[Eric]

Guys,



I recently acquired an '83 Silverwing Interstate that has what I think is a factory/dealer-original Clarion AM/FM radio. But the controller doesn't seem to work. It turns on, but you can't change the station. I'm interested in finding out whether anyone fixes these things - or, failing that, whether it's possible to buy a replacement controller.



Any help would be appreciated!

 

[DavidfromWisconsin]

Guys,



I recently acquired an '83 Silverwing Interstate that has what I think is a factory/dealer-original Clarion AM/FM radio. But the controller doesn't seem to work. It turns on, but you can't change the station. I'm interested in finding out whether anyone fixes these things - or, failing that, whether it's possible to buy a replacement controller.



Any help would be appreciated!

Be sure to check the fuses inside the fairing ... they are under the left hand pocket.

 

[Eric]

Be sure to check the fuses inside the fairing ... they are under the left hand pocket.

Good tip - thanks!

 

[showmedude]

Eric,



I'll bet Larry will chime in. He has some experience in these things. I took two of mine apart with similar symptoms, and after I couldn't figure them out turned to him for advice. The biggest culprit for push-button switches not doing what you expect is the rubber "seal" around the buttons breaks down over time, and what you are likely experiencing is one or more switches constantly closed. The radio apparently goes dumb when that happens and locks up. The switches are soldered onto a circuit board, and if they are the problem it's best to find replacements and R&R the switches.

 

[SamsGL650]

Eric, the "big-seller" of the time (i.e. the Honda Goldwing GL 1100) was equipped with the same fairing and Clarion radio system. If you find you can't fix your Clarion system,--- be sure to expand your search for replacdement parts to include clarion sytems/components from the Honda Goldwing GL1100 of the same era. There are usually many parts (used/ recycled) available. Sam

 

[marshallf3]

http://www.mouser.com (or most any major parts company) has them, they're called tactile switches, just match them up.



http://www.mouser.com/Electromechanical/Switches/Tactile-Jog-Switches/_/N-5g2m/



It's true, one of these being stuck, corroded or full of moisture will mess up the radio functions to the point it won't do anything at all. As inexpensive as they are just replace them all but be sure to get some solder wick so you can get the old ones out without damaging the circuit board. If you're new to soldering I'd recommend studying up on it and make darn sure you've got a good low wattage iron and good solder. Personally I use the old workhorses, http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail...EpiMZZMt%2biMJH3c40uwHufBhUfMcNbGDP%2bPN80go= but there's a decent copy of these that has good reports from http://www.partsexpress.com however I don't see it listed anymore. For occasional use a Weller WP25 is fine and you can find those about anywhere. Either one will last you a lifetime, I must have over 25 years on my two WLC100s and only had to replace the tip on one due to an employee trying to use the darn thing as a prybar taking the shield off of something.

 

[LRCXed]

Showmedude, I have had your panel sitting by the keyboard for so long It's just become part of the woodwork. I did find the 3 extra tactile switches I had too. This is a good reminder that I have things to do while I'm slow. Sorry



As has have already been said, yes the switches bottoming out and not springing back up cancels out the system. It's not the button that you see that collapses. It's the switch inside that the button pushes on that causes the problem. I have repaired two systems so far and they work just fine. I'll start on Showmedudes panel tomorrow while I wait for Hobbits set of carbs to be delivered. I'll take pictures along the way so you all can see what's up and how to repair it. I have to order more switches to complete this one since it takes 8 of them to do the whole panel. So I'll add the part # when I get them.

Thanks Marshall for the links. I'll start there. Where I bought my last ones got lost in my old computer that died.

 

[marshallf3]

Larry, when you find the right ones just hit a good quantity discount point and order them so you've got some extras - could be a new business for you. Mouser only charges their actual UPS rates that they had to spend to ship them, they don't try to make a profit from the shipping like most other places do and if you get an order in by 8 PM Central time it'll go out that night. Regular UPS Ground gets to me the next day, may take 2-3 days to get something to you.



Clarion radios are, in most cases, pretty darn reliable but you may find one that needs an output IC on occasion. I just sent an e-mail to a favorite old supplier to see if they're still providing them but in the meantime http://www.mcmelectronics.com and http://www.jameco.com has a decent stock of the most common ones but if you need to replace the output IC it's a good idea to change the output electrolytic caps as well. It also pays to get some Deoxit from http://www.caig.com as on occasion the controls get a bit noisy and this stuff beats anything else on the market. Probably good preventative maintenance if they have any regular pots in them.



Still looking over your GM 88862586 link, forgot what post that came from. It's a pre-lube for breaking in rebuilt engines so I haven't a clue what's in it.

 

[LRCXed]

Eric, here is a picture of the inside of the front control panel. As you can see, some of the black buttons are down farther than others. This is why your stereo is only turning on and not playing a station. It thinks your still holding the button down to decide what you want to listen to.

I'll do a post on how to take this panel apart and replace these buttons when I get the order in. That will have to wait til Monday though. I'll be ordering a bunch of them this time too.

 

[marshallf3]

Good idea to stock up but I would get a can of Deoxit for the pots, it's expensive but a tiny bit goes a long way compared to the generic stuff you find around which is little more than silicone lubricant. Just a bit of advice from an old electronics guy.

 

[LRCXed]

I'll keep that in mind when I do the order next week. Thanks

 

[JohnW]

Eric,

I do not see any recent replies from you but I wonder if you may have another Clarion radio than the one we are discussing in this thread.

Larry has shown pictures of a dismantled Type 1 Clarion radio/intercom. This unit fits under the left pocket and has a control panel on the left panel with yellow LEDs. It can also be used as an intercom as it has two 5 pin DIN outputs but you will need the optional separator switch to allow for the use of either headsets or the speakers otherwise you get a bad case of feedback. You can easily make your own splitter cable and ad a kill swith to the amplifier and get the job done.

Honda also made a Type 2 system for the interstate series. This consists of several separate units which include an AM/FM radio tuner, intercom system with VOX activation and optional CB. The red LED indicator panels for this unit are between the speakers and the units were often sold without all the options and sometimes all you had was the FM tuner on that dashboard. The main control panel was on the left panel with up to 3 different control units (radio, intercom and CB). Tuning could be done from the handlebars with a search button and a mute switch.

I have pictures of both systems but don't have a photobucket account to show them off. I can send them to whoever wants to post them.

 

[LRCXed]

You just reminded me that on the type 2 panel, if the intercom dial is turned on it will cancel out the radio. Now all we need to do is hear what radio he has.

 

[Eric]

All -



Thanks for your comprehensive replies; I think I now know how to proceed!



I will post updates on this soon to let you know what I did (and how it turned out).



Meanwhile, I'm waiting for it to get above freezing (and snowing) so I can ride this thing!

 

[showmedude]

Showmedude, I have had your panel sitting by the keyboard for so long It's just become part of the woodwork. I did find the 3 extra tactile switches I had too. This is a good reminder that I have things to do while I'm slow. Sorry

Larry,



Appreciate the thought, but getting that radio going is the least of my motorcycle worries. In fact, I just bought another "working" Clarion outfit with a GL650I attached. At least the PO said it was working the day before I picked it up, but couldn't seem to get any noise out of it for me. I think there's ground missing, but I may need some more of those switches anyway.



Hmmm, Larry the Carb Guy, Larry the Clarion Guy, Larry the Cable Guy--wait, that's taken already.

 

[marshallf3]

Too complex for my old eyes to work on but I have over the years in the past. They built one of the best automotive radios made, in most occasions all that needed to be replaced was a belt and lube the control pots. Being in a MC environment is probably different though and when you put one back in I'd recommend a bit of sealant here and there to keep the moisture out even if it means pulling the pot knobs off and putting a thin coating of silicone sealant around the nuts and shaft etc. Anything you get on the shaft will break loose but will still form a bit of a gasket.



I miss (then again not) servicing consumer electronics. The new stuff is almost totally throw away with no parts available and complicated test jigs required just to work on the things. I once paid for over $20K in equipment just to get approved as a Mitsubishi professional monitor repair station only to find that virtually every one of them required another $500 set of adapters just to power one up after you spent hours getting the shields off and the darn thing disassembled. Of course my early paying jobs were just installing car stereo and I was one of the few in Stillwater that put themselves through college working as the head repairman at a TV shop as well as kind of running the place as we sold a full line of parts as well. A ton of interesting stories from that era and later on but I don't feel like expounding any more than I have. 8 years of EE, EET and Physics but still exploring. I'm close to retirement and that just means I can do what I want when I want to do it.



If something gets the best of me I'm going to share my design for a rather unique engine I designed almost 40 years ago and although a few have come a tiny bit close they don't have it figured out and never will. Operates as an 8-cyl, no valves and only 5 major moving parts. Scalable to any size, first proto will probably be for RC planes as the lubrication is so much easier. I wrote GM about this once and got a reply back that "if we haven't already thought of it it probably won't work." Fine I said to myself, I'll just do it on my own.

 

[marshallf3]

BTW: If anyone has the machining capabilities (lathe, mills, caramics etc) I'd be willing to share the design given at least 60% of the patent rights. It's ideal for all the new hybrids coming out. Imagine sticking 50 HP into the size of a large coffee can or 800 into the size a small 4-cyl engine. I also figure I can easily get 4 HP out of the physical size of a 0.40 RC engine operating under a true 4 stroke cycle.

 

[LRCXed]

OK guys, I have 50 switches on order. They should be here by Monday. Then I'll do the post on how to replace them.

 

[marshallf3]

Larry, they wrote back and East Coast Transistor is still stocking the output ICs as well as the other common Clarion items.

http://www.kenwoodparts.com/ and they've got a toll free #.

 

[LRCXed]

Well, I got the order but they sent the wrong ones. These have post's on all four corners and I was told they would have only two like I need. Now I'm waiting again.