Brief Intro. & Pioneer SX-1010 Pots??

Hello Everyone,

I am currently residing in the State of the frozen tundra and the winners of the Super Bowl.

In 1992 I purchased a Pioneer SX-1010 stereo receiver, Sony Cassette deck w. dubbing capablities, a pair of Klipshe Forte speakers, a Pioneer turn table, and a old Craig 8 track deck, all for $90.00 at a garage sale. At that time, I did not know what a fantastic bunch of equipment I had bought. Everything worked and sounded fantastic.

I just recently learned I should clean the pots on the receiver, due to some slight distortion in the volume adjustment. I bought some Deoxit and talked with a alledged certified technician, online. He told me to access the pots I would have to nearly take the entire unit apart. Is that true?

I took the face plate off, the wood top off and the bottom plate off, but I can't see the pots.

I want to spritz all of the pots, since the receiver has not had anything done to it, likely for more years than I've owned it. Would you believe there is no discoloration on the circuit boards w. no signs of leakage anywhere. During the period of my ownership, I kept the receiver elevated to avoid excessive heat build up. When it was not in use, it was kept covered and unplugged.

I have searched this forum, but I can't locate any information about where the pots are, or how to spritz all of them. I bought the type of Deoxit that has the tube adaptor.

Would I recommend vintage Pioneer receivers? You bet, but ignorance is not bliss.

I hope someone will help me with the pots issues.
My wife is going to kill me if I don't get the receiver off of the dining room table by Tues., so by responding, you may save a life. I may have to do the cooking...yuk.

I'm glad I found this fantastic forum!

Thanks in advance!

Wayne...newby and not techno savvy

Welcome to AudioKarma, Wayne! I had a long answer typed up and just about ready to post for you, went to go check something and lost the whole thing. :dammit: I'll write something up tomorrow for you if someone else hasn't beat me to it, which happens a lot around here.

But the short answer is, I've got two SX-1010's and three SX-939's and they are great receivers. They are old now though and do need a bit of work to keep them and their owners happy. Cleaning the potentiometers (rotary controls) and switches (pushbutton and toggle type) is the first place to start for maintenance. It's not that hard to do, just takes time, a bit of patience, a few tools, and a can of DeOxit D5. Actually Caig's FaderLube and DeOxit Gold (used to be ProGold) are two other products that I think are essential too. Use these two after the DeOxit cleaner depending on what you cleaned.

Anyway, you don't have to "nearly take the entire unit apart", but you do have to take off the wood cover, bottom metal cover, and remove the aluminum front panel. You'll need a #1 Phillips screwdriver, a 1/2 inch wrench, and a 1.5 millimeter hex (Allen) wrench. This lets you get to the switches and pots so you can squirt in the DeOxit, then operate each control for a couple of minutes to work in the DeOxit. Doing just a bit more disassembly to remove some of the switch and pot mounting brackets makes things even a little easier.

In the meantime, I highly recommend you find a workplace more suitable for this work than the kitchen or dining room table, it will make things a whole lot easier in the long run, and you really can't clean up your Pioneer if you're DEAD. Seriously, you need a table or benchtop that you can put the receiver on and sit next to it while you work, and you won't feel rushed then either. And don't forget the music! :thmbsp:

Greetings Wayne, and welcome to AK and the Pioneer forum.

Doc

Re. My Pioneer SX-1010 Pots?? Huh?

I have the face plate off. Do I need to remove the aluminum plate under the face plate? I counted 18 screws to remove and 4 hex nuts (2 @ the L R mic inputs appear to be white, like ceramic or ?). 12 of the screws may hold some wired mechanisms...not sure.

To access the back of the pots, there is a load of wiring in the way. That concerns me when I start moving wiring. Is is absolutely necessary to remove or open the backs of those pots?

My brain is fried today! Am I going to have to remove the plastic cover above that aluminum cover. Final question: should I put something over the circuit boards when I finally do the spritz task?

We recently moved here. My work bench is in a shed where no electric power supply exists. I won't be able to use it for a long time, which is why I am using the dining room table. Guess who is gonna be cookin his own food, sleepin on the couch and duckin when a fryin pan konks him on his fried brain. For sale one wife, who is enjoying menopause. I'm gonna be wearin a football helmet until it's over. <g>

Thanks Charlie and anyone else that helps me!!! I gotta survive this fun!

Wayne, using an ol webtv unit, because my puter crashed...not because of my wife..<g>

Well, if you got the front panel off, I guess you figured out taking off the two 1/2 inch nuts on the volume and bass controls, and using a 1.5 millimeter hex wrench to get the tuning knob off.

No, you don't want to remove the aluminum plate under the face plate (front panel). And you don't need to remove the hex shaped plastic nuts that hold the Mic and Headphone jacks in place (but you might want to run a QTip with DeOxit in them). To clean the the speaker A/B/C select, function select (AM/FM/etc.), and high cut/low cut/loudness/-20dB/etc. switches that are across the front horizontally, you should be able to just stick the DeOxit spray tube into a corner of the metal case of each switch. It should just in the corner right next to the small spring. Give it a couple of squirts then work the switch for a few minutes. Operating the switch or control for a while is just as important as getting the DeOxit in there. Another way to clean these switches is if you look closely you'll see that they are mounted to circuit boards in four groups (assemblies). If you remove the few screws that hold each switch assembly in place, you should be able to then slide the assembly out from behind the front and can then get to them easier. I try to stuff a paper towel in around each switch as I clean it to keep the DeOxit from getting on everything.

If you clean the dimming and FM muting switches on the right side, it's best to turn the receiver onto its left side. These switches are mounted on a circuit board that's oriented vertically, so the DeOxit just runs to the side of the switch instead of the bottom unless you turn the receiver onto it's side.

Below is a photo I took of a burned out dimmer switch so you can see what it looks like inside. The small brown board at the bottom holds the stationary contacts. The white plastic part inside the metal cover (which is upside down in the photo) slides when the button is depressed and is supposed to have the other metal contacts in it where the burned looking slots are. So when you spray in the DeOxit from the front of the switch body, it has to flow down onto the board then get worked back up onto the metal contacts to do it's job.

If you're having trouble with scratchiness in the volume control potentiometer, then you definitely need to clean it. The body of the potentiometer is a round metal can about one inch in diameter and inch or so long. Access to it is from behind the front panel. You shouldn't have to remove the back cover of the pot (which is usually a metal plate that has metal tabs from the side that are bent over to hold the cover in place), just look at the body of it closely and you should see a 1/2 inch or so long slot on one side of it that you can squirt the DeOxit in through. Again, I'd suggest trying to stuff a paper towel all around the pot first to catch the runoff. Then you can stick the knob back on and turn the volume control shaft back and forth for a few minutes to work in the DeOxit. Same for the the balance pot, but it generally isn't used all that much and so doesn't need cleaning nearly as much. Certainly doesn't hurt to do it while you're in there though.

If you can, I think it's a good idea to follow up the D5 cleaning with a shot of Caig's DeOxit Gold (used to be called ProGold) for the switches, and with FaderLube on the potentiometers. I get these at Frys Electronics here in the LA area, but Parts Express, an AK sponser, sells them online. Also, it seems to take DeOxit D5 a while to evaporate, and I recommend you wait a day or so before you power the receiver back up, but I've heard other folks say they don't really wait at all. I figure why take any chances. Just put everything back together when you're done cleaning, and work the controls some more. Lastly, yes, you do need to be somewhat careful about the wires when you are moving things around. They shouldn't just fall apart when you touch them or anything, but you also don't want to put much stress on them as you move things around.

Pioneer SX-1010 Pots...uh oh

Before I was able to post at this forum, two so-called techs told me, I first had to remove that aluminum plate under the face plate. Fortunately, I supported everything while I removed that plate. They also to me to spritz Deoxit in all of the holes (exept at the tuning knob) from the front, so I did. I additionally turned each knob numerous times after I did the spraying. Did the Deoxit do any harm by spraying it as described? Yeah, now I feel like an idiot. No, I did not spray the power area. I put everything back together, that is under that plate, except I have a black piece of paper(?) and I can't locate where it goes, plus a dried up type of sticky sponge that is now in a wad. Any clues as to what I need to do, other than konk myself on the head with a baseball bat? All levers that had a piece of that paper, have one, so where did this extra piece come from?

Konk! Thanks! I am sure sorry I couldn't post to this forum sooner!!!

Wayne...feelin like a bloomin idiot, plus I can't find any holes in the pots from the back...looked in every direction and from every angle. I must need some new glasses...wish I drank booze!!!

OK Wayne, forget what I said and stop listening to me! That's what I get for trying to do this from memory at my age and after partying my way through college. Sounds like you are doing just fine even with my poor advice.

Spraying the DeOxit in shouldn't harm anything, I'd just try to wipe up all the excess when you're done.

I'm guessing the pieces of paper you are talking about are actually the dark colored rectangular pieces of felt that go over the toggles switch levers. I thing they are there mostly for appearance, but maybe partly to help keep dust out of the switch. You should have seven of them, for the power, Tone defeat, Dolby adapter, 4 channel adapter, Tape Duplicate, Tape 1, and Tape 2 Monitor controls.

I think your techs are partially right. I don't have an SX-1010 handy to open up so I'm looking at an SX-939 which I think is close enough to the 1010. I forgot that you can't even see the back of these pots with things assembled. You do need to do some more disassembly to get to the volume and balance pots, but I don't think you have to take the 6 screws out that hold in the aluminum panel the pots and the toggle switches are mounted to. Instead, with the receiver on its right side, take out the 6 screws that hold the control assembly (the circuit board with the attached toggle switches and volume and balance control pots) to the aluminum panel. Then you can pull the assembly out of the panel from the bottom of the chassis and swing it away from the receiver to get to the pots and switches.

You'll need to look next to the circuit board to find holes to squirt the DeOxit into the toggle switches. You can see the slots I was talking about in the volume pot in the photo. I also remember now that there are slots in the balance pot, but they are facing the circuit board making it hard to get to them. I think now that I did end up prying open the tabs that hold the back on the balance pot to get into it, but there are two sections to this pot with two sets of wipers and contacts, and taking the back off only gets you into one section. Another better option is to remove the 6 or so screws that attach the control assembly to the small aluminum plate, then pull the plate off. Now I think you should see slots in the pot body where the electrical connections come out to go into the circuit board, and you should be able to squirt in the DeOxit into both sections of the pot. Cleaning the balance pot may not be worth worrying about for you since it gets a lot less use than the volume pot and is less likely to give you a problem.

Sorry for the confusion I caused earlier, and good luck with your cleaning project.

Re.Pioneer SX-1010 Pots...uh oh

Hey Charlie, you did not cause any confusion. Everyone that owns similar receivers, but not the SX-1010, said the same things you said, earlier. The so-called techs. responded in another forum and it could have been the same person trying to get me to ship the receiver to him. Who knows?

None of us are getting any younger and we all just do the best we can. I'm actually retired, so I am not a kid. My wife is much younger than I.

It sounds like I have a big job ahead of me. I know when I'm done, I won't connect the Klipshe speakers to the receiver. Instead I'll use some cheap ones, just in case I really created a bigger problem than I already had.

I guess comparing this receiver to others may be the wrong approach. I, actually had 3 other guys do the same thing and nothing they said, fit this receiver either.

Hey Charlie, don't worry about it! You were the only one that tried to help me in this forum! I'll get some more Deoxit and tackle the pots as soon as I can, especially the volume pot which is the one causing problems. I'll use a hefty extension cord and have a fire extinquisher nearby, when I turn the unit on. Who knows if I messed up a wire or more by pulling that additional aluminum board open.

Thanks for being you and doing the best you can!!

Wayne..I make my own choices and am completely responsible for what I choose to do.

Since I have not been in that type of receiver since the 70's, and charlie seemed to be making sense, I kept my yap shut.... but now....

There will be gaps in between the three leads that all pots have - except the deliberately sealed ones, and because those are lots more expensive, they aren't used a lot.

I have some J shaped tubes (gotta fill the center channel with a wire first to keep it open when bending) to hook in there to blast controls that are mounted on the pc boards. I had to use gentle heat to bend them. WD-40 tubes seem to be the same size and everybody seems to accumulate a lot of those... just give em a blast first to get the wd40 out!!!

My best advice is to go slowly, being sure you can back out gracefully from whatever you did.

And there is ALWAYS a n opening somewhere in whatever component that can be taken advantage of.

Wayne,
I cleaned my 1010 3 weeks ago and ran into the same issues that you found. I tilted the front panel down about 30 degrees, which was about as far as the cap on the volume knob would stretch. I then fired an off-brand contact cleaner into any open orrifice I could find on each of the pots. I took care to avoid getting contact cleaner on the black paint of the radio dial. I was surprised to find that I had cleaned to pots and power switch to near perfect condition. While it was drying, I found Audio Karma in my search for new dial lamps.
I also used the occasion to remove the glass from the face plate for cleaning. I clean LCD panels on ultrasound machines at work, and used the same process the get the glass clean. I use a Windex towelette and follow-up with a microfiber polishing cloth while the glass is still wet.

To Hypervader

Did you do the disassembly job, as described above? I picked up a darn respiratory virus, so I did not start tearing into my receiver yet. I hope to start again on Thursday, but before I attack it, I want to completely understand the job. Would you mind clarifying what you did? I didn't understand probably, in part, due to the virus. I'm glad you found the way to clean yours! I am not very proficient at this type of task and have some trouble understanding some things.

Welcome to the group! Thanks for sharing your experiences!

Wayne

Oops, that post was to ultravader

Darn virus.

Wayne

Wayne,
CharlieMcD had it right, you want to tip the bare receiver on the left side to reach the pots from the bottom to get contact cleaner into the volume pot as you twist the shaft back and forth. I don't remember an aluminum panel on the bottom.
I liberated the panel just enough to tip it forward to shoot cleaner down the front of the shaft.
I would do the cleaning work in the shed so that you can safely make a mess with the contact cleaner and since there is no power, you will have less temptatation to plug it in while it is still wet.