SONY CRF-320 Receiver Restoration Repair and Modification

Are you interested in learning my thought process in Electronic Repair? If so, click here and join the thousands that are becoming great electronic troubleshooters, designers, and repairmen: www.patreon.com/MrCarlsonsLab

Once again you never cease to amaze me with your complete skill and ability to repair equipment. Without having to order parts and sit and wait for weeks for them to arrive only to find out that they sent you the wrong parts . Your education and understanding of how things deteriorate over time is one thing, but the patience yhat you portray is humbling to me. I used to take things apart just to try to figure out what was the problem with it but my lack of education was a downfall and I felt defeated by something that I had no ability to fix .You have taught me to be patient with myself and not to let my emotions rule the roost. Thank you again.

Hi Paul, I am so amazed at your OUTSTANDING level of EXPERTISE in ALL instrument repair, restoration, and complete understanding of operation and application!!! Your accomplishments in developing your lab and restoring vintage electronic test equipment while providing an exclusive video of every detail required to do it is INCREDIBLE. Your videos are an invaluable source of education!! Thank You, Lou

Back when Sony was made in Japan and was Like no Other.

The most amazingly complicated shortwave receiver I have ever seen. You have a remarkable skill set.

When this man fixes your electronic device, it’s coming back to you fixed. Don’t question the bill, just pay it and be grateful he chose to do the job. This was a joy to watch and yes, I love the old Sony stuff. Thank you!

I love that someone fixes this stuff, it's becoming a lost art! You have great patience! Very enjoyable to watch!

The auto-play algorithm just brought me here.. I don't know if I'm going to stay for a two-and-a-half hour long video but this channel looks pretty cool!

Wonderful to watch.. I am in my late seventies now and was a radio and TV service engineer back in the day... I doubt I will ever own a CRF-320 but I was fascinated to watch how you went about fixing all the problems on this receiver.. I would have been honored to work alongside someone like you...!

I'm in love with this receiver now. That LED mod really brings it back to life. It's quite amazing.

Dear Paul - your SONY CRF-320 video is: 1) A labor (labour) of love of the highest order;    2) An illustration of how much you respect what SONY did when they designed and built that receiver, and a demonstration of its worth - because, obviously, you thought enough of it to be willing to tackle this particular example and bring it back to its former glory - and then some;   3) With the attention you focused on the plastic gears, what happens when less-than-superior materials are used, and how that affected the long-term usefulness of this set; and, finally,     4) A remarkable demonstration of your wealth of knowledge as you went deep inside this set as you needed to, to isolate and repair what was preventing it from working properly , as well as showing us viewers WHY you have such a fine set of test equipment on hand to turn to when you need it, AND that you KNOW how to approach solving each mystery as you come across it.    A wonderful tale, so well told, one which kept me glued to my screen throughout the entire length of your presentation.  Paul, you are, hands-down, the best presenter of technical information on YouTube, or anywhere else, for that matter. I'm SO glad you're willing and able to put each of your programs together so well, and in fine high-resolution video, which is essential for us viewers to be able to REALLY see what you're doing. Thank you, thank you!

Mr Carlson is one of a kind , a real radio engineer. With excellent mechanical engineering skill as well as electrical. The CRF 320 is an excellent radio and one of Sony's best when radios were built really well and not down to a price like everything is these days. I like to see things being repaired and not just thrown away. This radio is now better than the day it left the factory , and thats just great. I hope your videos inspire the next generation to study engineering.

There is no other YouTube video I would rather watch than Mr. Carlson reviving one of these works of electronic art. I've lots of other subs to other people but what is it about Mr. C's vids that I can studiously watch for over 2 hours. My appreciation Mr. Carlson for giving me that injection of excitement to dust off my own repair equipment and to pull out of the loft an old tuner-amp, a Rotel RX-202. One channel failed a while back and after your video I downloaded the schematics and I'm going to put this precious heirloom back into working order. Looked into old buying one of these old Sony machines and they command pretty high prices even now. After seeing the engineering inside these they are worth every penny.

Mr Carlson: I just wanted to note that here in the U.S.A., those particular Line Cords are quite common - they were used in many brands and types of different "shoebox" tape cassette recorders, various sound systems including equalizers, tuners, pre-amps, amps and a myriad of other 120V, 60Hz pieces equipment. Several of the local thrift shops that I frequent have them on a regular basis (used, tested) for under one U.S. Dollar. It might be pertinent, if in search of such a line cord, to visit various U.S. based Surplus Businesses. In any event, I just noticed that this video is from 2016 and somehow I have managed to have not seen it before. I'm thoroughly enjoying this video. I would also like to thank you for the numerous times that you have mentioned the importance of the "outside foil" end of a capacitor. Although I suppose that it could be my imagination, it seems that when observing the "outside foil" polarity when replacing old caps on old computers, the unwanted RFI emissions seem to be reduced significantly. You, Sir, are a veritable genius and IMHO, one of the greatest YouTubers out there. Kudos.

Jesus H. Christ ! You are a genious. You have absolute mastery over electronics and above all .... As the Brits say "You have the patience of a cow". I am a retired ship master and in the earlier years when there was no other entertainment on ships, I had purchased a German Grundig Satellite 21 band radio. It was my companion. It served me well for many long years without repairs. Today you reminded me of those days. Thanks. Capt. Hosi Khan.

When I was young a long time ago I used to visit the Sony Showroom at the lower end of London's Regent Street and just look open mouthed at these beautiful receivers and dream of owning one. I never did! I got my ham licence in 1979 and have played radio ever since. Your wonderful videos take me back to when I used to look at radios and see beautifully made quality pieces of gear. I have modern stuff now, but just feel it is all made to a price rather than made for quality. Your workmanship and skill amaze me and thanks so much for putting the videos on.

there is something magical with those old school dials. Thank you Carlson, for showing this stuff to rest of us who have never seen these things. You are a dedicated man. Thank you for sharing your work as well.

You belong in the hall of fame for Electronics..!!! Thank you for sharing your expert knowledge with us and at no cost to we your audience. Your technical skills are far more superior than 99 percent of electronics techs..... You should be working for a major electronics concern/manufacturer and paid hundreds of thousands " if not more "... Best wishes as always. Frank (Retired tv tech)

i thought i was the last person who repaired something to keep using it and to extend its lifespan. i keep being told to throw it out and buy another, i keep saying cheaper to fix it. i just hate our disposable society , we used to repair computers to the component or module. i am quite envious of all the test equipment in your work room , what a beautiful work room you have, i have watched several of your repair video's, your trouble shooting technique is the best i have ever seen, your knowledge is just superb. we all stand in awe of you. keep up the magnificent work, in the world of video's 1-10 you rate a 12+.

Hi Mr Carlson, I was a Sony main agent in London for over 25 years and in the midd 1970s before internet I sold about 3 of these fantastic radios mainly to overseas clients. I must confess these radios were consider so complex that I would always send them back to Sony for repair. I hate to think how much time you must have spent on this one. I must congratulate you and give you maximum stars for a very well produced video. I would even go to say the best video I have seen on you tube to date. Thank you again for letting me relive my youth. I would buy one but would hate to buy one with a problem because finding an engineer competent enough to fix it would be a nightmare. Thanks again