Thread: Clarion Stereo Fix

After getting my P38 I found that sometimes the stereo would stop working - the display would dim and I'd lose all sound. The fix was to wiggle it around a little and then the sound (and display) would return. This happened quite a bit until I decided to check it out. I took it apart and thoroughly cleaned it (some of the terminals had a little rust), which seemed to fix the problem - for a few weeks - then it returned. Looking online I found that a number of people had this problem but there was no conclusive fix. After reading this post, I did some investigation and it is indeed the right fix, and whilst I didn't take photos when I did it, I hope I can explain in enough detail that anyone else who has this problem can tackle it.

The problem is that a component on the surface of the PCB gets a bad solder joint. As it's flat on the PCB any flex (or expansion due to heat) will stress the solder until it cracks.

1. Take the stereo out

2. Open it up - unscrew the screws on the top and prize off the top metal piece.

3. Take out the cassette module
http://jimsrover.afraid.org/rover/Ma...Harness001.jpg

4. Unscrew the things which held the screws for the tape module (these connect the main circuitboard to the case), and remove the main PCB from the case. (This may not be necessary, but makes the final soldering easier.)

5. Locate the heatsink - it's a big silver thing on the main PCB, at the front left. It has three screws on the side.

6. Unscrew the heatsink screws, then the heatsink should come off the PCB.

7. Under where the heatsink was take a look the components. There is a tiny resistor on the PCB, about 4mm square. It's black and mine had the number 102 on the surface. This is the bad component. It should be soldered to the PCB along two edges. Mine had a tiny crack along the edge furthest from the heatsink mount.

8. Fix the bad solder joint - I'm not a great solderer, but found after heating the joint I could just dab a bit of solder over the crack to bridge it.

9. Reassemble and enjoy!

Hope this is of use to anyone experiencing this very annoying problem.

Thanks for this awesome fix. Lot easier and cheaper than a replacement.
Great to have music again after 6 weeks.