Realistic STA 2000 Receiver Repair

Repair of a very nice STA-2000 Receiver

[@christopherhamm1574]

I was a repair tech for Tandy from 1987-1995. I rebuilt many of these beauties. Most of these amp failures were due to intermittent bias pots. Once up and running again these were amazing performers. Thanks for posting, it brought back many fond memories

[@greggoodfellow5928]

I rescued a Realistic STA-2100 literally before it went into a dumpster. It doesn't seem to power up. Sending this thing anywhere would break the bank. Hopefully at least one local tech can look at it and see if it can be saved-availability of parts must be extremely difficult, if not impossible.

[@joostderidder]

@@greggoodfellow5928 Better late than never ... About ALL the parts used in that receiver are commonly available or can be replaced by more "modern" instances. The "difficult" parts are potentiometers with loudness-tap, the varco for tuning and coils. Check the fuses before plugging in. Always replace fuses with the same value! VERY IMPORTANT! Check for DC on the speaker output or on the relay BEFORE connecting any speaker. You can check if the tuner-part is still working by plugging some spare-amp into the "tape-out" -plugs. (any kind of old PC-speaker with build-in amp will do the job)

[@lostigresdelnorte]

I've been watching your videos for a while now and have learned a lot, and have repaired some receivers with success. Thank you for the time you take to make this videos and sharing your knowledge. I do have a question I have the Realistic 2100D which i was able to repair, when i got it it had shorted outputs, i recapped output, and power boards and installed new output transistors. After playing for about 1/2 hour at 1/2 of its capacity it gets hot to the touch. What temperature would be consider normal for this type of receivers? I did adjusted bias to specs.

[@HighPoint_Aud_Elec]

Hello Tony, can you show sometime your discharging process for these older, bigger receivers before working on them? I noticed you mentioned this before measuring the voltages at the caps.

[@animalcorvair]

i had the d model ..loved it sold it to a guy a work may buy it back they kick

[@scott-b.2161]

I remember having this big boy.

[@sirhands65]

No this one power button is different but this reciver looks just like the I had.

[@rogerwillams2814]

is it true this receiver was made by fostex audio ??? i miss radio shack a mans toy store lol !!!

[@TheShackGuy]

It was manufactured by Tandy Electronics. Foster Electric built some receivers for the Shack in this time period, but any model that was 75 wpc and higher was made by Tandy. Fostex is the driver and headphone division of Foster.

[@ronaldwilson1431]

I'm 64 and some of the best receivers I've ever owned came from radio shack.

[@mathewsutton1594]

A friend of mine had one of these in the UK in the early 1980's it sounded incredible, and I know it's a minor thing but I swear one firm twist of the tuning knob would have it travel smoothly the length of the display.

[@atoiler1389]

I have a few vintage receivers and just wanted to offer a comment that this Realistic unit stands up very well against all of its relatively power-equivalent contemporaries. The components and build are ridiculously similar to Pioneer, right down to the panel lighting being identical; Stanley 8 volt bulbs. If you are considering an STA-2000 or a 2100, there is zero reason to hesitate, make the purchase. Thanks for the video Tony!

[@tomtom8306]

I had a STA 2000, driving 4 Mach Ones.

[@briancooper4959]

I'll bet your neighbors loved you.

[@SDsailor7]

I just bought a Realistic sta 180 receiver unfortunately the right channel does not work, i hope i can fix it.

[@spikester]

My dad had this thing, it had an amazing tuner in there, just look at that tuning capacitor, for an "off brand" receiver it sure was a beauty.

[@train5974]

Believe the sta 2100 Dolby came out in 1980.

[@jordan390a]

The real issue with that adhesive glue is when the cap leaks electrolyte onto the glue....That's when that glue becomes conductive and corrosive from electrolytic action....

[@SLYMORS]

I HAVE A ,,, STA-2270 - STA-95 - STA-2100 - STA-2100D - STA-2300 - and others ALL REFURBISHED - with higher quality parts , So Powerful , Will make 200w and 300w Speakers blush .Bought them from a Stereo Tech and also a collector . I want to make a video of which sounds better ..her quality parts , So Powerful , Will make 200w and 300w Speakers blush .Bought them from a Stereo Tech and also a collector . I want to make a video of which sounds better .. Paid almost 4000.00 for the 2100-2100D-2300 in total with refurbishing . Love them ..Because of your video i got into this project , :)

[@mdzacharias]

I'm guessing you also cleaned the controls and speaker relay contacts off-camera as well...

[@Chuck-U-Farlie]

Tony, i know this is an old video, and maybe you already know about it at this point, but just to put it out there for others, GC electronics Radio TV solvent will dissolve that glue (and Sonybond) without ruining the silkscreening on the PC board. The stuff is nasty, but works wonderfully. I use the red straw from the WD40 can and just drip some on there and let it sit for a minute, adding more if needed. it will come right off with no scraping.

[@dalebrooks6816]

First time watching your channel, good video and I will return.

[@rosefreeman4030]

Do you have any mods to tame the bass and add some treble, the treble control has very little to add to the sound, the bass control at minimum just starts dealing with the boominess.

[@alexreeve]

Cool, really well explained & good job. Didnt know this f*in glue could be such a pain in the * ;) Greetings from Germany

[@timberwoof]

I have a Realistic SA-2001, a stereo amplifier with 60 watts per channel. The components of this receiver look familiar! In mine, one of the electrocataclysmic capacitors on the speaker relay board was bad. I replaced all of them and it worked fine. The biggest problem was dirty potentiometers and switches.

[@ronaldwilson1431]

Optimus was a good variant....I lost my home and left behind my Optimus subwoofer... That thing kicked ass!

[@Z4NL]

Nice video on this big Realistic receiver. When a customer tells you to replace whatever is necessary, make sure the drivers, finals and differential pairs are the same on both channels to avoid differences in output and sound.

[@2flyabove]

Great detective work on repairing this receiver... It actually looks very well built for a Radio Shack product... all things considered.

[@daydreamer6654]

I am learning alot. Going from knowing nothing about electronics to starting to see how things generally work. Thanks for taking the time to explain things.

[@danielrine3103]

Hi! I enjoy watching your videos, they are easy to follow and understand what you are doing, great job, keep up the good work....

[@donaldchapman8392]

Great video! Any idea where I can get the Service Manual for a Realistic STA-2000D?

[@drunkingsailor2359]

Do you take on work thru your channel?

[@johnjames378]

Always great to see your videos, I have my Original Yaesu FRG-7 Shortwave receiver here with me. You now have me thinking of recaping this guy. Which brand and series caps do you usually use? All the electrolytic caps are on the IF/ AF board, only 14 of them. I still have the original manual and schematic, they still look brand new.

[@alanmaier]

That was an excellent receiver back in the day - really shook up the audio world to see the Realistic brand on such a sweet sounding, all out solid performing receiver. Older Realistics were built by Hitachi, and just didn't have the sound quality these Foster units did. I bought a STA-2080 new (next generation after the STA-2000D) and regret ever letting it go. It replaced a Pioneer, and was a far better sounding receiver.

[@rollerbald]

Very well done video! Happy thanksgiving, 73, Bill.

[@briancooper4959]

I worked for Radio Shack back in '77--'78, and remember this receiver well. It was a slow seller, but nobody ever returned one. Just wondering though, these receivers were... what? $500 new fifty years ago? How much do you charge an hour for the kind of service we see in this video? I haven't priced caps and resistors in a long time, but components alone had to be $40-50.

[@TY-ob7fz]

Happy Thanksgiving Tony, and family a festive and joyous celebration. Thanks for the video, beats watching football ??? 🙃

[@russellhltn1396]

Are my eyes deceiving me, or is there more hiss in the "yellow" channel on the scope? There certainly seems to be more activity when there's not supposed to be any signal.

[@1959Berre]

Happy Thanksgiving! (Wish we had that holiday over here in Europe)

[@New-England-HiFi-Guy]

Just picked up one of these in excellent shape. It was well taken care of. Guy who owned it also repairs HiFi. Unfortunately for him he has had to downsize and thus this was up for grabs and picked it up for a steal considering. Anyways wow this thing is powerful. Hardly have it going higher than one watt and it’s crazy loud! It’s been upgraded with Banana plug posts in back too which is great.

[@2574mcu]

I have a sta-2300. It's a great receiver. I always thought Realistic receivers were underrated.

[@johnnyhawkins43]

I agree with you!!!!!

[@Monza62000]

i just got a sta 2000 today off ebay works like new but watt meter light is out it has a plate over it...is it hard to remove it??taking the two screw out did not move it ..love your work

[@Monza62000]

ok you have to take the face plate off to get to the screws on the plate ..not bad

[@bugdrvr]

Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks for putting out this fun video on the holiday.

[@dzee9481]

Tony where do you typically purchase your Caps for replacement. DO you only go to Digikey or Mouser or do you look at other electronics suppliers like allelectronics or parts-express?

[@judges69]

Another great repair to a old classic amp.

[@CanDoo321]

Love the smell of fresh videos.

[@kevinbeckenham3872]

Good documentary, why have't you connected some real speaker to turner amplifier because it would be nice to hear the amplifier after the repair.

[@solidstate90]

I've been anxiously waiting on another vintage receiver video "most excellent"

[@bilhep]

One thing only; When you used the output board pins for your 8-ohm load measurement, since the customer never does that, aren't you ignoring the cable between the board and the terminals in back? I'm sure you thought of that!

[@RODALCO2007]

Great video. very well explained.

[@THOMMGB]

Hi, I really enjoyed this video. I appreciate that you took the time to explain the little details that can make all the difference to someone who is starting out with a repair like this. Regards, Tom

[@tomb375]

Awesome video, thank you for explaining things. Great Job!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

[@maxst2]

Possible you have the routing for the tuning cord? I have a unit that had one break and would like to repair it since the unit was my dads whom has passed and we've had the thing longer than ive been around (34yrs).

[@ROROSMACHINE]

Just picked up one of these beauties, everything works except for the window lights, none work.. Do you know what is common for these to have no illumination at the frequency band window by chance??

[@ROROSMACHINE]

Ok opened it up , looks like the bulb sockets, all 4 of them must have vibrated there way out since 1980,lol!!

[@pjimmbojimmbo1990]

I bought a 2000D in july of 1981, it still works fine

[@kgsalvage6306]

I'm in the middle of a gluefest also. Seems all Realistic has this glue in.

[@teashea1]

intelligent and thoughtful and informative......

[@markanderson350]

Who knows. Maybe they kept doing that. I had a Hyundai computer once.

[@RFKFANTS67]

Does anyone know why my left balance cuts out? Lucky so far if I tap around or above the left watt meter it comes back and fires all 4 speakers. However if you shut the unit off? and turn it on later no left balance again? I would appreciate knowing what the issue is ? and cost to repair it? STA 2000 I like mine, I hope it can be fixed

[@umajunkcollector]

Sooo, who made it for RS? My guess, Pioneer, or Kenwood. Hmmm, that output turkey was suspicuous, but the yams and cranberry needed to be removed. The stuffing and gravy had to go. Good job on making the problems disappear. Hope you all had a festive TG. Don

[@markanderson350]

I think Foster, it says, aka Fostex. Some were hitachi as well.

[@googlesellsyourinfo]

Mark is Correct. Foster Electronics of Japan. Pretty much all RS receivers from the late 70s Early 80s.

[@markanderson350]

Another video on here said that and I confirmed it through research. Thanks! They sold fine electronics, maybe a Pioneer would be slightly better.

[@TheShackGuy]

@@markanderson350 Tandy Electronics made this and all of the monster receivers 75 wpc and up. Hitachi last made receivers for Radio Shack no later than 1974.

[@mdzacharias]

I have a STA-2000D and there is NO glue on that board underneath, nor on the amp boards, nor anywhere else. Go figure. Well, the function indicator lamps were glued into their sockets...

[@jimcastillo8950]

Hello Tony, where do you get your source of schematics?

[@joostderidder]

I repaired a STA2000 a few months ago. It had more or less the same problems PLUS ... the trimmers to set idling and center current were very bad. All 4 have been replaced. As I didn't have the original end-transistors, I just put the good old 3055 -2955 in it. Works more than OK for me.

[@mikewallace8087]

I owned my STA 2000 D new. A number of years ago all the illuminators went out . What is your thought please ?

[@joostderidder]

@@mikewallace8087 you are talking about the "bulbs" I suppose. So ... no "light" but receiver is working. Check if the voltage to the bulbs is still available. If "yes", replace bulbs OR replace them eventually with LED.

[@Kennynva]

I had a STA-2250 and loved it...it was the first digital display stereo from Radio Shack.. Early 80's

[@TheShackGuy]

The first "digital display" receiver from Radio Shack would be the STA-240, which was analog with a digital display, from 1980. Next would be the STA-2200, an all digital receiver, also from 1980. The STA-2250 was next in 1981.

[@tracyrainwater4263]

Great video. I have this same receiver that my parent's bought back in the early 80's. It has occasional noise, not related to dirty potentiometers in the right channel. It doesn't happen often, but it's more of a brief distorted screech. I haven't powered it on much since it did that. I'm wondering, is it necessary to go through the rebiasing of the amp modules after replacing caps... I'm not sure I totally understand the process.

[@jeffreyhaynes5774]

You have noisy transistors,you have to find in what circuit to problem is coming from,get a good scope and get started.

[@animalcorvair]

i had one it was so nice

[@RobertKohut]

Nice!!

[@MrTopsoil911]

Great repair job. Precise and neatly completed

[@kennynvake4hve584]

I use to have a STA-2500 receiver, and it was the first digital receiver that radio shack sold.

[@TheShackGuy]

Nope. That would be the STA-2200 from 1980, long before the 2500.

[@saarike]

Nice repair... thanks.

[@victorskunk1]

very nicely done..... thanks

[@mtracy7055]

I was looking at a used Realistic STA-95 receiver and it got me curious enough to look on KZbin for other related Realistic videos. Where did you learn so much about stereo receivers? It's amazing. You know a lot. Congratulations.

[@Dixler683]

Regarding the Realistic 2100D model , in todays dollars 4/4/22 at which point would you say the repair cost exceeds the value of the unit. Thank you.

[@nikoladivic2786]

Very nice job.Thank you !!!

[@mlbabineaux]

Honda resistors...lol

[@benlopez4788]

Hi Tony. I have a sta-2100 and the service manual also states to use 8ohm load for setting bias. I dont have a dummy load and wondering if theres anything else I can use or do? Thanks Tony

[@robinj.9329]

Are there any decent "Receivers" still on the market? If so, I'm not seeing them. Maybe you can do a review of equipment that is currently available?

[@geoepi321975]

What camera you use

[@oldcars5547720]

My receiver is the (D) variant of the version that is discussed. I have it connected to a pair of Klipsch Herseys and a pair of Realistic three-ways. It has a tendency to shut down at high volume. Shut the power off and turn it back on and it kicks back on. I have often thought it would be a failure of the output transistors although I have no idea. If you have an idea of what is wrong with it, please respond.

[@coreyfellows9420]

Can I send you a pioneer SC-8500 for a repair? I'll pay the shipping to you and back. Please let me know.

[@Xanadu1510AE]

Intriguing and interesting as always! God bless Tony! Keep em coming 🍻

[@shannonpattenthetexasbb]

The only thing you got to be really careful when you purchase the stereos off of eBay because you don't know if you're going to get screwed it happened to me I was wanting a big receiver like this I passed on getting one and I stuck with what I got

[@Hefty54]

What I hate about these video's is they all tell you how to fix your stereo but most of us don't have all the tools to do so. And most of us watching are looking for someone to fix our stereo either because the lack of electrical service or tools to DYI. I bought a SX1250 when I was 18 now I'm 70 and I would like to get repaired but my town is small and has no one to repair it for me. As a non repairman my stereo plays on the left channel and not on the right one. To a repair man it seem like a simple fix. But to us non repair people its like fixing the space shuttle, Not gonna happen. So do I try and mess it up myself or do I wrap it up and store it. Its not for sale at any price as its a piece of my childhood. It leaves when I leave this world. Or do I buy and ugly brand new stereo? What's your take on what to do. Oh to ship it across the country and back it out of range if you have an Idea what a Pioneer SX1250 weighs.

[@Z4NL]

SX-1250 is a wonderful and high valued receiver worthy of a full service done by a professional and I would say go for it. It was produced from 1976 to 1978.

[@davesusek3330]

Hi Tony I see it has been some time since you did this video it is a great one. I would sure like to send you another STA-2000 all expenses on me of course. I just purchased it and would like it repaired right, the "seller stated does not work". I have not plugged it I did open it up and found 3 power resisters on the left on your video 4:18 have been overheated. It has a broken AM antenna but over all in fair and restore able condition from what I see. I do want to add it to my collection please let me know how I can get in contact with you I have more details. Thank you for all your work.

[@jeffm2787]

Pretty sure the glue is to keep them from snapping off from mechanical vibrations. Maybe a bit of both.

[@larryshaver3568]

what kind of diode is that you're going to replace, i'd like to replace the output transistors in my Astro Sonic but think i could do better on price.Any suggestions?

[@sirhands65]

I had this one.

[@shannonpattenthetexasbb]

Back when I was a kid I just knew one or two people that own those Kind of stereos I didn't know very many people that own them most of the people I know owned Sears and Roebuck stereos all built together and one

[@johnsimms3957]

What might have caused the transistor to go bad?

[@alexreeve]

Yeah its indeed a kinda odd failure mode..

[@rosalvosilva4531]

O meu sonho e ganhar um aparelho desta, sou apaixonado por esse aparelho deste não tenho condições de comprar, obrigado por lê está mensagem.

[@daredeviltm159]

My reciever dont have power realistic 2100 is there any prob to fix first? Thank u

[@hagbard72]

That is one Quality transformer.

[@mjg263]

Yep, you can tell it’s quality because it says so in big letters. Surprised they didn’t add an exclamation point like they did in their catalog descriptions.

[@ronwade2206]

Which filter cap is bad? All of them

[@terencekaye9948]

What out put Transistors did you end up using? Great job! :)

[@riceburner32]

I have one that looses a channel, sometimes by flipping one of the switches the dead channel will come back on until it goes out, no rhyme or reason. I would really like to get it fixed. Bought the unit new back in 77

[@joostderidder]

check the relay-contacts

[@originalsoundjunky]

I have the STA-2000D; I found your video from a google search. I was wondering if you had a source to get replacement backlight bulb sockets; I can find online resellers selling replacement bulbs, but not the sockets Mine are (as I recall) are grey, and have become brittle. IF I saw correctly the one time your camera panned past these sockets, this receiver had white plugs. This was a great video by the way.

[@ajstewart3055]

Try touching base with Dave over at www.dgwojo.com. He has been fantastic in helping me with the bulbs on my 2000D back at the start of the year. He sells mostly bulbs, but if he doesn't have sockets as well, he probably would know what direction to point you in.

[@jimcastillo8950]

Hello, where do you get your source of capacitors?

[@randyboen6016]

partsexpress.com

[@randyboen6016]

partsexpress.com

[@kajzerek90]

Do you have schematic realistic sta 740?

[@timfortmann7583]

Great video very helpful thank you

[@alexcortes9420]

I just bought an sta-110 and it is in need of some test and repairs. Can anyone refer me a good tech in the LA area? Thanks all

[@bilhep]

If you have a LOT of money to spend, check with Patrick Kahl, in Covina.

[@ronshaw80]

Honda resistors? Is that the same Honda?

[@markanderson350]

Probably. You know, many of the Japanese had to start over after WW2. Many made components at first that did not need a ton of R&D. I think Sansui was light bulbs way back. Once you made profits, you rolled it into radios etc. Toyota was originally sewing machines, is another example.

[@ronshaw80]

Maybe, but this receiver was made long after WWII, so unless Honda was still in the component business (which they may well have been)...I have just never seen Honda resistors before.

[@teresitamontebon5342]

Hi Tony, I have a realistic STA-2000D the wire of the stereo lamp is cut off but I don’t know to connect that so I need a schematic diagram of that ,where I can get the schematic for this receiver?thank you

[@xraytonyb]

Check out hifiengine.com. You should be able to download the service manual there.

[@teresitamontebon5342]

Thank you so much Tony for your help.God Bless

[@randymurphy]

How much should a repair like that cost? Anybody?

[@eddevito3282]

My tech on east coast charges $60/hour labor (plus parts). I think his rate is pretty low for the area. Most vintage stuff needs to be pretty high end or obtained for very little to justify extensive work from a cost perspective.

[@bilhep]

@@eddevito3282 I think the cost is not the only factor! Check Graveyard Carz TV series, on Motor Trend Channel. Old Challengers and Chargers getting up-to a $half-million in cost!