Hi Folks,
This is a totally speculative, if not cheeky post.
I know very little about electronics, but I think you guys do. I have a problem with my car radio, that I'd really like to solve, as I cannot buy a new one where I live (Brazil), and I think it could be a simple problem. I have tried taking it to a car radio shop, but they are not able to help. I'd appreciate some expert advice if you have the time.
Brief description of problem and what I've found so far.
The radio is a Sony, it has radio and MD in the actual unit (hence difficult to replace). It has a multi CD changer in the trunk.
The problem started in the car, but I've set it up in my house using a 12v power supply.
Symtoms - when the power is connected, the unit 'wakes up' as normal - the time etc is displayed. When I change the source to radio or CD, it works OK as well. When I put in an MD, the unit dies.
I've put a circuit tester on it, and found the following;
When the power is disconnected, the voltage from the power source reads 12.02v. When I connect to the radio, it drops slightly to about 11.9v.
When I switch on the radio or cd, the voltage drops slightly, but stabilises at around 11.5v.
When I put in an MD, the voltage drops to about 7v, and the unit dies. The voltage then changes constantly, from between about 4v up to 11v, but the unit is dead.
I have to disconnect the power plug from the radio for about 10 minutes, and keep reconnecting. After a while the unit starts working again.
Other observation - while the CD works ok, the display dims a little, and dims even more as the volume is increased. The display dims a lot just as the unit dies.
So, knowing nothing about it, I have guessed the following:
There is a component that is not working properly. When I put in the MD, this component is overloaded? Perhaps it gets hot? When it has cooled sufficiently it starts working again.
Any ideas what it might be, or if I'm talking rubbish altogether?
Sorry if this is inapropriate for this forum, but I have no other ideas, and would really like to get this solved.
Thanks for any ideas you can give me.
Simon
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