TR-200

Bromma Loppis fleamarket/antique shop gave me another Tandberg TR-200 receiver in bad shape.

Should have taken more photos on the unit before restoration commenced, it was dirty and dusty, had scuffmarks and scratches.

I have a TR-200 in my own collection, it was one of the first Tandberg receivers I bought. There is a post about the restoration of that receiver here. TR-200 is a wonderful little receiver. Surprisingly light and small, but don’t let that fool you, it delivers good sound and decent power. It has a rather high WAF score, being kind of cute.

First, the on/off switch was stuck. Normal problem, easy to fix with the superb SGB Contact Treatment Grease by Electrolube. Actually I sprayed a lighter type first, the PRF lubricating contact cleaner, I have the theory that it helps dissolve the old hardened grease. If I remember correctly I may also have used some spray IPA after that to wash out and dissolve old grease. Waited a while, then the Electrolube product. Switch is like new.

Connecting it through my homemade current limiting lamp. All lamps on the front are out, not unexpectedly, and there is a little bit of sound, but so little it hardly counts. This TR-200 has problems.

I measured the +25V regulated supply and the power amp supply. The +25V supply was about 1,2V. Amazingly, it actually produces a little bit of sound, on the Tape inputs only, no radio.

My skills must have improved because I located the problem in the regulated power supply first thing – capacitor C702 was leaky.

Replacing this with a Nichicon FG 2,2uF/100V we had a +25V supply. I then continued to replace all capacitors in the power supply. Actually this TR-200 got a complete recap, all electrolytics were replaced. One of the first was the output filter cap pair, the original 2200uF were replaced with Nichicon KW series 2200uF/63V, as seen below (two standing caps to the right of the transformer).

But before continuing to replace capacitors, the case with the silent radio must be solved. This unit has a 5-3 FM decoder, which means it has an IC. That could be bad news. But I got a tip, the FM stereo indicator lamp actually supplies the FM decoder with power! Thanks Stein for the tip!

If I remember correctly it is a 24V 50mA E10 incandescent bulb.
FM decoder, type 5-3.
This unit will be for sale, it is not mine. This is the serial. Who will be the lucky owner of this TR-200 in the future?

Now we have sound on all sources and on both channels! An intermittent problem on FM, sound disappears at times. Resolders some points on the FM board, it seems to fix it.

Lots of cleaning of the pots and switches. Specially the switches were dirty. Used my usual PRF oil free deoxit type spray, move around the switches, then IPA spray. Then wait, maybe a day. Then PRF contact cleaner with lubrication.
To lubricate or not, I am still unsure of it? Maybe it is fine but you should use only a little. In same cases an electronic cleaner with a bit of lubricating effect is necessary and can fix problems. Nowadays I tend to be more conservative with spraying though and lubricating type electronics cleanser in particular.

Continuing the recap. About 47 capacitors in this receiver, so it takes some time. Using a mix of Nichicons (mostly FG) and Elna Silmic II in the signal path, and Nichicons and Panasonics and some Suncons in other places. High quality capacitors with long life (or so we hope).

The power supply filter caps, three 2200uF capacitors. This odd capacitor bank is because they were on sale, only about 1 euro each, and they had only 3 left. I thought I could make a bank with good capacity out of the three of them. Although there are originally two caps in the power amp power supply, they are connected together with a single supply for both channels.
Adjustment of bias. Also cleaning the trim pots.
Parts off for cleaning.
Just soap and water, nothing abrasive or solvent based.
It was really dirty. It is fun, I think, to find units in rather bad condition and challenge oneself to see if it can be restored and how nicely one can restore it. It takes a lot of thinking, solving problems and learning new things. This is just a hobby, I have no education in electronics and learn as I go.
Cleaning of internal cables and pins.
Internal pins. PRF deoxit type and IPA. I wait one day before reconnecting the cables.
Cleaning of external connectors.
The power cord, as it was. I just cleaned it and checked the inside so it was safe. Also cleaned the cord, which was grimey and even had paint on it. Just using IPA I managed to make it look nice and take off the paint.

The wood panels were in bad shape. Not disastrously bad, but they had scratches, chips and scuffmarks. The small chips I will leave as they are. There were scuffmarks on the alu panel too, but it polished off with an old Scotch Brite type thing that was not so rough. I decided to sand the panels slightly. The veneer is not too thin on Tandbergs panels, but one must be careful. I took a 400 Mirka sandpaper and sanded gently. This just sands the surface slightly and there is enough veneer left for an eventual future more thorough sanding, should it be needed.

Wiping of the dust, I then applied my own brew, now that the Svalanders speaker cabinet oil is not available anymore. It is a mix of beeswax and linseed oil.
The result below is amazing. The scratches are nearly invisible. Although I sanded it very very lightly. The oil penetrated quickly and made the wood look natural, there is no gloss or “laquerish” surface, just the way I want it for these panels.

The white things are not scrathes but lint from the polishing cloth.

There were prolems to set bias, hvileström in Norwegian. On one channel it was nearly impossible to set it right on 15mV. Then for a while it disappeared completely, 0V over the emitter resistors. Maybe the pot. I decided to replace them for new multiturn pots. I know many people to restore vintage audio like to replace these, I kept to my ‘conservative’ philosophy to not replace any old parts that are working, but they need replacement, probably. New Bourns 500k 500mW (25 turn or so, easier to adjust) pots.

The old pots were 1k, not 500 like it said in the schematics. They were incredibly touchy. The bad pot actually worked better after a massive cleaning with deoxit type spray. But I decided to replace it anyway.
New pot in place. Very nice to be able to adjust with precision.
Replaced parts.
TR-200 on top of older brothers, Huldra 9 and Huldra 8 below.

Restoration finished. It has new electrolytics thoughout. Internal connectors (and external) cleaned. All pots and switches cleaned. Adjustments. Wood panels sanded and oiled. New lamps. New trim pots for bias. Total time about 16 hours. Total cost for parts about 50 euro (not including lots of sprays and wood oil).

I left it playing for maybe 30 hours. Then tonight, oh my, I was greatly impressed! Many Tandbergistas say that the TR-200 is one of the best sounding Tandberg receivers ever made. To be honest, I didn’t really believe them, it is so small.. They say it has the typical Tandberg sound, the warmth and musicality, although not loads of power. With my Hifi System 15 speakers, I was amazed, the soundstage is much larger than I expected, there is air and width and depth. I listened to the wonderful album Paraiso by Gerry Mulligan and Jane Duboc, her voice was alive, well placed in the stereo image. Its not lacking details either. It’s amazing how great vintage gear can do this, deliver details without overemphasizing them or making them harsh. The lack of harshness is one of the most outstanding characteristics of this TR-200, one can listen for a long time without getting tired, just enjoying music. The top end is silky and kind of sparkles. No sibliants. But if you want superfast, hyper-resolving, ultra dynamic – you may want to look somewhere else.

It can do 15W according to specs. Power is 11 Watts today with very little distortion, but we have less than 220V in the mains and it is set for 240

I am completely in love with this little receiver. The TR-200 is a strong character in small format, it sounds amazing, its looks are heartwarmingly charming. Considering that one can get one of these today for as little as 50 euro (although it may need some care to sound this good), it is, I think, the greatest bargain to be had on the vintage hifi market today.

The TR-200 gets Tandbergistas Vintage Hifi Bargain of the Year Award! Well deserved!

This TR-200 sold for about 250 euro in november 2020.