Realistic STA-2100D MONSTER Receiver - Repairs (Ep. 159)

[@johnstreet797]

I worked at Radio Shack when the STA2200 came out. A guy had just gotten a big tax refund and wanted a top of the line system. I sold him the 2200, a set of Mach 1 speakers and a bunch of other stuff. As we were talking I asked him if he had kids. He had two sons, ages 15 and 17. I grabbed a couple of in line fuse holders and some 5 amp fuses, and told him to put them in the speaker lines. Sure enough he came in a few weeks later and told me while he was out the kids had cranked it up and blown the system. We laughed, he bought some more fuses, and the kids were never to touch his system again.

[@2packs4sure]

Man when I was 15-16 years old I remember looking at that Radio Shack catalog and drooling over those !! No way could I have ever afforded it back then.. In fact my 1st car that I got in 1981 was only a $150 more than that receiver..... lol

[@SteveMasonCanada]

Wow, great job. You really went into detail. Disassembling the wafer switch was over the top. I'd have sprayed it, manipulated it a few times, and called it done.

[@agostinodibella9939]

Wow, a very well done detailed video. I have this receiver which I bought new in Feb ‘81. It sat for many years without much use. It still works, sometimes you have to work the controls a little to get the scratchy noise out of it. Years ago the power switch was starting to arc. I looked inside and found a double pole single throw switch with only one set of contacts used. I added the second set of contacts and it improved. I eventually wired in a relay to switch the AC and used the switch to control it .

[@unknownerror542]

Interesting on your comment about there should only be one ground, and for those that don't understand that comment: First hand experience, famous airplane manufacturer, the electricians don't want to follow that concept - they believe ground is ground, they tie to chassis, it's ground. While it MAY be ground, what people fail to realize is that all ground is not equal. Whenever you have current running across distances of varying length, you'll induce varying voltages - so now your ground MAY be ground, but you have a different reference of ground voltage! Bonding all of your ground reference to a single point of reference will mean that all references of ground are then equal.

[@Poppinwheeeeellllllieeeeez]

Nice job Trevor. Always a Great video. Love seeing the testing at the end.

[@christopherwest5840]

Great work as usual. The switch disassembly and the fix for the broken copper traces were great to watch.

[@craigm.9070]

Really enjoyed this Realistic refurb, the owner will be happy I'm sure. Troubleshooting this beast consumed some time I bet, there seemed to be a lot of little things that added up to problems in several places. The end result though is a great receiver ready for another lease on life. You are right that monsters like this are very few and far between nowadays. Thanks for your time!

[@TrevorsBench]

Thanks for your continued support Craig. It was a pleasure to work on this one, I learned a few things about Realistic gear and was pleased with the outcome

[@zx8401ztv]

Smashing repair Trevor, You go to so much trouble to get the best out of that beast. I've always liked realistic products, decent and often have a positive bass bias. You remind me of xraytonyb, He goes to so much trouble to make it spot on :-D I hope he isn't your enemy lol.

[@excentor]

I prefer old-school mica for output transistors. Thanks a lot for your videos, i really enjoy them a lot!! it's a sort of new age/asmr fo rme =) i watch them when I am going to sleep from bed. Love your work, keep always working like that! thank you again.

[@fontasgenave7066]

I am watching your videos with great appreciation. Really like how you bring the life back into these epic machines. Keep up the great work and these videos coming ❤️‍🔥

[@chrisdado]

I remember seeing these in the Tandy catalogue circa 80/81, and the hefty price tag that accompanied them. Here in the UK they didn't sell well, the consumer hi-fi market had already shifted to separates and receivers were perceived as old tech. Realistic had also gained a reputation for poor production quality (not just their hi-fi products). A few years later you could walk into a Tandy store and haggle for one of these at a large discount. In the years that followed the Realistic brand faded into obscurity.

[@AlexanderLecard9167]

Why I like this guy he's though and knows what he's talking about and I watch lot of this media from xtony,to Carson's bench.this guy is awesome.

[@fireantsarestrange]

I honestly never heard any person spoke kindly of "Radio Suck". Sorry.. "Realistic". As far as your ability to repair this stuff.. your the man. Good work.

[@animalcorvair]

they had a lot of good stuff i had a 2100d an it had the looks an power ,,i sold it now i have a 2000 ..not for sale

[@RadioAirchecks]

I think the "FM 25 microsecond" switch is one and the same as the "FM Dolby" switch on the 2100D. I have the Realistic TM-1001 tuner with that same switch on it and the owner's manual says it's for Dolby FM. Also, the 2100D has a different transformer than the "toroidal" transformer featured on the 2100 since Pioneer had a patent on it and they sued to prevent Radio Shack from using it.

[@kennynvake4hve584]

I had a STA-2250 back in 1983.

[@TrevorsBench]

I have the STA-2250 too. I did a video on it

[@rotaxtwin]

Your experience shows with the effort you spend on contacts like the speaker output relay and the stacked selector switch that you removed and disassembled to clean. Both can cause annoying noisy intermittent faults. Great job on that old behemoth.

[@Monza62000]

bought one new ,,loved it ,,,sold it a guy i worked with ,,tried to buy it back ,,but he gave it to his boy,,,,found a nice 2000d on ebay,,,,as the 2100 are way to high right now

[@alex1520]

That thing is built like a tank!!!

[@TrevorsBench]

Yes, I agree. Not something you can move around easily

[@Turboy65]

I recently acquired a 2100D and it has an interesting problem. With the power switch in the off position, plug it in and it half turns on. The lights come on. Then flip the power switch to on and after a second or so, the relay clicks and it completely powers on. I need to get that fixed.

[@mdzacharias]

I don't trust sil pads. On some old Yamaha AV models sil pads were used for the surround channels. Those channels failed often and when repaired, Yamaha recommended using mica replacements. Also, further down the road when a sil pad needs to be replaced, they often stick to the heat sink and are damaged in the removal.

[@thedistortedguy]

Thank u trev. Please get us more videos

[@TrevorsBench]

Thanks for watching, more to come

[@Sergio_wolfgang88]

Phenomenal work I have 6 of this units in need of service.

[@holgers5216]

nicely done...it sure is a beast!! I take analog over digital ANY day!!! I would not be surprised if the pcb's were made in Korea and shipped to the US or if the whole amp was assembled in Korea!

[@TheShackGuy]

Manufactured in Masan, South Korea.

[@xminusone1]

That's what I like to see. Préventive work, nice cleaning. It often prevents catastrophic failure. Especially the trim pot on the driver board that I assume is the bias adj, it will save alot of troubles in the future. I hate to repair what a previous tech didn't bother to fix the first time.

[@mj-ut8hs]

Great video

[@haydensmith9627]

The output transistors are not the same for both channels this might explain the clipping and square wave and sine wave discrepancy

[@SDsailor7]

That is a beautiful monster!

[@DKbananas]

Im working on a sta 2200. Very helpful

[@SDsailor7]

That's a pretty receiver😀

[@jubemarsh2202]

Excellent as usual brother 🤙 I have the 2000D and it's the European model(220v) I had to buy a step up transformer to test it, and to my surprise it works. I acquired the 110v transformer and power supply. Fun times ahead! 😂 Have you ever done anything like this?

[@cdphillip9823]

It's funny , I just bought the Monster with 2 Kenwood H91's . 3 ft. High floor speakers. Sounds so good. It may have some grounding issues.

[@alexismethenitis]

Graet work as always!

[@tomhalbouty3653]

Sadly I was inspired to rebuild a Realistic 2100D by your video. Unfortunately my photos of the connectors did not capture what is needed for reassemlbly after recapping. Is there any chance you could share your documentation of the connectors of the tone board and preamp? I really don't want this to go in the dumpster.

[@TrevorsBench]

The service manual for the 2100D is excellent. If you don't have it already you can get it at HiFiEngine. The schematics on the last pages is clear where the boards interconnect. All boards have numbered pins and the schematic tells you how they interconnect with each other. I have photos but they may not make sense. If you still need help send me a email and I can send you some pictures or maybe a drawing

[@samuelfellows6923]

I was more interested in the analog meters on that receiver ~ radio/amplifier, [upside-down/top hung ~ power - L/R, signal strength and FM station alignment]. I used the zoom feature on KZbin to try to see them deflecting, but the lighting and the blurry zoomed in - I could just-about see the needles moving, have been curious about these vintage receivers, FM radios having a station alignment meter.

[@timu-san]

How do you work out what caps to use,I see some are black, some red, some blue, some green (bipolar Nichicon muse?) ? What heatsink paste do you use on the transistors? DO you have a recommended brand or? Thanks for the new content.

[@TrevorsBench]

I don't subscribe to one brand or manufacturer. I look for caps that have the highest ratings for the lowest cost. Anything in the audio path will get replaced with audio grade capacitors or film because they are more stable, usually these are Nichicons or Elna. Everything else like power gets regular caps. Putting audio grade caps in a power supply section is a waste of $$, IMO.

[@mlbabineaux]

Quality...lol Nice restoration . replacing those old nasty caps.

[@42lookc]

In your introduction, you left left out the real reason of how the STA-2100D came to be. It is definitely not the same as an STA-2100 unit plus a Dolby circuit. The STA-2100 had a toroidal transformer, infringing on Pioneer's patent on the technology. Pioneer sued and Radio Shack halted production of the STA-2100 built in Japan. They removed the offending round toroidal transformer, replaced it with a regular square one, removed shielding on the tuner section, and THEN added the Dolby circuit. Big difference. The STA-2100D was produced in Korea. Other than the Dolby light on the face and the model number, they are almost indistinguishable on the outside. They have the same number and configuration of switches on the outside. The STA-2100 has 6 function lights while the STA-2100D has 7 (the added DolbyFM). On the inside there's no mistaking them. The round toroidal transformer in the STA-2100 is the dead giveaway. The STA-2000, STA-2000D, and STA-2100D all have the traditional square transformer.

[@kelleyhagan960]

You sure do good work.

[@frankgeeraerts6243]

Monster amp with monster service work ............woawww

[@alanarmstrong2323]

I think the 2100 d has selectors for different magnetic cartridges on it.

[@TrevorsBench]

It had a switch on the back panel to select the phono sensitivity of 2mV, 4mV and 8mV

[@alanarmstrong2323]

@@TrevorsBench it was for mm to mc I think

[@Reflectiveness]

Hi Trevor, What general price range would one expect for this level of service?

[@alex1520]

im guessing the big filter caps were ok :)

[@TrevorsBench]

Yes, they tested ok at 14KuF. Didn't see any 120hz ripple on the power test

[@raywalters4063]

Hi Trevor..have an sta 2100 I'd like to have restored. Some lights out but seems too work ok. How much should i expect to pay for it to be brought up to specs?

[@grabbingbass744]

Hello, I have this same unit. My dad bought it new in 79. Something fried feel capacitor. I am in Canada. Do you still fix these?

[@SDsailor7]

Kinda like the Pioneer SX D7000 that came out in 1980 it had the best of both worlds meaning analog and digital and 120 watts per channel.

[@TurntableGuy]

Weren't these units built for Radio Shack by Pioneer?

[@Monza62000]

no

[@Monza62000]

made by Foster Electronics

[@TrevorsBench]

I don't believe so, they were in competition with pioneer. I heard on another YT video that Pioneer sued Realistic because the launched the STA-2100 with a toroidal power transformer and Pioneer felt there was a patent violation. Realistic followed up the STA-2100D with a E I core transformer. Don't know if that's true or not

[@Monza62000]

@@TrevorsBench yes its true

[@Poppinwheeeeellllllieeeeez]

Nice Dual vid on Thursday.

[@SDsailor7]

The competition of the Pioneer sx-D7000

[@tonyfulcher7465]

Any way you can show us how to wind the dial string on the black wheel

[@frankgeeraerts6243]

Different output transistors on the channels ....maybe explain the difference seen on the scope !

[@johncunningham5435]

I stick with the original mica insulators and compound for better heat dissipation.

[@michaelaue7411]

Look at the fuse holder at the back of recever there's a red wire that looks like its close the the chassis. POP

[@brentwalls656]

Can you give me a rough estimate on an upgrade for a Realistic STA-2100 not the STA-2100d?

[@robertdavis5714]

Always my favorite part when you tear apart a multi switch and/or potentiometer. Too many factory defects and cheap parts for me, as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. No, you should notice a considerable difference with Dolby.

[@CannedCam]

So for parts im assuming ebay ? I only need the selector knob

[@TrevorsBench]

Yeah, you're pretty much limited to ebay in finding one of those

[@CannedCam]

@@TrevorsBench thanks! Was gifted this and some speakers from a good friend, just started to dabble with it

[@amilevin636]

Hi Trevor and thanks for your quality content. Highly appreciated. I can help you clean up the hum from the sound track. If you email me the audio track file, I’ll run it through izotope RX and return it in much better shape…

[@sirsuse]

Note to technicians, replace resistors in Realistic receivers of this generation with 1% mf resistors.

[@raygarafano3633]

To be frank I think digital is too blas'e or mediocre I'd much rather go for a receiver with a knob and tuning dial. My tech guy told me RS had two companies that built for them one was way to budget minded, other company was very good. Yup this would be nice to have but w a Pioneer SX 850 and SX950 and a few heavy Kenwoods its,all good. I am impressed w the 7 gang variable capacitor and general build of the radio shack beast.

[@TheShackGuy]

Between 1975-89, those two companies were Foster Electric and Radio Shack's own Tandy Electronics. Tandy made about 80% of the receivers in that time frame.

[@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.

[@smiggo1481]

About $2,500 in todays money, ouch!

[@rjonzun5828]

Shooooo!

[@rjonzun5828]

Weight - 21.5 kg = 47 pounds

[@alphabeets]

PS there is a pretty annoying pop in your mic audio.

[@ArthurJS123]

Still way too much hum in the audio.

[@alphabeets]

I’m impressed with your work, but not in the build and performance quality of this model. Really poorly built, and the radio reception didn’t seem even average. There are so many better options than this model.

[@johnsenchak1428]

STOP SENDING LONG VIDEOS DAMN IT !!!!!!

[@holgers5216]

STOP WATCHING LONG VIDEOS THEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!.....DAMN IT!!!!!!!!!

[@c860d]

Funny story. Many years ago someone invented this thing called fast foward. I use it a lot still to this day. Not on Trevor's videos because I find the videos fun.. you should try it someday

[@c860d]

Love your videos.. I usually put one on when im having dinner.. I'm pretty sure I seen most of them. Please keep posting

[@holgers5216]

@@c860d LOL!!

[@rjonzun5828]

These videos are awesome, Trevor. Please don't change a thing.