3M_Audio

Great looking room - I bet that's a great location to spend a few hours!

Welcome!

Welcome!

Welcome! One nice thing about the vintage Carver gear is that it's all serviceable and can perform as good as, or better, than new once restored.

Welcome!

Welcome!

Welcome!

Welcome!

Welcome!

Welcome Russ!

Welcome!

welcome!

Welcome! Plenty of good stories here, most service manuals, and some really knowledgeable folks to help out.

Welcome John! I'm also in Massachusetts up on the North Shore.

Welcome!

Welcome!

Yes, the dial controls in most audio equipment are potentiometers and commonly referred to as simply 'pots' Pots will generally be sealed to try and keep dust out, but most inexpensive pots still have some small openings where you can get in some cleaner. Here's an example - the straw on your cleaner can sometimes sneak in a little opening like where the red arrow is (and sometimes there are small openings on the back): The better pots are usually sealed to keep all dust and dirt out. These usually are meant to be replaced when they have a problem, but if you're skilled like @Eyexlr8 is, you can often carefully disassemble and clean them. Here's a completely sealed pot for comparison to the above:

Welcome! The good news is that you can still get these components, they are serviceable, and there are a couple of good shops that will make them better-than-new for you.

Welcome! Since you found two amps I'm guessing your dad used the bigger amp (1.5t) for the 'main' system and the 200t for a second room? But if you're only working with one room, the M-1.5t should do the job nicely. But either should be fine if it meets your power output needs. For the volume control, in some cases it's hard to get the liquid into the pot for cleaning. If the CRC doesn't change at least reduce the crackling, I'm guessing it isn't getting into the wiper of the pot. If you are comfortable with removing the cover so you can get direct access to the pot, a straw on the CRC sprayer should be able to get the cleaner in there. Look for a little opening/notch in the pot body to allow access. Spray it with power off (and the system unplugged and sitting for 5+ minutes), rotate the pot fully back-and-forth 4-5 times, then reconnect everything and try again. And @Balok had a good insight as the Balance pot can also get distortion into either audio channel. In fact, if you've gained access to one pot, it's a good idea to clean them all. Good luck.

Welcome! I also have a PM 1.5 which someone pulled out the entire fan assembly. I've got a number of other components to be repaired first, but I'll be interested to see what you come up with for a solution.

Welcome!

Welcome! I'm not aware of any direct parts sources but this is a good place to let everyone know what you're looking for as there are many long-time members who repair and refurb their own equipment.

I know. I'm still trying to get my head around the idea that a plastic part can just be made whenever needed for $1 of plastic cable. Pretty amazing.

Welcome! Nice story on the side panels for your MXR150. And I'll certainly agree - there's nothing like nice real wood for audio components. And sorry to hear about the button but if you search the forums here, you'll find there are a number of us looking for those plastic button caps for various Carver components (I'm looking for a CT-6 power button myself). They are pretty fragile and only get more brittle with age. To the best of my knowledge, there aren't any off-the-shelf replacements so looking for a system that's being parted out seems to be the best option (for now). I'm intrigued by the idea of 3D printing buttons and other small plastic pieces, but I have a long learning curve before I could try this personally. Hopefully someone more skilled in that area will jump in and give it a try. And glad you found Circuits and Concepts for some replacement components. Post some pictures when you get started as quite a few of us enjoy following along with repairs/refurbishments.

Welcome Bob - you're in my neck of the woods as I live just 15 from the North Shore Mall.