[stereo4fun]

Hi all! New member here! I'm resurrecting an almost 4-year old thread, as I've joined the ranks as a proud owner of this STA-225 receiver! Honestly, this was the last forum I would have expected to find such a wonderful post on this receiver! I'm glad I found it! Anyway, here are some pictures of my newly acquired STA-225. The receiver went straight from the shipping box to my commercial-grade Pitney Bowes scale to check the weight. Impressive! I was pleasantly surprised to see how nice the dial lights looked, as the original eBay pictures suggested they needed to be replaced! I already have some questions, but I would like to know if I should post them here or start a new topic. Thanks for having me here! I just noticed that I don't see anywhere to include pictures. Could that be because I'm a new member?

Mark

[GarySP]

Welcome to the Phorum, Mark. I've split your thread off from the original. Post all your questions and comments within your own thread. Take care and BE HEALTHY! Gary

[stereo4fun]

Now that our Super Moderator, Gary, has gotten me squared away, let's try this again! I found this forum while Googling "Realistic STA-225" and found an excellent write up from member Ron Ramirez, which can be found... HERE

I just began to work on my STA-225 by replacing the original incandescent dial lamps and "Auto Magic" lamp with LEDs, which already caused an issue! More on that later! First, here's some pictures I took of the STA-225 after I unboxed it! A nice heavy vintage receiver! The original lamps still cast a nice glow! When I turned on Auto Magic and touched the tuning knob, it does disconnect. I'll get to my issues soon, but first, thanks for letting me be a new member of your community!

                   

[GarySP]

Hello Mark. This original thread was the workings of Ron Ramirez, our founder of the Phorum. Sadly, he passed a few months ago after a lengthy medical issue. Work is being done as we type to digitize and store all artifacts and collections Ron amassed over the years for all to appreciate. Take care and BE HEALTHY! Gary

[Paul Philco322]

Sliders for Volume, love it. Paul

[radiorich]

Hello Mark,
Welcome Aboard and that model of realistic is a nice stereo I have worked on them in the past since I got radio shack repairs since my shop was right down the street from one of their stores .

Sincerely Richard

[stereo4fun]

Hi Richard!

Thanks for the welcome! I'm still in the process of using my de-soldering station to remove parts that I'll be replacing. Due to the way the STA-225 is assembled, it certainly isn't the easiest receiver to work on! I need to post pictures of my work! There are issues with the Auto Magic function and, once I get parts replaced, I'll post more about these issues and hoping that some members here will be able to help with a fix!

Mark

[stereo4fun]

Sorry for the long delay in posting more pictures! So many other projects going on right now! Here are some pictures to show my progress so far. The interior is somewhat on the dirty side! The receiver does play well, with the only issue being the Auto-Magic tuning. When you touch the tuning knob, it does engage (turns green). I tune in a station, but when I let go of the knob, it de-tunes and can't lock onto the station. The receiver works just fine with Auto-Magic disengaged!  I'm sure I'll need help from members here to troubleshoot the issue. I'll post more pictures soon, showing the parts that I've already removed for replacement and/or cleaning. BTW, all the original Sony output transistors are accounted for!

Mark

[radiorich]

Hello mark,
Yes, it does look a little dirty and that is good it has original transistors.
Far as projects go, I know how you feel between my full-time job and the weather warming up so that means irrigation and yard work plus I need to do work outside the house. So, my Philco 38-10t has been finally getting some attention plus do work on items for others too.
Sincerely Richard

[stereo4fun]

Hi Richard!

Yes, sometimes our projects need to take a backseat to other things around the house! My STA-225 is on temporary hold as I tackle other things that need attention!

Mark

[radiorich]

Hello Mark,
Ok, I will look forward to seeing some update on this project in the future !

Sincerely Richard

[stereo4fun]

I've been on a little hiatus from my STA-225 project, which included a 3-day 2-night stay at Disneyland! Now that I'm back, I'll get some more pictures posted up soon of my progress with the STA-225!

Mark

[radiorich]

Hello mark,
Sounds like a great vacation and I am looking forward to see your progress !

Sincerely Richard
P.S. my day job is winding down for the summer so that will leave me more time to do projects .

[stereo4fun]

I'm making progress! The output transistors and power supply caps have been removed. The heatsink is a "sandwich" affair. I'm glad I took it apart, so I can remove all the old dried-out grease! There were actually two mica T03 insulators on the second transistor from the left! I'm sure it was just a mistake by the person who was assembling the unit!

[morzh]

https://philcoradio.com/phorum/showthread.php?tid=15952

This is Ron's doing the same STA-225.
I think the insulators were under every transistor.
I am also pretty sure there should be insulators between all the transistors and the heat sink, as in the sch fragment I saw they are complementary emitter followers, and their collectors are not together.