Mini Stereo Problem

Does it have a remote?

That type of volume control uses LEDs and light sensors to detect movement of a flat wheel with little holes in it. Either the holes have become clogged with dust or the LEDs have gotten weak or coated with dust. If you disassemble the control to clean it you may never get it back together correctly or may cause it to stop working completely, so your best bet is to use the remote control for volume adjustments.

A can of compressed air?

It's a rotary encoder constructed much like a vcr mode switch. No LED involved. The encoder needs to be replaced, that's all.

$13.24 list from Partstore.com. Part number 1-473-392-11

Mark Z.

BTW the model number of the main unit is HCD-MG110.

mz

:> The volume knob control doesn't always work properly. : :Does it have a remote? Yeah, read the OP. There's no problem when using the remote. It's just that I have this thing in my kitchen and I'm always fiddling with the volume and don't want to grab a remote every time I want to change the volume. I guess I'm impatient and twist quickly - if I twist slowly, it's OK. I figure a pully is slipping due to excessive force going beyond the tolerance of the pulley at this point. Maybe I can tighten it up by just applying some liquid rubber rejuvenator. I used to have some of that stuff but it dried up in the bottle. The liquid medium was evidently quite volatile. I seem to remember going to my local indy electronics supplier and being told that for EPA reasons, the product had been discontinued. That's why I asked for recommendations for a product.

Dan

On Tue, 05 Sep 2006 01:18:20 GMT, Jumpster Jiver wrote:

:Dan_Musicant wrote: :> My 5 year old Sony MHCMG110 mini stereo has a problem: :> :> The volume knob control doesn't always work properly. Before I open it :> up I thought I'd post here and get some guidance. :> :> The volume level heard appears to correspond correctly with the digital :> level displayed, which goes from 1 to 30, maybe higher. I never have it :> higher than around 20. However, when spinning the volume knob those :> numbers don't always advance or decline as expected. Sometimes they even :> go backwards briefly!! When using the remote control, the volume changes :> smoothly and properly. :> :> My first thought was a slipping pulley, but how would that make the :> volume go the wrong way? It doesn't go the wrong way a lot and not much :> - generally one digit and only momentarily when spinning the dial. Maybe :> it IS a spinning pulley. Anyway, this thing is pretty big and complex :> what with all the features (and I'm therefore hesitant to open it): :> :> 60 CD changer :> 2 cassette bays, one recording auto-reverse :> AM and FM :> :> The speakers are separate (this is the stereo version, not 5.1 or 4.0) :> :> I bought the service manual yesterday online (they emailed it to me) and :> I printed it out. It's mostly full of the schematics, but there are :> parts diagrams and 3D assembly/disassembly diagrams. Looking through the :> whole thing I didn't spot anything that would directly relate to this :> problem. I figure I can either live with it or open it up and try to :> find the problem, maybe replacing a pulley or applying a rubber :> rejuvenator (recommendations?). Or, I could get a learning remote and :> use IT to change the volume (the one that came with the Sony has a kind :> of weak signal). I'd rather fix the spinning control than have to use a :> remote. Thanks for any guidance/help. :> :> Dan : :That type of volume control uses LEDs and light sensors to detect :movement of a flat wheel with little holes in it. Either the holes have :become clogged with dust or the LEDs have gotten weak or coated with dust. :If you disassemble the control to clean it you may never get it back :together correctly or may cause it to stop working completely, so your :best bet is to use the remote control for volume adjustments. Ah, that's one reason I posted. This thing is big and seems complicated. I've opened a lot of stuff but nothing this complex. I do have the service manual, but will think at LEAST twice before I start taking it apart.

Thanks so much for your description of the mechanisms at work here. If I go in there, I'll have an idea what to look for. Being in my kitchen where I cook, there's dust and grease coated dust particles floating around quite often. I occasionally clean off the unit of all the grease that accummulates on the surface. Some of that has probably found its way inside.

Dan

Possibly. It's worth a try.

:Jumpster Jiver wrote: :> Dan_Musicant wrote: :>> My 5 year old Sony MHCMG110 mini stereo has a problem: :>>

:>> The volume knob control doesn't always work properly. Before I open :>> it up I thought I'd post here and get some guidance. :>>

:>> The volume level heard appears to correspond correctly with the :>> digital level displayed, which goes from 1 to 30, maybe higher. I :>> never have it higher than around 20. However, when spinning the :>> volume knob those numbers don't always advance or decline as :>> expected. Sometimes they even go backwards briefly!! When using the :>> remote control, the volume changes smoothly and properly. :>>

:>> My first thought was a slipping pulley, but how would that make the :>> volume go the wrong way? It doesn't go the wrong way a lot and not :>> much - generally one digit and only momentarily when spinning the :>> dial. Maybe it IS a spinning pulley. Anyway, this thing is pretty :>> big and complex what with all the features (and I'm therefore :>> hesitant to open it): 60 CD changer :>> 2 cassette bays, one recording auto-reverse :>> AM and FM :>>

:>> The speakers are separate (this is the stereo version, not 5.1 or :>> 4.0) I bought the service manual yesterday online (they emailed it to me) :>> and I printed it out. It's mostly full of the schematics, but there :>> are parts diagrams and 3D assembly/disassembly diagrams. Looking :>> through the whole thing I didn't spot anything that would directly :>> relate to this problem. I figure I can either live with it or open :>> it up and try to find the problem, maybe replacing a pulley or :>> applying a rubber rejuvenator (recommendations?). Or, I could get a :>> learning remote and use IT to change the volume (the one that came :>> with the Sony has a kind of weak signal). I'd rather fix the :>> spinning control than have to use a remote. Thanks for any :>> guidance/help. Dan :>

:> That type of volume control uses LEDs and light sensors to detect :> movement of a flat wheel with little holes in it. Either the holes :> have become clogged with dust or the LEDs have gotten weak or coated :> with dust. If you disassemble the control to clean it you may never :> get it back together correctly or may cause it to stop working :> completely, so your best bet is to use the remote control for volume :> adjustments. : : :It's a rotary encoder constructed much like a vcr mode switch. No LED :involved. The encoder needs to be replaced, that's all. : :$13.24 list from Partstore.com. Part number 1-473-392-11 : :Mark Z. : Thank you!!

Dan

:1Mark D. Zacharias wrote: :> Jumpster Jiver wrote: :>> Dan_Musicant wrote: :>>> My 5 year old Sony MHCMG110 mini stereo has a problem: :>>>

:>>> The volume knob control doesn't always work properly. Before I open :>>> it up I thought I'd post here and get some guidance. :>>>

:>>> The volume level heard appears to correspond correctly with the :>>> digital level displayed, which goes from 1 to 30, maybe higher. I :>>> never have it higher than around 20. However, when spinning the :>>> volume knob those numbers don't always advance or decline as :>>> expected. Sometimes they even go backwards briefly!! When using the :>>> remote control, the volume changes smoothly and properly. :>>>

:>>> My first thought was a slipping pulley, but how would that make the :>>> volume go the wrong way? It doesn't go the wrong way a lot and not :>>> much - generally one digit and only momentarily when spinning the :>>> dial. Maybe it IS a spinning pulley. Anyway, this thing is pretty :>>> big and complex what with all the features (and I'm therefore :>>> hesitant to open it): 60 CD changer :>>> 2 cassette bays, one recording auto-reverse :>>> AM and FM :>>>

:>>> The speakers are separate (this is the stereo version, not 5.1 or :>>> 4.0) I bought the service manual yesterday online (they emailed it :>>> to me) and I printed it out. It's mostly full of the schematics, :>>> but there are parts diagrams and 3D assembly/disassembly diagrams. :>>> Looking :>>> through the whole thing I didn't spot anything that would directly :>>> relate to this problem. I figure I can either live with it or open :>>> it up and try to find the problem, maybe replacing a pulley or :>>> applying a rubber rejuvenator (recommendations?). Or, I could get a :>>> learning remote and use IT to change the volume (the one that came :>>> with the Sony has a kind of weak signal). I'd rather fix the :>>> spinning control than have to use a remote. Thanks for any :>>> guidance/help. Dan :>>

:>> That type of volume control uses LEDs and light sensors to detect :>> movement of a flat wheel with little holes in it. Either the holes :>> have become clogged with dust or the LEDs have gotten weak or coated :>> with dust. If you disassemble the control to clean it you may never :>> get it back together correctly or may cause it to stop working :>> completely, so your best bet is to use the remote control for volume :>> adjustments. :>

:>

:> It's a rotary encoder constructed much like a vcr mode switch. No LED :> involved. The encoder needs to be replaced, that's all. :>

:> $13.24 list from Partstore.com. Part number 1-473-392-11 :>

:> Mark Z. : :BTW the model number of the main unit is HCD-MG110. : :mz : Yup. Thanks again!!

Dan

Yep, no leds just a real cheap multiple on off rotary slider which gets dirty with time. Generally sealed so no air or cleaner will help. And usually requiring just about complete disassembly of the entire unit to get at. Have fun

That's a pretty sure clue it has some sort of encoder, and that's the problem.

:> :> It's a rotary encoder constructed much like a vcr mode switch. No LED :> involved. The encoder needs to be replaced, that's all. :> :> $13.24 list from Partstore.com. Part number 1-473-392-11 :> :> Mark Z. :> :> : Yep, no leds just a real cheap multiple on off rotary slider which gets :dirty with time. Generally sealed so no air or cleaner will help. And :usually requiring just about complete disassembly of the entire unit to :get at. Have fun

Oh, gee. Maybe it's not worth it to try to replace that. What is a rotary encoder and how does it work? When I spin the dial slowly it seems to work fine. It's when I spin it fast that it seems to "slip."

Google for that term.

The diagrams in my service manual make it look accessible, but I'm not at all sure. It might take a great deal of disassembly to get at the control board, which is where the encoder evidently is. Even if I can access that board, I have no idea how straightforward the process of replacing the encoder would be. I have fair soldering skills of a pretty conventional kind. I built a number of stereo components from kits when I was in college. This might seriously challenge me, though. I just don't know.

Yeah - except your encoder isn't optical, just metal "feelers" which make and break contact as they pass over the internal contacts in a circular motion. The contacts get tarnished from their silver content, thus the intermittent operation.

Mark Z.

In which case the cheap / easy fix is to spin it a lot.

It seems very much like when I spin it not very quickly it works fine. It's when I try for a quick change in volume that it tends to slip. I suppose it will only get worse over time. I presume there's no chance of rejuvenating the current encoder, eh?

If it's bad contacts, moving it a lot may fix that. Otherwise you need to blow tuner cleaner spray into it (not WD40). But no guarantees.