[MOSFET]

I'm afraid my year old HU, an Alpine 9853 may be SERIOUSLY in trouble and
although I think repair (or a new one and sell the old one for parts on
Ebay) will be what is needed unfortunately.

BUT, I thought I would run it by you guys because heck, I don't know
everything and maybe there's something else I can do.

First, when you put the faceplate in it fires up just like usual. There's a
CD in there now and it begins to play it at a certain volume, BUT NONE OF
THE BUTTONS ARE RESPONDING. Even the volume control does not work. The ONLY
button that still seems to do anything is the white touch-strip at the
bottom and I can actually switch from CD/Tuner/Aux and sometimes get the
first menu that includes the tilt function). But that's the only button
that does ANYTHING. Also, the little red light at the bottom that blinks
when you press a button is ALWAYS blinking really, really fast.

Now my wife will sometimes spill Coke (the beverage, not the white powder)
on the face plate as the drink holder on a '99 Forester is right above the
radio. Some of the buttons were getting sticky so my first thought was one
of the buttons is stuck like it's always being pushed. So I took the
faceplate apart and cleaned the faceplate THUROUGHLY (I have done this with
EVERY Alpine deck I have ever owned as it is fairly easy) so that all the
button now click as they are supposed to.

But when I put the face back in, the problem persisted despite all buttons
operating correctly. Also, I suppose I should note that I am getting 14.4
volts so it's not a voltage thing.

When it is in the tilted position, it will work just fine sometimes. I
think the problem has something to do with the touch strip because even when
every other button does not work, the touch strip sort-of works. Can that
be damaged by Coke?

Any ideas about a cleaning methodology for that strip or has anyone had
similar problems and found a way to fix it?

You know, I was a little leary of that whole "touch-strip" thing when I got
it (it's NEVER good to be the first user of any new technology as there
almost always seems to inevitably be bugs that later versions refine). I
should have followed my instincts and bought ANOTHER model of Alpine.

Anyway, any help or recommendations would be appreciated.

Thank you,

Nick

[arthur[_5_]]

I would try to find a retailer in my area that sells the radio. Ask
if you can:
1. test your Face in one of their radios; or
2. test one of their Face in your radio.

Next time tape plastic wrap over the face.

arthur


On Thu, 30 Aug 2007 21:24:44 -0700, "MOSFET"
wrote:
I'm afraid my year old HU, an Alpine 9853 may be SERIOUSLY in trouble and
although I think repair (or a new one and sell the old one for parts on
Ebay) will be what is needed unfortunately.

[Christopher \Torroid\ Ott]

"MOSFET" wrote in message
m...
I'm afraid my year old HU, an Alpine 9853 may be SERIOUSLY in trouble and
although I think repair (or a new one and sell the old one for parts on
Ebay) will be what is needed unfortunately.

BUT, I thought I would run it by you guys because heck, I don't know
everything and maybe there's something else I can do.

First, when you put the faceplate in it fires up just like usual. There's
a
CD in there now and it begins to play it at a certain volume, BUT NONE OF
THE BUTTONS ARE RESPONDING. Even the volume control does not work. The
ONLY
button that still seems to do anything is the white touch-strip at the
bottom and I can actually switch from CD/Tuner/Aux and sometimes get the
first menu that includes the tilt function). But that's the only button
that does ANYTHING. Also, the little red light at the bottom that blinks
when you press a button is ALWAYS blinking really, really fast.

Now my wife will sometimes spill Coke (the beverage, not the white powder)
on the face plate as the drink holder on a '99 Forester is right above the
radio. Some of the buttons were getting sticky so my first thought was
one
of the buttons is stuck like it's always being pushed. So I took the
faceplate apart and cleaned the faceplate THUROUGHLY (I have done this
with
EVERY Alpine deck I have ever owned as it is fairly easy) so that all the
button now click as they are supposed to.

But when I put the face back in, the problem persisted despite all buttons
operating correctly. Also, I suppose I should note that I am getting 14.4
volts so it's not a voltage thing.

When it is in the tilted position, it will work just fine sometimes. I
think the problem has something to do with the touch strip because even
when
every other button does not work, the touch strip sort-of works. Can that
be damaged by Coke?

Any ideas about a cleaning methodology for that strip or has anyone had
similar problems and found a way to fix it?

You know, I was a little leary of that whole "touch-strip" thing when I
got
it (it's NEVER good to be the first user of any new technology as there
almost always seems to inevitably be bugs that later versions refine). I
should have followed my instincts and bought ANOTHER model of Alpine.

Anyway, any help or recommendations would be appreciated.

Thank you,

Nick


Had to look up a photo to see what you were talking about.

First, if there's an LED which lights up when you press a button, and it's
blinking really fast, there's a good probability that you still have a stuck
button. Even if they physically click fine, it still could be electrically
shorted.

Isopropyl alcohol is perfectly safe to clean with, as is distilled water.
Soak them if you need to, just be sure to blow it dry (canned air) and
follow up with approx 30 minutes of 150ish degree heat to dry it out
completely. A toaster oven works fine, as does a regular one. Hair dryer,
ect.

I would tend to think that because the glidetouch is working that it is not
the problem, however you should try cleaning it with a swab and some
isopropyl alcohol too. I can't find any good photos of the HU with the
faceplate removed, however it looks like there is a pair of LED's when the
face is folded down. Are they a data link to the HU? If so, are they blocked
with gunk?

Chris

[DJ Bukkake]

Christopher "Torroid" Ott wrote:
"MOSFET" wrote in message
m...
I'm afraid my year old HU, an Alpine 9853 may be SERIOUSLY in trouble and
although I think repair (or a new one and sell the old one for parts on
Ebay) will be what is needed unfortunately.

BUT, I thought I would run it by you guys because heck, I don't know
everything and maybe there's something else I can do.

First, when you put the faceplate in it fires up just like usual. There's
a
CD in there now and it begins to play it at a certain volume, BUT NONE OF
THE BUTTONS ARE RESPONDING. Even the volume control does not work. The
ONLY
button that still seems to do anything is the white touch-strip at the
bottom and I can actually switch from CD/Tuner/Aux and sometimes get the
first menu that includes the tilt function). But that's the only button
that does ANYTHING. Also, the little red light at the bottom that blinks
when you press a button is ALWAYS blinking really, really fast.

Now my wife will sometimes spill Coke (the beverage, not the white powder)
on the face plate as the drink holder on a '99 Forester is right above the
radio. Some of the buttons were getting sticky so my first thought was
one
of the buttons is stuck like it's always being pushed. So I took the
faceplate apart and cleaned the faceplate THUROUGHLY (I have done this
with
EVERY Alpine deck I have ever owned as it is fairly easy) so that all the
button now click as they are supposed to.

But when I put the face back in, the problem persisted despite all buttons
operating correctly. Also, I suppose I should note that I am getting 14.4
volts so it's not a voltage thing.

When it is in the tilted position, it will work just fine sometimes. I
think the problem has something to do with the touch strip because even
when
every other button does not work, the touch strip sort-of works. Can that
be damaged by Coke?

Any ideas about a cleaning methodology for that strip or has anyone had
similar problems and found a way to fix it?

You know, I was a little leary of that whole "touch-strip" thing when I
got
it (it's NEVER good to be the first user of any new technology as there
almost always seems to inevitably be bugs that later versions refine). I
should have followed my instincts and bought ANOTHER model of Alpine.

Anyway, any help or recommendations would be appreciated.

Thank you,

Nick


Had to look up a photo to see what you were talking about.

First, if there's an LED which lights up when you press a button, and it's
blinking really fast, there's a good probability that you still have a stuck
button. Even if they physically click fine, it still could be electrically
shorted.

Isopropyl alcohol is perfectly safe to clean with, as is distilled water.
Soak them if you need to, just be sure to blow it dry (canned air) and
follow up with approx 30 minutes of 150ish degree heat to dry it out
completely. A toaster oven works fine, as does a regular one. Hair dryer,
ect.

I would tend to think that because the glidetouch is working that it is not
the problem, however you should try cleaning it with a swab and some
isopropyl alcohol too. I can't find any good photos of the HU with the
faceplate removed, however it looks like there is a pair of LED's when the
face is folded down. Are they a data link to the HU? If so, are they blocked
with gunk?

Chris


I second the notion of cleaning the faceplate and the contacts. I had
an Alpine in my 2000 F-150 that would start acting funky when I
removed/replaced the faceplate, and cleaning the contacts seemed to fix
my problem every time.

I installed another Alpine in my 2000 Accord, but it didn't exhibit the
same problems as the other one with regards to needing cleaning of the
contacts.

Now, if only I could figure out which route to go to replace the radio
in my 2007 Accord. I don't want to use the bottom pocket kit, and I
heard that the control panel that replaces my dual climate controls
screws up every now and again. I guess I will cross that bridge if/when
my head unit goes out. Now, if I could figure out a way to put the
factory head unit in the bottom pocket......

[srim23]

so new rule once you fix it...only bottled drinks in the car lol or
tell her to stop hitting bumps and spilling pop!!!!

could also be the flex cable inside. my N1 had the same symptoms when
its flex cable was going bad.


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[MOSFET]

"arthur" wrote in message
...
I would try to find a retailer in my area that sells the radio. Ask
if you can:
1. test your Face in one of their radios; or
2. test one of their Face in your radio.

Good advice. I will try and do that as it is not THAT old a model and there
may be some shop that has one up and working.. Thank you.

Nick

[MOSFET]

Isopropyl alcohol is perfectly safe to clean with, as is distilled water.
Soak them if you need to, just be sure to blow it dry (canned air) and
follow up with approx 30 minutes of 150ish degree heat to dry it out
completely. A toaster oven works fine, as does a regular one. Hair dryer,
ect.

I would tend to think that because the glidetouch is working that it is
not
the problem, however you should try cleaning it with a swab and some
isopropyl alcohol too. I can't find any good photos of the HU with the
faceplate removed, however it looks like there is a pair of LED's when the
face is folded down. Are they a data link to the HU? If so, are they
blocked
with gunk?

Chris

EXCELELLENT ADVICE!!! Thank you. I didn't know Isopropyl Alchohol could be
used in prodigeous quantity with out damaging circuitry (of course, I will
make sure it is dry before putting back together).

I'm glad I asked!!! This is really good advice. I will try cleaning
EVERYTHING in the face plate with alcohol (except, of course, the clear
display panel as I'm quite sure the clear plastic would become occulded if
contact was made with alcohol, I remember that from my childhood model
building days).

THANK YOU SINCERELY FOR THE ADVICE!

Nick

[MOSFET]

I would tend to think that because the glidetouch is working that it is
not
the problem,

I look at it in an opposite way. Find which button operates differently
from all the others and I figured THAT was more than likely the problem.
Also, if the touchstrip is somehow sending a CONSTANT signal like it is
being touched at some spot, it WOULD stop when the button is pushed so based
on that reasoning, though of course I could be wrong, I really think it has
SOMETHING to do with the strip. A thourough cleaning with Alcohol might do
the trick!

Thank you again,

Nick

[MOSFET]

could also be the flex cable inside. my N1 had the same symptoms when
its flex cable was going bad.

YES, I noticed the flex cable inside. Is there something I should inspect
about it or some way I should clean it. You obviously know about this kind
of deck as you know about the flex-cable. Any info would be appreciated.
If I could test it with another 9853 then I would know it was the faceplate.
The NEXT thing I would like to try is, if possible, unplugging the flex
cable and strip and seeing if I can buy a new one (they can't be that much,
certainly cheaper than a whole new faceplate) as again, I am fairly certain
at this point there is some problem with the touchstrip that is causing it
to be "touched" at some random place CONSTANTLY, probably due to being
inundated with Coke.

But this would explain ALL the symptoms. Like the red light stopping the
flashing when the strip is pushed. Yet, all other buttons do NOTHING when
pushed.

Also, I should note I have tried the "reset" function with a ball point pen.
That didn't help.

Nick

[arthur[_5_]]

I have used a kitchen sink and dish soap to clean a disasembled pc
keyboard. Rise well ... get all the soap off. Let dry 24 hours.
Completely restored the keyboard.

I would use this as water and soap are harmless. The trick is to
rinse completely and dry 100% ... 24 hours should do it.

arthur

==


On Fri, 31 Aug 2007 20:57:58 -0700, "MOSFET"
wrote:


EXCELELLENT ADVICE!!! Thank you. I didn't know Isopropyl Alchohol could be
used in prodigeous quantity with out damaging circuitry (of course, I will
make sure it is dry before putting back together).

I'm glad I asked!!! This is really good advice. I will try cleaning
EVERYTHING in the face plate with alcohol (except, of course, the clear
display panel as I'm quite sure the clear plastic would become occulded if
contact was made with alcohol, I remember that from my childhood model
building days).

THANK YOU SINCERELY FOR THE ADVICE!

Nick

[arthur[_5_]]

wash all the contacts too.

Alcohol can be used but it evaporates very quickly but does disolve
**** that water and soap can not.

arthur



On Fri, 31 Aug 2007 21:20:05 -0700, "MOSFET"
wrote:

could also be the flex cable inside. my N1 had the same symptoms when
its flex cable was going bad.

[Christopher \Torroid\ Ott]

"MOSFET" wrote in message
...

"arthur" wrote in message
...
I would try to find a retailer in my area that sells the radio. Ask
if you can:
1. test your Face in one of their radios; or
2. test one of their Face in your radio.

Good advice. I will try and do that as it is not THAT old a model and
there
may be some shop that has one up and working.. Thank you.


Depending on the model, faceplates may not be interchangable, it's a
security feature to prevent theft of the HU after the faceplate is removed.

Chris

[MOSFET]

Alcohol can be used but it evaporates very quickly but does disolve
**** that water and soap can not.

arthur

WILL DO! Thank you so much for your good advice. I really do appreciate
it. I was out of Isopropol Alcohol last night but I had saline solution that
I tried thoughouly cleaning everything (especially the strip and flex-cable
inside) and then using a blowdryer to make sure EVERYTHING was dry. It
seemed to work A LITTLE better than before actually (the probelm would stop
for several minutes at a time and all buttons would work fine for a period,
but then the problem would return for a few minutes, back and forth), so
again, it leads me to believe the strip is the culprit. Perhaps a good
cleaning with Alcohol today should do the trick.

I'll let you guys know.

Thank you all again for your EXCELLENT advice.

Nick

[arthur[_5_]]

I do believe everthing you think spilled or splashed is water soluable
so do try a bath of water and dish soap which will clean grease and
dirt.

Btw, does anyone smoke in the car? That would be another source of
problems. Soap and water might not work will on smoke residue. For
that I would use spray contact cleaner and a water rinse.

arthur

On Sat, 1 Sep 2007 08:38:28 -0700, "MOSFET"
wrote:
it. I was out of Isopropol Alcohol last night but I had saline solution that
I tried thoughouly cleaning everything (especially the strip and flex-cable
inside) and then using a blowdryer to make sure EVERYTHING was dry. It
seemed to work A LITTLE better than before actually (the probelm would stop

[MOSFET]

OK, my local grocery store was out of Isobpropol Alchol but it did have
Alchohol wipes, which I bought and used and cleaned EVERYTHING inside the
HU.

It works MUCH better, but not perfectly. Instead, it now OCCASIONALLY does
this thing where it's like someone touched the strip BUT NO ONE DID. And
the fast blinking will happen only occasionally now. So the radio has
become pretty usable aagain BUT NOT PEFECT. I took the pig-tail out that
connects the white strip to the face and cleaned that thouroughly with
alcohol.

The problem I believe now lies in the fact that I cannot seem to get the
white strip itself out for a good cleaning. It seems to be wedged between
two pieces of plastic (the silver facia and a piece of clear plastic on the
back that cannot be seen when put together. I looked FOR A LONG TIME for
some way to seperate the two pieces (and thereby liberating the touchstrip)
because I really believe the key is in cleaning this white strip ALL THE WAY
AROUND IT. As best I could, I used the alcohol wipes to clean all around
the strip. But I think there's something still sticky that is causing
problems. Maybe immersing the entire thing (plastic pieces and all) in an
alcohol rinse will do the trick.

But my question is to those who are familiar with this deck (or the 9855)
and have been able to dislodge JUST the white strip. What's the trick? I
was looking for tabs or anything that looked like a way to unlock those
componets from one another. At this point, I am CONVINCED the problem lies
with a malfunction with the strip (because this is the only thing being
activated all by itself) and because I can only clean the front of it. I
think there is still Coke in the back causing it to malfunction.

Any advice on how to seperate those pieces into their component parts?

I'm getting REALLY close. I think I just need to cross this last hurdle.
And, again, thank you for everybody who responded. The alcohol idea has
proved to be the most successful.

Thanks,

Nick


"arthur" wrote in message
...
I do believe everthing you think spilled or splashed is water soluable
so do try a bath of water and dish soap which will clean grease and
dirt.

Btw, does anyone smoke in the car? That would be another source of
problems. Soap and water might not work will on smoke residue. For
that I would use spray contact cleaner and a water rinse.

arthur

On Sat, 1 Sep 2007 08:38:28 -0700, "MOSFET"
wrote:
it. I was out of Isopropol Alcohol last night but I had saline solution
that
I tried thoughouly cleaning everything (especially the strip and
flex-cable
inside) and then using a blowdryer to make sure EVERYTHING was dry. It
seemed to work A LITTLE better than before actually (the probelm would
stop

[Captain Howdy[_3_]]

Don't Alpine sell marine headunits?

[Matt Ion]

MOSFET wrote:
I'm afraid my year old HU, an Alpine 9853 may be SERIOUSLY in trouble and
although I think repair (or a new one and sell the old one for parts on
Ebay) will be what is needed unfortunately.

BUT, I thought I would run it by you guys because heck, I don't know
everything and maybe there's something else I can do.

First, when you put the faceplate in it fires up just like usual. There's a
CD in there now and it begins to play it at a certain volume, BUT NONE OF
THE BUTTONS ARE RESPONDING. Even the volume control does not work. The ONLY
button that still seems to do anything is the white touch-strip at the
bottom and I can actually switch from CD/Tuner/Aux and sometimes get the
first menu that includes the tilt function). But that's the only button
that does ANYTHING. Also, the little red light at the bottom that blinks
when you press a button is ALWAYS blinking really, really fast.

Now my wife will sometimes spill Coke (the beverage, not the white powder)
on the face plate as the drink holder on a '99 Forester is right above the
radio. Some of the buttons were getting sticky so my first thought was one
of the buttons is stuck like it's always being pushed. So I took the
faceplate apart and cleaned the faceplate THUROUGHLY (I have done this with
EVERY Alpine deck I have ever owned as it is fairly easy) so that all the
button now click as they are supposed to.

But when I put the face back in, the problem persisted despite all buttons
operating correctly. Also, I suppose I should note that I am getting 14.4
volts so it's not a voltage thing.

When it is in the tilted position, it will work just fine sometimes. I
think the problem has something to do with the touch strip because even when
every other button does not work, the touch strip sort-of works. Can that
be damaged by Coke?

Any ideas about a cleaning methodology for that strip or has anyone had
similar problems and found a way to fix it?

You know, I was a little leary of that whole "touch-strip" thing when I got
it (it's NEVER good to be the first user of any new technology as there
almost always seems to inevitably be bugs that later versions refine). I
should have followed my instincts and bought ANOTHER model of Alpine.

Anyway, any help or recommendations would be appreciated.

Don't know that I have any advice for ya there, but I can certain
sympathize: I once had (probably still have, somewhere) an Alpine deck
with removable faceplate and the damn push-buttons for everything, and
it drove me nuts...

Forget the fact that the +/- 5 steps in the treble/bass controls were
horrid (+2 not enough, +3 too much), but before long the audio-function
and 'down' buttons became flaky and required extra pressure or tapping
(read: hammering) to activate... you had to always look at the damn
thing because you could never be sure when stepping through the
bass/treble/balance/fade functions if the button had actually worked...

Worse, sometimes hitting (read: hammering) the volume-down button would
also trigger the track/tuner-down buttons, causing the track to kick
back to the beginning... compounded by the fact that the CD player
started getting flaky about about 8 months and took forever to seek to
and start playing a track. So... try to turn the volume down, you stand
a good chance of restarting the track, and having to wait up to several
minutes for the music to start up again.

I finally ditched the POS when I found an old 7904 at flea market, then
scrounged another off eBay for enough parts to make one deck that worked
just like new. Real analog audio controls... little sliders for
bass/treble... being able to actually "CRANK IT" with a proper volume
knob... and of course, the classic Alpine green lighting and six-button
layout. 15-plus years old and still going strong.

Last time I looked at new Alpine decks, all of them had all the stupid
animated screen with jumping dolphins and ****... no thanks. I'll never
buy a new Alpine deck again, unless they recreate the old designs.

Anyway... /rant. I think you're probably out of luck with that deck -
Alpine just don't make'em like they used to.

[Matt Ion]

MOSFET wrote:
Isopropyl alcohol is perfectly safe to clean with, as is distilled water.
Soak them if you need to, just be sure to blow it dry (canned air) and
follow up with approx 30 minutes of 150ish degree heat to dry it out
completely. A toaster oven works fine, as does a regular one. Hair dryer,
ect.

I would tend to think that because the glidetouch is working that it is
not
the problem, however you should try cleaning it with a swab and some
isopropyl alcohol too. I can't find any good photos of the HU with the
faceplate removed, however it looks like there is a pair of LED's when the
face is folded down. Are they a data link to the HU? If so, are they
blocked
with gunk?

Chris

EXCELELLENT ADVICE!!! Thank you. I didn't know Isopropyl Alchohol could be
used in prodigeous quantity with out damaging circuitry (of course, I will
make sure it is dry before putting back together).

I'm glad I asked!!! This is really good advice. I will try cleaning
EVERYTHING in the face plate with alcohol (except, of course, the clear
display panel as I'm quite sure the clear plastic would become occulded if
contact was made with alcohol, I remember that from my childhood model
building days).

THANK YOU SINCERELY FOR THE ADVICE!

Isopropyl should not cause any problems even with the plastic - it's
acetone you have to worry about. Pure isopropyl is preferable to
rubbing alcohol (which can be up to 50% water). The good thing with the
alcohol is that it does a great job of lifting and dissolving the crud,
and will evaporate quickly and cleanly.

If you're going to use water, be sure it's distilled, otherwise it will
leave residue when it dries (from various impurities inherent in even
highly-filtered water).

I would NOT recommend using any kind of soap on electronics as it will
leave a residue as well, that's difficult if not impossible to
completely clean off after (even with alcohol).

[arthur[_5_]]

ever taste soap on your dishes and glasses? I have never had a
problem with tap water and dish detergent and a couple of rinses and
over night air drying. I treat um like they were dishes and they love
it. I do not know how it works against long exposures to cigarette
smoke but I assume this is not an issue


On Mon, 03 Sep 2007 18:24:14 GMT, Matt Ion
wrote:
I would NOT recommend using any kind of soap on electronics as it will
leave a residue as well, that's difficult if not impossible to
completely clean off after (even with alcohol).

[arthur[_5_]]

I had 2 (two) new Blaupunkt units with factor defects. Imagine
waking up in the morning to a dead battery drained by a new radio?
Made in Spain I believe.



On Mon, 03 Sep 2007 18:18:32 GMT, Matt Ion
wrote:

Anyway... /rant. I think you're probably out of luck with that deck -
Alpine just don't make'em like they used to.

[arthur[_5_]]

I'm sure I mentioned it once upon a time



On Mon, 3 Sep 2007 23:20:17 -0400, "Goldsmiths" wrote:

Nobody has suggested contact cleaner spray? Buy some good stuff (not Radio
Shack, and don't use Blue Shower either) and spray it inside like crazy.
Won't harm the plastic, and the pressure will also help move gunk out.

mg

[Matt Ion]

arthur wrote:
I'm sure I mentioned it once upon a time



On Mon, 3 Sep 2007 23:20:17 -0400, "Goldsmiths" wrote:
Nobody has suggested contact cleaner spray? Buy some good stuff (not Radio
Shack, and don't use Blue Shower either) and spray it inside like crazy.
Won't harm the plastic, and the pressure will also help move gunk out.

Workable, but expensive (relative to isopropyl).

[shaq]

On Sep 4, 12:06 am, Matt Ion wrote:
arthur wrote:
I'm sure I mentioned it once upon a time

On Mon, 3 Sep 2007 23:20:17 -0400, "Goldsmiths" wrote:
Nobody has suggestedcontact cleanerspray? Buy some good stuff (not Radio
Shack, and don't use Blue Shower either) and spray it inside like crazy.
Won't harm the plastic, and the pressure will also help move gunk out.

Workable, but expensive (relative to isopropyl).

The only contact cleaner to use is DeoxIT - it is the best. If you
have a connection problem, DeoxIT will fix it. Will actually improve
the connection. It is available at lots of places, including
radioShack - here is a link to their site: http://store.caig.com/s.nl/sc.15/category.295/.f
I use it n everything from light bulbs, computer and audio/video
connections.
Mike

[arthur[_5_]]

good to know


On Tue, 04 Sep 2007 08:40:55 -0700, shaq wrote:


The only contact cleaner to use is DeoxIT - it is the best. If you
radioShack - here is a link to their site: http://store.caig.com/s.nl/sc.15/category.295/.f
Mike

[MOSFET]

I finally ditched the POS when I found an old 7904 at flea market, then
scrounged another off eBay for enough parts to make one deck that worked
just like new. Real analog audio controls... little sliders for
bass/treble... being able to actually "CRANK IT" with a proper volume
knob... and of course, the classic Alpine green lighting and six-button
layout. 15-plus years old and still going strong.

You know Matt, right now I'd GLADLY switch my 9853 for a good, old fashio
7904 (or 7909 with the high voltage outputs). This seems to be a classic
case of rushing something (the "touch-strip") to market before ensuring a
little Coke wouldn't DESTROY it.

I mean, like I said in the previous posts, with ALL of my old Alpine decks I
could simply remove the back cover and clean the buttons from the inside if
they became "sticky". Then put the thing back together and they were
always as good as new.

But this damn "touch-strip" has me baffled. Although the cleaning helped
and the problem is just OCCASIONAL now, it still happens now and then AND I
KNOW it is that white strip causing the problem (because, as I mentioned
before, for no reason a function will be activated AS IF someone touched the
strip, yet no one had).

I wonder if I can just buy a replacement "touch-strip assembly". I would
just take the old one out (unplug the pigtail of course) and plug the
pigtail in of the new one. I'll bet that would solve it.

Anyway, I'm still open for suggestions of what I can additionally do with
this touch-strip to help make it work properly.

And again, thank you for everyone who has chimed in with help. It's REALLY
appreciated AND it made a difference (I started with a COMPLETELY unusable
deck to one that now just has intermittent problems)!!!

Thank you all,

Nick

[Matt Ion]

MOSFET wrote:
I finally ditched the POS when I found an old 7904 at flea market, then
scrounged another off eBay for enough parts to make one deck that worked
just like new. Real analog audio controls... little sliders for
bass/treble... being able to actually "CRANK IT" with a proper volume
knob... and of course, the classic Alpine green lighting and six-button
layout. 15-plus years old and still going strong.

You know Matt, right now I'd GLADLY switch my 9853 for a good, old fashio
7904 (or 7909 with the high voltage outputs).

Have you tried eBay?

[arthur[_5_]]

Coke (and I assume Pepsi) is highly corrosive.


On Tue, 4 Sep 2007 18:32:53 -0700, "MOSFET"
wrote:
case of rushing something (the "touch-strip") to market before ensuring a
little Coke wouldn't DESTROY it.

[Christopher \Torroid\ Ott]

"MOSFET" wrote in message
m...
I finally ditched the POS when I found an old 7904 at flea market, then
scrounged another off eBay for enough parts to make one deck that worked
just like new. Real analog audio controls... little sliders for
bass/treble... being able to actually "CRANK IT" with a proper volume
knob... and of course, the classic Alpine green lighting and six-button
layout. 15-plus years old and still going strong.

You know Matt, right now I'd GLADLY switch my 9853 for a good, old fashio
7904 (or 7909 with the high voltage outputs). This seems to be a classic
case of rushing something (the "touch-strip") to market before ensuring a
little Coke wouldn't DESTROY it.

I mean, like I said in the previous posts, with ALL of my old Alpine decks
I
could simply remove the back cover and clean the buttons from the inside
if
they became "sticky". Then put the thing back together and they were
always as good as new.

But this damn "touch-strip" has me baffled. Although the cleaning helped
and the problem is just OCCASIONAL now, it still happens now and then AND
I
KNOW it is that white strip causing the problem (because, as I mentioned
before, for no reason a function will be activated AS IF someone touched
the
strip, yet no one had).

I wonder if I can just buy a replacement "touch-strip assembly". I would
just take the old one out (unplug the pigtail of course) and plug the
pigtail in of the new one. I'll bet that would solve it.

Anyway, I'm still open for suggestions of what I can additionally do with
this touch-strip to help make it work properly.

And again, thank you for everyone who has chimed in with help. It's
REALLY
appreciated AND it made a difference (I started with a COMPLETELY unusable
deck to one that now just has intermittent problems)!!!


If you could take some detailed photos of it, I might be able to get an idea
of how to dissemble it. You need to get it down to where you can seperate
the plastic from the touchstrip. Short of that, I would suggest soaking it
in alcohol for several hours to dissolve as much gunk as you can.

Chris

[Captain Howdy[_3_]]

All that I can say is, what kind of a slob would drive around with soda
splashing all about?

[arthur[_5_]]

Has anyone actually tried to disolve Coke with alcohol?
I have not so that's why I am asking.


On Tue, 4 Sep 2007 22:45:34 -0700, "Christopher \"Torroid\" Ott"
spamtrap at ottelectronics dot com wrote:
the plastic from the touchstrip. Short of that, I would suggest soaking it
in alcohol for several hours to dissolve as much gunk as you can.

Chris

[GregS[_2_]]

In article , wrote:
Has anyone actually tried to disolve Coke with alcohol?
I have not so that's why I am asking.


On Tue, 4 Sep 2007 22:45:34 -0700, "Christopher \"Torroid\" Ott"
spamtrap at ottelectronics dot com wrote:
the plastic from the touchstrip. Short of that, I would suggest soaking it
in alcohol for several hours to dissolve as much gunk as you can.

Coke and corrosion is best dissolved with water and sometimes the only way.
You can use alcohol mix. I often have to completely immerse an item in a water
faucet, but sometimes cautiously hit the bad spots. Dishwashers are
often used in real bad situations. After watering, I blow dry, and I sometimes
spray WD-40 over the entire area. I usually sit the thing aside for a couple
days or put in an oven. If I see something get hit with pop, I hit it
imediatly with water.

Sitting in the car with the dome light light on drinking pop, and listening
to Donny Iris.


greg

[Christopher \Torroid\ Ott]

"GregS" wrote in message
...
In article ,
wrote:
Has anyone actually tried to disolve Coke with alcohol?
I have not so that's why I am asking.


On Tue, 4 Sep 2007 22:45:34 -0700, "Christopher \"Torroid\" Ott"
spamtrap at ottelectronics dot com wrote:
the plastic from the touchstrip. Short of that, I would suggest soaking
it
in alcohol for several hours to dissolve as much gunk as you can.

Coke and corrosion is best dissolved with water and sometimes the only
way.
You can use alcohol mix. I often have to completely immerse an item in a
water
faucet, but sometimes cautiously hit the bad spots. Dishwashers are
often used in real bad situations. After watering, I blow dry, and I
sometimes
spray WD-40 over the entire area. I usually sit the thing aside for a
couple
days or put in an oven. If I see something get hit with pop, I hit it
imediatly with water.

Sitting in the car with the dome light light on drinking pop, and
listening
to Donny Iris.


Yeah, alcohol dissolves Coke just fine. The corrosive properties of Coke and
citrus acid on assembled PCB's are way overblown IMHO. Keep in mind that on
commercial boards, the copper is always plated (usually with tin/lead or
tin/silver on RoHS compliant boards) and the electrical connection is
already firmly set on a properly reflowed board. It's not like a battery
clamp where there is a press or crimp fit connection.

Circuit boards are usually quite safe submerged in alcohol or hot water. I
manufacture PCB's professionally and my board washer is nothing more than a
glorified dishwasher. After removal from the washer they go through an "air
knife" to blow off residual water, and then are baked down at 185f until dry
(usually about an hour, but it varies by the board). This can be duplicated
at home easily and won't hurt a thing.

I've never used WD-40 on a PCB, and had assumed it would attack plastics and
epoxy soldermask, but I looked it up, and it turns out it is safe (I do know
it gets Silly Putty out of cloth car seats after it's been baked in by the
Arizona sun.) ;-)

I coat boards (which are not intended to be mounted in an enclosure) with a
silicone based conformal coating. Most automotive electronics are already
coated with either a silicone or more commonly an acrylic conformal coating
which is almost identical to the clear coat you will find in rattle cans at
the hardware store. I've used both and prefer the silicone based version
because it vaporizes when you touch a soldering iron to it, making rework
easier. The acrylic just melts and turns the soldering iron tip into a mess.
Immersion in alcohol dissolves acrylic coating in just a few minutes without
even scrubbing.

Chris

[arthur[_5_]]

Dishwasher? Sans dishwasher soap I assume. These machines are set to
heat water to 140+ F. Is that safe? I have always used the kitchen
sink 1/2 full of lukewarm water and a mild dish detergent safe for
silverware. Lots of rinses, and air drying with excellent results.
Naturally time is not an issue.

I am not familar with the chemical composition of WD40 but if anything
like 3-N-1 it will disolve enamel and thus destroy an electical motor.
Not saying the WD40 has solvents but ... ?

arthur


On Wed, 05 Sep 2007 20:25:33 GMT, (GregS) wrote:

Coke and corrosion is best dissolved with water and sometimes the only way.
You can use alcohol mix. I often have to completely immerse an item in a water
faucet, but sometimes cautiously hit the bad spots. Dishwashers are
often used in real bad situations. After watering, I blow dry, and I sometimes
spray WD-40 over the entire area. I usually sit the thing aside for a couple
days or put in an oven. If I see something get hit with pop, I hit it
imediatly with water.

[arthur[_5_]]

I envision the attack to be the contact switches and connection of
face plate to radio body and not really a PC board problem. A PC
keyboard is not 101 switches and is really F'd up by spills, food, etc
for which the kitchensink method completely restores to like new
operation. The PC keyboard is first disassembled by removing the self
tap screws.

arthur


On Wed, 5 Sep 2007 16:16:55 -0700, "Christopher \"Torroid\" Ott"
spamtrap at ottelectronics dot com wrote:

Yeah, alcohol dissolves Coke just fine. The corrosive properties of Coke and
citrus acid on assembled PCB's are way overblown IMHO. Keep in mind that on

[MOSFET]

I'll try that, THANKS for the tip.

Nick

"Goldsmiths" wrote in message
...

"arthur" wrote in message
...
I had 2 (two) new Blaupunkt units with factor defects. Imagine
waking up in the morning to a dead battery drained by a new radio?
Made in Spain I believe.



On Mon, 03 Sep 2007 18:18:32 GMT, Matt Ion
wrote:

Anyway... /rant. I think you're probably out of luck with that deck -
Alpine just don't make'em like they used to.


Nobody has suggested contact cleaner spray? Buy some good stuff (not
Radio
Shack, and don't use Blue Shower either) and spray it inside like crazy.
Won't harm the plastic, and the pressure will also help move gunk out.

mg

[MOSFET]

All that I can say is, what kind of a slob would drive around with soda
splashing all about?

My wife (always blame it on the ol' ball-and-chain). Hell, she'll never see
this.

But in all honesty, if you look at the drink holder position on the older
style Forester's (98,99,00,01) you will see it is DIRECTLY over the HU. So
if you have a COMPLETELY FULL can of Coke and you hit a bump....splash time.
So bad design DOES play a part.

But I know the next response: DON'T USE THE DAMN THING IF IT CAN POTENTIALLY
RUIN YOUR HU! For that, I have no excuse.

MOSFET