Colin:
Thanks for your very detailed reply.
I'll check the location of any nuts when I get the chance here, and may
indeed recruit some visual help in the process.
I can respond to two points you made immediately, though.
In your last e-mail, you wrote:
"So when you take the mike cord plug out, does the entire socket move? and,
how much play is there? allot or is it just enough to be able to jiggle it
a bit with your fingers?
I'm not sure how a socket can come loose except maybe the nut wasn't
tightened sufficiently from the factory...or perhaps you have the radio up
on a shelf with the mike cord hanging down putting stress on the socket."
When I take the mic off the connector, I can jiggle the connector in the rig
with my fingers. I wouldn't say there is a lot of play, meaning that the
connector does not seem ready to fall out or anything, but there is a
considerable amount of movement within the socket.
On a related note, the rig is on my operating desk, and connected to my Heil
desk mic on a boom, so I can't imagine that much stress has been placed on
the connector during normal everyday operations. I am not one to switch
mics often either, so I can't imagine that the connector has been stressed
unduly.
Will keep everyone posted, and appreciate all the thoughts.
73 from Tom Behler: KB8TYJ
----- Original Message -----
From: "colin McDonald" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, May 09, 2012 2:34 AM
Subject: Re: Dealing with loose mic connector in TS590
> let's see:
> the mike socket lets call it is secured to the front pannel in one of two
> methods. Either the nut is on the front, or, the nut is on the inside or
> rear.
> The socket will also more than likely be PCB mounted rather than chassis
> mounted with jumper wires to the PCB directly behind it.
> I suspect wires from the back of the socket to the PCB went out 30 years
> ago
> on most radios.
> If the nut is front mounted, or rear mounted, it wouldn't be too much
> trouble to tighten it up.
> Easy enough to tell if it's front mounted by using a small flat bladed
> screw
> driver. Put the end of the screw driver into the space between the socket
> housing and the plastic molding on the radio face, and move it around the
> socket to feel if there is a nut.
> If there is a nut there, use a single screw driver, or a pair of them on
> each side and tighten it back up.
> If the nut is on the backside, then you'll have to take the top and bottom
> covers off the radio, and remove the screws holding the face plate on.
> Tilt
> the face plate forward, or remove it all together...there are probably a
> few
> ribbon cables connecting the front pannel to the rest of the radio...these
> will have ribbon connecters that are easy to disconnect...you may have to
> then unscrew the PCB that lives on the back of the front pannel...I don't
> recall now if the backside of the mike socket is accessible with the PCB
> intact, or if you would have to take it off.
> Either way, you can certainly get at the back of the mike socket one way
> or
> another and tighten up the nut.
> I know you posted about this before, but I want to make sure you are
> indeed
> dealing with a loose socket and not a loose mike cord connecter.
> So when you take the mike cord plug out, does the entire socket move?
> and,
> how much play is there? allot or is it just enough to be able to jiggle
> it
> a bit with your fingers?
> I'm not sure how a socket can come loose except maybe the nut wasn't
> tightened sufficiently from the factory...or perhaps you have the radio up
> on a shelf with the mike cord hanging down putting stress on the socket.
> Of course, everything I've said here could be inaccurate if the mike
> socket
> is of a different design...perhaps using clips around the housing to hold
> it
> in place.
> anyway, do some exploration and let us know what you find regarding
> weather
> you can feel the nut on the front.
> These kenwoods are actually pretty easy to dismantle if you have to...as
> long as you remember where the screws go when you take them out, and keep
> them all safe in a bowl or something.
> Usually a PCB will have screws holding it in place in a patern...as in 2
> on
> each side, one in the middle or something similar...the screws aren't
> usually in some random pattern on the bigger PCB's.
> Don't ever be afraid to open your radio up. You can't do much damage if
> you
> are careful and consentrate on detail, orientation and understand that you
> are working with small, and sometimes delicate parts and pieces.
> These radios are all design to be worked on, and so they do have a method
> to
> the madness inside that makes it possible for a tech to take it apart and
> work on it without too much difficulty.
> Something as simple as tightening up a mike socket requires no desoldering
> or hours of intricate dismantling of boards and components.
> To do the marscap mod to the TS2000 and other kenwood radios in that
> family,
> which include the 590 I suspect, requires a pretty basic mechanical skill
> level and attension to detail.
> Obviously if your doing surface mount stuff it's harder, but this isn't
> surface mount in this case and it's merely a mechanical issue that
> requires
> a mechanical fix.
>
> 73
> Colin, V A6BKX
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Steve Dresser" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Tuesday, May 08, 2012 8:34 PM
> Subject: Re: Dealing with loose mic connector in TS590
>
>
>> Tom,
>>
>> Your loose nut diagnosis sounds correct, and would be easy to fix
>> provided
>> you can get to the nut. Unfortunately, I think it will be a bit more
>> difficult than just removing the bottom cover. Although I haven't looked
>> inside the radio, I suspect that you'll have to detach the front panel
>> from
>> the radio and remove a board that's mounted on the front panel. Of
>> course,
>> you'll never know until you try, and you might get lucky and not have to
>> do
>> all that work. I'd start by removing the top and bottom covers and make
>> your decision based on what you find. If you decide not to tackle the
>> job
>> yourself, I suggest that you seriously consider sending the radio in for
>> repair even though the problem seems simple. If you don't, that
>> connector
>> will eventually get loose enough to cause a wire to break, at which point
>> you'll have to send the radio in for repair anyway.
>>
>> I find problems like this to be very frustrating. I know how to tighten
>> the
>> nut, and I even have the right tools for the job. My fear is that in
>> these
>> modern radios, a simple job like this will escalate into something much
>> more
>> complicated just because there's so much stuff crammed into the radio,
>> and
>> it would be all too easy to break something else while trying to get at
>> the
>> nut.
>>
>> Steve
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Tom Behler" <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>> Sent: Tuesday, May 08, 2012 22:13
>> Subject: Dealing with loose mic connector in TS590
>>
>>
>>> Hello, all.
>>>
>>> I remember bringing this up once before on the list, but I think the
>>> problem
>>> might be getting worse, so it may be time to do something.
>>>
>>> Specifically, the mic connector in my TS590 now seems to be looser than
>>> it
>>> was when I initially acquired the rig. The pins themselves do not seem
>>> to
>>> be loose, but the connector simply seems to be loose inside the housing.
>>> It's almost like the nut or whatever that holds the connector in place
>>> is
>>> loose, and simply needs to be tightened.
>>>
>>> Has anyone looked at the mic connector to tell how it is fastened? I
>>> think
>>> it should be fairly accessible if you take the bottom cover off of the
>>> rig,
>>> but I certainly don't want to do this if things are more complicated.
>>>
>>> I suppose I could send the rig in to have this checked, but it seems
>>> like
>>> an
>>> awful lot of money to spend for what appears to be such a simple
>>> problem.
>>>
>>> The rig is almost 2 years old now, so it is well out of warranty.
>>>
>>> I'd be interested in any thoughts my fellow TS590 owners have.
>>>
>>> 73 from Tom Behler: KB8TYJ
>>>
>
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