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I recently bought a Fisher 400 receiver that seems to work well, except for the on/off swith. The volume pot works and "clicks" into the off position -- it just doesn't turn off the set.There is a very good audio repairman here in Seattle, but he is a solid-state guy and not familiar with this piece. Does this require any hard-to-find parts to fix? If so, is there a good source? Or will he be able to do this with readily-available parts?
While he's at it, is there anything else I should ask him to check out or update for me?
Many thanks! FYI, my interest in this piece was largely from reading the archives here -- matched with Dynaco A35s, I've put together a great sounding system for $350.
Follow Ups:
Radio Shack has part #271-1740 which is an Alpha part that will mount on the back of a standard potentionmeter it's rated at 3a/120v. I've used this sucessfully in other repairs for on/off volume control parts for vintage equipment. Cost about: $2.00
Good luck...AJ
At one time (many years ago), this was a garden variety part. But this particular power switch is getting harder to find new. I suspect Al still has some, but order at your own risk. Try to see if you can find a donor from a cadavor unit. Mine are all spoken for, but there are other kind souls here who might part with one for the right $$. HINT: the switch was used on more than the 400; you'll find suitable replacements on many Fisher models made through 1969 (at least).Be careful with the power leads on a switch replacement; they are very thin and there is not much extra slack if you botch the reconnect.
Otherwise, as others have mentioned, remotely switch the unit. You can mount a separate power switch, but any chassis drilling will seriously degrade resale value. Whatever you do, don't drill though the faceplate (or etch your SSN on it) - that is the mark of a hack. I've seen too many of those already.
Search the archives for what else to do to the 400 - there's plenty there. Resist your tech's temptations to go overboard with mods, or you'll no longer have a 400. The FAQ remains a work in progress, so that will have to suffice for now.
Good luck!
I checked the asylum popstings, and couldn't find one (though I printed the article on how tubes work!!) -- is there one on the Fisher tube receivers???
Not yet. I've been putting one together for what seems an eternity, but it's not quite done yet. I better finish it before I start forgetting things.Until then, there's quite a good bit of discrete info in the archives. Search for 500B&C and 800B&C posts, as most of the information applies to the 400. Whatever is not covered there, is available in real time by asking.
The on-off switch on my Fisher 400 seems to have 2 separate switches in the same case...one for the unit and a separate circuit path in the switch for the switched outlets on the back. You might want to see if the switched outlets have power once you click it on. If the outlets come on and off with the switch you might be able to exchange leads on the switch yourself with a soldering iron (or have your tech do it).On the other hand...it seems like someone has already wired the unit to stay on all the time....perhaps it's best to leave well enough alone and just live with it (with a power strip). When mine eventually fails I will probably do the same thing.
MAK
MAK
Al the Fisher Doc has switches....but whatever you do...do not let anyone talk you into drilling holes and adding toggle switches....the amount of butcher jobs I have seen is scary.I would hardwire the set on...and use a power strip to turn the set on and off.
You may get suggestions to buy the replacement switch from the Fisher Doc. Bad choice, his switches are probably OK but his idea of good customer service can only be described as non-existant. Don't order from him, he often takes months to ship.On a more positive note, the on/off control on my Fisher 500B went south. Local tech had a NOS volume/power control from his inventory of McIntosh parts, it works perfectly but the Fisher knob doesn't fit, as the shaft is shorter. Another solution is to put an inline switch on the power cord.
I use a powerstrip's on/off switch for a television that has stopped powering off that is otherwise perfectly fine. It's a cheap and easy solution that doesn't require any hacking up of the power chord if one is uncomfortable with it plus it can be placed in front of the stereo rack easily.
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