Pioneer Rt 707 Reel to Reel - stuck / glued FF/Play/Stop buttons

[SpeakerLabFan]

I picked up an RT 707 for next to nothing recently - it's had a rough life, in working condition but with stuck push buttons. I was hoping it was a poor fit on the front plate causing most of the push buttons to be "stuck". I removed the bottom and front plate, with some help from nosirrah to deal with stripped screws on the unit.

Now that I'm able to get at the push-buttons, it appears that most of the buttons are stuck within their plastic housing by glue - the buttons don't travel in and out individually at all. It doesn't appear that this a by-design - it looks more like some idiot got glue into these push buttons and now they are stuck in position. I tried soak these in hot water to no effect - they are glued plastic - on - plastic.

This is my first Pioneer RtR. What is the normal operation of push buttons on the RT 707's? Any thoughts on what I'm seeing with these buttons, anyone have a similar experience?

Here's a couple of pictures...

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o240/speakerlabfan/IMAGE_01243.jpg
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o240/speakerlabfan/IMAGE_01244.jpg

[avionic]

That would really sux if they are indeed glued..

[Brad Muller]

Maybe a soak in a petroleum product might break them loose. WD-40 or maybe even some liquid wrench. Once you get them moving at all, you should be home free.:scratch2: Brad

[SpeakerLabFan]

That would really sux if they are indeed glued..

Yeah... after I removed the faceplate and saw that this wasn't caused by a bad interface with the cutouts on the faceplate, I was hoping that a spill on the unit had caused the sticking ...but these are seized up tight inside the plastic, and a warm water soak didn't help. Applying any force does nothing, In their current state, I'm pretty sure that I'll crack the plastic before they move.

Maybe a soak in a petroleum product might break them loose. WD-40 or maybe even some liquid wrench. Once you get them moving at all, you should be home free.:scratch2: Brad

thanks for the idea, worth a try. :scratch2: I might have some paint thinner I can use, otherwise I'll pick up something tomorrow at the hardware store.

[cnote]

What was involved to get the face plate off?

[SpeakerLabFan]

What was involved to get the face plate off?

uh, just the usual - remove the unit's screws and the face plate pops off.

In order:


removed the case,
removed the bottom plate screws (with help from nosirrah and his vise-grip tools, as a couple were stripped),
removed the bottom plate,
removed the face plate screws,
removed the knobs for the MIC and LINE controls,
removed the face plate.

The push button assembly was glued to the faceplate when the faceplate came off. The push button knobs themselves should remain mounted on the main unit (just like a vol or balance control, but since they are stuck/glued into the plastic cutouts on the faceplate, they all came off with the faceplate except for the PAUSE push button knob which is NOT stuck/glued.

[cnote]

uh, just the usual - remove the unit's screws and the face plate pops off.

In order:


removed the case,
removed the bottom plate screws (with help from nosirrah and his vise-grip tools, as a couple were stripped),
removed the bottom plate,
removed the face plate screws,
removed the knobs for the MIC and LINE controls,
removed the face plate.

The push button assembly was glued to the faceplate when the faceplate came off. The push button knobs themselves should remain mounted on the main unit (just like a vol or balance control, but since they are stuck/glued into the plastic cutouts on the faceplate, they all came off with the faceplate except for the PAUSE push button knob which is NOT stuck/glued.

Thanks, I need to replace a directional light and counter belt. Actually I think I'll replace the brakes too while I have the unit open. Good luck with your project.

[avionic]

Yeah... after I removed the faceplate and saw that this wasn't caused by a bad interface with the cutouts on the faceplate, I was hoping that a spill on the unit had caused the sticking ...but these are seized up tight inside the plastic, and a warm water soak didn't help. Applying any force does nothing, In their current state, I'm pretty sure that I'll crack the plastic before they move.



thanks for the idea, worth a try. :scratch2: I might have some paint thinner I can use, otherwise I'll pick up something tomorrow at the hardware store.

I would be rather cautious about any petroleum based thinner.It may soften or dissolve the plastic ( test it first) in a inconspicious place.

[SpeakerLabFan]

I would be rather cautious about any petroleum based thinner.It may soften or dissolve the plastic ( test it first) in a inconspicious place.

Good call, will do. Yeah, I need something which will break loose the glue without taking out the plastic at the same time.

[nakmandan]

I had this happen to me on a piece of test equipment I had bought. I ended up just pushing the buttons hard enough to break the bond and then cleaned them up with some small files/sand paper. You could also try a small hobby knife (X-Acto) to break the bond.

Are the buttons plastic or aluminum? If aluminum, any solvent shouldn't hurt them but the plastic housing is another story. However, with plastic, you can bring it back to like new condition with some putty/sanding and paint. Good luck!

[SaSi]

Unleaded gasoline would be the best thing to soak the pushbuttons into. Be careful not to soak glazed panels as they will become dull. But gasoline will disolve (slowly) the glue and reduce the grip in the buttons.

From what it looks like in the pictures, the buttons are glued on a small PCB or board of some kind. What I would do is drop that in a glass with gasoline and forget about it for a day at least. It would be better to seal the top of the glass/pot with something (plastic wrap) so that it doesn't evaporate and smell.

Don't force anything or you will later be sorry.

[Mark W.]

NEVER EVER USE GASOLINE TO CLEAN ANYTHING

More people have ended up standing outside the trailer house watching it burn wondering what happened after they used gasoline to clean car parts or such.

[boxoboom]

Rather than gas, I would try cyanoacrylate (super glue) remover and if you can't find that get some nail polish remover. I would recommend caution using the nail polish remover as it can make the plastic soft. Worth a shot though.

[jpdylon]

I had the same thing happen to a 707 when the owner tried to clean the faceplate with windex. He sprayed it on the face rather than the towel. The capillary action sucked the windex into the button assembly and the windex sat there for a few hours - during which time it chemically broke down the plastic buttons and disfigured them. Now that they were no longer true in shape, they would not move.

The solution was to very carefully work them out using padded pliars and a little bit of heat. I was able to work the buttons out. I then had to trim and machine the buttons so that they were round - as well as the housing. However, i was able to get the button assembly back to a usable condition.

[Mark W.]

There is currently a set of RT-707 push buttons on eBay (do a search for Pioneer RT-707) It might be possible to physically remove the messed up ones and then replace with the ones from eBay. You might also ask the guy selling them if he also has the rest of the switch block! He might not have thought that part worth selling.

[SpeakerLabFan]

Thanks for the suggestions.

There is currently a set of RT-707 push buttons on eBay (do a search for Pioneer RT-707) It might be possible to physically remove the messed up ones and then replace with the ones from eBay. You might also ask the guy selling them if he also has the rest of the switch block! He might not have thought that part worth selling.

Thanks for the pointer Mark - email sent. :thmbsp: