I recently acquired a solid, (mostly) functional Akai AA-1200 receiver. This is my first real entry into vintage receivers. I am a DIY guy and prefer to buy non-working gear and restore it. I have steered clear of receivers of any type let alone vintage gear. That said, I was able to find (locally) a nice pair of Technics SB-6000a speakers, Akai AA-1200 and Motorola W100B table-top tube-based radio with detachable speakers that was so reasonable I jumped on it.
The speakers are great, exceeding any expectations I might have had going into it. The cabinets are nice though need cleaning and a small bit of physical case work in the rear corner. I ordered the parts to rebuild the crossovers and fabric to recover the grill cloth. Thanks to Parts-Express I purchased a textured cabinet paint and all else needed in one stop.
The Akai AA-1200 needs the 6-pin locking push-buttons switches replaced and I cannot find where to buy them. 2 of the 5 are physically defective while I was able to clean the remaining switches and ensure functionality. I figured when I was replacing the defective switches I should replace them all, provided I can find replacements. Does anyone know where I could find these parts? They are PCB mounted switches with a horizontal action and 6-pins.
Would anyone know where I could purchase/acquire replacement lamps or maybe replace them with LED's? The lamps are fine though dim, more than expected based on other AA-1200's I have seen on-line (images and YouTube). While I have it apart why not change the lamps as they are surely an area of potential failure.
The outputs test well and should not need replacement though a service manual review (if noted) would verify this. My brief review of the service manual indicates it is lacking in details. Would anyone know where I could gather additional technical information on the receiver?
Are there any performance modifications for the AA-1200? I am replacing most of the capacitors including the power supply and driver board and would like to replace the lamps with new LED's is possible.
Thank you in advance,
Darren
The speakers are great, exceeding any expectations I might have had going into it. The cabinets are nice though need cleaning and a small bit of physical case work in the rear corner. I ordered the parts to rebuild the crossovers and fabric to recover the grill cloth. Thanks to Parts-Express I purchased a textured cabinet paint and all else needed in one stop.
The Akai AA-1200 needs the 6-pin locking push-buttons switches replaced and I cannot find where to buy them. 2 of the 5 are physically defective while I was able to clean the remaining switches and ensure functionality. I figured when I was replacing the defective switches I should replace them all, provided I can find replacements. Does anyone know where I could find these parts? They are PCB mounted switches with a horizontal action and 6-pins.
Would anyone know where I could purchase/acquire replacement lamps or maybe replace them with LED's? The lamps are fine though dim, more than expected based on other AA-1200's I have seen on-line (images and YouTube). While I have it apart why not change the lamps as they are surely an area of potential failure.
The outputs test well and should not need replacement though a service manual review (if noted) would verify this. My brief review of the service manual indicates it is lacking in details. Would anyone know where I could gather additional technical information on the receiver?
Are there any performance modifications for the AA-1200? I am replacing most of the capacitors including the power supply and driver board and would like to replace the lamps with new LED's is possible.
Thank you in advance,
Darren
Those speakers are very sensitive and perfect for a small tube-amp setup. More info on that Motorola tube amp? Is it stereo?
Those six pin push switches were used in almost all 70's stereo gear and almost nothing since. Have a look for some old cassette decks to harvest parts from at your local dumping ground/flea market.
Those six pin push switches were used in almost all 70's stereo gear and almost nothing since. Have a look for some old cassette decks to harvest parts from at your local dumping ground/flea market.
Thank you for the response. I will look for old decks and receivers from the 70's to harvest parts from. I would like to find a parts supplier for NOS or new switches, but it is often not that easy given the semi-rarity and age of the RX.
The Sony is actually a Motorola (my mistake) B100W. It is an old tabletop or end-table radio from the mid-late 50's. It appears to be stereo, delivers output from a pair of EL84 variants (I believe) and housed in a very nice wooden enclosure with wooden, detachable speakers.
I am impressed with the Technics SB6000a's and plan to possibly convert them in a reversible way to powered monitors driven by 2 Tripath 2030 mono amplifiers (each) and a 3A, 15VDC regulated power supply with 47000uF capacitors and active XO's from Marchand Electronics, bypassing the in-flight rebuild of the passive XO's. I want to preserve the original nature of the speakers aside from the reversible addition of 2-pair of standard speakers terminals. This modification would drive each driver with 30-watts each, leveraging the stock attenuater to control the level of the tweeter by way of the active XO.
Here is a link to the Motorola B100W:
Motorola B100W Tube Radio AM-FM Stereo | Old Radios | Pinterest
The condition of my B100W is about as solid as this image though I had to do a little work with 0000 steel wool, cherry refinishing oil, sealant and wax, buffer and and a couple of hours.
Thank you for the response,
Darren
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