1980s Hitachi boom box restoration - TRK-3D80

[@andythomson5309]

Perfect look forward to watching just bought one and need to do exactly the same 😊

[@alexkay1874]

Fun restomod . I have had success removing the grills by flooding the glue joint with isopropyl alcohol in one of those needle spout squeezy bottles. if the grill is sonic welded in place you out of luck .

[@FordForTheWin]

i had that exact model growing up late eighties early nineties. used to gobble batteries so i wired up two 6 volt lantern batteries. beast of a thing.

[@YOtuamigoelpuma]

putting it back together is a very important part of the process , shouldn't have skipped that , I think

[@PanasonicCobra]

Nice one 👍👍👍👍

[@R2AUK]

Hi. Came here from the EEVblog channel. Thanks for the video ❤ I suggest skipping the recording of vacuum cleaning next time ;)

[@ANTandTEC]

Agreed!😀- I actually thought I'd time lapsed it like I did some other parts - guess it got away with it and stayed in it's glorious full version! Who doesn't enjoy watching 6 minutes of vacuuming 🤣

[@andrew1479]

Hi, I have just restored one of these units and cleaned it but kept some of the patina as its part of the charm. The op amp chip upgrade is really interesting and also your technique for re-spraying speakers (what paint do you use? brand/type?). I had problems with the cassette doors on mine. The small rear tabs wear and snap but I managed to replace these using the superglue + baking soda method. It was fairly simple to fit a blue-tooth module into one of these which makes the unit very practical in a modern sense. The sound of this unit is lovely but I have also been looking into retromoding the speakers using in-car two way dual cones for the outside speakers and small sub speakers in the centre.

[@ANTandTEC]

The paint is just what I have to hand most works just fine on paper. The one is used in this video is automotive (Halfords UK) matt black paint. The OpAmp makes a big improvement to the sound. I have another 3D80 I am working on with more mods 😁Watch this space.

[@catleaderk]

Nice work!!

[@northhankspin]

good video.

[@andythomson5309]

What a great job done , I’m gonna try it with the one I have bought but I think I will get stuck on the recapping of the board is that hard to do . Andy

[@wysiwyg2006]

Trying to restore a 3D50e, how does the top cover come off. Thanks

[@enigmavita5435]

what kind of spray did you put on the speakers, the black one? thanks

[@MarkBathard]

Hi There, I am also trying to renovate one of these and I believe it has a total of 6 belts. Is there a belt kit with 6 belts that are available for this?

[@polerix]

I traded a 1978 Honda Civic + $400 for one of these in fall 1992. Hopefully I can restore it for another 30 years.

[@mikenicholas4364]

I'm currently refurbishing mine at the moment! I have replaced the speakers as they were always the let down of this model. I have managed to purchase some belts for the tape deck, 2 of the belts were the correct size, but the other two are too large. the belts i am looking for are the ones where your ones were missing. might you know where I can order the correct belts from? I also require a replacement audio control board, the tracks in the sliders have worn out over the time and usage.

[@ANTandTEC]

I am pretty sure the belts on the TRK-3D88E are the same so you can use these from DeckTech www.ebay.co.uk/itm/226010811035 I used ones from my tub of assorted belts that I have.

[@branhicks]

I use a bottle of black calligraphy Ink to dye the speakers back to black. The paper gobbles it right up

[@kevinh96]

I have a very similar looking machine from Ferguson I've yet to tackle. Like this unit the Ferguson has twin tape decks, a 4 band radio and external line inputs but the Ferguson has metal tape recording and playback capabilities. My intention is to restore it and then mod it so that it has Bluetooth, I'd like some way to keep it stock looking without needing new switches added, so I am going to see if there is some way to mod the radio band selector to switch on and switch to Bluetooth when I select Short Wave 1. I'd prefer being able to do it that way rather than have some horribly out of place looking new switch added.

[@ANTandTEC]

Using the line input seems the logical choice unless you still want that free for something else? What model of Ferguson is it out of interest?

[@Electrotat]

Hycote satin black you should be using, gives a factory finish every time if you know how to spray.

[@josevaldogomesdasilva3593]

Opa amigo..esse aparelho está a venda? estou a procura de um desse!

[@ANTandTEC]

Sorry I no longer have this.

[@john-pu5uy]

Hello sir do you do repairs ? ive got the cd version which needs some TLC... thanks

[@ANTandTEC]

No not really (I do some for family & friends) What's the problem with yours?

[@andythomson5309]

Hi there hope you don’t mind me asking but I’m going to try and restore after watching your video , when I power up my unit the volume is very low on radio even at the highest volume only coming out of the far left speaker but if I press either the 3d button or the surround better it gets a little better also coming out of the other speakers but still not loud, the cassette decks just need some new belts which isn’t a problem. The line in doesn’t have any sound. What would be your advice 😊do u think it’s worth tinkering with or is it going to be a waste of time . Thanks in advance Andy. Would it be the op amp or the main amp that has failed due too the poor volume

[@ANTandTEC]

I would try cleaning all of the switches and sliders first with some decent contact cleaner. Especially as different sources produce different results. The sources need to route through the selector switches and volume / equalizer sliders before the signal reaches the power amp. Ideally you want to test the audio signal path through the circuit to see what the levels are at the various stages. Line-In is a good place to start as you know you are starting with a known good signal. Old capacitors could certainly be a cause, and affect signal levels as it passes through faulty capacitors. It's certainly worth a go as the circuit is not complicated. Download the service manual to help you 👍

[@andythomson5309]

@@ANTandTEC hi thanks for your quick reply and yes I have sprayed all the switches and sliders but it made no difference.i did try the line in but like I said it has no sound, none of the capacitors look blow like you mentioned in your video, guess I could replace the belts and see if I get any sound from either of the cassette decks. Checking the audio signal paths through the circuit 🤔would that be checking the ohms across the capacitors 🤷I’m afraid I’m a bit lost there , but I will try and find a service manual . Thanks again any more information would much appreciated Andy.

[@branhicks]

I have the exact problem. I haven't had a chance to troubleshoot yet but I'm suspecting a shorted capacitor or bad Amp ic

[@northhankspin]

one thing is the way you said rightly. its an awkward word and id rather not here it. also the sped up tear down audio sounds horrendous. I realise those sounds "satisfy" your "gifted" audience but they need not be accommodated. On your next video make those two improvements.

[@stiffe68]

Hello! I have the same unit , i think the equlizer is very weak. Is there a more strong chip / equlizer that you put in ? What will happend if i do so ? Whant more base output from it. Thanks ! Nice breakfast video and relaxing vacuum cleaning ;)

[@ANTandTEC]

The equalizer is made up of discrete components, capacitors and resistors (they are all contained on the equalizer board). If your equalizer is not adjusting the frequencies as much as you expect, then it's quite possible the electrolytic capacitors on that board need replacing. Similarly, the larger capacitors on the power supply / power amplifier board can affect bass response. This is because more power is required for bass and there are power reservoir capacitors which are there to provide a source of power when needed. If your LEDs dim on the loud bass notes, this is an indication that these caps need replacing.