Thanks for posting !
It’s been a busy weekend, had to collect some parts for ongoing ‘projects’…and it’s so rewarding to DIY !
Project 1:
DAP Palladium P-700 vintage (sjees what a name…)
8 Ohm Stereo Power (RMS): 240W
4 Ohm Stereo Power (RMS): 360W
8 Ohm Bridge Power (RMS): 720W
Not a spectacular amp by any means, but very easy to work on and it was free with a flightcase I bought for 25 euro (received it with one dead channel).
It looked brand new (inside & outside), only the cover plate was scratched…besides that no visual damage.
I already opened it up before and my multimeter told me one end stage was dead, so I had to replace a few transistors (toshiba).
It’s a known default on these amps (P-500/P-700/P900) that good transistors (toshiba 2sa1941 & 2sc5198 ) were used but the specs were insufficiant (160v max). When powering on/off (no soft start) they can receive peaks above 160v, so I wanted to change them with toshiba 2sa1943 & 2sc5200 (230v max).
My electro-shop didn’t have any on stock and they were hard to order…I was able to pick them last friday and started my DIY weekend with repairing this amp.
1 hour for disassembly unit, clean & check the PCB’s (little dust, 2 bad soldering points) and clean & lube both fans.
1 hour dissassembly end stages (PCB’s & heatsink), soldering & assembly
20 min of testing (no fine-tuning of the bias and clip-range needed)
Sanding, filler (+sanding), base coat (+ sanding) and top coat made the cover plate look like new.
For 40 euro in parts and some paint and sweat and I have a brand new amp…SUCCES 
Picture of the dead end stage:
Project 2:
Rodec mx180 mkIII
This is a great mixer in so many ways…
- it’s 100% handmade in Belgium
- eq’s sound better them my xone 92 based on what my monitors tell me. Still have to test it on a large sound system but i’m confident (and yeah..I own both mixers and know how to use them )
- no frills, or other stuff…this mixer is like driving a naked bike (going 60 feels like 100)
- old skool VU meters
- price I paid
- FANTASTIC after sales… !!!
So, I bought this from an add on a WTS website…175 euro and it stated it ‘needed some attention’…
I went to check it out, the seller was the owner of a very big PA & lighting company and the rodec was installed in a bar that closed down after 6 years. He told me he tested it and 3 faders needed to be replaced and some knobs were missing (3). He didn’t want to invest time repairing it because renters only wanted the pioneers. But he ensured that besides the faders & knobs, it was 100%.
For the price, I didn’t check it and took it with me…
It needed some TLC and I decided to take it apart 100% and rebuild it again after checking every aspect & detail.
My heart skipped a beat when a blade of an iron saw fell out of the casing when removing the very damaged & non OEM cabinet screws (another warning). Those blades are conductive, so I was afraid some DIY repair was done by a butcher of some kind.
To my surprise, all the PCB’s looked great and was amazed by the high quality & modular build:
So still a score…let’s make this beast pretty again
Shopping list (5 new line faders / 3 output faders / replacement set knobs / 6 RCA PCB mounts / small part for on/off button / OEM screws). I was able to pick up the parts @ Rodec HQ for a wholesale price…130 !!! total and they were fantastic (info/service/…).
Then disassembly totalis…
This is how I roll on a saturdaymorning @5.30 AM
To do:
- Check all parts (power supply, VU meter, …)
- Clean & wax face plate
- Clean & check PCB’s + solder 6 new RCA pairs (PCB mount)(a few of the old ones were cracked)
- Check, clean & lube all potentiometers & switches
- Disassemble, clean & lube crossfader
- Assembly all parts with new OEM screws
- Reconnect the on/off button with OEM part (was used as an installation mixer with a direct power-on connection on a central point)
- Install new faders & knobs
- Sand, fill, prime & spray the casing
Almost done…patient in recovery room:
Casing finished & on/off button reconnected…all done:
Looking & sounding like new…let the fight Xone 92 vs MX180 MK3 for main setup begin 
Cost: 175 euro (purchase mixer)& 130 euro (parts)
Total cost: 305 euro not bad for a 1200 euro (retail) mixer !
Next project (in progress)
Restore a pair of TT flightcases.
I’ve been looking for ages to find these (not china mass produced, high quality wood & hardware, professional build) with handle on top + divider for cables.
Ps. I use DeOxit and/or kontakt chemie products for cleaning & lubing pots, faders, PCB’s, contacts, switches, …
Pss. picture of my technics hifi system:
