I enjoyed this video! I worked for JCPenney Product Service while I was in college, back in 1978, and repaired a lot of these Modular Component Series units. Yes, we saw many come in for "warranty repair" with 15 amp fuses (never saw a wire jumper though! Which we called a hundred amp no blow fuse)....usually what happened was the bias pot would get intermittent, where the center pin was crimped to the rotor, and in the true fashion of DC-coupled amps, just like you pointed out, the driver and output transistors would short. Often a pair of toasted voice-coil speakers would be included. In 1980, the boss gave me one of these that had been written off, and I repaired it, and it was an excellent performer. In fact, I finally had to EOL it just a few months ago. 37 years, not bad at all. t got a lot of use in those years, including a few light DJ gigs. The output section, IIRC, was "complimentary-symmetry", a PNP and an NPN, to allow transformerless output, using a plus and minus 33vdc supply. The dial lights would not last, and the front panel markings would wear off. Shengo, thanks for sharing this and making me feel 20 years old again!
My friend has one of these.. I think I've seen these with a JC Penney label too.. Seem to be decent receivers... May have been the cheaper lower end of those times, but even the cheaper stuff of yesteryear beats the throw away cheap flimsy plastic and tuna can metal produced today.. Those are heavy receivers too.. I think anything silver face is worth repairing or worth a home for someone to appreciate it.. $200 for a fix job verses a new $200 receiver, is worth a fix..
Back in 1969, around Christmas, my wife and I tired of working in the factories of Minnesota, and I returned the nice Chevy I had purchased from a gas station where I had a friend, who took it back with no problem, as I still owed a great deal against it. Then I walked up the hill to the great rip-off car dealer where I purchased a 1957 Dodge with the famous Minnesota see-through body, rusted with the headlights held in place by twisted coat hangers. The car got 12 miles to the gallon of gas and could go about 80 miles on a fill of transmission fluid. So it was with that old car and a U-Haul trailer behind that my wife, our little dog and I returned to our home in North Dakota, all the way across both Minnesota and the majority of North Dakota, stopping at every gas station to fill with transmission fluid and check the gas. When we got back home I noticed it smelled a bit hot one day so I checked the fuse box. All the fuses had been removed and replaced with cut off machine screws! What a nice ride it was, my wonderful wife drove that old piece of shit all while I was in Basic Training, Advance Training and during my year in Vietnam. Never had a fuse blow, even when she backed it into her dad's combine on the farm where she spent the last few months before the birth of my son about mid-tour in Nam.
MCS was actually made by Panasonic. I believe the line was offered in the early to mid 80s or so. It was a mid line that was originally supposed to be placed between the economic Panasonic items and the premium Technics items.
I started laughing when you pulled the first 20 amp fuse out of the right speaker circuit. I kept laughing for the left. I fell out of my chair when you got to the power supply. I love your videos! You keep up the good work! Love you, Doogie
Looks like someone was looking for a fuse and had some extra ones for their car, you often find those 20amp fuses in an automobile. So they just stuck it in there. I used to work in a repair shop and saw crazy things done like this.
The song at the end "Burning Down The House" fits so well because of the 20amp fuse in it. Might as well put a match and some gas in that fuse, it would do the same thing. People will do any thing to get the thing working without repairing it.
At 6:46, It looks like the AM tuner on that radio is completely deaf, but its FM performance is actually OK. The only station it was able to pick up was KNX-AM at 1070 but other positions were just mild scratching as it tried to tune them in.
I have that very same model. It is ok stereo, but I would be crazy to drop $200 on to have it fix. One last thing isn't funny how some friends think it is Ok to ask you fix their computer or electronics for nothing or a very reduced price. And the good looking ones will not even offer a hand job.
I lucked out that only 1 2SB180 output transistor shorted in my JVC/Nivico receiver. It didn't roast anything else besides the emitter resistor and that still checks out despite the coating being burnt off. I did a quick and dirty drop in of a 2N3055 (I know, dime a dozen npn silicone general purpose power transistor) just to see if anything else got hurt. None of the other transistors checked out shorted or open so I fired that mother up. Plays like a champ and none of transistors gets even a little warm. Turns out my Radio Shack semiconductor replacement guide crosses over the 2N3055 to the 2SB180 anyway.
That's the sort of item I deal with all the time. Those early MCS receivers were pathetic, but they did greatly improve after a couple of generations and eventually were decent receivers. JCPenney went after the Radio Shack buyer, but a Realistic receiver in the 33w/ch area was a solid, well designed and well built unit. Ditto for the trash sold under the Technics brand - the king of cost cutting, but from the outside they sure looked impressive.
I had an Zenith Vintage Stereo mc 7051 which sounded really good and strong with similer style layout inside.... wounder if it was originaly made by MCS
I hate it when this happens. I hate saying NO to people but that's just how it goes. Sometimes it pisses people off. We cant work for free and everyone thinks that this kind of work is easy. I had to stop and now I just fix things for myself. Thanks for the fun videos!
I used to work in an electronic repair shop in the early 90s, and whenever a customer replaced a 3AG fuse no matter what the rating of the original, the replacement was 20A. never could figure that one out.
Yes, quite the risk the technicians make... Most people don't understand that, but you know the technician needs to survive as well. Pop the lid to see inside, is an automatic 20.00.
I subbed a 2N3055 I had laying around for 25 years for a blown 2SD180 in my JVC-NIVICO 5001 receiver and found it to work perfectly. I only put that in because it happened to be a TO3 NPN power transistor like the blown one.Come to find out my 1980 Radio Shack Semiconductor Substitution Guide calls out their 2N3055 equivalent as a substitute for the 2SD180.
All in all, these aren't bad little receivers. Definitely not high end, but OK decent. They were manufactured for JC Penny's by Matsushita (Panasonic/Technics). Penny's needed some electronics equipment with more credibility than the old Penncrest stuff they used to sell. My sister has one of these. I think it started out like this one might have started out. A zener diode on the power amp board shorted, screwing up bias on the outputs, one output transistor was full on with loud power supply hum in the speaker. My sister had enough sense to turn it off quickly. Replaced a shorted zener, and maybe a fuse. I think this was about 20 years ago. The amp in this thing has an odd design. Even when it was new, when the power was turned on the speaker cones gave a loud !whump!, and then the cones would slowly move to center position. But the speakers lasted like this for many years.
I could see repairing something like that, if someone gave it to me, just for the challenge. But in terms of a repair job it's not worth putting $100 into it let alone $200, you couldn't get $50 out of it even if if you overhauled it first. In an as is, but fully functional state, you would have a hard time getting $30 for it on a good day. I see some prices on fleabay for these things that are just in la la land, I can only guess what demented prices someone would ask on Canuck Audio Mart, the site with lots of listings but few sales.
I don't see how those 2n3055 based receivers were bad! Shango is more to tubes than to solid state stuff, that's sure, but the sound of those amplifiers were really nice! I still have one, even it's not the MCS, it's a Gradiente STR1250 with the design of the amp being the same but with better filtering stage. I'd say as long as the wallet is willing to open, there's hope for this 70s thing. Judging by the fuses, this was probably caused by someone using bad speakers or even 2/1ohm ones.
The power cord now becomes a curtain burner cord. I would have done the same thing and would have probably made them put up a deposit, had they approved the estimate. Obviously, it's not a very well regarded receiver and you'd have a hard time getting your money, if you were to get stuck with it.
You call that a boneyard addition. I would have done the same thing. It is only a parts box now. When the fuse's have been tampered with I pass on it immediately. But curiosity makes you look inside just to see. I might have peeked but most likely I would just pass.
Yes, it is repairable, but at what cost. That's a fair price quote. It has nice cosmetics, & people seem to like the pre-computerised receivers. That's what it costs. Geek Squad has no problem charging over $200 for a simple laptop diagnostic, virus/malware removal & maybe includes some repair.
Geek Squad has a less then stellar reputation for overcharging, along with crap workmanship and zero ethics, which is no surprise since they are a subsidiary of Best Buy, which is a sociopathic company in and of itself. Taking your computer or electronics to the Geek Squad is like taking your car's transmission to AAMCO. Best Buy's CEO also thought it was acceptable to host a fund raising dinner for CAIR, the Council on Arab Islamic Relations, which is a Muslim Brotherhood Front Group, as far as I am concerned their stores can burn to the ground and they can go bankrupt, they are not getting my money.
OlegKostoglatov Agreed. Never liked that outfit. I feel they sell items that have known issues. In my community, they got voted "best electronics store". Sigh.
Well this is the same blissfully ignorant consumer electronic buying public that has been dumping perfectly good and working CRT television sets in favor of flat screens that die after 5 years, or thinks Ipods are a quality audio device and wants jacks installed in the rear aprons of antique radios so they can play them. They don't have a Best Buy here thankfully, but they have a similar outfit called Future Shop who's sales staff will try to sell you an extended warranty on a pair of $10 head phones, their service department is equally abysmal, although in different ways.
I think you call it beyond economical repair ! as for the fuses at least they have some chance of blowing ! as I have seen sawn off six inch nails used as a Fuse. Good luck blowing one of those !
It's a miracle that the primary on the power transformer is not blown. Give this receiver to hobbyist to try to fix or use for parts (but, please, not to an idiot who would set his house on fire by using the wrong sized fuses).
The customer probably has no idea how close they came to burning down their own home each time they used this component after the fuses were replaced with dangerous ratings.
I'm working on this same unit for a friend and I'm trying to find the service manual for it. I have put out this request a few places but have yet to get a response. Do you by any chance have a copy I can buy from you, or know where I might find one? I would really appreciate any help!
Check Howard W. Sams "MHF" (Modular Hi-Fi) series of service manuals. (This company still has a website.) While they don't make service literature anymore, the MHF manuals were produced around the time this receiver was new, and so it might be covered. Beyond that, try digging a bit deeper on the web. I know there are at least a few tech help websites out there. Definitely wouldn't want to have to tackle a unit that's obviously been abused like Shango's example has been without the lit. Good Luck.
Hey thanks for your reply. I very much appreciated the help and information. I did manage to find the service manual for the unit eventually.; The reason it was so impossible to find is that the model information on the unit is not complete. It is stamped on the back as Model No. 3233, however, the whole number is: Model No. MCS 683-3233-10. Once I discovered that, I was able to find a service manual quickly. --- ugh... Thanks again for your help
where im from they wants aprox 125 us dollars for just looking at it... changing fuses and spray the pots.... also voltage measuring, this is before the actual fixing if they find something critical, what you say??? .... Norway !!!
I just finished a recap on one of these, not a bad unit, it will compete with other better known stereos of that time... its just not very upgradeable being all aolid state.
I don’t blame you for not getting involved. $200 is a bargain when you add parts and labor. Furthermore, doesn’t appear to be anything special except for, maybe, nostalgia reasons
GOD do I have it when people either bridge all together or use improperly rated fuses. I borrowed out a vintage late 1960s sansui receiver to a friend in the late 90s and he tin foiled the fuses including the still good power fuse. He fried my receiver. Would've punched him out but the teachers stopped me.
I think it would be a good project to get it up and running like new. But true on that not worth the time and money. Just get a new receiver for sure...
20 amp fuse was probally fitted because a fault kept blowing out the 3 amp fuse, and the 20 amp fuse... well whatever was knocking out 3 amps has done more damage now... $200+ ... sound advice to the owner is to scrap it, just buy a new amp... in the interest of safety too.
I have the same MCS and I can tell that it has nice layout but the Output transistor are 2n3055 are junk. they make pretty power supply they are junk for a store.
I would call this one a candidate for power amplifier replacement using amplifier modules from china via eBay or BangGood "mind you they cost around 30 bucks each or a decent stereo one for under a $100 but they or it should fit in once the old Power amplifier stage is removed, and what with the plus and minus 33 volts they or it should provide about the Original Output from the receivers power supply for at least three years, could be 5 years if the replacement modules I conducted 3 years ago don't cark it within the next 24 months..
I enjoyed this video! I worked for JCPenney Product Service while I was in college, back in 1978, and repaired a lot of these Modular Component Series units. Yes, we saw many come in for "warranty repair" with 15 amp fuses (never saw a wire jumper though! Which we called a hundred amp no blow fuse)....usually what happened was the bias pot would get intermittent, where the center pin was crimped to the rotor, and in the true fashion of DC-coupled amps, just like you pointed out, the driver and output transistors would short. Often a pair of toasted voice-coil speakers would be included. In 1980, the boss gave me one of these that had been written off, and I repaired it, and it was an excellent performer. In fact, I finally had to EOL it just a few months ago. 37 years, not bad at all. t got a lot of use in those years, including a few light DJ gigs. The output section, IIRC, was "complimentary-symmetry", a PNP and an NPN, to allow transformerless output, using a plus and minus 33vdc supply. The dial lights would not last, and the front panel markings would wear off. Shengo, thanks for sharing this and making me feel 20 years old again!
I wouldn't have admitted that if I'd plum been you. (That you worked for crummy JCPenney).
I had an MCS amp once, and it was a good performer, worked good when I sold it!
My friend has one of these.. I think I've seen these with a JC Penney label too.. Seem to be decent receivers... May have been the cheaper lower end of those times, but even the cheaper stuff of yesteryear beats the throw away cheap flimsy plastic and tuna can metal produced today.. Those are heavy receivers too.. I think anything silver face is worth repairing or worth a home for someone to appreciate it.. $200 for a fix job verses a new $200 receiver, is worth a fix..
I bought a new old stock MCS 3236 five years ago for $400 and it works perfectly.
Shame, what a good lookin tuner/amp
Adjust fuses for maximum smoke output.
Back in 1969, around Christmas, my wife and I tired of working in the factories of Minnesota, and I returned the nice Chevy I had purchased from a gas station where I had a friend, who took it back with no problem, as I still owed a great deal against it. Then I walked up the hill to the great rip-off car dealer where I purchased a 1957 Dodge with the famous Minnesota see-through body, rusted with the headlights held in place by twisted coat hangers. The car got 12 miles to the gallon of gas and could go about 80 miles on a fill of transmission fluid. So it was with that old car and a U-Haul trailer behind that my wife, our little dog and I returned to our home in North Dakota, all the way across both Minnesota and the majority of North Dakota, stopping at every gas station to fill with transmission fluid and check the gas. When we got back home I noticed it smelled a bit hot one day so I checked the fuse box. All the fuses had been removed and replaced with cut off machine screws! What a nice ride it was, my wonderful wife drove that old piece of shit all while I was in Basic Training, Advance Training and during my year in Vietnam. Never had a fuse blow, even when she backed it into her dad's combine on the farm where she spent the last few months before the birth of my son about mid-tour in Nam.
Fuses are like restraining orders...just another way of saying *I Love You!*
That's rich!
MCS was actually made by Panasonic. I believe the line was offered in the early to mid 80s or so. It was a mid line that was originally supposed to be placed between
the economic Panasonic items and the premium Technics items.
@の踏み士
What that have to do with what I posted?
Yes it was OEM'ed by Mastushita (Panasonic/Technics) for JC Penney
I started laughing when you pulled the first 20 amp fuse out of the right speaker circuit. I kept laughing for the left. I fell out of my chair when you got to the power supply. I love your videos! You keep up the good work! Love you, Doogie
After seeing the speaker fuse bypass I thought it couldn't get any worse then they stick a 20A mains fuse in there LOL.
What are they trying to do, run their hair dryer or space heater off that thing?! 😸
When you pulled that 20A fuse out of that socket I laughed so hard I started crying.
This is the kind of entertainment I love to see!
Looks like someone was looking for a fuse and had some extra ones for their car, you often find those 20amp fuses in an automobile. So they just stuck it in there. I used to work in a repair shop and saw crazy things done like this.
The song at the end "Burning Down The House" fits so well because of the 20amp fuse in it. Might as well put a match and some gas in that fuse, it would do the same thing. People will do any thing to get the thing working without repairing it.
HAHAHAH WHEN YOU PULLED OUT THE FUSES OMG WOW
At 6:46, It looks like the AM tuner on that radio is completely deaf, but its FM performance is actually OK. The only station it was able to pick up was KNX-AM at 1070 but other positions were just mild scratching as it tried to tune them in.
The damage most likely cost more than the unit is worth, so I don't think it's worth salvaging.
I did use probably 10 amp fuse at the fuse box for the house... to do some welding... but I never seen 20 amps fuse in electronics...
Another super genius in the fuse dep't.
I have that very same model. It is ok stereo, but I would be crazy to drop $200 on to have it fix. One last thing isn't funny how some friends think it is Ok to ask you fix their computer or electronics for nothing or a very reduced price. And the good looking ones will not even offer a hand job.
I lucked out that only 1 2SB180 output transistor shorted in my JVC/Nivico receiver. It didn't roast anything else besides the emitter resistor and that still checks out despite the coating being burnt off. I did a quick and dirty drop in of a 2N3055 (I know, dime a dozen npn silicone general purpose power transistor) just to see if anything else got hurt. None of the other transistors checked out shorted or open so I fired that mother up. Plays like a champ and none of transistors gets even a little warm. Turns out my Radio Shack semiconductor replacement guide crosses over the 2N3055 to the 2SB180 anyway.
That's the sort of item I deal with all the time. Those early MCS receivers were pathetic, but they did greatly improve after a couple of generations and eventually were decent receivers. JCPenney went after the Radio Shack buyer, but a Realistic receiver in the 33w/ch area was a solid, well designed and well built unit. Ditto for the trash sold under the Technics brand - the king of cost cutting, but from the outside they sure looked impressive.
I have this exact model, purchased in the summer of 1977, and I still use it, and it works perfectly to this day.
I had an Zenith Vintage Stereo mc 7051 which sounded really good and strong with similer style layout inside.... wounder if it was originaly made by MCS
22 magnum should fit nice.. They should have to stand behind it when they turn it on.
"Let's turn it on with the 20 amp fuse in it and see what happens." You're mighty adventurous and a risk taker!
I hate it when this happens. I hate saying NO to people but that's just how it goes. Sometimes it pisses people off. We cant work for free and everyone thinks that this kind of work is easy. I had to stop and now I just fix things for myself. Thanks for the fun videos!
Don't forget to replace the fuse holders with Coin Slots. Much easier to drop in a penny than to do all that fancy wiring!
I call it a great candidate for a fire breathing EOL video!
I used to work in an electronic repair shop in the early 90s, and whenever a customer replaced a 3AG fuse no matter what the rating of the original, the replacement was 20A. never could figure that one out.
Yes, quite the risk the technicians make... Most people don't understand that, but you know the technician needs to survive as well. Pop the lid to see inside, is an automatic 20.00.
jc pennys house brand I always wondered who made it for them.
MCS is pretty good stuff. I have a 3233 that works great. That must be the 3233-T. With the toaster option ;)
I subbed a 2N3055 I had laying around for 25 years for a blown 2SD180 in my JVC-NIVICO 5001 receiver and found it to work perfectly. I only put that in because it happened to be a TO3 NPN power transistor like the blown one.Come to find out my 1980 Radio Shack Semiconductor Substitution Guide calls out their 2N3055 equivalent as a substitute for the 2SD180.
Haha we all have 3055s lying about, there are a pair on a heatsink 2 feet from me that have been hanging about since about 1982.
Lets just put bigger fuses in till it works! Why is there smoke coming from the receiver now! HAHA
I love repairing these units! :-) Probably would be easy to fix. ;-)
working on doing exactly that with mine
I call it beyond economical repair. Shame, looks like a nice amp.
How about an EOL pyrotechnics video?
That is a nice piece of hardware.
2:15 only fuses I had in my glove box....
It's interesting how the glass fuses a peace of wire used... Someone's been inside this stereo receiver.... Thank you for posting this video.....
All in all, these aren't bad little receivers. Definitely not high end, but OK decent. They were manufactured for JC Penny's by Matsushita (Panasonic/Technics). Penny's needed some electronics equipment with more credibility than the old Penncrest stuff they used to sell. My sister has one of these. I think it started out like this one might have started out. A zener diode on the power amp board shorted, screwing up bias on the outputs, one output transistor was full on with loud power supply hum in the speaker. My sister had enough sense to turn it off quickly. Replaced a shorted zener, and maybe a fuse. I think this was about 20 years ago. The amp in this thing has an odd design. Even when it was new, when the power was turned on the speaker cones gave a loud !whump!, and then the cones would slowly move to center position. But the speakers lasted like this for many years.
I could see repairing something like that, if someone gave it to me, just for the challenge. But in terms of a repair job it's not worth putting $100 into it let alone $200, you couldn't get $50 out of it even if if you overhauled it first. In an as is, but fully functional state, you would have a hard time getting $30 for it on a good day. I see some prices on fleabay for these things that are just in la la land, I can only guess what demented prices someone would ask on Canuck Audio Mart, the site with lots of listings but few sales.
I agree.
I don't see how those 2n3055 based receivers were bad! Shango is more to tubes than to solid state stuff, that's sure, but the sound of those amplifiers were really nice! I still have one, even it's not the MCS, it's a Gradiente STR1250 with the design of the amp being the same but with better filtering stage. I'd say as long as the wallet is willing to open, there's hope for this 70s thing. Judging by the fuses, this was probably caused by someone using bad speakers or even 2/1ohm ones.
That fuse has the “no blow” mod …
Rebuild the output amplifier circuit using chip amplifier like TDA1558Q or similar for the voltages available? It is a quite good looking unit.
Beyond Economical Repair.
Looks like the new house burner 2000 with those fuse repairs
Nice looking amp, I'd not heard of that brand before. That 20 Amp fuse.....
Whoever rigged those fuses also wrote that song. Burning down the House!
I just ordered one of these off the big auction site in your opinion are they any good ???
The power cord now becomes a curtain burner cord. I would have done the same thing and would have probably made them put up a deposit, had they approved the estimate. Obviously, it's not a very well regarded receiver and you'd have a hard time getting your money, if you were to get stuck with it.
They won't short if you use a Dim Bulb Tester, right?
MCS (MODULAR COMPONENT SYSTEM) MADE BY TECHNICS(PANASONIC)
The 20amp fuse was a safety feature...it's a redundancy to prevent wear on the circuit breaker. ;)
You call that a boneyard addition. I would have done the same thing. It is only a parts box now. When the fuse's have been tampered with I pass on it immediately. But curiosity makes you look inside just to see. I might have peeked but most likely I would just pass.
WTF ? This receiver is Shango GOLD
I have the same unit my mom bought new, but now it pops when turning off, not horrible but a nice POP when I release the power button. Any idea?
what would you think it would of cost if it just blue original fuses and didnt do any thing else would of the rest of the board ben ok
Correction 2SD180 not 2SB180.
Yes, it is repairable, but at what cost. That's a fair price quote. It has nice cosmetics, & people seem to like the pre-computerised receivers. That's what it costs. Geek Squad has no problem charging over $200 for a simple laptop diagnostic, virus/malware removal & maybe includes some repair.
At $200 upward for repair it's more economical in the long run to just buy a new more modern amp.
gazyounglive
Most modern amps in that range do not feature phono stages. This has 2 phono inputs.
Geek Squad has a less then stellar reputation for overcharging, along with crap workmanship and zero ethics, which is no surprise since they are a subsidiary of Best Buy, which is a sociopathic company in and of itself. Taking your computer or electronics to the Geek Squad is like taking your car's transmission to AAMCO. Best Buy's CEO also thought it was acceptable to host a fund raising dinner for CAIR, the Council on Arab Islamic Relations, which is a Muslim Brotherhood Front Group, as far as I am concerned their stores can burn to the ground and they can go bankrupt, they are not getting my money.
OlegKostoglatov
Agreed. Never liked that outfit. I feel they sell items that have known issues. In my community, they got voted "best electronics store". Sigh.
Well this is the same blissfully ignorant consumer electronic buying public that has been dumping perfectly good and working CRT television sets in favor of flat screens that die after 5 years, or thinks Ipods are a quality audio device and wants jacks installed in the rear aprons of antique radios so they can play them. They don't have a Best Buy here thankfully, but they have a similar outfit called Future Shop who's sales staff will try to sell you an extended warranty on a pair of $10 head phones, their service department is equally abysmal, although in different ways.
Go on, put some speakers on. Live dangerously!
I think you call it beyond economical repair ! as for the fuses at least they have some chance of blowing ! as I have seen sawn off six inch nails used as a Fuse. Good luck blowing one of those !
What is going on with those fuses?
That is how i sometimes used to put fuses. But i realize, that is a bad habbit, with serious consequences.
It's a miracle that the primary on the power transformer is not blown. Give this receiver to hobbyist to try to fix or use for parts (but, please, not to an idiot who would set his house on fire by using the wrong sized fuses).
This video brought back some memories.. when I worked in a tv shop years ago, we'd find fuses wrapped in tinfoil. DO NOT do that by the way!!
The moment I saw the strands of speaker wire used to jump the fuses, I facepalmed. Some people... lol
Clip the supply wires off the amp, replace the power supply fuse with a 3A, and tell them they have a tuner / preamp.
I had one of these it always crackeled when you touched the volume
I call that DETERRENCE PRICING.
did you have the pre out hooked to the main in?
Not on this one, good thought though.
The customer probably has no idea how close they came to burning down their own home each time they used this component after the fuses were replaced with dangerous ratings.
They did an EOL on it and didn't even realize it..
I'm working on this same unit for a friend and I'm trying to find the service manual for it.
I have put out this request a few places but have yet to get a response.
Do you by any chance have a copy I can buy from you, or know where I might find one?
I would really appreciate any help!
Check Howard W. Sams "MHF" (Modular Hi-Fi) series of service manuals. (This company still has a website.) While they don't make service literature anymore, the MHF manuals were produced around the time this receiver was new, and so it might be covered. Beyond that, try digging a bit deeper on the web. I know there are at least a few tech help websites out there. Definitely wouldn't want to have to tackle a unit that's obviously been abused like Shango's example has been without the lit. Good Luck.
Hey thanks for your reply. I very much appreciated the help and information. I did manage to find the service manual for the unit eventually.; The reason it was so impossible to find is that the model information on the unit is not complete. It is stamped on the back as Model No. 3233, however, the whole number is: Model No. MCS 683-3233-10. Once I discovered that, I was able to find a service manual quickly. --- ugh...
Thanks again for your help
where im from they wants aprox 125 us dollars for just looking at it... changing fuses and spray the pots.... also voltage measuring, this is before the actual fixing if they find something critical, what you say??? .... Norway !!!
smart not to mess with it ,, i have worked on them an gee they are like you say not easy not cheap ,,,
I just finished a recap on one of these, not a bad unit, it will compete with other better known stereos of that time... its just not very upgradeable being all aolid state.
end of the line
All that mass of electronics would all be replaced by a very small PCB today.
small and unrepairable
Blown fuse? Take a higher rated one. Blown again. Take a much higher rated one. And so on and so on. That's the way aha-aha I like it aha-aha! LOL!
@6:50 Dig that AM IBOC hash!
I would like to buy it, but your friend has to ship it to Austria
I don’t blame you for not getting involved. $200 is a bargain when you add parts and labor. Furthermore, doesn’t appear to be anything special except for, maybe, nostalgia reasons
In this day and age, you could probably replace the whole amp board with a class D module off eBay and it'd work better than it ever did
Good
Beautiful piece that has aged out. Not quite Marrantz, Onkyo, Pioneer, Yamaha quality therefore EOL.
GOD do I have it when people either bridge all together or use improperly rated fuses. I borrowed out a vintage late 1960s sansui receiver to a friend in the late 90s and he tin foiled the fuses including the still good power fuse. He fried my receiver. Would've punched him out but the teachers stopped me.
these were everywere for 50 bucks 10 years ago
for 200 she can get a used pioneer sx 450 or something
That's too bad ..cool tuner/amp
I think it would be a good project to get it up and running like new. But true on that not worth the time and money. Just get a new receiver for sure...
Time sponge.
using jumper wire for a fuse??? NO !!!
20 amp fuse was probally fitted because a fault kept blowing out the 3 amp fuse, and the 20 amp fuse... well whatever was knocking out 3 amps has done more damage now... $200+ ... sound advice to the owner is to scrap it, just buy a new amp... in the interest of safety too.
We had a Fisher CA276 at our shop. Beware of these. You think you've got it fixed and ---oh oh.
EOL time!
hell instead of the wire go all the with foil
$200.00 That's a great price if not EOL
I have the same MCS and I can tell that it has nice layout but the Output transistor are 2n3055 are junk. they make pretty power supply they are junk for a store.
I would call this one a candidate for power amplifier replacement using amplifier modules from china via eBay or BangGood "mind you they cost around 30 bucks each or a decent stereo one for under a $100 but they or it should fit in once the old Power amplifier stage is removed, and what with the plus and minus 33 volts they or it should provide about the Original Output from the receivers power supply for at least three years, could be 5 years if the replacement modules I conducted 3 years ago don't cark it within the next 24 months..
like the eagles its already gone. :-D
its eal
0:57 Bwah haa haa haa haa