kenwood receiver problem

[ChampaignWalt]

I have had a kenwood vr-507 receiver for about 2 years now. It's worked fine in that time although in the past couple weeks it's started to act strange in that it won't respond to the remote.

At first I thought my universal remote's batteries were going bad, but it operated my tv and replaytv just fine. So I tried the remote that came with the receiver and it too wouldn't work.

Now here's the odd thing. If I power on the receiver using the physical button on the unit, it would turn on and after a few minutes the remotes would start working as if nothing was wrong with the unit. It's as if the box need to "warm up" before it would respond to a remote. After "warming up" the receiver will even let me turn it off and on with the remote. If I turn the receiver off and let it sit for a couple of hours, the problem returns.

Any theories on what the cause and solution might be?

(Apologies if this is not the correct forum to post this to.)

[renegadeweeb]

Wow, that exact same thing happed to me. Started about three weeks ago. I searched the boards but never found a good answer. Called Kenwood, but they were of little help. I did find that tapping on the receiver would sometimes help. This leads me to believe that the IR sensor in the receiver is failing or maybe even coming loose. Kenwood gave me the name of a couple of places to bring it in for service, but they both wanted almost $100 just to look at it. I ended up getting a new receiver, the HK AVR-525 to go with my new speakers from Axiom. Got a great price from One Call when they were running it on special for $571 shipped. To be honest, it sounds great, but not all that much different than the Kenwood, that was a good little receiver that came with an HTB-504. If you find out anything please post, maybe I'll return the 525 and fix the Kenwood if there is an inexpensive solution.
Barry

[ChampaignWalt]

It certainly seems like the same problem. I tried tapping the top of the receiver and it helped, momentarily. How long did you own your vr-507 before it started to flake-out?

[renegadeweeb]

Originally posted by ChampaignWalt
It certainly seems like the same problem. I tried tapping the top of the receiver and it helped, momentarily. How long did you own your vr-507 before it started to flake-out?

Also for two years. For a second, when I read your post, I started to wonder if maybe I posted the question! There is no question it has to be the same problem, meaning someone in Kenwood has to know something about it. Please keep me posted, even if I don't return the 525, I'd like to fix the Kenwood.
Barry

[ChampaignWalt]

This is pretty annoying. I've really liked this receiver and it's sad that it appears to be built to last only 2 years before flaking out. I'll certainly be reluctant to buy future kenwood products.

[renegadeweeb]

I know what you mean. When I called the repair shop the Kenwood gave me the number for, I told them what I thought was wrong and asked for an estimate to replace that part. I was told "$89 to look at the receiver and no estimates over the phone". Needless to say, I didn't feel like spending over $100 to repair a $250 receiver.

[dirk1843]

I have a VR 307 and have a similar problem.

It seems to be heat and or surround mode related in mine.

Tapping on the unit never seemed to help me, and the hardwired control of my Kenwood cd changer is very spotty as well.

[ChampaignWalt]

I received the following email from their tech support department in responce to an email I sent to them.

--------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for writing to us at Kenwood USA Corporation.

In regards to your recent inquiry, based on the symptoms you've stated, it
seems that the remote control or the IR sensor on your receiver is
malfunctioning. One thing you can do to try to resolve this issue is to
reset the receiver by unplugging it, holding down the power button and while
holding down the power button, plugging the receiver's power cord back in.
If after performing the reset procedure the problem still persists, we
strongly advise you to have both the remote control and the receiver
evaluated by an Authorized Kenwood Service Center to determine which one of
the two is malfunctioning. You may call 1-800-KENWOOD to find the nearest
Authorized Service Center in your area, or you may ship your unit to one of
our Kenwood Service Center locations listed below. Please enclose a brief
description of the problem with a request for an estimate, a contact phone
number and return shipping address. We also suggest shipping your product
via UPS with insurance.

Kenwood Service Center West
13030 Alondra Blvd, STE 104
Cerritos, CA 90703-2257
Phone: 562.483.8740
Fax: 562.483.8749

Kenwood Service Center East
829 Lynnhaven Pkwy, STE 128
Virginia Beach, VA 23452
Phone: 757.340.1702
Fax: 757.340.6809

Kenwood Service Center Atlantic
400 Morris Ave, STE 102
Denville, NJ 07834
Phone: 973.586.3999
Fax: 973.586.4433

Kenwood Service Center Hawaii
99-1285 Halawa Valley St. B10
Aiea, HI 96701-5609
Phone: 808.486.5594
Fax: 808.486.5596

If you have any further questions or need help with anything, please feel
free to contact us again.


************************************************************ ****************
*******
Kenwood U.S.A. Corporation
Consumer Services
P.O. Box 22745
Long Beach, CA 90801-5745


Hazim Jainoor
Consumer Service Representative
E-mail for Kenwood USA Corporation:
http://www.kenwoodusa.com/support/email_support.jsp
Phone: 800-536-9663
Fax: 310-631-3913
************************************************************ ****************
********

[vmark]

And all this while I thought it was just me! My VR-306 did the exact same thing. About 2 years old as well. I sold it to my parents cheap and got a Sony.

[renegadeweeb]

So, did you try the reset procedure?

[vmark]

I did... nothing. Tapping as mentionned above seemed bring it back for a few minutes, but it would stop responding again soon.

My parents had a very old receiver before this... no remote at all, and very poor sound. They're just happy to have clean sound and a remote that works some of the time :)

[ChampaignWalt]

I tried reseting the receiver and it didn't help.

[renegadeweeb]

I was afraid of that. In my opinion, it is definitely a problem with the IR sensor on the receiver. Probably a problem with the soldering on the connection. An easy fix if you can get to it easily, which I am sure you can't. I'm actually starting to enjoy the AVR 525 I bought to replace the Kenwood. It has a mode called Logic 7 which is really making my old CD collection sound new.

[99RedSi]

I have the same exact problem :mad:

I thought it was just my remote! New batteries - didn't help. How much for a new remote? I may try that first if it's $40 or less.

Any updates on this?


Thanks

[vmark]

I know it wasn't the remote in my situation, as I had a programmable remote that I was using as well. When the Kenwood remote wasn't working, neither was the programmable.

[Dman Here]

My VR-507 stopped responding to the remote also. It's just over 2 years old. :(

[9volt]

Originally posted by ChampaignWalt
If I turn the receiver off and let it sit for a couple of hours, the problem returns.


if you leave it on, does the problem come back after a certain amount of time?

if you meant to say on instead of off, maybe its a heat problem. you could try firing a fan right at it to see if that makes a difference.

[Justin]

So funny,

I have a vr-309 that on occasion will not respond to the remote. this started last year, worked fine for ~2yrs.

Obviously this is some common defect.

I get mine to respond again consistently by pushing or messing with the plastic window that covers the display and ir receiver.

I am think of getting a new reciever anyway, perhaps the kenwood 7080, but I am worried about the remote problem :)

Justin

[99RedSi]

Has anyone ventured into the wiring/components and taken the receiver apart? I'm thinking of trying this because I can't stand it anymore!

Thanks

[vmark]

I looked into mine a bit, but decided not to venture further - it looks fairly hard to get to.

[Bent]

Same problem here with a Kenwood VR-309, picking the front of the receiver up and dropping it (1/8") temorarily solves the problem...

I was out of inputs, wanted PL II, and better bass management, so I got a AVR 525 too.

[ChampaignWalt]

It seems to be a "lack of heat" problem. Once the receivers been on for a few minutes, it seems to work fine.

It's only a problem when the receiver's been off for an hour or so. And tapping on the top, right front of the receiver is typically enough to get it to work again.

Originally posted by 9volt
if you leave it on, does the problem come back after a certain amount of time?

if you meant to say on instead of off, maybe its a heat problem. you could try firing a fan right at it to see if that makes a difference.

[vmark]

When I still had it, my receiver was on pretty much from when I got home from work ~5pm till late at night ~11pm or so... the amount of time it was on didn't seem to make much difference, as this seemed to be as likely to happen as soon as it was turned on, as it was before it was turned off.

[BrianJohns]

Just adding my experience to the list of failed Kenwood VR-507s.

Mine is just a little over 2 years old and has stopped responding to the remote. In addition, I am unable to SHUT IT OFF with the power button on the front.

This started a couple of months ago -- after the receiver had been on all evening, I discovered I couldn't shut it off using the remote.

I've learned in my forty-plus years that "When all else fails, hit it." I don't have room in my entertainment cabinet to pick up the front 1/8" and drop the receiver, but I learned a if I smacked it in it's face panel it would wake up and respond to the remote again. This lasted for about 2 months, and now the unit is permanently ON and permanently blind to the remote.

I guess I should be thankful it's stuck ON so that I can take my time in choosing a replacement.

I've always been disgusted the VR-507 has no on-screen display and when I discovered this fact shortly after purchasing it I almost returned it to Circuit City. At the time, however, almost none of the home theatre receivers had OSD. Now two years later I'm discovering that almost no home theatre system does NOT have OSD -- so at least that is progress! :rolleyes:

It just doesn't seem like it's worth $100 plus to fix it (and probably 2 weeks to 2 months without it). AND it sounds like gaining access to the solder joints to re-touch them is not for an amateur like me.

So replacement time is here, and Kenwood sadly equipment is not even a consideration now. I still use a 1970s-era Pioneer receiver that still works great, and had a 1990s-era Pioneer that was still working fine when I retired it for the Kenwood. It may not be fair to judge Kenwood on one unit, but I expected more than 2 years of life for the money I spent on it.

[s.bradford]

The descirbed symptoms are indicative of a cold solder joint. This is essentially a bad solder connection on some PCB in the unit. When it warms (or is vibrated/hit/shocked/or placed underwater (c;), the joint expands and makes contact again. When it cools off the joint contracts and breaks contact (much like a bimetal thermometer).

If you can get to the area where the IR receiver is connected to a PCB, it is that PCB that is most likely the problem. Wiggling/flexing the board or alternatively hitting it with freon and a hair dryer will usually isolate the improperly soldered pin(s). If you have good eyes you can sometimes spot them visually.

This is a very common problem with electronics, and if you can wield a soldering iron (and can take things apart and put them back together) it is usually a very simple fix.

[BrianJohns]

Follow-up:

I emailed Kenwood's "Customer Relations" department to tell them how disappointed I was with the failure of my VR-507 and how it no longer responds to the remote...and how many other people have experienced the same problem. I even included a link to this thread so they could see that others have had the same problem.

Hazim Jainoor, the same person that responded to ChampaignWalt's email (earlier in this thread) sent me an ALMOST identical email...the big difference being this line at the end of the letter:

"Upon approval of your documentation, you will receive a One-Time Warranty Authorization form to cover this one repair only."

Whoo-hoo!! My impression and my attitude about Kenwood has turned around 180 degrees now! I faxed Kenwood an overload of documentation on my receiver, its purchase receipts, etc. and in less than 24 hours they faxed back a one-time warranty authorization. I'm waaay outside of warranty on this unit and I didn't purchase additional warranty, so this is purely an act of Kenwood's generosity. Frankly I'm shocked...I didn't know good customer service like this still existed! Perhaps they've been made aware of enough of this kind of failure that they're willing to, on a case-by-case basis, authorize one-time warranty repairs on this failure.

So if you've also had a VR-507 or similar receiver stop responding to the remote...it's worth your time to email Kenwood and see if they'll repair it. Who knows? Just like I discovered, it certainly doesn't hurt to ask them.

It cost about $13 for me to UPS the unit to them. I don't mind paying that if it gets me a working receiver again. (Though I gotta admit I'm a little disappointed at not having the opportunity to get a brand new toy. Things have changed a LOT in the past two years since I bought the Kenwood!!)

And after this experience, I think I'll check out Kenwood's current offerings -- I may still decide to replace it, and Kenwood is definitely back in the running again!

--Brian

[BrianJohns]

Follow-up on my follow-up:

I sent my VR-507 and it's remote control to the repair facility with all it's authorization paperwork taped to the top on 1-17-04. The VR-507 returned home today (2-12-04) in a brand new box with new packing material and a brand new remote control. I hooked it up this evening and am enjoying high-quality Kenwood sound in my home theatre once again! And I'm REALLY enjoying the ability to use a remote control again!

There wasn't anything wrong with the original remote control...I rarely used it because I have a universal remote that I programmed with macros to run my system. I suspect sending along a new remote is probably standard practice after a repair simply because it's the one part of the system most likely to receive abuse. ;)

I am SO impressed with Kenwood after this experience. I had NOT purchased any type of extended warranty and they were NOT obligated in any way to make the repair on a unit that is out of warranty.

This experience has restored my faith that indeed, good customer service DOES still exist! At least, it still exists at Kenwood!

--Brian

[lespurgeon]

Wow,
First I am surprised, next I am very impressed. I have a Kenwood VR7070 which I like, but have never had to test Kenwood's customer service. This was very good of them.

[atlantis]

I have the VR-309 with has the exact same problem. The problem comes and goes. However, most of the time the remote doesn't work at all. And when it does work, it only works for a few minutes. It is definitely a problem with the unit and not the remote. I have numerous universal remotes all of which no longer work with the Kenwood receiver. I have since replaced my unit with a Pioneer unit. The Kenwood now sites in my electronics graveyard.

[skro]

Anybody have any new info regarding this problem?

Has anyone tried to get it fixed? If so, what did it end up costing?

I too have the same problem, and the time the unit is on does not seem to make it any better. It just won't respond to any remote.

[BrianJohns]

Originally posted by skro
Anybody have any new info regarding this problem?

At least one other member of this forum has recently had his Kenwood receiver fixed, for free, and it was also out of warranty.

Originally posted by skro
Has anyone tried to get it fixed? If so, what did it end up costing?

Contact Kenwood...the address and the name (Hazim Jainoor, as I recall) and all the info you need are in this thread. Email them, and mention this thread that explains the problems that many Kenwood owners have had with these units. It seems to help.

Here it is for your convenience -- I shipped mine to Cerritos:

Kenwood Service Center West
13030 Alondra Blvd, STE 104
Cerritos, CA 90703-2257
Phone: 562.483.8740
Fax: 562.483.8749

Hazim Jainoor
Consumer Service Representative
E-mail for Kenwood USA Corporation:
http://www.kenwoodusa.com/support/email_support.jsp
Phone: 800-536-9663
Fax: 310-631-3913

Originally posted by skro
I too have the same problem, and the time the unit is on does not seem to make it any better. It just won't respond to any remote.

Email Hazim @ Kenwood as soon as you read this...don't put it off, who knows how long their generosity will last! (They certainly aren't obligated to repair an out-of-warranty condition for free.) But they've done real well in responding to this particular out-of-warranty failure to those that ask, which is something you can't say about many companies. (Ask nicely, now...don't get hot-headed.) It's restored my faith that good Customer Service still exists, and believe me, when the time comes, Kenwood will be definitely one of my top picks because of my experience with their customer support. Have all your paperwork ready to fax and/or mail and/or ship with the unit, and once you ship it away to be repaired be prepared to wait about a month or so. Mine came back just like new, and with a brand new remote too! (Either that, or they cleaned up my original remote REALLY well!)

--Brian

[tqlla]

You know, kenwood has always rocked when it comes to warranty and service. When my Car stereo Mask head unit died at 13 months, they extended my warranty for me as well(It only had 12 months)

Like a fool, I never took the unit in though, cause it started working again. Then it died 3 months later, and I decided to just buy a new head unit.

[skro]

Thanks for the info Brian.

I appreciate it. I emailed kenwood through their website, but I will also try to email you contact.

Brandon

[skro]

An update on the Kenwood IR problem:

I emailed Kenwood, describing my problem and mentioning that I have read on AVS forums that this was not an isolated incident. About 5 days later, they wrote me back and said they would authorize a one time fix for the problem.

Fantastic. My unit was well out of warranty, but they still were responsible enough to fix a systematic build problem. Bravo Kenwood.

Given a similar feature set and competitive price, I will always be choosing Kenwood in the future.

[jeffander1]

I have the exact same issue with my 3 year old 309, which otherwise is a great unit. A good internal cleaning is overdue, so I may pop the cover and see if cold solder is evident rather than go to the hassle of returning it.
I have been in the electronics biz for 20+ years, and would not recommend going inside for the untrained.
Nice to see that Kenwood stands by the consumer, kind of rare these days.
I am trying hard not to order a refurb 5080 for a big upgrade...

[atlantis]

Kenwood replied to my request and told me to bring it to a repair facility to find out what the problem is. They did not offer to pay for or warranty anything.

[jeffander1]

I caved and ordered a 5090, but will give the 309 a try for the fix anyway. As far as joy per dollar, the 309 will be hard to beat.

[chinadog]

I know this is an old thread, but just thought I'd share.

I just purchased a kenwood vr-507 receiver from ebay. I needed something to power some bass shakers for my HT room I'm building. I have another older Kenwood receiver and was happy with it, but have other plans for it. I found a VR-507 on ebay and it seemed like a bargain so I went for it ($88 plus shipping, although I could have found something probably cheaper). I found it today and the auction ended just a little while ago. SO, then I made the mistake of googling it (should have checked here, but for my purposes, no big deal) and then started reading the complaints about the remote not working.

One thing led to the other, and found myself here:

http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/1/122836.html

which led me to here:

http://www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin/mboard/rc-theater/thread.cgi?3016,1

which lead me to the solution:

http://home.comcast.net/~apastuszak/
(EDIT: this URL is no longer working, so I posted the picture several posts down below)

which will supposedly fix the problem. I don't know IF I'll have this problem, but I assume so. So, for those folks that still struggle with this, hopefully this will work for you. Is this works for you, please post. I'll post again when I know whats up.

Bud

[FlukeD]

Thanks for posting...I am getting ready to dust off my VR-507 which has been packed away for a couple of years.

[BrianJohns]

Originally posted by chinadog

which lead me to the solution:

http://home.comcast.net/~apastuszak/

which will supposedly fix the problem. I don't know IF I'll have this problem, but I assume so. So, for those folks that still struggle with this, hopefully this will work for you. Is this works for you, please post. I'll post again when I know whats up.

Bud

chinadog, you're a saint for sharing this information! So many forums like this become a litany of problems, followed by speculative suggestions for solutions, but rarely any after-the-fact feedback on what actually solved the problem!

I printed the picture of the circuit board and filed it in my Kenwood owner's manual in the event that I experience this failure again and the web site is no longer available.

Super job, and thanks for sharing!

--Brian

[chinadog]

Guys,

No problem at all. Let me know if the fix works. My receiver came a few days ago, but no way to test it.. there's no damn remote! Since I plan on using it for powering some shakers, I really don't need a remote, but would have liked to see if I had the problem. I may try a universal remote just for giggles....

Bud

[ChampaignWalt]

Since writing my initial message here, my receiver has gotten worse. Humidity seemed to play a part in how well the unit would respond. As the weather has gotten warmer, I've found myself hitting the receiver harder and more frequently which brought me back to this thread to see if anyone had any suggestions.

Well, thanks for the links to the pictures and instructions because a little resoldering has seemed to fix the problem. I have no idea why the solder on the IR receiver has such a high failure rate, but it does.

Thanks for the posts!

Walt

[chinadog]

Walt,

No problem, glad it worked out for you.

I received my vr-507 and had no problem with the remote. The seller did not include the remote with the unit, so I tried it with a universal remote and it seemed to work. I haven't played with it too much since its mainly for the shakers. I just finished the electrical rough in, so I'm a few months out from setting everything up and actually using it. Hope it works!

Bud

[DARKTHC]

HI,

I have a problem with my Kenwood Receiver KR-V107R , other than a very loud powerful amp... I bought this thing in a thrift store for 5 bucks cover was removed but still with it ,anyways the front display is dead it comes on and plays like normal but no led display at all
and the stand by light is on still ??? what is wrong with it a relay ???? Any response would be great :) William

[Slojoe]

I have a Kenwood VR-309, I was just getting ready to replace it.
found this thread, took apart the receiver, sure enough the soldier was
cracked around two of the wire from the IR.

Simple soldier on all three spots, Good as new.

Thank You all that have posted fixes. :)

You saved me money an my sanity.

[onefastseven]

Hello everyone,

I know this is an old post, but I am new here and just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone about this thread. You just saved me a bunch of money!!

I was surfing reviews here and decided to just look up my old Kenwood for the heck of it. My remote hasn't worked for years, just figured it was mine and would probably cost more to fix it than it was worth. Then I found this thread!!!

The fix above worked perfectly and was totally free!!!! Can't beat that!

The only problem is now I'm going to have a hard time finding an excuse to tell my wife why we need a new receiver!

Anyways, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[chinadog]

Love it.. glad people are still finding this thread and fixing their Kenwoods!

Bud

[Scottish_Knight]

which lead me to the solution:



which will supposedly fix the problem. I don't know IF I'll have this problem, but I assume so. So, for those folks that still struggle with this, hopefully this will work for you. Is this works for you, please post. I'll post again when I know whats up.


Ihave the same problem with my VR-309. It just started and my receiver is several years old, so I consider myself lucky.

I tried visting this link but it doesn't seem to be working. Does anyone have that information they can post here?

Thanks.

[chinadog]

I made a copy of photo just in case that happened:

http://images16.fotki.com/v284/photos/6/649633/2370847/resolder-vi.jpg

Bud

[Scottish_Knight]

I'll give that a try and post my results in a day or two.

Thanks a bunch!

[chinadog]

Keep us posted. I also updated my original post to say the URL is not longer available and stated I put the picture out in another post....

Bud

[Scottish_Knight]

Well, I cracked open the case on my VR-309. The remote would stop working after the receiver was powered on for only a few minutes.

My unit is different from the one shown here. I had to remove the PCB so I could tell which of the three contacts needed to be resoldered. I was able to see where the IR receiver's leads went through the PCB, so I resoldered those three contacts. As soon as I touched the center post, all the solder disappeared and the contact was not connected! I think that was the problem area.

I hooked the receiver back to AC power and let it run for half-an-hour and the remote was still working. I'll put the receiver back "in service" and if you don't hear from me again, you'll know everything is working fine.

P.S. I also have the KENWOOD CD player that was having problems with the display going out. I tore it apart and found some bad soldered contacts there also!!!

Many thanks to this thread for helping me with this problem, and a special "THANK YOU" to "chinadog" for his assistance and fast response to my questions!

[chinadog]

Glad its worked out for you... at least I hope it does, since we won't hear back f it does!

Bud

[Scottish_Knight]

Hey, chinadog, I couldn't leave you hanging!

Yep, after 24 hours of intermittent use, it is still working correctly.

I had the unit on for several hours last night and it worked the whole time. Before, it would stop working after 5-10 minutes of use.

To other VR-309 owners: The three pins you need to solder are not in the same place as on the diagram shown here. They are all by themselves on the PCB, to the right of the chipset (the larger black square-ish thing) when looking from the rear. I had to remove the PCB to tell where the IR sensor was and see which leads needed soldered. The IR sensor on the VR-309 is to the far right edge of the display window when looking from the FRONT. Knowing that, you might be able to see it without removing the PCB from the front panel.

Thanks again!

[Tybee]

How odd to read this thread and discover I am not the only Kenwood owner to suffer this affliction. How miraculous to find it is something that can be fixed at home. I have the VR-407, which I bought new as part of a HTB set, and sure enough, after about two or three years of service, it slowly stopped responding to the remote. I was able to get it to perk up for a while with a well-placed smack, but it never lasted long. For the last two or three years it hasn't received remote signals at all.

I still want to get a new receiver/amp, but I may attempt this fix anyway. I know my wife, who has some experience with a soldering iron, would rather fix it than shell out $400 - $800 for a new amp (plus the inevitable new speakers) whose upgraded features she could care less about. Just out of curiosity, what replacement options did some of you consider or end up going with?

Another problem: How to compensate for the exercise I got from having to get up to adjust the volume. ;)

[chinadog]

I bought a Yamaha 2600 for the theater room. No intention to use the Kenwood for process, just music and buttkickers.

Just get up and get a few extra beers!

Bud

[Tybee]

I bought a Yamaha 2600 for the theater room. No intention to use the Kenwood for process, just music and buttkickers.

Just get up and get a few extra beers!

Bud

Oooh...I would love the 2600. Wish I had $1,500 laying around. ;)

I think we're going to borrow my dad's soldering iron and make an attempt this weekend. I'm a little concerned because I haven't heard from anyone with a 400 series in this forum and wonder if I'll find a different layout under the hood.

Also, I'm not entirely clear from the picture what we should be connecting. Should solder be used to connect those three dots in a horizontal row to the left of the arrow?

[laststarfighter]

Also, I'm not entirely clear from the picture what we should be connecting. Should solder be used to connect those three dots in a horizontal row to the left of the arrow?
NOOO!!!! STOP!!!
all you have to do is refresh the solder connections because they are bad,
get yourself some solder(60/40 electronics solder NOT!! plumbing solder)
and a soldering iron(a 15w pencil style)

heat up the iron, use a damp paper towel to clean off the iron tip when it's hot,
melt a small bit of solder on the iron tip and touch it to the old solder connection, you will see the dull old solder turn shinny add more solder if it disappears,
be careful that you don't join the other connections to this one!!
also do not heat the pc board for too long because you will damage it and make the problem worse.
let the board cool after each one that you do.
inspect the board(both sides) after to be sure that solder has not touched another trace.
while you are in there have a look at the boards for any darkening(burning) from hot resistors, if you see none you are good to go.

[chinadog]

Oooh...I would love the 2600. Wish I had $1,500 laying around. ;)

Actually, I paid about 900.00 for it.

I'm not solder expert, so I would listen to laststarfighter....

Bud

[Tybee]

NOOO!!!! STOP!!!
all you have to do is refresh the solder connections because they are bad,
get yourself some solder(60/40 electronics solder NOT!! plumbing solder)
and a soldering iron(a 15w pencil style)

heat up the iron, use a damp paper towel to clean off the iron tip when it's hot,
melt a small bit of solder on the iron tip and touch it to the old solder connection, you will see the dull old solder turn shinny add more solder if it disappears,
be careful that you don't join the other connections to this one!!
also do not heat the pc board for too long because you will damage it and make the problem worse.
let the board cool after each one that you do.
inspect the board(both sides) after to be sure that solder has not touched another trace.
while you are in there have a look at the boards for any darkening(burning) from hot resistors, if you see none you are good to go.

Bless you. I knew to use electronics solder, but everything else was helpful. If we go through with it this weekend, I'll let you know if it goes well. Otherwise, I'll be PM'ing chinadog for more info about that 2600. ;)

[jmjaym]

I’m so glad I found this thread! I have a VR-407 that is about 5 years old. I don’t think the remote ever worked right. As many of you have said, it works for the first five minutes then stops working. It sometimes starts working again after awhile then stops working again. After reading the thread, I decided to tackle the job. If I screwed up, what the hell, I could buy a new state of the art receiver.

I had never soldered before so I read the various recommended sites and went out and bought an inexpensive soldering iron from Lowes. After procrastinating for a few days I finally cracked it open. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to take the front panel off or just the circuit board. Since I couldn’t get to the screws very easily on the board I opted to take off the front panel. I disconnected the top and right side ribbon wires, the head phone wire, and a couple of others. The front panel flopped down after I unscrewed it. One longer wire on the right side was still connected.

I had the photo printed from Chinadog’s post and with that tried to find the three connections for the remote. It didn’t match up though. I found another photo of a VR-409 that was an exact match to my board. I thought I had read in one of the previous posts or on a recommended website to try and just melt the existing solder instead of adding new solder so that’s what I did. I then put it back together having just a little difficulty with the top ribbon. It’s very flimsy and hard to plug back in without buckling.

It’s been working for 2 days now so far so good. Thanks to everyone here who figured out the fix. You saved me from having to buy a new receiver. With the remote fixed it feels like I already have a new receiver!

[chinadog]

Ha, love it!

Bud

[Tybee]

My wife and I attempted the fix last weekend. Since we are also working on a 407, our experience was very similar to jmjaym. Sounds like we may have taken ours apart a little differently, though. I was able to get the metal housing off without any difficulty: three or four screws around the back and 2 or 3 on each side. Then tilt and pull to separate it from the front panel. We attempted no further disassembly, as we had a clear view of the board that backs up to the front panel (which seems to be the board depicted in the picture here) and didn't want to introduce further complications by detaching ribbons and such. A little canned air to clear the dust and it was time to go to work.

As jay pointed out, the 400-series board looks different than the picture. The chip seems to be in the same place, but the three identified solder points are not in the same location. We looked all over for three solder points in a line like this, but only saw a couple of possible candidates. We refreshed those to the best of our ability with electrical solder, let everything cool down for a bit, then plugged it back in for a test. Sure enough, the amp responded to remote for the first time in years. We were thrilled. After waiting a few more minutes and testing again, we reassembled the amp, replaced it on the shelf and hooked everything back up.

Worked fine for an hour or so before it started acting dodgy again. Sometimes it responds, sometimes it doesn't. Last night it didn't respond at all. I suspect we did not refresh the right points and got the results we did by simply fiddling around with it and heating up the board and proper solder points (wherever they are) peripherally. We plan to go in again, especially if we have a picture of a 400-series board as a guide. Jay, can you direct us to the photo you mentioned?

[jmjaym]

Tybee,
I can't post a website yet so I'll send you the link.

Jay

[locomigo]

And came across the thread.

While I have a VR-410, which is apparently ONLY controllable via RF :rolleyes:...

What to do? I was considering cracking the case and determining if it could be retrofitted with an IR transistor and wiring/soldering it to the main board as described. Do we have a pin out for which joints are for which lead of the transistor?

Does it already exist in the unit and defeated? If so, how to enable it? I would love to utilize the remote to control the receiver. It has been a good unit and I like it a lot... like a wise man once told me, "If it aint broke, dont fix it". At this point, I just consider the remote loss to be an inconvenience, but if it is fixable, why not?

Thanks in advance for the assist.
Keith

[steveny909]

Wow Wow Wow! I can't tell you how many times I've googled an electronic problem or software problem hoping to find a solution. Rarely do you get a 'hit' like this thread. I own a 309 that I was getting ready to give up on. Instead I'm going to operate on it and bring it back to life. I too thought it was just mine. Goes to show you what the power of sharing can do. Will let you know how it turns out. Anyone else think that Kenwood should offer a recall? Sounds like a pretty widespread problem on a range of their products.

[Bus Driver]

What to do? I was considering cracking the case and determining if it could be retrofitted with an IR transistor and wiring/soldering it to the main board as described. Do we have a pin out for which joints are for which lead of the transistor?

I have the same problem and would love to add an IR sensor to my "RF only" VR-410. That way I could use a universal remote, like the Harmony and just use the codes for the VR-409, which I suspect would work. Perhaps I could simply replace the RF sensor with an IR one.

Have you made any progress?

Can you offer any advice? Like where would I get an IR sensor and what type would I ask for?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Tony

[drautox]

I am so glad I came across this thread. I have a VR-517 with an "intermittent remote" problem. I even got an extra remote just to see if it helped; it didn't, but it was fairly cheap. What did help was the photo of the circuit board indicating the suspect IR sensor solder joints. The cover comes off fairly easily, just remember to unplug the unit first. A low-power magnifier showed that these 3 connections to the board seem to be separated; they all have a small gap visible. A small soldering iron fixed it in a jiffy.

Clearly, Kenwood has an assembly problem. If you are thinking of getting a new unit just because the remote drives you nuts, you should really try this first.

Thanks to all for sharing! Now I will just keep the extra remote for the next time the other one "disappears".

[lunchman77]

Performed the same fix to my VR-407 today after finding numerous references to this problem of the remote not working, not only on this, but on many other websites. Problem was the same as others were seeing: remote works for a few minutes, then the receiver stops responding to it. Oddly, it worked perfectly for the first few years I had the receiver.

Touched up the three solder joints on the IR sensor and it's back to working as it should. Yay!

[Scottish_Knight]

I found this thread back in May of 2006, and with Chinadog's help, I was able to reapir my Kenwood VR-309 receiver, as well as my Kenwood CD player that had a similar cold-solder problem. Ten months later, and everything is still working great! I'm really thankful for this thread and for genuinely nice guys like Chinadog who are willing to take the time to help others. The world could use a few more people like that. :)

[chinadog]

Thanks! Just glad it worked out for you! I can image how many people have discarded/gave up on their receivers for something so small? Man, Kenwood lost some business I bet.

Bud

[zrdb]

I got one of these VR507 recievers about 4 years ago-still love it-had the remote control works when and if it feels like it syndrome-being trained as an electronics technician I was in the service- I decided to give this repair a try-result? About 1 hour later-diassembly and reassembly included-another satisfied customer. Makes me wonder why just that one componet had solder joints cracking and no other? Mucho Gracias for this tip.

[Tybee]

Just to give this very useful thread a bump:

You can read about my first attempt above. About six weeks ago we finally unhooked everything and had another go using the 400 series image jmjaym was kind enough to PM me (you can find it here: http://www.moerk.org/kenwood/). We had refreshed the right points the first time, but apparently not enough. Deliberately overdid it on the solder a bit this time around, but it did the trick. It's worked without a hitch ever since.

Of course, now it will be much harder for me to make the argument for a new receiver. ;)

[zrdb]

I'll give you a little hint-when you solder-use enough to cover the terminial and the copper pad on the printed circuit board-solder "wicks" when it reaches the proper temperature-it flows into the joint-and make sure you either use flux or rosin core electronics solder. Hope this helps.

[sashimi_7780]

i have a kenwood receiver KRX-1000,it was working fine at first,but later when i turn on again,it automatically switch off,and the display panel display the mute sign,and clip light blinks.Then suddenly it is able to on for a few hours,but later this thing happen again Can anyone. assist me what is happening. thanks

[vr3080problems]

I have the same problem but when I took the thing apart it doesnt look the same? Has anyone worked on one of these? Please help I was about to trash this thing! I might still its pissing me off! Good job to all you guys that have saved all these people thousands!

[Hoser25]

Just to give this very useful thread a bump:

You can read about my first attempt above. About six weeks ago we finally unhooked everything and had another go using the 400 series image jmjaym was kind enough to PM me (you can find it here: http://www.moerk.org/kenwood/). We had refreshed the right points the first time, but apparently not enough. Deliberately overdid it on the solder a bit this time around, but it did the trick. It's worked without a hitch ever since.

Of course, now it will be much harder for me to make the argument for a new receiver. ;)

Woohoo! I'm trying this right now with my vr-405 after finding the content on the 507...will edit later tonight let you know how it goes...the cracks are obvious once you find them near the IR sensor...

Update: works great...2 hours and counting!

[macvette]

This thread has helped me immensely! I bought my wife a new Logitech remote then discovered that I couldn't get the IR to work on my Kenwood VR-509 receiver. It turned out to be the cold solder joint problem described on this thread. I created a web page showing some pictures of the repair. I also took a couple of macro shots of the solder joints.

I have to add a couple of bogus posts to get the URLs to work (forum rules).

[macvette]

Bogus post 1

[macvette]

bogus post 2 - pictures next

[macvette]

Before:
http://home.comcast.net/~jcoxdesigns/Kenwood/Crop/IMG_8739.jpg

After:
http://home.comcast.net/~jcoxdesigns/Kenwood/Crop/IMG_8742.jpg


Here's a link to my web page with the additional photos:
Kenwood VR-509 IR Repair (http://home.comcast.net/~jcoxdesigns/Kenwood/index.html)