Galaxy Pluto

[Flyingreendog]

I pulled my Pluto out of storage last week, hooked it all up and hit the switch, all seems good with the exception of the freq. counter.
When I press the button all digits flash 8's then it goes out, just a flash when button is pressed nothing more.
The light is out on the meter as well, but that's a simple fix i think...
The radio worked very well before i had to store it.


Does anyone have a suggestion on how to fix this? or what could be wrong??

thanks.

 

[TonyV225]

how long has it been stored away?? it probably needs a few part replacement if it hasnt been powered up for awhile.

 

[fnkycoldmedina]

dirty button?first thing i would try would be some contact cleaner on the button switch .radio shack sells some .or grab some off ebay.or maybe someone you know has some?

 

[Flyingreendog]

how long has it been stored away?? it probably needs a few part replacement if it hasnt been powered up for awhile.

3 years in storage, in a box packed with shredded paper.
What kind of parts die because they sat un-powered???

dirty button?first thing i would try would be some contact cleaner on the button switch .radio shack sells some .or grab some off ebay.or maybe someone you know has some?

great idea!, but that was the first thing i tried, seemed obvious.
I also looked for any loose connectors n stuff, I even let stay on for 3 hours thinking it was going to "warm up"

Its GOT to be simple, it has just got to be.....

 

[packrat]

Capacitors go bad just sitting unused. Resistors can change value. Variables get corrosion on them.

 

[TonyV225]

Capacitors go bad just sitting unused. Resistors can change value. Variables get corrosion on them.

Capacitors are notorious for this always remember when storing radios and amplifiers away you need to periodically just power them up I even do this with my HF tube amplifiers when Im not using them Ill let them sit powered up for a few hours sometimes.

 

[Radio75]

Be very sparing with that Rad Shack tuner cleaner. It's mostly silicon lubricant.
Before even doing that, power it down, unplug it, let it sit for awhile and then take the cover off and unplug and re-seat all the connectors going to/from the freq counter.
Several times.
Work the freq counter button several times. Heck, work that button a few dozen times.
Caps do "die" with age, but my gosh, only 3 years since you last had it powered up?
Caps should still be OK. Switches and connectors will corrode, some faster than others depending on the storage environment.
Use the chemicals as a last resort.