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[ObeyDaleks]

With these bezels, a dab of hot glue on the inside (where the broken hooks would be) does the trick really well. The eject button on the cd bezels also has a tendency to break off. Those are easily reattached with some acetone-based glue (I use Tamiya Ultra Thin). It actually welds the pieces together.

 

[CC_333]

I think I have a spare bezel, but with broken hooks. I think I saw a 3d print part for them a while ago. I’ll need to check if I actually do have one though if it’s of interest

Thank you! I don't know how much it would cost to ship from the UK, but nevertheless, how much would you like for it?

With these bezels, a dab of hot glue on the inside (where the broken hooks would be) does the trick really well. The eject button on the cd bezels also has a tendency to break off. Those are easily reattached with some acetone-based glue (I use Tamiya Ultra Thin). It actually welds the pieces together.

That's good to know. I was thinking I might use some double-sided foam tape to hold it on, unless I get lucky and find one with good hooks (or a replacement for broken ones).

c

 

[Durosity]

Thank you! I don't know how much it would cost to ship from the UK, but nevertheless, how much would you like for it?

I’ll check I actually have one and then send you a Pm!

 

[CC_333]

OK, thank you!

c

 

[CC_333]

@Durosity I'm assuming that since I haven't received a PM from you, you either haven't found the bezel or you forgot. No worries either way (I think you were the one who had mentioned you were suffering from some unspecified issues a few months ago, so I hope you're doing OK with those!)

Anyway, I got the 8500 from my friend today, so now I can set it up and see if it works!

First, however, I ought to get the logic board out so I can examine it more thoroughly.

EDIT: I just took a closer look, and someone removed the PRAM battery! Whomever the prior owner was, they were very smart to do that!

c

 

[Durosity]

@Durosity I'm assuming that since I haven't received a PM from you, you either haven't found the bezel or you forgot. No worries either way (I think you were the one who had mentioned you were suffering from some unspecified issues a few months ago, so I hope you're doing OK with those!)

Hello! Sorry I’ve not forgotten, just had a lot on my plate! I’m away this weekend but I’ve set a reminder to check when I get home! I’m 80% sure I have one for a tray loader.

 

[Durosity]

EDIT: I just took a closer look, and someone removed the PRAM battery! Whomever the prior owner was, they were very smart to do that

Or too cheap to replace it when the machine didn’t boot properly due to low voltage of the battery

 

[CC_333]

Hello! Sorry I’ve not forgotten, just had a lot on my plate! I’m away this weekend but I’ve set a reminder to check when I get home! I’m 80% sure I have one for a tray loader.

OK, just wondering!

Or too cheap to replace it when the machine didn’t boot properly due to low voltage of the battery

Maybe so, but nevertheless, they unwittingly rescued this machine from a near certain death, especially if the old battery was a Maxell, which aren't uncommon.

c

 

[CC_333]

Do boomboxes count here?

I recently got a Sony CFS-6000. These are apparently somewhat rare, and usually go for ~400 or so, but I lucked out and got mine for $40 (plus $50 for shipping from a city that's only about 30 miles away, which seems rather excessive, but whatever).

Anyway, the radio works well (radio tuners usually don't break very easily in my experience), and the tape player plays, but the takeup isn't working, so it'll just eat tapes. I'll have to fix it somehow.

Haven't tested the speakers, but odds are they work.

Why did I get it? I got it because it has the special feature of supporting AM Stereo (I think it's one of the few boomboxes that ever did).

c

 

[4seasonphoto]

Do boomboxes count here?

Well it is your thread, so if you say it counts, it counts!

A number of years ago, I gave away a big JVC: Maybe one of the flagship models from when boomboxes were king. Because it was a resto project that seemed like it was going to take awhile, I needed to vacate my apartment, had gotten the JVC for free, and just decided it was one thing too many.

But earlier this year, I scored a current-model Sony CFD-S70 for $10. Was visiting my mom and wanted some entertainment system for myself, and there it was, in it's original box at a Salvation Army store. A far cry from the elaborate monsters of yesteryear, the S70 is a lightweight thing. No AM stereo or HD Radio, but I think it's got one of those modern tuner-on-a-chips, so reception is pretty good, and of course there's no drift.

 

[CC_333]

Well it is your thread, so if you say it counts, it counts!

That works for me!

I scored a current-model Sony CFD-S70 for $10

I looked that up. It looks like a nice, compact boombox that has all the basics covered pretty well. I'd be tempted to get one if I didn't already have a bunch of them (in addition to the CFS-6000, I have a couple other Sony boomboxes, plus probably a few others hidden away somewhere in storage).

I tinkered with the tape player some more, and I got it to work! It's bi-directional with auto-reverse, and apparently the reversing mechanism got jammed, and by messing with fast forward and rewind, I somehow got it unstuck. I should probably look into changing the belts and regreasing things, because fast forward doesn't seem to be working (play and rewind seem to work fine though. I won't dare try the reversing feature, lest it get stuck again). It's also making some odd clicking noises, which concerns me, but it's more or less working?.

I'm listening to some old tapes I made 20-25 years ago, and it sounds decent enough.

Overall I'm pleased. It's too bad AM Stereo didn't take off more, because under good conditions, it sounds really good!

I was just looking at it, and upon closer inspection, this unit seems like it saw relatively little use. It's kind of grimy and dirty with the usual scuffs and scratches, but there's very little wear and tear otherwise, like someone just bought it, sat it on a shelf and used it once in awhile.

c

 

[CC_333]

OK, some updates on the Sony Boombox:

I have managed to fix fast forward (it was a frozen gear, which cleared up with some WD40 and some EM-30L), and auto-reverse seems to be working more reliably now since I squirted some WD40 in the mechanism.

Unfortunately, while I was doing this, somehow the fuse for the AC cord blew, so now it will only work on batteries, which isn't a big deal, although I'll have to figure out why the fuse blew and find a replacement.

Otherwise, it seems to be in fine working condition now. Just gotta get new belts for the tape deck so it plays right (as is, it runs quite slowly, and in forward, it has lots of wow; it's more manageable in reverse, but it is still slow). I bought one of those "universal" kits from Amazon which is due tomorrow. I'll see if I can get any of those working, then this machine should work perfectly.

c

 

[4seasonphoto]

I was digging through my archives and found a photo of my JVC! Looks halfway decent in this photo IMO, because I had taken the time to clean off years of grime and neglect, but I'm pretty sure it would have been a pretty big job to properly restore.

 

[Unknown_K]

I used to have some boomboxes back in the day but only kept my component stereo equipment and my bookshelf Aiwa CX-NA71 which was purchased new and needs some work.