The TS-530/830 mod and upgrade thread

[N8YX]

Tips #11 and 12 - fill those unsightly "Aux Connector" rear-panel holes

Kenwood provided a couple of empty holes on the 530 and 830 rear panel - per their manual, for Auxiliary I/O connectors. One documented use is for a phone patch input (also usable for AFSK). Another is for a phone patch output or demodulator connection...still others are for IF outputs to a band or signal scope. Since we added the scope I/O to the '530 via a TS-830S I/O sub-panel, we can now use the holes for custom I/O applications. (Connector additions to a TS-830 will be covered later in the thread.)

Covered here will be a Phone Patch input and a Sidetone output; the latter is useful when running the transceiver with a secondary receiver.

[N8YX]

Sidetone Output connections - TS-530

This is fairly simple to implement but requires removal of the AF Unit from the underside of the chassis. Existing test point 'TP1' and a nearby (empty) ground connection are used.

The stock AF Unit, with TP1 (a large square terminal) installed:

Sidetone-Connections.jpg

The foil side:

Sidetone-Connections-2.jpg

De-solder the TP1 post, clear out the TPG hole then source two 0.025" (.63mm) square posts. A header such as those found on the TS-930S Signal Board - or any similar part - will provide the needed posts. Solder them into place, then install the AF Unit:

New Terminals.jpg

Get a length of Miniax suitable to span between the AF Unit and the rear panel, via being routed from bottom to top of the rig. I used the speaker connection wire from an '830 and de-soldered the 2P plug from one end. Two Molex 16-02-0102-C connectors were attached to the center and shield wires, then heat shrink was applied:

Wire Ends.jpg

Attach the center and ground wires to TP1 and TPG, respectively:

Sidetone-Leads.jpg

Route the new cable to the top side of the chassis via the cutout nearest the AF Unit. Dress the lead along the existing IF Unit bundle and to the rear of the chassis, where it will be connected later.

[KG4CGC]

Your work and understanding is beyond the grasp of what is expected today.

[PA5COR]

Loved reading it, stellar job....

[N8YX]

Phone Patch input connections - TS-530

Those who wish to run audio signals from a patch, data communications terminal or other device straight to the Mic Amp (instead of using the rig's Mic jack) will find this modification useful. The electrical implementation is fairly simple. The mechanical implementation is another matter entirely.

The best way to perform the mod is to de-solder J14 and fit an 8-pin header of the same (Taiko Denki TL-25) series. The TS-930S Signal Board is a good source for these. A circuit board mod consisting of drilling a small hole between two existing ones immediately to the left of J14 is required:

J14-Mods.jpg


Use a small Dremel ball mill to remove the ground foil in the area surrounding the new pin.

Next, modify the 8-pin header by removing the 4th pin from the left and installing it into the holes. You may have to use a solder removal tool to clean out the existing holes either side of the new one.

Note 1: The holes for J14 and the two others immediately to the left of it may not line up perfectly from one board to the next (I have several) but the 8-pin connector can be fit into place.

Note 2: There are a couple of ways to proceed when it comes to attaching a connector to the 'new' J14. One is to source an 8-pin plug and move the existing P14 wires to their respective positions, then add the new leads to the left side of the plug. The other (which is shown here) involves filing a slot in the back of the header barrier so the existing P14 (a 4-pin plug) and a new 3-pin plug can fit side by side. The new 3-pin plug takes a pair of T-D terminals attached to a length of Miniax...left is shield; middle is center conductor. I re-used a 6" length (complete with terminals) from a junked x30 wiring harness.

The modified 'J14':

New-J14-RL1.jpg

Also shown is a replacement relay for RL1; this available from K4EAA. I swapped it for the stock one in an effort to see if the S-meter "slam" condition would be affected. No dice, but no worse.

Make the Phone Patch input connection from 'J14' to the junction of C50, C51 and R61 with a 100K, 1/4w film resistor. The schematic attachment point:

Patch-Connections.jpg

And the underside of the IF Unit is shown here:

Phone-Patch-Resistors.jpg

Note the 10K, 1/4w film resistor which bypasses the input connector to ground. The patch connection is per Kenwood's TS-830S modification info, and the Mic Amp circuits are identical between radio series.

Check your work for solder bridges and replace the IF Unit in the radio. Rear panel connector installation is next.

[N8YX]

Rear panel connector wiring - both models

Install a pair of 3501FP or equivalent RCA jacks in the two empty holes near the IF Output jacks, then wire the Sidetone Out (bottom) and Phone Patch In (top) connections. Use a few of the 1.8mm tie wraps to include the new Miniax runs in the existing cable bundles.

New Jacks.jpg

Note that the Sidetone Out line is at full oscillator volume. A pad may be added at the external receiver (or built into the patch cable itself) to set the level heard from the receiver's speaker.

[N8YX]

Tip #13: Cosmetic improvements, Part 2

Applicable to VFO-230 users. The Status LEDs are changed (per Tip #4) to yellow and green variants. Seeing what the rig and external VFO are doing in regards to frequency control is MUCH easier with this modification, especially when operating in a dimly lit room.

The VFO-230's top cover must come off, then the RIT knob, main tuning knob and memory selector knob are all removed. Three screws - two on the side of, and one on the bottom of the bottom cover - retain the front panel. Remove these, pull the panel off the VFO-230 and set it aside for safekeeping. The LED circuit board can then be accessed. I found that by experimenting with installed LED height (depth into the front panel), the brightness can be adjusted somewhat without changing the dropping resistors (as was done in Tip #4). Leave the front panel loose until satisfied with the appearance then reassemble the front panel and top cover and reinstall the knobs.

VFO-230-Status-LEDs.jpg

[N8YX]

Tip #14: Cosmetic improvements, Part 3

A lot of these rigs have received their share of scratches, dings and scrapes over the years - most on the covers and on the outside edges of the front panel. An eBay seller routinely offers light and dark "Kenwood Hybrid" paint for purposes of restoration.

The covers are an easy proposition: Remove all hardware, scuff the existing finish with 400 grit emery cloth, wipe with isopropyl alcohol then re-paint after thoroughly dry. (If any rust is present, use a Dremel tool and brass wire wheel to remove it and any nearby paint before scuffing.) Wait for the paint to air dry then bake the covers for a couple of hours at 170 degrees F.

A couple schools of thought on the front panel and repairs to the edges: If the covers are off the rig, the 'mask and wipe' method can be used to fill in scratches and light gouges. That is...put masking tape about 1/8 - 1/4" from either side of the scratch and along the front of the rig. Spray a bit of the dark paint into a shallow, clean plastic cup then use a cotton ball or non-fibrous rag to wipe a bit of paint along the scratch, from front to back. Repeat a few times as the applied paint dries, then remove the tape. Let dry completely for several days then use #1500 wet sandpaper to very gently blend the patch in with the rest of the panel.

This resulted in a 6-inch job on my TS-530SP's front panel. That is, you have to be within 6 inches of the repair to identify it - due to a bit of the original primer bleeding through. You couldn't tell it in a close-up photo but I know it's there.

The best way to fix paint damage to the edges of the front panel is to remove it completely from the radio, mask the entire front (so no overspray can leak through)then lightly scuff the edges with 600 grit emery, wipe with alcohol and spray with a couple coats of the color-matched paint. Most of these rigs have a 3D "ledge" around the panel near the outer edge surface and one may use that as a masking guide. Try to spray the paint towards the back of the edge and avoid building up a fillet of paint near the tape interface.

When dry, remove the tape and bake as you did the covers. I'd follow this step with a coat of Collinite #845 ('Insulator Wax') before putting the panel back on the radio.

[N8YX]

Thread bump:

I finally got around to putting the '530SP, VFO-230, AT-230 and two SP-230s into the 10M operating position over the holidays. The rightmost operating position now has a TS-930S/SP-930/SM-220; given that the '930 has no provision for a wideband IF Out, I decided to connect the SM-220's panadapter input to the modded '530SP.

All the mods I did to this rig work swimmingly. An area friend/infrequent Island participant recorded me on his Flex 6700 and played the audio back over the air. Mic is a stock MC-50, with no EQ inline or other audio modifications save the ones in this thread. The radio's transmitted audio is friggin' GREAT. The speech processor (audio based) merely increases the power level - relative to the Mic Gain setting -and doesn't alter the transmitted signal's characteristics. In other words...it doesn't sound "processed" but intelligibility definitely goes up.

The auxiliary I/O connections function as they do on the '830 series. Not surprising, as 99% of the required circuitry was already there.

Next in line is the conversion of an '830S to an '830M.

[KA2PTE]

Hope its ok to add to this spectacular thread.

My 530S already had this done, I guess it would work for any hybrid of the same design. It makes neutralizing the finals possible without taking
anything apart. I measure the distances about 65-66mm from the side of the bottom case cover, and about 123mm from the closest part of the back part of the cover.
The hole is about 0.312 inches / 7.93mm. I think they used a quarter inch drill bit then reamed it to be a little over 5/16 an inch as its not perfectly centered. You can get a non metalic flat blade in there and hit the adjuster, so it does work.

tc1_mod.jpg



UPDATE: Since I had the bottom cover off anyhow, I measured from the ends of the frame of the chassis to the center of TC1. The measurements are more like 64mm and 121mm to be more precise.