've never heard of one, until now. Makes me want to go buy one and become a sucker for punishment. Except I don't have your extensive array of test equipment. So a huge thanks for the teardown / restoration vid- I appreciate the incredible level of detail provided.
I gotta say it's nice to hear solder and not sodder.
Also from Canada, the repair is a PROcess,not a process! 😊