I bought a Cyrus II in Japan in 1989 and it it is the best amp I ever owned except for a Luxkit A3000 power amp which I built. Age is telling and some of the caps are failing and, unbelievably, the body paint is melting... Regrettably, Cyrus no longer has a a distributor/service agent in Japan. There obviously are a lot of experts using this site, so I would be very grateful for their kind help in repairing my Cyrus II as follows: 1. I can't de-solder the caps. The solder is as hard as steel. I tried a 30W soldering iron and, recklessly, a 150W soldering iron. No dice. 2. After repairing the sound, I need to repaint the body. I need primer and paint that won't degrade because of the Cyrus II mag/aluminum cast body. I am thinking about using an epoxy-based paint for durability. Any ideas, please, about stripping the original paint without scratching the metal, about the best primer and paint? Many thanks for any help. Ftpols
The only thing I can think of with the solder is that the thermal capacity of the soldering iron bit is too low. Big caps with tags etc can soak up the heat. Apart from special high melting point solder (which is occasionally specified for parts that run extremely hot) I've never come across anything other than "normal" solder in all the 10's of thousands of commercial products I've worked on.
Maybe post a picture of the joints your trying to unsolder and your iron and tip ?
I'm no expert on paints but I believe for aluminium you need an "etching" primer.
Maybe post a picture of the joints your trying to unsolder and your iron and tip ?
I'm no expert on paints but I believe for aluminium you need an "etching" primer.
Last edited:
Many thanks, zeonrider. I agree with the sandblasting but have doubts regarding the Powdercoating, which was probably used for original manufacture. Many thanks, and all the best.
The only thing I can think of with the solder is that the thermal capacity of the soldering iron bit is too low. Big caps with tags etc can soak up the heat. Apart from special high melting point solder (which is occasionally specified for parts that run extremely hot) I've never come across anything other than "normal" solder in all the 10's of thousands of commercial products I've worked on.
Maybe post a picture of the joints your trying to unsolder and your iron and tip ?
I'm no expert on paints but I believe for aluminium you need an "etching" primer.
Many thanks, Mooly. I am flumoxed because: 1. I replaced capacitors successfully in Sony VDRs, etc 2. Many other DIYAudio members have replaced Cyrus capacitors Anyway, I also asked Cyrus and am waiting for their reply. Many thanks for your help. Ftpols.
Apart from a smaller range of colours, powder coating can be much better (tougher) than sprayed enamel or epoxy based paint. Some enamels can be baked for a tougher finish but if you need to have someone do the painting for you, straightforward powdercoating should be cheaper too, as there are fewer operations. Automotive lacquers are also excellent but when used with all their recommended additives and primer, undercoats etc. the best types become quite expensive for a small job like an amplifier case .
Whatever coating type is used, an etch bath, wash or suitable etch primer for paints, as Mooly indicates, is essential with all bare metals. Powdercoaters don't always use proper surface etching or sandblasting processes and I think that's why many coated products have poor adhesion.
Whatever coating type is used, an etch bath, wash or suitable etch primer for paints, as Mooly indicates, is essential with all bare metals. Powdercoaters don't always use proper surface etching or sandblasting processes and I think that's why many coated products have poor adhesion.
DE-SOLDERING CYRUS II SERIES 07 / REPAINT
Many thanks for the technical advice, Ian. I am having second thoughts, though, because of the time required to replace the caps and I also have a faulty power switch in the PSX unit - it's a Heath-Robinson push-button job. Despite the very good circuit designs and great sound quality, I was disappointed by the Cyrus II / PSX construction. For example, the poor paint job, loose stand-offs installed in the PSX, a plastic cable for the main power cord fixed with useless sponge adhesive, a plastic heat-shield or emf barrier lying loose at the bottom of the case. Some of these things I can fix easily enough but I wonder if it's worth all the effort. I dread starting work on the amp itself - I still work and don't have much free time. I might bin the Cyrus and PSX and buy a Marantz PM7000, which at least has service facilities here in Japan. Enjoy Coffs Bay...
Many thanks for the technical advice, Ian. I am having second thoughts, though, because of the time required to replace the caps and I also have a faulty power switch in the PSX unit - it's a Heath-Robinson push-button job. Despite the very good circuit designs and great sound quality, I was disappointed by the Cyrus II / PSX construction. For example, the poor paint job, loose stand-offs installed in the PSX, a plastic cable for the main power cord fixed with useless sponge adhesive, a plastic heat-shield or emf barrier lying loose at the bottom of the case. Some of these things I can fix easily enough but I wonder if it's worth all the effort. I dread starting work on the amp itself - I still work and don't have much free time. I might bin the Cyrus and PSX and buy a Marantz PM7000, which at least has service facilities here in Japan. Enjoy Coffs Bay...
before you bin it please sent it to me
- these items can be quite easily repaired and modified
Hi, Lohk.
Many thanks for your encouragement. I fixed the PSX power switch (dislocated circular spring) and it works fine. I replaced two 470MF/50V capacitors in the PSX which were bulging. I also replaced two 470MF/6V BP capacitors and two bulging/leaking 470MF/50V capacitors in the Cyrus II. I used Nichicon MUSE ES for the original BPs and Nichicon MUSE FG or KZ for the others. Sound quality improved dramatically, so I decided to replace the remaining 20+ originals.
As mentioned earlier, there was a plastic shield lying loose in the PSX. It has a white strip on the long side. I thought the white strip was adhesive but it isn't tacky. I replaced it as shown but could you or someone kindly confirm the correct location and where the white strip faces toward; e.g. towards the toroid trans, etc. Many thanks.
Attachments
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.