Dynatron HFC205 Stereogram Repair

Mark repairs a high end 1970's Stereogram. It only needed a fuse and a new belt! If only the diagnosis was that easy...

[@biggles50405]

"Took longer than Philip Schofield to come out", that hasn't travelled well😅🤣 Great vid, starting to really enjoy your insights into old tech I've grown up with.

[@andymouse]

Not getting any better now either :)

[@robertmellor5808]

I used to work at Dynatron, back in the 70s,making these units. Happy days!

[@maryahmed4899]

Watching from Southern California! I’m a retired TV/Radio Broadcast tech lady who started out in the mid 70’s

[@bobrose7900]

My mum worked for Garrard turntables back in the 60s... they made some good kit in their day, the 401 was a beast. Lovely woodwork and nostalgia. Good job, well done and well done to the owner for cherishing this piece of antiquity.

[@michaelhutchinson414]

I was the production manager at Dynatron when we made these. The production was initially in Maidenhead. It then moved to Kings Lynn and Fakenham in Norfolk. They thought the labour force would be cheaper there. They didnt make the cabinets. They were subcontracted from various furniture makers. Dynatron did not make the cassette unit. These were brought in from Philips in Holland. Not all they were cracked up to be. The Royal Warrant was the selling feature. Eventually the firm folded through poor sales and the parent company Philips shut the brand down.

[@PrinceWesterburg]

My uncle has one of those to this day and I remember hearing it in the early 70s and loving the deep bass. About 10 years ago I was over there and asked him to put it on and it sounded terrible! I asked if it was faulty and he said no. Then I remembered that I'd worked for Audio Note for 10 years and every system in my house is Class-A valve gear, so I smiled and said "Tricks of the mind!"

[@Shrebina-kq4cs]

Your ears are well-trained now. Also we always remember past things more positively than they really were. So when you revisit them later.... you are met with disappointment. But having worked at AN, I'm sure you could tweak it to sound MUCH better !

[@hydorah]

Dynatron stuff does sound good particularly certain speaker models and the valve amplified kit. All equipped with proper British Mullards. If it sounds bad he's probably got some dodgy caps and just got used it, it's aged along with him. Fix it for him!

[@markb4071]

back in the 70s. my dad had a Fidelity UA5 music centre and we listened to the radio before leaving for school etc I managed to track two down with the intention of making one good one - then covid hit etc. Watching these you've inspired me to have another try, taking LOTS of pictures along the way so I know how they go back together

[@patrickjmorgan]

I used to sell those when I worked in the CoOp!

[@brianmccusker3852]

Glad to see you have provided a home for a cat. Lots of toys, but please keep him/her safe from shocks. Cheers

[@pete3897]

10:35 - BWAHAHAHAHA! That almost slipped past me that one. Love it Mark, and have loved spending my evenings with ya recently :)

[@robburbrink8277]

I'm moving to England and you're going to teach me all your secrets Mark, happy days!

[@mirbasharkhan5979]

I can say you are the Masaya of electrons, you have miraclus hands,I really enjoy the way you fix the problems❤

[@Raptor50aus]

What a very nice set. I do like the cassette mech too. I think Alfie is very cute too.

[@patrickjmorgan]

Never mind the leaky caps or the bias offset. What’s the cats name? We like to see a Kitty in the workshop!

[@nezbrun872]

"This took longer to come out than Phillip Schofield": belly laugh of the day fulfilled!

[@bobbuilder3687]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Plons0Nard]

Just watched for a second time 😊 Just for the joy of it.

[@stuartcotterrell5493]

Coming from Hereford I'm loving the Wye Valley Brewery pint glass :)

[@waynegriffiths5143]

Hi Stuart, I’m from Hereford also👍

[@P5ychoFox]

@@waynegriffiths5143 Me too. This can be the official Herefordian corner of the comment section.

[@CoockieClassiCKeks]

I still remember those old tapemechanism, easy to repair but not all were playing tapes well (-: Love your work!

[@insideleft3584]

it's so weird how aesthetics change from generation to generation. I assume this was seen as the epitome of refinement but i see the case and my knee-jerk reaction is "great aunts sideboard" or something lol and I can't believe anyone would hide that, imo, extremely smart looking tuner unit. Great work as always.

[@smousesmouse2626]

there was a lot of early tape Dec mechs that did not latch on the FF button. Great vid thanks.

[@briangibson8009]

Here in Liverpool UK there was a store that was a dealer for Dynatron, they were in a class of their own, beautiful cabinets . You had to be well off to own a Dynatron in the 1970's

[@kaktusadas622]

Hello, I love watching repair videos, I admire your knowledge, you have great videos, I've probably watched all of them, I'm looking forward to the new ones, best regards. 👌👌👌💪💪💪.

[@flashchrome]

Whilst, with a finger or two, petting the studio cat, holding an almost anchient tape deck just loosened from the stereo unit stood on its side, he coined the phrase; 'This took longer to come out than Phillip Schofield'

[@gizfpv]

I've got absolutely no interest in audio equipment whatsoever, so I don't know why your video was suggested to me. But I actually found it really interesting. Watched a few of your videos now. It's good stuff :)

[@kegandpaul6077]

The Company I worked for assembled the radio part of these Dynatrons under sub contract to PYE/DYNATRON, My job was tuning alignment and final test.

[@Taketimeout3]

The dynatrons were very good. I have about twenty of them, all with goldring lencos turntables. I bought them to pillage the Lencos but they are too nice to break! The amplifiers 24, 25 and 26 were a bit underpowered but the type (31?) you are working on are much more powerful. And the modular construction makes access very easy. Clunky, but well laid out for servicing. I love them .

[@ncooper8438]

Just the one easy to replace drive belt and a proper capstan flywheel, brilliant, you won't get that nowadays.

[@kendom33]

Oh. I like that machine. Quality :)

[@annierenard5954]

excellent video, thank you

[@outfield1988]

Beautiful piece.

[@clydesight]

Many early cassette recorders had non-latching fast forward buttons. SANYO units mostly.

[@followthetrawler]

brilliant Pip reference :)

[@codebeat4192]

When you lubricate the capstan shaft, remember that you clean the capstan on the frontside before testing or popping in a tape.

[@hw4527]

Thank you for posting 👍👍

[@edwincancelii2917]

Cute cat.

[@MendItMark]

Absolutley! Alfie is the BOSS!

[@mikemmikem2758]

Very cool design.

[@kjm-ch7jc]

These used to be manufactured in Kings Lynn, sadly long gone.Why the sarcastic comment about Phillip Schofield , loved watching your repairs don't think I will anymore.

[@jameslaidler2152]

"In this world we're just beginning, to understand the miracle of living! Baby i was agraid before, I'm not afraid anymore!"

[@stuartlee8041]

Out of Kings Lynn factory in the 70's, I worked on them, my mother owned A similar model without a tape Deck, which worked perfectly, she sent it to the local auction house in 2004, and received £6.00 for it....

[@ssgeek4515]

Phillip Schofield ref was excellent sir😂

[@sturm7130]

In a comment someone asked about use of silicone or petroleum based lubricants. DO NOT use Silicone based lubricants near electrical equipment. Silicone lubricant is Silicon (Si) based and electrical arcing turns it into glass (SiO2), an insulator. Not good for switches, relays or potentiometers. Silicone lubricant vapour entering these is enough to cause a problem. If you don't believe me, refer to Subaru's recent global brake light switch inoperative recall.

[@ianshepherd7507]

Took longer to come out than Phillip Schofield 😂😂😂

[@gord8382]

Love that set, god bless the king now i guess.

[@stephenlewis9159]

My Dad's Dynatron / Garrard turntable had issues with the pots going very scratchy. I didn't see you check the volume knob so I assume it worked ok and wasn't reported. That old system sounded better than budget to mid-range HIFI systems 20 years later. I'm gutted he chucked it out at the dump.

[@Happyland_Motel_Gamer_Cat]

I LOL when you said 'Posh'!

[@markthompson9582]

Impressed the cat knows all about Philip Schofield.

[@hahanah1463]

took longer to come out than Philip Schofield 😆😅😆🤣 subscribed JUST for the joke Alone

[@marcse7en]

You find homophobia funny? As a gay man myself, I would suggest Mark's comment has undertones of said homophobia? And shame on you for finding it so hilarious! Would YOU like the piss ripping out of you??? ... How would Mark like it if I said the Stereogram weighs about as much as he does? And that's NOT even being particularly hateful! (Due to an infestation of hate-filled trolls, and the toxic nature of social media, I no longer monitor or revisit any comments I may make!)

[@TT-wz6xy]

@@marcse7en oh behave ya big touchy poof

[@Zardox-The-Heretic-Slayer]

@@marcse7en where was the homophobia?

[@markr9069]

@@marcse7en that's not what homophobia is

[@nezbrun872]

@@marcse7en Can you explain why you think it's "homophobic" as you claim? Why would you think that the person delivering the line might not be gay themselves?

[@TheManLab7]

Going back to the tape deck. I would of stuck a notch in it myself. As it just makes things so much easier and like any other tape deck. But OBVIOUSLY you would of spoken to the customer first, before you started modifying it. 0:13 Is that a Record No25 by any chance? And does it have a quick release? Having a quick release on THAT size of a vice is sooooo handy, but if yours hasn't. Then just imagine how many times, over the countless years, you've had to finger your vice just to open it up enough, to stick a large part inside. But there are times when you didn't finger it enough on the first go, so the part won't fit. So THEN you have to finger it just a tiny bit more, to get the large part inside. The bigger the part, your never quite sure IF you've fingered it open enough to get it in on the last try.

[@wholiddleolme476]

I've seen that before with FF, where it's just a cueing mechanism rather than a full locking FF.

[@dek123]

You can see why the British hifi industry went to the wall apart from the really high end equipment. Virtually every component in this music centre was made from metal, in imports it’s always manufactured from plastic.

[@paradisemusicrecording]

👍👍

[@jmgraydz]

I think the fast forward is tied to the play button so you press both and it fast forwards for long fast forward or you can just tap fastforward for little jumps

[@michaelbrind9222]

Hi, dont suppose you have a radio signal meter for a Dynatron SRX 26 ? think it was fitted to a few other models aswell , regards Mike

[@gdj6298]

The received wisdom used to be that the most expensive component on the board will sacrifice itself to protect a 3p fuse - got lucky this time !

[@MichaelCowden]

Mark, are there any problems that can be caused by machine oil degrading plastic or rubber parts? I ask because I have been wondering whether I should use silicone instead of petroleum based lubricants on such mechanisms. Great repair, though I’m still wondering what popped the fuse.

[@Lyndalewinder]

Can't give you an absolute answer Michael but I can tell you that you should not use petroleum products on plumbing plastics and rubbers at all as it degrades them - safest is to use silicone.

[@MichaelCowden]

@@Lyndalewinder thank you very much for the response!

[@grave8digger8]

I Love this old 70ties Things. In Germany wie have Wega, rosita, Grundig and other compact Systems :) Old system with a toroidal transformer

[@SubTroppo]

Given that one should hide that nasty new technology, Imagine the man who came home with the first candle and lit it up. It would have been, "Yes dear, but you'll have to make a wattle and daub shield for it as it is so blindingly bright and so that it fits in with the décor"

[@jhareng]

Newer one than me moms which didnt have the cassette but did have the speakers facing the front at both sides. Would Abbot work than IPA?

[@MendItMark]

Greene King’s IPA is designed to clean your insides out, and not cassette mechanisms. Abbot Ale will make you subscribe to my channel. 😆

[@jhareng]

@@MendItMark Already have done Mark, fascinating stuff watched every video till 3.30am this morning.

[@Hr.0ldenberg]

Hello, best regards from Nothern Germany, the Home of Becks Beer🙋 Please Show more CatVid...😊 Nette Grüße aus dem Oldenberger Land 👍

[@BulletmanDoom]

I wish all tape deck belts were that easy to change

[@mistermac56]

I was pleasantly surprised that the unit has a toroidal transformer.

[@bexleydragon5294]

The screw came out way before Philip Scofield 😮

[@chrismurphy8383]

Hi - great channel - just wondered what a job like this would cost someone

[@paulperry7091]

Doing this job would likely cost most people their sanity. Don't know what the customers would pay.

[@LondonPianoman]

surprised you didn't mention cleaning the heads.. and the capstan roller.. gunk on these cause the tape to stick to them and the wind round and round and a pain to get out

[@stepheng8779]

Early cassette decks didn't have a latching FF, only RW.

[@cwitechnical]

choice vinyl to test too! love a bit of sky!

[@maiconvengrzennunesbusolog4864]

😃👏👏

[@ovalwingnut]

"We have a smug face on Mark, now".... I wish I could use that line but my name isn't Mark. Just saying. Thank you for the video.

[@tim0steele]

Did you get the stereo LED working?

[@КонстантинЛазарук]

Cat🐱👍!

[@kendom33]

I did repair one of these back in the day It wasnt as nice as this one though. Were these not Philips or mullard amplifiers?

[@michaelhutchinson414]

The cassette player was from Philips. Most of the electronics was produced by Dynatron but the radio included a modular Mullard tuner which was very cheap.

[@PeasGraveny]

Nice 1

[@bobsbits5357]

is it some older one who you fixed it for i bet i had a mate who picked one up from car boot sale

[@paulanderson7796]

There's a lot of industrial ambient noise here. What's happening?

[@ianrayner8367]

Hi where are you based , I have a dynatron to service etc

[@aliemlek]

👍👌👍👌

[@allanredford6070]

mice to see uk qualitx product with midular design, faciliraring etter sericeability. afairly hardx jao tape deck chosen, too., plated metal components

[@SteveGunnfl]

Thank you for sharing what you do. We didn't see you cleaning the record playback switches on the tape deck PCB or cleaning the capstan and pinch roller, I wonder if you do that as a matter of course. Have to say I'm really surprised you leave old electrolytics in even if they test out okay for me that's just asking for trouble.

[@uttameletronicslab]

Hou meet you sir

[@bobsbits5357]

hi you got to be very well to do to have one like this my in laws may be HA HA

[@harshrahelu]

This is not fair sir you are seen older videos

[@1968madmike]

What's your Kittie"s name??

[@MendItMark]

Alfie

[@michaeldibb]

10:37 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@johnresurreccion1423]

phil collins repairing

[@derekblake9385]

I hate electronics even though I work at a hifi company, but these videos are so interesting Mark.

[@kramsniggah4333]

Hahahahahahaha - Took longer to come out than SP!!!!!

[@nowheremanjk8624]

Coffin

[@1chrisandangie]

Sky seen them in concert years ago.

[@blackimp4987]

your cat is beautiful and cute :)