KA 5500 restoration

Sir.Byrd said:

Nice!
Didn't know lha1992 ended up with that KA-5500, I know he has/had a KA-6000
I think the issue was a dirty switch. I had it working 100% when it left. Probably the tone defeat switch.
Send me a PM, I have a case screw that I lost and have since found that you are missing!

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I didn't end up with it. Actually Tom bought it from some guy with a whole bunch of other gear and then he told me about the KA-5500 not working right and another piece of gear so he brought them up to me to look at. Oh and yeah the tone defeat switch seems to be the culprit.

And their are no missing case screws from what i can tell so.

I'm just getting such a kick out of this. I affirms how small the world really is.

KA5500 vs KA6000

Just acquired an KA6000 which I'm enjoying
with Luxman FM tuner and a/d/s 780's
in the office setup.
I've been surprised how enjoyable this
Kenwood is.
Could anyone comment on how it
and the KA5500 compare please?
DaveS

Always, with the KENWOOD's and with anything else when they seem to absence makes you . . . . you know the hats are going bad and fast!. . . ..

cars rent surfers paradise

JameSchmit said:

Always, with the KENWOOD's and with anything else when they seem to absence makes you . . . . you know the hats are going bad and fast!. . . ..

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Tried several times to understand what you're trying to say - got nowhere...

The iPad's been drinking!!!!

JameSchmit said:

Always, with the KENWOOD's and with anything else when they seem to absence makes you . . . . you know the hats are going bad and fast!. . . ..

cars rent surfers paradise

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bios on a 5500 Kenwood

anybody know how to set the bios on a KA5500? What points are we reading across to set the pots? Any help appreciated. Can't find service manual. :thmbsp:

Meter to Pin 9 and Pin 7 of the amp board, adjust Vre1 to 45mV. Meter to Pin 23 and Pin 25, adjust Vre2 to 45mV.

Sir.Byrd said:

Ordered some of these for the next one, no foam tape and glue needed!

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Hello Man, nice job done here.
Sorry if i resurrected this old thread but need some help: Can you tell me what´s the brand of these filter caps in the pic? Also, since the original cap has 4 poles and this one has only two how did you
manage to install them?

Thank u in advance. N help is appreciated.

Greetings from Brazil.

I can't comment on the 2 to 4-pole thing (never heard of a 4 pole capacitor, didn't think that was possible and I haven't opened my KA-5500 up yet to see what you're referring to), but those caps in the picture are Nichicon LKG series, usually referred to around here as just KG. Most likely Nichicon part # LKG1J103MKN

The stock capacitors have a dual pin, if you will, at the negative and positive side. Not four poles.

Hey EchoWars (or others experienced in vintage Kenwood restoration), when you recap a KA 5500 or similar amp, do you just replace the electrolytics? Or also the mylar caps? From what I understand the ceramics and film caps should be fine, just not sure about the mylars.

I thought I saw you comment on this before somewhere, but I searched high and low in old KA-5500 threads and of course couldn't find it now that I need it

Mylar is just a trademarked name for Polyester film (PET) caps. So no, you don't need to replace them. Further reading

Ahh cool, that's great news. The additional cost wouldn't bother me as much as the extra work of replacing 22 more caps. I haven't sprung for a vacuum desoldering station yet, so I'm just using an iron and desoldering braid.

Thanks for the link too, hopjohn. That's a great site I haven't seen before.

@ Pinkfloyd4ev

Generally speaking, a basic recap includes replacement of electrolytic and tantalum caps. Tantalum caps were not used nearly as much as electrolytic, and I don't know whether KA-5500 even has them. If so, there are likely to be only a few. You can google for more info i.e. for ID purposes. Tantalums are (usually) small, oval shaped and shiny, and they are polarized like most electrolytics are. If you have the Service Manual (I do not), they may be described in the parts list as solid aluminum. Tantalums are low-leakage so they should be replaced with film (polyester or polypropylene) if possible, or with Nichicon KL low-leakage electrolytics.

Technically Tantalum caps are in the electrolytic family, but I understand the need to differentiate. I point it out to make the distinction that when it is commonly said " I replaced all electrolytics", it should include Tantalum capacitors by definition. The 5500 I did had none, but running changes may have made use of them at some point during production. Who knows if there will be any in there, it'd be best to check.

Noted hopjohn, and of course you are correct. Visually they are different and could easily be missed (or mistaken as mylar or poly) by a 1st time recapper. By adding to this thread I certainly did not intend to impugn your advice, merely add to it. I don't think you even mentioned electrolytics. Pinkfloyd4ev did, but, as I remember clearly myself, when doing this type of project for the first time there is a steep learning curve.

Agreed. There's a lot to absorb for a first timer, but we've all been there. The reason to differentiate Tantalum from Aluminum is very relevant and not to be diminished. I just wanted to point out that "electrolytic" gets thrown around the forums in general a bit too loosely. I wasn't implying that it was your quote and it wasn't. Your advice on the use of low leakage caps is spot on. MTF has taught us well.

Any benefit to preemptively replacing the relay? I've seen it's on issue on other Kenwoods of similar age but I haven't seen any threads with relay issues on the KA-5500. Seems the Tone Defeat switch is the most common issue on the KA-5500.

Pinkfloyd4ev said:

Any benefit to preemptively replacing the relay? I've seen it's on issue on other Kenwoods of similar age but I haven't seen any threads with relay issues on the KA-5500. Seems the Tone Defeat switch is the most common issue on the KA-5500.

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There is benefit to replacing the relay. There are other things that can be done as well, and by doing the additional work you would be going from a basic recap towards a more comprehensive restoration.

Personally, I would not usually nudge a 1st-timer to get in too deep. A basic recap is a good thing, and a good place to start. Most of the benefits sound-wise will come from the new caps. Better to successfully complete a basic recap, realize the benefits, enjoy the sense of a job well done. Anyone here who assists new people can not know about their abilities, which range all over the map. Frequently, IMHO, newbies get in over their heads.

But...if you feel able and are so inclined, here are some additional things that can be done in addition to a basic recap:

---new relay (don't bother cleaning or messing with the contacts of the original. the benefit, if any, will be temporary)
---new trim pots (sealed, cermet, Bournes if possible)
---fresh grease and insulators on the output transistors (or any other place where the grease was used originally). this gets a bit trickier to do correctly, but not outrageously so
---pre-emptive and comprehensive Deoxit treatment. As you alluded to, switch issues are common, not only in this particular model, but all vintage gear
---there are some key capacitors in the signal path which are easily upgraded with better-than-original parts (this would be part of the basic recap)

I would suggest that you start your own thread instead of piggy-backing onto a pre-existing thread. You will have more people viewing and possibly offering advice. Between you, me, and hopjohn there are already 11 posts about YOUR Ka-5500 in someone else's thread, and they are relatively hidden from public view being on page 3.

Do only what you are comfortable with...better to do too little and come back later, than to dive in too deep and make a mess and possibly damage something.