Technics SL-7 Turntable - Restoration (Ep. 105)

Merry Christmas all!
Another old friend of mine that needs my full attention

[@jrockthecasbah]

Great video. There is a 20 plus page thread about the SL-7 on Vinyl engine and your unit pretty much touches on every issue that other owners have experienced with their players.

[@craigm.9070]

Thanks for posting this and the follow-up! Merry Christmas to you and family! Technics and Pioneer really went to war with their linear tracking turntables back then. I had one of the Pioneer's with my first moving coil cartridge; such a transformation in the playback. Mine went to the great electro scrap heap after being crushed in a military move...real bummer back then. On to the New Year!!!

[@TrevorsBench]

Sad news about that Pioneer. Have you been seeking out a replacement? Thanks Craig, cheers to you

[@wastelandwanderer3883]

This is the central scrutinizer: Sand paper with a picture of Richard Petty! Can't go wrong ! And a merry christmas to you too! And happy listening!

[@JeffLevy99]

I have the same turntable I purchased new in 1981. I love it. I have an SL-1600 and a pro-ject carbon, but I still seem to like this the best. It still works perfectly. Probably should be serviced after 40 years. Thank you for the detailed video! I may attempt just a cleaning now that I see how to remove the plastic cover.

[@patrickmorrissey2582]

I just finished cleaning and lubricating the guide rod on my SL-7 and it is working great!

[@TrevorsBench]

Great to hear, another SL-7 lives on

[@JeffN-A]

Your video is outstanding! The lighting and camera angles are very good (most others are not) I learned quite a lot and was interested because I bought one refurbished about 10 months back. Probably over payed, I can only hope the seller did as good a job as you. No owner's manual so your concise explanations are very helpful. Mine was missing the cartridge screw, but the carts do fit snugly. I cannot find the original for sale anywhere, so don't lose yours. I love this TT and that is saying a lot for an inanimate object. I really like swapping out carts, and while they are not abundant, they are out there. OH! $630.00 in today's dollars equals $2194.00 Wow! No wonder I could never own one back then.

[@gargunza4141]

Great video,. Bit of a tip for you though. to stop the catches breaking hold down release release button, and the front of the lid, then gently let the lid up. Do the same when closing, this eliminates the jolt when unlatching.

[@alexismethenitis]

Thank you for another excellent video. Merry Christmas to you!

[@TrevorsBench]

Thanks Alexis, All the best to you

[@tinagladu3744]

HI TREVOR I JUST GOT SL-L3 BRAND NEW IN THE BOX FOR 50 BUCKS AND IT WORKS LIKE A CD PLAYER BY BEING ABLE TO PLAY WHAT EVER TRACK YOU DESIRE ,GOOD SCORE

[@eddelarie8161]

psstttt Tina, not that loud please

[@alanlefevere3678]

Excellent work.

[@TrevorsBench]

Thank you Alan

[@etienneguyot9069]

Great restoration of this nice turntable. Sorry, I believe you're wrong at 56:00, you didn't follow the right wire: 12v isn't connected to pin 19 of ic201. Nevertheless still a good idea to protect the DC input from reverse voltage.

[@TrevorsBench]

Thanks, You're probably right, my eyesight has gotten worse with age

[@JeHaVe]

Thanks for this very informative video. I purchased an SL-7 yesterday and I was quite dissapointed to discover that the guiding rail from the tonearm is broken. Strangely enough it doesn't affect the playback.

[@Roymac01]

Yes this turntable performs for sure! I got mine new in '81, and here we are in 2023....42 years later and it STILL works flawlessly. Mine is the black version and the only issue with it now is, a long time ago, I broke one of the lid catches off the right side but it still clamps down no problem.

[@ClayMationNation]

Do you mean it works flawlessly without any maintenance for 42 years?

[@Roymac01]

@@ClayMationNation Yep! Never a single problem with its functionality. Only a few minor scuffs and the aforementioned broken tab. The thing is built like a tank!

[@ClayMationNation]

@@Roymac01 Hey, I am wondering if you can help me out with correctly putting my dust cover back on? I fixed the internal issue I was experiencing but, placing the dust cover back on is a bit of a bitch because of the record size switch placement. Any advice on that? I assume you've done this before if you have owned one for more years than i've been alive. 😀😀😀😀

[@Roymac01]

@@ClayMationNation I've only ever had the dust cover off once and that was probably 20 years ago. The only reason I had it off was because I was being anal (far too much so) about trying to clean the unit. I am hesitant to provide any advice because I honestly don't recall how I removed it. But if you watch starting at 15:20 of this video Trevor removes 7 screws...one of which is hiding behind the cartridge. I just looked on mine and all 7 screws look the same so go for those ones. Four along the middle and 3 along the bottom when the lid is open. Good luck!

[@ClayMationNation]

@@Roymac01 I'm sorry my issue is putting it back on, not regarding the screws because I know where all those go, it has to do with the placement of the record size switch prior to that. And also, how to fit the cover on properly so I do not accidentally break anything in the process.

[@AlexPrauga]

Great video! Thanks posting it. It helped me a lot for the work I did so far on my SL-7. Question: do you have a list of all capacitors you used as replacement and the brand? It seems that you did not used the Nichicon PW ones. Any reasons for that? A couple of days ago I checked the board and as you also mentioned, all electrolytic capacitors needs to be replaced. THX

[@TrevorsBench]

Hi Alex, no I don't have a list. You could make one from the service manual or look on the board and count up what you need. The brand of caps are unimportant as this is just a TT with the basics inside like PS and servos. Just get good quality caps of the same value/voltage and it will be good for the next 40 years. Thanks

[@AlexPrauga]

@@TrevorsBench Thanks for your reply Trevor - very helpful! Finally found some time to move on with my SL-7. However, I was looking to get exactly the same value/voltage for the caps, but it's not so easy (at least for me...). My understanding on capacitors is that the value and the min voltage needs to be kept as specified. With other words, voltage can be higher as specified unless the value will be the same. Is that correct?

[@mdit21]

I recently bought the SL-5 model. I have to restore it as well. I do have the SL-J2 (I purchased myself back in the 1980s) but have to find out where's it at.

[@javiergiangiacomo9578]

Hi. I just unboxed a brand new SL7 that was never used, the arm is totally fixed, not moving even if I try with my hand. Before trmoving the lid and see what happens inside, is there any lock in the arm I'm missing?

[@TrevorsBench]

Hi Javier, You can't move the tonearm by hand without damaging it so please don't force it. The tonearm is connected to a motor by a belt/worm gear if I remember correctly. If the tonearm won't move on it's own power, the motor is either frozen or the belt is gone to mush (or both). Opening it up looks to be your only solution here.

[@kjb7229]

I found this very helpful and appreciate the level of detail you presented. I replaced the caps (all 25) on my SL-7 and was glad I didn't ruin it in the process. Put a new arm drive belt and cleaned the rail and applied a dry lube and now it is playing. However, even though it plays and tracks, the tracking isn't perfect. In order to get it dialed in to Technics specifications, you need a 1mm pitch test record that is no longer available. So you have to set the servo gain and offset by ear. Did you perform any of these adjustments (pages 12-14, SL-7 service manual) after all the work you did? Would love to hear what you did to get the tracking set correctly. Thanks.

[@stevengagnon4777]

My SL-7 started working shortly after seeing this video...since then I replaced the cartridge with a Stanton L747S. I'm using the brush and seems to be a non-issue as the brush unloads after the stylus is lowered and freed up....I sure it won't play upside down with it. Other than it sounds best at the full 1.5 grams. I was expecting that with the aftermarket hypereliptical stylus though. Anyway I don't know how the dynamic tracking force system actually works, so is it a mechanical system as I suspect? Also is the tone arm slide coated with PTFE and designed to operate dry? Mine seems to be totally dry making me think it's should work without a lubricant. The tone arm is tracking in the small increments as it should and not experiencing any sort of tracking issues. That platter being may also be a self lubricating bushing of some sort too ...an impregnated oil or lead bushing...perhaps. Any mention in the service manual for recommendations.?

[@davidquinn1661]

hi would you know where i could get the switch that you replaced

[@ClayMationNation]

When you put the record size selector switch back on is it supposed to hang loose before replacing the dust cover?

[@danielross868]

Trevor, couple questions please. What brand is that belt size tool. Tried to capture it during video and googled but nothing comes up? Presume it's "vintage" And the other- what's the small tube of grease you're using - brand, viscosity? Thks in advance

[@TrevorsBench]

Hi Danny, The belt measuring tool was available from PRB line of belts. PRB was bought by Russell Industries some time ago. I'm not sure if Russell still makes belts I'm using a generic synthetic grease available on Aliexpress. I don't know anything more about it.

[@guillermoblancodelaprida8350]

Nice video. Do you recomend any kind of oil to lubricate the tonearm guide?

[@Dustbunny57]

Hi Trevor..Love your vids..I have an SL J2 .What P mount could you recommend ? Thx.

[@davidelliott5520]

I have an SL-7 with the sticky grease problem. I haven't tackled it yet, but I very much appreciate this detailed description of the steps you took to free up the mechanism. I also had one of my lid locks fail (poorly designed, in my opinion) and restored it through repeated drops of thick CA glue that restored the little lip to the catch.

[@TrevorsBench]

Seems we all share the same set of problems with our SL-7s. Glad to hear this video is helpful, thanks for watching Dave

[@PioneerGuy581]

Haha.... I used to work at Pacific Stereo on Geary blvd in San fransisco 1984

[@sw6188]

I found an SL-7 on a hard rubbish collection, someone had thrown it out. Kept it for a few years and then another one came along which was in mint condition so I sold the first one and kept the second. I also restore, repair and service vintage Technics equipment so if anyone reading this is in New Zealand and has something they want looked at, leave me a comment.

[@dirkvandinter2003]

Hi, thank you for the great video. I have a nice sl-7. Everything works great but when I connect it to my technics sa-dx940 there is almost no sound. I have to turn it over half of the volume up to hear anything... If I do this there is a brom sound ... Can you please help me what is wrong with it? Regards Dirk

[@dirkvandinter2003]

I've found te problems. I forgot the attach the ground cable and after cleaning the needle the other sound problems where solved.

[@emailatomic]

The ones to get are the two programmable turntables. I had the SL6 or the SLQ6 which would be quartz lock direct drive. Selecting tracks or not selecting tracks is what made these super special.

[@neverknowit11]

I would have made a pocket to slip the aluminium piece in😊

[@Vintaronica]

The polishing, you really needed to go from 2000 to 4000 then 8000 to 12000 you then finish with lapping cloth 15000 and a 20000 polish from my model making days that

[@wolfgangschmidtke3799]

Danke für die tollen Videos ich bin in Düsseldorf Germany weiter so und schönes Jahr 2022 !!

[@TrevorsBench]

Danke

[@Naitoraven951]

Merry Xmas, Trevor! Such a good and relaxing video :-)! I'm curious about the weather... You don't feel cold? :-p

[@TrevorsBench]

Ugh, it's supposed to drop to -30c tonight. Yes I feel it, that's why I wear slippers and a vest all day!

[@AimHigherWindowCleaning]

This was more in-depth than I was initially wanting but I loved every minute of that.

[@TrevorsBench]

Glad you enjoyed it, hope you found it useful

[@dalegautreaux8062]

😅

[@steveoszman8746]

Merry Christmas to you and yours, btw I like technics turntables, even the cheap ones are nice.

[@TrevorsBench]

Merry Christmas Steve and thank you

[@stevengagnon4777]

Finally got mine back after 10 years unfortunately was in a basement...the platter won't start now. It's had a hard life found it in a dumpster but was working fine. Hopefully it's just a switch it was damp down there.

[@bnieverajr]

Thrilled that I could use this as a tutorial - I acquired an SL-7 at a local sale in the Chicagoland area, and right off the bat I knew it needed some TLC and restoration. While I await my belts (for it and an SL-5 I also stumbled on), the Shutter (PN #SFUMC07-16) for the Disc Size Sensor PCB was broken, ergo an issue sliding it smoothly to set size or auto. Rather than hunt endlessly for a part like that, you you encourage covering up the opto-sesnor so it operates in Auto, or is there a source you know of to get such an odd part?

[@TrevorsBench]

I don't know of any parts sources. You could always pay the extortion prices on ebay for used parts, if available. Next best solution would be to glue the old part or make a new one on a 3D printer. Without the shutter the TT will always be in auto mode without the option to manually set disc size

[@davidquinn2190]

Just wondering, were you can buy the stop and start switch.

[@litoboy5]

GREAT

[@archidude8830]

100% on your rebuttal of the the other dude who said a broken wiring harness means the unit is trash. That’s about the most straightforward repair one could do. Unless the broken wire harness creates shorts in such a way as to blow no longer available ic chips, servos or motors I suppose.

[@TrevorsBench]

Yes, the hard part would be finding the correct wires for that application

[@trumjohannsmancave]

Love those TECHNICS linear decks😊👍🏻 Got a SL-QL5 coming my way soon! Cheers🎶

[@TrevorsBench]

Nice!

[@trumjohannsmancave]

@@TrevorsBench Check it here kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4DIoHqQobyZj6c

[@mikemerkel2411]

Great video. I was wondering where you bought your belt and capacitors from?

[@TrevorsBench]

Caps can be sourced anywhere like Digikey or Mouser. Stay away from ebay and other Chinese sellers. The belts are NOS that I purchased years ago

[@sirsuse]

Merry Christmas Trevor!

[@TrevorsBench]

Thanks, you too

[@ClayMationNation]

Can you do a video on how to replace the little plastic record size switch when placing the dust cover back on? In fact, can you do a simply short video on just replacing the dust cover properly so I don't break mine? Thanks.

[@brianwood5220]

Great attention to detail, Trevor. For a 40 year old turntable, its looking brilliant. I have a Technics myself. It's the SL-1700 and I love that too. Thanks for sharing. I've really enjoyed watching.

[@topiaskauppinen3677]

Thank you for letting me know how to take off the dust cover. I changed the tone arm belt and now the tone arm motor doesnt have to work double the last two songs. Much less noise from the motor too after the belt change. Thank you.

[@yukiwong65]

May I ask where you can find the replacement switch? Could you please share the link? Thanks

[@RickSuiter]

Thanks for this video. I just inherited one of these and this helps tremendously in tackling a good cleaning and service for the unit.

[@eduardtuske6547]

Is it useful to mount a high quality rca cable. Better sound or just voodoo?

[@victotinix]

thanks from france mr Trevors; what kind of grease, please ?

[@TrevorsBench]

I use a generic synthetic grease, it should remain stable for many years

[@SDsailor7]

Looking forward too seing more reel to reel service/repair videos. Excellent video!

[@deangale4496]

Your persistence is amazing , great tip on washing off the dust prior to sanding

[@jchistia]

Great work on the video. My problem is cosmetic. The silver part of the lid has some bubbling. Any ideas on how to refinish it? Thank you

[@TrevorsBench]

Not really, aside from sanding & re-painting which may end up looking worse that it already is!

[@claytonkeltto3239]

Thanks for posting this detailed video. I just picked up a SL-7 after regretting selling my first one years ago. It works well but planning to service it as a preventative measure. Can you share more detailed info on the limit switches and belt? I'd like to have them on-hand before starting. Thanks, clayton

[@TrevorsBench]

I showed the belt package in the vid, it's a SCX2.9. I source them from KP Components here in Canada, not sure where else to get them. Try www.russellind.com to find a source, you'll want the PRB Line of belts. The switches are common as mud. Digikey can supply them. They are miniature microswitches Manufacturers such as Omron or E-Switch MS series that have the lever. Try to get gold contact if possible, they cost more but will last indefinitely

[@leehazlewoodism]

Enjoyed watching this video, I've had and worked on SL-7s for a few years. The sliding sensor cover in the lid isn't damaged, that's how they are - held in place between their two neighbours.

[@TrevorsBench]

Thanks for pointing this out

[@leehazlewoodism]

@@TrevorsBench well, thanks for making the video. You went way deeper into SL-7 repair than I ever have.