Hello guys,i just received my Walkman from ebay.My first impression is great.The Walkman is practically as good as new,it doesnt have the slightest scratch on it...It also came with the PB3 battery,also in great condition.What will i need to do in order to restore this one?And will its battery has a chance for revival? PS:I just bought this battery,it was almost as expensive as the Wakman.... 51Euro (with vat).Seller told me its Voltage regulated to 2v,and it looks like its user replaceable. https://www.ebay.com/itm/284469520934 PS:I will post some pics!
That's a very nice looking walkman, I like the grainy matte finish on the case and the fact it's a full logic unit. The battery is worth the money, I've seen that model before. The USB-type C charghing port is very handy and having screws means the interal lithium cell can be replaced in the future without buying an entire battery pack. By searching "AIWA HS-PL303" on ebay the first result is this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/194376074934 which indicates capacitors will need replacement. It's pretty common in AIWAs and those surface mount type are by far the most common to fail. I would say expect a lot of corrosion and traces that will need repair with fine wire. A belt is likely needed as well. Apart from that, a cleaning and lubricating the mechanism rotating parts is something I would for sure do as well, even if not stricly necessary, but it will help with wow&flutter figure. Something else I notice on closer inspection of the cassette compartment is the azimuth is visibly off (head tilted to the right). This seems to have a bi-azimuth, meaning a seaprate adjustment for forward and reverse, so you will need to adjust both, as one will influence the other. P.S.: The ebay links can be posted without the hash in order to look more nice and also get rid of the tracking part of that link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/284469520934 (everything that is after the question mark including the mark itself can be deleted)
Thank you,i wasn't sure where to post it,and also by mistake post it twice....We will open the unit Monday,check the capacitors,and let you guys know.As for the battery....I was not lucky,the guy did a refund because he said that the last one is gone.But he will message me again when more are available,so i will get one for it.
Valentin I don’t think the azimuth is off just by looking at it, if I remember correctly those particular Aiwa’s have by-azimuth adjustment. If you look closely you will see a protruding bit of metal at the bottom of the headblock, that moves in and out to control the azimuth while in play mode for forward and reverse. I don’t have my Aiwa around to check. woofaki don't go messing with the azimuth till you have played some cassettes, even then don't go messing with the azimuth.
woofaki I will have to keep an eye out for that battery you bought, I can do with one for my Aiwa HS-PL707 I just use the AAA battery adapter at the moment.
I will let you know when its available again,the seller said he will message me when they become available.
It is possible that it is like you say. On some units with bi-azimuth the head gets into alignment only when in PLAY mode. @woofaki I recommend to check playing a tape first and see what result you obtain. And update the thread after for reference. EDIT: Now after @Silver965 posted the zoomed in picture I clearly see what @TooCooL4 was talking about. There is a small pin inside the aluminium frame that pushes the right side of the head up when in play. Indeed the azimuth is right on this one, no need for adjustment. So no need to update, it is clear now. Initially I did not see that the round part of the head frame and that center silver pin are separate.
After i restore it i will!!I am a bit worried as to what i will see after we open it....I hope the capacitors didn't do much damage in the board.I remember that someone did a restoration for this model here.I hope he is around,his experience with it will be helpful!
Thank you my friend are you the guy i bought it from?I'm very happy with it,it looks like new.The technician will have a hard time with me now.I don't want to see even one scratch on it lol
Ah ok,he was also from Italy this is why i asked A question guys.Now that i have no battery to turn it on,i need to know the current we need to supply the Walkman in order to turn on,without the risk of killing it....Anyone has an idea?
It seems that it is a PL-30 the Japanese version.I opened it to take a look before i give it to the technician tomorrow.I could not remove the board tho.I just hope that the damage its not as severe..I will let you know guys tomorrow,after we remove the board.
I seem to see oxide on the components above the battery compartment .... you will probably need to change the capacitors
Yes i was planning to do it even if it wasn't,i just hope the damage will be repairable.To my surprise,the belt seem to be fine.Even tho i will most likely fit a new one just in case. Do i need to lubricate the internals too?Truth is,i'm not sure how experienced the technician is,so any tips are welcome,in order to know what needs to be done.
Thank you.Are the above capacitors sold on Ebay suitable for a full restoration without "sound quality" loss?
I want to try and find them here if possible,as long as i know what i'm looking for..because it will take a while for them to come from another country.And will do that as a last resort. PS:The technical asked his supplier today for the original caps,but as it was expected he didn't had them...so he came back empty handed...He will go again Wednesday and it would have been super helpful,to know the available alternatives that work...If anyone has the knowledge please let me know what caps do i need.If he fails again i will order them from e bay and wait 2-3 weeks to fix it...
