Cleaning Old AV Equipment

[TheSkuffedKnerd]

I wasn't sure where to ask this, so please move if necessary.

I re-acquired an old Sony AV receiver. Set it up and turned it on last night to make sure it all still worked and that smell of old cigarette smoke that has settled into electronics is very noticeable. Man it's bad.

Is there any way to clean this thing up internally? Only thing I can think of is to blow out the insides, wipe down the casing in/out with water/vinegar or vinegar/baking soda and let it sit in the sun, which we don't get much of here due to Winter now.

But what can I do about the actual electronics that are covered in this film of ill-forgotten bad memories and despair?

 

[Doodski]

@TheSkuffedKnerd I've cleaned many Sony receivers with and without nicotine, coca cola, orange juice, pOp, water stains and other foreign substances. I like windex/ammonia for sudsing/washing, it degreases, deodorizes and sterilizes but it sometimes strips off the sorta waxy surface shine. Warm water/sudsy stuff melts off the pOp, cola and orange juice. Isopropyl rinses/washes it finally as well. Put/poke a 1mm hole in the top of a isopropyl plastic lid and make it into a squirt bottle for washing and rinsing gear. I use a toothbrush or a 2" long bristled paintbrush to get into those lead legs and such and really froth up the cleaner where it needs that. Do not blow high pressure air in, a round or under flatpacks. For that issue let the PCB and stuff air dry for 2-3 days and then reassemble. The alcohol rinse will actually dry pretty fast but to be sure 2-3 days wait time is safe.

Before proceeding what model of Sony receiver is this?

 

[TheSkuffedKnerd]

@TheSkuffedKnerd I've cleaned many Sony receivers with and without nicotine, coca cola, orange juice, pOp, water stains and other foreign substances. I like windex/ammonia for sudsing/washing, it degreases, deodorizes and sterilizes but it sometimes strips off the sorta waxy surface shine. Warm water/sudsy stuff melts off the pOp, cola and orange juice. Isopropyl rinses/washes it finally as well. Put/poke a 1mm hole in the top of a isopropyl plastic lid and make it into a squirt bottle for washing and rinsing gear. I use a toothbrush or a 2" long bristled paintbrush to get into those lead legs and such and really froth up the cleaner where it needs that. Do not blow high pressure air in, a round or under flatpacks. For that issue let the PCB and stuff air dry for 2-3 days and then reassemble. The alcohol rinse will actually dry pretty fast but to be sure 2-3 days wait time is safe.

Before proceeding what model of Sony receiver is this?

ETA: I'm just seeing your reply on Tuesday and my disassembly occurred this past weekend.

Model STR-K7100

I got it apart, cleaned everything I could with qtips and isopropyl 91% and put everything in the sun for 2 days this weekend.
I thought re-assembly would be easy considering almost every connector is a different size, until I hit 2 that are exactly the same. One goes to the mainboard, the other goes to the transformer. On the power/standby board there are 2 3pin connectors, which both of those are. they don't reach anywhere else in the system so they must go there. But I don't know which one goes where. the labels on the board connectors are useless, as is the Sony repair manual as it only shows a plug with a number for a designation. That number doesn't match anything on the board at all. I'm worried if I mix those up, poof goes something. It would have been nice if the connectors on BOTH ends were labeled the same, would make matching them up a whole lot easier.

 

[Doodski]

ETA: I'm just seeing your reply on Tuesday and my disassembly occurred this past weekend.

Model STR-K7100

I got it apart, cleaned everything I could with qtips and isopropyl 91% and put everything in the sun for 2 days this weekend.
I thought re-assembly would be easy considering almost every connector is a different size, until I hit 2 that are exactly the same. One goes to the mainboard, the other goes to the transformer. On the power/standby board there are 2 3pin connectors, which both of those are. they don't reach anywhere else in the system so they must go there. But I don't know which one goes where. the labels on the board connectors are useless, as is the Sony repair manual as it only shows a plug with a number for a designation. That number doesn't match anything on the board at all. I'm worried if I mix those up, poof goes something. It would have been nice if the connectors on BOTH ends were labeled the same, would make matching them up a whole lot easier.

Are you using the service manual for cable identification and routing of these wires that are giving you a bad time?

 

[TheSkuffedKnerd]

This is the one I was using, and it appears to be the same the one you attached.

 

[Doodski]

Page 11 with the Standby Board and it's connectors where this issue is?
Page 40 details the circuitry and what I think you are having issue with being CNP804 & CNP805?

 

[TheSkuffedKnerd]

Yes. The green diagram, bottom right, the 2 3 pin connectors above the 6 pin one.

 

[Doodski]

Yes. The green diagram, bottom right, the 2 3 pin connectors above the 6 pin one.

Have you connected CNP804 & CNP805 and then tested the unit? Connect them according the schematic/the PCB layout diagram.

 

[ThatM1key]

I have a feeling your gonna use that Sony with those Realistic's

 

[TheSkuffedKnerd]

I have a feeling your gonna use that Sony with those Realistic's

I am toying with it right now. And before I took the Sony down to clean it, they actually sounded good.
This is going to be used to me TV setup in the room for now, until I decide what to do for speakers on the PC.

 

[TheSkuffedKnerd]

Have you connected CNP804 & CNP805 and then tested the unit? Connect them according the schematic/the PCB layout diagram.

I did not, those are the 2 leads I couldn't figure out where they went. Now I see that 804 goes to the transformer lead. Thank you.