On an antique mall I did find this nice radio, little bit dirty but otherwise in good shape.
Some cleaning notes.
I did find the radio in good conditions but sticky and dirt.
A quick test did show that at least the dynamo did work but probably the batteries were dead.
Kind of expected this.
Specs
Some radio specs (copied from NewEgg, one of the places where was possible to buy one) :
| Tuner Bands | AM/FM/SW |
|---|---|
| Frequency Range | AM (520-1710 KHz), FM (87-108MHz), Shortwave (2300 - 23000 KHz) |
| Weather Band | NOAA weatherband with alert – all 7 channels plus "Alert" |
| Power Requirements | Dynamo/hand crank which charges the Ni-MH battery From 3 AA batteries (not included) From the AC via USB adapter (not included) Solar power which charges Ni-MH battery |
|---|
| Features | S.A.M.E. Technology (location based weather alerts) Digital tuner with AM, FM, WB, SW bands and RDS display Built-in four white LED, one red LED lights with magnifying lens for brighter, more powerful light source Emergency siren/flashing beacon USB cell phone charger (USB cable not included) Rotary all band selector knob Connectors, with rubber gaskets/plugs to seal out moisture Telescopic antenna provided for maximum range and reception |
|---|
The radio was produced in the 2010.
Cleaning
The first thing was to clean the radio.
Battery compartment
Old batteries left leaked a lot of acid and end up to rust the contacts.
 |
| This when I opened the battery compartment - DISASTER ! |
So I removed it too, looking for a replacement.
 |
| Before the cleaning |
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| After the cleaning |
One spring was rust so I insisted with the vinegar and a very small toothbrush, then I passed some isopropil alcohol to clean up.
Inserted some fresh batteries and is working like a charm.
Still some sticky goo around so at least with the back, I took everything apart and washed with vinegar and dish soap.
I don't know where the radio spent the years but was REALLY sticky.
So much that some soft spot in plastic MELTED and broken ... I will have to try to 3D print them.
Radio body
The radio was covered in many spots with some sticky goo, like kitchen grease.
First with some wet Clorox pads I did start to clean the exterior but I don't know what the heck was on the radio, a kind of sticky goo very hard to remove.
So I switched with alcohol and started to clean. The only problem is that some color is melted by the alcohol.
The goal is to clean it without taking the radio apart, if possible.
We'll see along the way.
As said before, I was able to take apart the radio and the back was washed also with soap and vinegar.
The front is much more complex.
To take everything apart it would take a LOT of time !!! So I'll try with some other chemicals
Temporary conclusion
Well, I was able to remove about the 80% of sticky blob from the radio, at least now is possible to touch it without feeling the stickiness.
Changed the NiMh battery so that now everything is working.
Few problems unfortunately.
- the paint they used can be easily removed with alcohol !
So yeah, some places where I did try to use alcohol, because nothing else was working on the sticky blob, did lose some paint and unfortunately also some writings ! Darn ! - Some soft rubber used in some places crumbled !
I don't know where the radio was kept for years, but the stickyness blob corroded/damaged all the soft rubber places.
Two support on the bottom and some closure for the USB ports and other ports, just disintegraded when I did try to remove them when I opened the radio.
So I will have to design and 3D print them ... I don't know when though 😀
I'll update the article when I'll find time.
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