With a replacement power connector in hand, I set out to repair my Yaesu VX-7R.
The Yaesu VX-7R is a fairly old radio but still works very well with current systems. In a previous post, the radio would not power up after a recharge. I discovered the tip of the charger had broken off inside the radio, over the switch that tells the radio whether or not to use the battery or external power. I placed an order on eBay for the only dc connector I could find. It took a couple of days to arrive from Hong Kong. I had taken the radio apart once before to see if there was anything I could do to repair it but was unable to access the internal of the dc connector. Now that I have the replacement part, let’s crack it open!
There are 6 screws holding the front and back together, there is also a sticker covering the port for the barometer/altimeter sensor.
It’s a good idea to remove the sensor before separating the front and back. If you have no sensor installed, don’t worry about removing the black cover.
The radio splits in half fairly easily and is held together with a ribbon cable. I decided to remove the end attached to the back, due to the ribbon cable running under the first board.
Now that the two pieces were separated, I got to work on the knobs and ports at the top. The knobs pull off with a little give, and underneath is a threaded ring, there is also one on the audio jack and antenna.
Four screws on the top board will allow the board to be removed, exposing the power connector, antenna, and the final board.
It was at this point I realized I wasn’t going to be able to repair the radio. I wasn’t able to get the ring off of the antenna, so I wasn’t able to remove the final board.
After reassembling the radio, I was able to power it up on batteries, so, for now, the tip will have to stay lodged in the connector. I’m hoping it doesn’t hinder the power in the future. I tried the dc charger, and the unit powered up with it plugged in, as well as without, so for whatever reason it is now working.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the teardown, if you have one of these radios, now you know what it looks like inside, without taking a screwdriver to yours.
73 DE KB3CDA