TEAC remote control sensor

[James ONeill]

hi all,

I'm hoping someone here will be able to help! I have a TEAC T-H300DAB tuner that doesn't respond to the remote control. Usually I'd not worry too much about that, but with this tuner it's much easier to switch between stations via the remote than the on-unit buttons and knobs, so I'd like to fix it.

Firstly, I've checked the remote control and that is working fine. I have three of these tuners, and the remote works fine on the other two, so it must be the unit itself that is faulty.

I'm assuming the problem will be with the sensor itself, rather than anything else in the electronics, so as IR sensors are not expensive I thought I'd try to find a replacement. I'm competent enough with a soldering iron, and have replaced components on other circuit boards successfully in the past, so I figured that this would be a fairly straight forward repair job, but am by no means an expert. However, I'm having trouble identifying exactly what component I should be looking to purchase as I can't find anything that matches the (limited) inscription on the existing sensor, and I've not found anything that details what spec TEAC use for their IR remote controls.

I'll try to upload a couple of pictures of the existing sensor (it doesn't seem to be working for me right now), but it has "4M JAPAN 2" and "L363" marked on the back.

My best guess so far would be for something like this:

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/ir-receivers/7085067/

but of course, they come in various different specifications including differing carrier frequencies and pin ordering and this is where I am unsure what I need. Can anyone help identify an equivalent part to the original, or perhaps help with knowledge of the carrier frequency and pin ordering?

The service manual for this tuner gives the part number as KRVHIM602H32 but a quick internet search doesn't show up anything relevant.

Worst case, I could pick up a non-DAB version of this tuner (tatty ones go for not a lot) and swap out the component, but it would be nice to get a new component in there if possible.

thanks everyone!

James

[MacGeek]

I have owned similar "mini" systems and thought the tuner only worked by remote when connected to the amplifier.  Mac tuners from the 1990s also had to be connected to a Mac pre-amp to work by remote.

Have you checked the service manual? 
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwi56em-meTtAhWBm1kKHfd_B34QFjAIegQIDBAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vintageshifi.com%2Frepertoire-pdf%2Fpdf%2Ftelecharge.php%3Fpdf%3DTeac-T-H300DAB-Service-Manual.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2FgrUFanfQEhu4Iu9C2gVp

Also, there may be a battery in the unit to allow the station presets to be retained when the unit is unplugged and it may need to be replaced.

Good luck

[James ONeill]

thanks, yes I've got a copy of the service manual which is helpful - but the component reference number it gives doesn't bring anything up on a quick internet search, so I'm guessing they teac-specific numbers rather than commercial component numbers. Plus it doesn't actually give any specs so it's not possible to work out what component would be a modern equivalent.

The tuner is all plugged in and connected up so that shouldn't be a problem here, but a good suggestion none-the-less. It does have a system remote-control interface connection, but it doesn't do anything on the T-H300DAB, so I'm not really sure what TEAC were thinking when they added it!

I'll keep digging, but suspect I'll need to buy a donor unit to scavange components, I can get one for around

[Sir Thrift-a-Lot]

It does have a system remote-control interface connection, but it doesn't do anything on the T-H300DAB, so I'm not really sure what TEAC were thinking when they added it!

I don't know anything, but that doesn't sound right.   Maybe there is some deep menuing item to choose the system remote or the unit one?   That would certainly explain the lack of function.

[James ONeill]

I've got three of the TEAC reference 300 systems (mk 1's) and none of the dab tuners does anything except turn on and off with the system remote - and that is achieved via the IR receiver in the tuner itself, not via the interface cable. The CD player, on the other hand, is well integrated into the system and is fully controllable via the system remote. I don't know why the dab tuner should not be properly integrated but as none of the systems I have do this, I don't think it's an issue with this particular unit. I suspect that the dab tuner was just not as well developed, I don't suppose the market for dab tuners was as big back then (not that that excuses producing a sub-standard product, though). I don't have a non-dab tuner to test, but I suspect it will work better through the system remote.

[James ONeill]

later versions had a switch on the back to change between system and component remotes, but not the mark 1's unfortunately...

[James ONeill]

a bit more digging on t'internet and I'm not sure that the non-dab version has its own IR receiver. So it would have relied on the remote interconnect and the system controller. Seems odd that teac wouldn't have done the same with the dab unit, you'd think that making it work with the system remote would have been easier than fitting IR circuitry and providing a separate remote, but there you go. A bit late to write in and complain I guess...

but it does put paid to the idea of getting a cheap non-dab unit to cannibalise for parts.

[MacGeek]

A suggestion and for what it's worth: try covering the front panel of the tuner to block reception of any IR signals and, with the remote cable connected to the amp, try the remote and see what happens.