Greetings guys. I've been lurking here for a couple of months. Your collective wisdom is wonderful. I found a nice SX-1280 at a pawn shop in Indianola, MS (birthplace of B.B. King) a couple of days ago. It cleaned up nicely but has no left channel output, not even on headphones. What suggestions have you that a novice could do to troubleshoot prior to seeking a technician? I have a basic understanding about how these work but no hands on experience. While blowing out the interior with compressed air, I saw no apparent problems and nothing smelled burnt.

BTW I also have a pristine SX-1250, QX-949, and an SX-425. This fever overcame me in the spring and I haven't been the same since. I'm not joined at the hip with Pioneer, they just seem to get in my way more often.

welcome to AK! it's nice to have another mississippian. foot, i almost rode to indianola not long ago to go "shopping". i was going to hit grenada, winona, greenwood, indianola, cleveland, clarksdale, and batesville. wish i had beat you to that old pioneer! did you go to BB's homecoming earlier this month? i missed it this year.

i'm not an expert, but i've gotten quite a few old receivers going. for more, and better advice, post a question in the all-pioneer forum. that's where the experts hang out. i have found folks here to be very helpful.

blowing it out with compressed air is definately the first step to take. while the cover is off, do these things:

clean all the pots and switches with deoxidant. you can get some at radio shack, but it's expensive, and some say it is low quality. i would have to agree with that. the closest place to you that i know of to buy some is in jackson. hooper electronics is located in the 51 mart shopping center at the corner of Terry Road and US 80. if you go to memphis, you can get it at bluff city electronics, just off of brooks road at 3339 fontaine road. go right from 55 north on brooks. not too far down is fontaine. i always turn the wrong way off brooks, but i think you turn left. it's just a block or two off brooks. i get mine online at parts express. they have a banner here on AK.

once again, some of the AK pros might recommend some better options, but deoxit from parts express works for me.

deoxidant can get kinda messy, so wipe up the excess with a paper towel or rag. i usually hit mine again with compressed air to dry it all out good.

at this point, you can test the receiver again. in many cases, the problem will be cured. if not, read on.

next, check the fuses, both inside and outside the unit. it's hard to tell just by looking, so pull them out and test them for continuity with a multimeter. you can get them at walmart or radio shack for 10-20 bucks. not a great tester, but mighty handy.

while fuses do occasionally fail, a blown fuse can indicate other problems. if you find any bad ones, make sure you replace them with fuses that have the same rating. once again, radio shack has a few, then try the other sources. i sometimes find common parts at tv repair shops, but those are getting to be fewer and far between in our parts. it's a good idea to buy extras. more times than not, at least in my case, the new one blows instantly when you turn on the unit. this definately indicates further problems.

the next step is to use a good light and magnifying glass to inspect for any loose wires. if your unit has been rough-housed or even dropped (horror!), wires can break loose at the ends. if you find any loose, figure out where they go (may require assistance) and re-solder them. i hope you can solder, if not, i'm an idiot, i learned how, you can too! i would try to learn on a piece of gear you don't care about!

if you find no loose wires, the next step is to look for any signs of burning on the circuit boards. sometimes this doesn't show on both sides of the boards, so check top and bottom.

if you find any burnt spots, there is a problem there. if not, check for loose solder connections. use a finger to gently wiggle all the components while looking at the solder joints. once again, use good light and magnification. re-solder any questionable solder joints.

more times than not, the above steps have cured most of my equipment. if this doesn't cure the problem, then some electronics knowledge will be needed. if you don't have any, a repair man is in order. if you don't know of any, i know a guy in clarksdale and two here in oxford that i have heard good reports for. i've only used the guy in clarksdale once. he fixed a bass amp for me once. if you need any of their names or numbers, send me a PM.

i hope this works for you! if not, try the pioneer forum. a lot of these guys around here are extremely knowledgeable, and most are happy to help out!

welcome to AK!

While you're cleaning switches, etc., don't forget any tape monitor or tape copy switches. Even if you don't have a tape player hooked up to the system, if these aren't working right, they can kill your output.

Thanks so much! I'm headed to bed but will play with the brute tomorrow. I appreciate your tips. Thankfully there is a really good "ol skool" tech in Greenwood to whom I can turn when my limited skills are depleted. I'll keep you posted. BTW lguise, my wife and I and all our kids are Ole Miss grads.

i think i know the fellow you are talking about. he is a retired guy, ham radio operator, and has his shop in a closed in garage. i can't remember the name of the street, but there is a park across the road from his house.

hate to hear you are ole miss grads. maybe you'll get an education some day!

go DSU fighting okra!

Welcome to AK macyjrm!

Gohan

Welcome!

Welcome to AK!

Welcome to AK!

Tom

Welcome aboard. Pioneer is appreciated here.:D

hate to hear you are ole miss grads. maybe you'll get an education some day!

go DSU fighting okra!

Fighting okra?
I often eat okra for dinner. Never had one fight back...
:D

Welcome to AK!

Fighting okra?
I often eat okra for dinner. Never had one fight back...
:D


have you ever tried cutting a peck of okra from the stalk?

Howdy!

welcome aboard




Bill

foot, i almost rode to indianola not long ago to go "shopping". i was going to hit grenada, winona, greenwood, indianola, cleveland, clarksdale, and batesville.

Wow! Talk about sowin' your delta blues oats! You've inspired me to try taking a run down from Memphis like that some Saturday. Put on some Robert Johnson or Ma Rainey and roll on out US 61 south. Now, if I only had a rag-top '55 Caddy . . .

BTW, welcome to AK Macyjrm. Good to have some locals on board. And Guitar Centers are supposed to carry Deoxit as well. Don't know if there are any spread around North MS but there is one up in Bartlett north of Memphis at 8024 Hwy 64.:thmbsp: