My rca inputs and outputs are fucked!

[Chuck]

The right channels of my inputs and outputs are failing. I've used different cables so I know it's not that. I can gently push down on my rca cables and the right audio comes in, but as soon as I let it go it's out again. Does anyone here have any experience with fixing this kind of problem?

[ellaguru]

i have still that problem too
never fixed, i move my habds aroud cables
one day i ask a techincien to fix that but he asked me 50€ just to "see" what the problem was....fuck him, istayed with the problem...
maybe is just a soldering matter...

[Chuck]

Damn..that's a lot of money just to open it up!

[crumbsucker]

Do you dare to open the machine to see if the spot where RCA's are connected to PCB is easily accsessable?
Your problem probably looks like this drawing.
It is easy fix but you need to buy or borrow (small) 15-25W soldering iron some solder and
still hand.

SP-F.JPG (11.98 KiB) Viewed 10211 times

PCB is usually drilled and RCA's have somekind of lips that are soldered trough this holes to PCB. Those lips also hold the connector in place and they can cause bad soldering point when you apply too much pressure for too many times.
I'd fix that for 1 cold beer.

[ellaguru]

Do you dare to open the machine to see if the spot where RCA's are connected to PCB is easily accsessable?
Your problem probably looks like this drawing.
It is easy fix but you need to buy or borrow (small) 15-25W soldering iron some solder and
still hand.

SP-F.JPG

i got one solder like this i think, i will try to open the 303 later
thanx

[crumbsucker]

Can you make a macro photo of the spot?

[Chuck]

I might have to give this a shot as well. Hmm...what's the worst that can happen, I slip with the iron and fry the board? Thanks for the info, crumbsucker.

[modulr]

The right output on my 303 does that... I have to push down to get it working. Finally got the cables in a position where it works, so I just try not to move it around too much. I did open it up but now seeing this diagram, I'm gonna crack it open again tonight.

[crumbsucker]

I might have to give this a shot as well. Hmm...what's the worst that can happen, I slip with the iron and fry the board? Thanks for the info, crumbsucker.

You can fry some components if you hold soldering iron on one spot for too long but with 15W iron this is almost impossible.

You must take care that you don't apply too much solder on the spot because you can flood other tiny wires around the spot...
watch for excess solder ingeneral, and don't even try soldering over PCB if you don't have soldering iron with small tip (you can grind it with file to make it smaller)
Usually 15-25W irons got small enough tips.
If you don't have experience in soldering take some broken PCB and practice few minutes... so you see how things behave... how fast solder melts... Unsolder some resistors and solder them back... it is easy
It helps if you have some soldering paste or flux... sometimes it is present in the middle of soldering wire... it is yellow in most cases.
With the flux solder sticks way better.

[ellaguru]

DSC01544.JPG (172.16 KiB) Viewed 10188 times

DSC01545.JPG (141.8 KiB) Viewed 10188 times

DSC01546.JPG (136.14 KiB) Viewed 10188 times

DSC01547.JPG (179.81 KiB) Viewed 10188 times

DSC01548.JPG (119.64 KiB) Viewed 10188 times

DSC01549.JPG (124.68 KiB) Viewed 10188 times

DSC01550.JPG (150.67 KiB) Viewed 10188 times

DSC01551.JPG (117.38 KiB) Viewed 10188 times

[LoneStar]

Hm you forgot to take one photo - the only one needed, a close-up of the RCA connectors' solder joints

Anyways, try moving the connector gently while looking at its large solder joints. If something moves there, the solder joint is broken - easy fix: just apply heat to the joints for a few seconds using the soldering iron. The solder will melt and close the gaps again. Maybe apply a little bit of fresh solder so you get a bit a flux into it so it flows better.

[ellaguru]

Hm you forgot to take one photo - the only one needed, a close-up of the RCA connectors' solder joints

could you see that on DSC01544.JPG and 1545 and 1546 pictures?
anyway it seems to me a "plastic" thing not a "Metallic" one...

Anyways, try moving the connector gently while looking at its large solder joints. If something moves there, the solder joint is broken - easy fix: just apply heat to the joints for a few seconds using the soldering iron. The solder will melt and close the gaps again. Maybe apply a little bit of fresh solder so you get a bit a flux into it so it flows better.

ok, this sounds not very difficult...
but fisrt i have to see if something moves...
thanx

[E.Simon]

I'm a noob when it comes to these things, but can't you replace the RCA in and outs?

damn when i see those pics i don't wanna mess with it.

hope you can fix it!

[Chuck]

I'm a noob when it comes to these things, but can't you replace the RCA in and outs?

Well, you have to do what crumbsucker explained in order to replace them. They more than likely don't need to be replaced, they're just not making a proper connection to the board if I understand correctly.

sigh...off to buy a soldering iron

[LoneStar]

could you see that on DSC01544.JPG and 1545 and 1546 pictures?
anyway it seems to me a "plastic" thing not a "Metallic" one...

No I couldn't see anything, they were taken from the side and not from the top, and really bloomed and unsharp to begin with.

Anyways this is what a broken solder join can look like:



As I said, in that case just heat it up for a second, done.