Technics SA-DX850: Error F 70 power & rotary switch fix

This time a Technics surround receiver on the work bench:

It’s a SA-DX850 with a power issue, on startup it gives F 70 Error code.

I’ve found a post on a German website about the SA-DX750 with similar error. On this post they were referring to a PCB connection problem. I took the service manual, schematics and took a quick look if this could be the case at this SA-DX850 as well.
In fact, it did. As I measured the resistance of the two wire points that should be connected, the resistance wasn’t near 0 ohms.

This is the PCB with the error:

I took the PCB out of the receiver and soldered a small piece of wire between the points that should be connected to each other:

Reassembled the receiver again and YES, it is working again!

But that is not all. The volume knob is very jumpy and not reacting very smooth. It’s not a normal stereo volume potmeter, but a digital one. Such type of dial goes by the name of “Rotary switches”. They act like two switches that opens and closes one at the time.
The direction of rotation is detected by the phase of the pulses those switches give. One switch will act a little later than the other one. Over time the contacts in those rotary switches will become oxidised and will loose its conductivity.
Cleaning the contacts with a fibreglass pencil will fix it and no need to replace the complete rotary switch:

First remove the front panel and unscrew the PCB:

Disassemble the rotary switch and give it a good cleaning:

I also remove al lubricant, clean all thoroughly with IPA (Isopropylalcohol) and reapply some new grease on the shaft. Reassemble again and we’re good to go.

There it is again, ready to sell:

24 comments on “Technics SA-DX850: Error F 70 power & rotary switch fix

  1. Another F70 problem here. I did the famous transistor bridge mod, deoxidized the connectors, resoldered the power amp ICs joints and all that looked suspicious..
    What I noticed the front speakers A relay R601 doesn’t turn on no matter what input is selected and then F70 is displayed..
    HOWEVER If I press DVD 6 channel button before the F70 comes up (a tip from another forum) the relay turns on and I can use all the DVD channels.
    Switching to other inputs turns the R601 relay off and F70 appears. I followed the voltage to the Q601 transistor’s base which turns the relay on and off and. It’s around 5VDC when relay is off and around -7VDC when on so the problem is somewhere in the panel PCB. Any idea what’s going on?

    • Hi Merlyn,
      The switching circuit of the relay is problably not the issue, I would guess it’s more something to do with the protection circuit input. When starting the system with DVD 6 pressed, it somehow bypasses it. Perhaps is a service mode in which the protection circuit is disabled. You can then for instance measure the DC voltage on the output. If that is over a volt or two (depending on the sensivity of the DC protection) it will disable output to protect the speakers.
      Hope this helps you in any way.

      Regards, Mark

    • Hello,
      Unfortunately I do not know the SA-DX1050. Maybe that model suffers from the same defect and can be fixed the same way, but it can also be something completely different.

      Regards,
      Mark

      • How do I remove the white, 3 lead connector from the PCB? It will not release… do not want to damage the solder connections. Thanks, Doug.

      • Hi Doug,

        From what I can remember is it a push-in to release connector. The stripped down three-wire cable can then be detached.

        Hope this helps.
        With kind regards,
        Mark

  2. Helo! My Technics SA-DX950, was with error F70. I did the welding following his explanations, and it worked. My receiver is working. Thank you very much!

  3. Hello,
    I had the same problem with the volume knob.
    I also removed it, clean it as you described, reassembled it and it’s working.
    Thanks for the tip.
    Best Regards,

    Hugo

  4. BY the way, there are no possibilities to do a soft reset. While pressing the power on button and plugging in the power chord simultaneously,the receiver won’t go on.

  5. hi ,every body, i had the same “F70” problem with my SA-DX950 . I checked for the bridge between R1702 and collector. it was open. Put a link, power on the Receiver and now it says “overload”
    What next

    • Hi Gilbert,

      I’m not familiar with that error, but the user manual describes the following:
      Sound stops. “OVERLOAD” appears on the display:
      – Switch off the unit, determine and correct the cause, then switch the unit on.
      Causes include shorting of the positive and negative speaker wires, using speakers with an impedance lower than rated for this unit, straining of the speakers through excessive volume or power, and using the unit in a hot environment.
      – Use speakers with the right impedance rating.

      This could mean bad solder joints that need resoldering, but could also very well be one or more shorted amplifier channels.
      If the amplifier has a short, it’s probably because of several output transistors that will have failed and in many cases several surrounding components.
      If you’re not experienced in audio repair, a drive to a repair shop would be the best thing to do right now.

      Good luck!
      Regards,
      Mark

  6. Hello
    this bridge connecting Q1702 and R1702 works excellent !! Error F70 was after 2 min of playing – now 3 hours and NOTHING!!
    Thank You
    I`ve got no experience at all, in electronics, I`ve made this only looking at photos, I feel great 🙂
    Greetings from Poland – Jacek

    • Hi Jacek,
      That’s great to hear! You’ve done an amazing job in fixing your own receiver!

      Kind regards,
      Mark

  7. Hei! Har en helt lik forsterker som det du har! På meg står det også F70, jeg har skiftet sikringer men fortsatt det samme, så har jeg tatt opp Digital board, men hvordan fikser man sånne loddeskjøter?

    • Hi Elias,
      Bad solder joints are in most cases easily fixed by reflowing the solder joints with new solder. When there are traces on the board that are broken or almost broken, I use a small piece of wire to fix that. When fixing wires on the digital board it might become crucial to keep the wires as short as possible. Depending on the data speed, that could have an effect.

      Good luck fixing yours!
      Kind regards,
      Mark

  8. Hi i have a problem witch these receiver only fm works great but no sound by phono ot cd input.
    Can you help me/

    • Hoi Robbert,

      To be able to help others that run into this problem, I reply in English.
      I’m not familiar with this issue on your Technics SA-DX850, but I hope I can point you in the right direction.
      As I scan through the block diagram of the DX850 and then the schematics, I see that the input is handled with an audio selector switch IC: IC401 TC9163AN.
      I would start to see if that IC is getting the right operation voltages. Next is if the IC is getting digital clock and data pulses.

      Met vriendelijke groeten/Kind regards,
      Mark

  9. Hello Mark.
    I am having the same intermittent F70 error on my Panasonic SA-HE70 unit (which is identical virtually) and have tried resoldering almost the components, still randomly comes up. Fuses replaced and clips tightened etc. What points have you joined with the green wire? Do you have an excerpt of the schematic you could post? I’ve got a new Pioneer receiver but it just doesn’t sound as good as my 15 year old Panasonic!
    Many thanks,
    Adrian.

    • Hi Adrian,

      I’ve check the schematic. In the picture marked as red is the location of the green wire:
      schematics

      Kind regards,
      Mark

      • Mark, THANK YOU!
        That track was measuring about 10 to 12 ohms, and under a magnifying glass had a tiny bit of possible corrosion. Soldered in a bridge piece and so far (3 days of cranking it) that dreaded F70 click off is yet to occur. So happy. You’re a genius.

  10. How did you get the cover off?
    After remowing 6 screws my cover is stuck on some plastic clips connecting it to the front.
    I want to fix the input selector

    • Hi Morten,
      Sometimes those clips are really annoying to get the cover off. Only force will get them to come loose.
      Check whether the edge of the cover is bent in a 90 degree angle downwards, then you need to pull the cover off in a horizontal position.
      Otherwise you just have to tilt it over so that the clips will come loose. It requires a bit of force sometimes.

      Hope this will help to get the cover off.
      Kind regards,
      Mark

Leave a Reply to Jacek Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *