Noisy Sony R7

paugui · 15th June 2011

Hi

I am going to buy a Sony R7 but since it has a minor problem, I think it would be better to check some stuff first...

The owner tells me it has a problem, the processed sound comes noisy.
According to him it's similar to pink noise, or some distortion.
The dry signal is not affected at all by this problem.

He tells me it should be easy to get fixed, but since I am not too experienced with electronics, I was wondering if this sounds like an easy fix to you?

If it's easy to fix, or at least, not likely to need really hard to find pieces, I think it's an interesting buy, but I'm a bit afraid it can be some problem with rare Sony chips and that way... it's only worth if I had another one...

What would be your guess?

Thanks in advance,
Best

Paulo

tony smyth · 15th June 2011

Not on your life. Do not take his word on this: if he says its easy to fix let HIM fix it and then sell it too you. For the record I have an R7, they are really nice units though I have had to replace the battery recently.

paugui · 15th June 2011

I have the impression that the wet signal being noisy might indicate some bad problem, but I was hoping it could be some bad converters or something like, and hence not too hard to fix...

But your point is right... I think the price is quite good, and if it's indeed really easy to fix, it will be an amazing price, so I'm quite doubtful...

If anyone had a similar problem with his R7, it would be great if you could share your experience with it

Lumin One · 15th June 2011

i never had problems with my r7. just recently sold it. those symptoms dont sound promising though.
i wouldnt go for it unless it was REALLY cheap (like less than $100) and you wouldnt take a major loss if you couldnt get it running.
its a great reverb/effects unit. some interesting effects can be created if its working right.

Teknobeam · 16th June 2011

pay careful attention to your gain staging and impedance matching. Alos, check connectors for proper pinout. it's possible that there is an electronic problem internally, but check everything else first

sidfrancis · 24th June 2011

I had one for years as a main reverb and my problem, though symetrical connected was: Noise... I never found out what was wrong but I was always at the edge of "you cannot use this on CD, its too noisy...

Radiance · 24th June 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by paugui

He tells me it should be easy to get fixed....

Saying this implies that he knows what's wrong with it.
Did he get specific?

Teknobeam · 25th June 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by tony smyth

Not on your life. Do not take his word on this: if he says its easy to fix let HIM fix it and then sell it too you. For the record I have an R7, they are really nice units though I have had to replace the battery recently.

I have one too. Really lush reverbs.

dawson · 27th June 2011

hi there
I recently bought a Sony R7 very cheap.
The machine powers up, the screen shows messages and the o.s. seems to be running properly. On bypass mode sounds come through it but when the effect is turned on there is a constant loud noise, like pink noise.
I checked the board and there is some sort of spillage or leak or what have you. It's a reddish-looking liquid, smells vaguely of iodine, the type you'd put in wounds. It looks like it comes from the transformer of the power supply. I have tried cleaning some of it with alcohol and it can be done. Here are my questions

-does anybody have pictures of the cpu board of the R7? in my unit there seems to be some repair work done about which i am not too sure (i have the impression someone replaced resistors with only bare wire) and the schematics i have don't include the cpu board

-is it ok if i clean all the pcbs in alcohol? can they be dipped in some solvent? people do that even with water and soap but i'd like to hear some warning by experienced people

-what is that red liquid coming from the transformer? can some liquid come from a transformer or is it something else?

Teknobeam · 28th June 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by dawson

hi there
I recently bought a Sony R7 very cheap.
The machine powers up, the screen shows messages and the o.s. seems to be running properly. On bypass mode sounds come through it but when the effect is turned on there is a constant loud noise, like pink noise.
I checked the board and there is some sort of spillage or leak or what have you. It's a reddish-looking liquid, smells vaguely of iodine, the type you'd put in wounds. It looks like it comes from the transformer of the power supply. I have tried cleaning some of it with alcohol and it can be done. Here are my questions

-does anybody have pictures of the cpu board of the R7? in my unit there seems to be some repair work done about which i am not too sure (i have the impression someone replaced resistors with only bare wire) and the schematics i have don't include the cpu board

-is it ok if i clean all the pcbs in alcohol? can they be dipped in some solvent? people do that even with water and soap but i'd like to hear some warning by experienced people

-what is that red liquid coming from the transformer? can some liquid come from a transformer or is it something else?

Liquid won't be coming from the transformer. If you see a bright red substance that has hardened on the transformer that will likely be the former that coats the windings (insulation) . It would be irregular and unlikely that someone would replace resistors with bare wire..but never say never. take the R7 to a qualified tech (make sure it's a place that repairs musical instruments and pro audio equipment,,, home stereo guys aren't qualified to deal with it). The R7 is a very sweet sounding device. It is also kind of rare. put the top back on it and pick up the telephone for some expert assistance.

dawson · 5th July 2011

hmmm
it looks like someone spilled something on it and got to the circuits

will contact cleaner do any harm if i choose to clean the board before sending it to repair?

15th June 2011	#1
paugui Lives for gear Joined: Feb 2008 Location: Portugal / Norway Posts: 566 Thread Starter	Noisy Sony R7 Hi I am going to buy a Sony R7 but since it has a minor problem, I think it would be better to check some stuff first... The owner tells me it has a problem, the processed sound comes noisy. According to him it's similar to pink noise, or some distortion. The dry signal is not affected at all by this problem. He tells me it should be easy to get fixed, but since I am not too experienced with electronics, I was wondering if this sounds like an easy fix to you? If it's easy to fix, or at least, not likely to need really hard to find pieces, I think it's an interesting buy, but I'm a bit afraid it can be some problem with rare Sony chips and that way... it's only worth if I had another one... What would be your guess? Thanks in advance, Best Paulo

15th June 2011	#4
Lumin One Gear addict Joined: Sep 2008 Location: Miami Posts: 321	i never had problems with my r7. just recently sold it. those symptoms dont sound promising though. i wouldnt go for it unless it was REALLY cheap (like less than $100) and you wouldnt take a major loss if you couldnt get it running. its a great reverb/effects unit. some interesting effects can be created if its working right. __________________ --- http://www.oddinhuman.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thugdisco ---

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15th June 2011	#2
tony smyth Gear Head Joined: Feb 2009 Posts: 55	Not on your life. Do not take his word on this: if he says its easy to fix let HIM fix it and then sell it too you. For the record I have an R7, they are really nice units though I have had to replace the battery recently.

16th June 2011	#5
Teknobeam Lives for gear Joined: Feb 2011 Location: BC Canada Posts: 1,510	pay careful attention to your gain staging and impedance matching. Alos, check connectors for proper pinout. it's possible that there is an electronic problem internally, but check everything else first

24th June 2011	#6
sidfrancis Gear interested Joined: Feb 2011 Posts: 8	I had one for years as a main reverb and my problem, though symetrical connected was: Noise... I never found out what was wrong but I was always at the edge of "you cannot use this on CD, its too noisy...

27th June 2011	#9
dawson Gear Head Joined: Feb 2010 Location: Barcelona Posts: 66	hi there I recently bought a Sony R7 very cheap. The machine powers up, the screen shows messages and the o.s. seems to be running properly. On bypass mode sounds come through it but when the effect is turned on there is a constant loud noise, like pink noise. I checked the board and there is some sort of spillage or leak or what have you. It's a reddish-looking liquid, smells vaguely of iodine, the type you'd put in wounds. It looks like it comes from the transformer of the power supply. I have tried cleaning some of it with alcohol and it can be done. Here are my questions -does anybody have pictures of the cpu board of the R7? in my unit there seems to be some repair work done about which i am not too sure (i have the impression someone replaced resistors with only bare wire) and the schematics i have don't include the cpu board -is it ok if i clean all the pcbs in alcohol? can they be dipped in some solvent? people do that even with water and soap but i'd like to hear some warning by experienced people -what is that red liquid coming from the transformer? can some liquid come from a transformer or is it something else?

5th July 2011	#11
dawson Gear Head Joined: Feb 2010 Location: Barcelona Posts: 66	hmmm it looks like someone spilled something on it and got to the circuits will contact cleaner do any harm if i choose to clean the board before sending it to repair?