AC-500 Sound System
The AC-500 started production in September 1994 and ended in October 2008. The following repair sheets are designed to help repair technicians and qualified owners repair and maintaining the AC-500. If at any time you have a question, need a part, or want additional information please contact us -- contact information can be found on this page at the bottom as well as most pages of our web site.
The AC-500 is still repaired at our shop in California. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding sending it in to us for repair.
The AC-500 is still repaired at our shop in California. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding sending it in to us for repair.
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REMOVING AC-500 FROM ITS CASE
Slide a screwdriver under the chrome handle cover and snap it off, exposing the two bolts which hold the handle in place. Remove these bolts. On the opposite side of the unit, locate the two rubber feet. Remove the bolts that hold these feet in place.
Make sure the tone arm is locked in its clip. Lift out the platter, and set it aside.
Turn the set on its right side and pull the front of the chassis away from the case about 3 or 4 inches CAUTION! - PULLING THE FRONT OUT TOO FAR AT THIS TIME COULD DAMAGE THE POWER SUPPLY.
Push the back forward just far enough to clear the RCA jack on the rear. Pull the back out until it JUST clears the case. There are two cables plugged into the power supply, note the location of the plugs and unplug them. The power supply will remain in the case. Slide the chassis to the right and out of the case
CHANGING TURNTABLE MOTOR AND
REMOVING AC-500 FROM ITS CASE
Slide a screwdriver under the chrome handle cover and snap it off, exposing the two bolts which hold the handle in place. Remove these bolts. On the opposite side of the unit, locate the two rubber feet. Remove the bolts that hold these feet in place.
Make sure the tone arm is locked in its clip. LIft out the platter, and set it aside. Turn the set on its right side and pull the front of the chassis away from the case about 3 or 4 inches CAUTION! - PULLING THE FRONT TOO FAR TO THE RIGHT OR FORWARD BEFORE PULLING THE BACK TO THE RIGHT CAN CAUSE PERMANENT DAMAGE. Push the back forward just far enough to clear the RCA jack on the rear. Pull the back out until it JUST clears the case. There are two cables plugged into the power supply, note the location of the plugs and unplug them. The power supply will remain in the case. Slide the chassis to the right and out of the case.
Locate the tension spring which provides the spring tension to hold the motor assembly up so that the drive wheel contacts the underside of the platter. Remote the nuts and washer from this bolt, remove the spring and the motor assembly will swing out so that you can get at it.
Unsolder the three leads, the two going to the motor and the one ground lead. Remove one of the hex bolts holding the motor mount to the bracket, slide the grommet off the other bolt and the motor will come out. Remove the two bolts holding the bracket to the motor.
Install the replacement motor by following above instructions in reverse order.
**** PLEASE RETURN THE OLD MOTOR TO US FOR INSPECTION ****
POWER ENTRANCE MODULE
The power entrance module contains the power off/on switch, fuse holder, voltage selector and power cord receptacle.
To open the power entrance module to replace the fuse or change voltage use a small screwdriver, ball point pen or similar device. Remove the power cord, insert tip of tool at a 45 degree angle into notch between the power cord receptacle and power module cover, apply pressure towards cover while prying upward.
To change the fuse, the fuse holder is attached to the cover and the fuse is easily removed and replaced. If the fuse again blows almost immediately, unplug the amplifier and do not attempt to use it until the cause of the problem has been determined. Refer to the trouble shooting section of this manual.
To change from 120 to 240 volts pull the voltage selector card straight out of the housing using the indicator pin. Orient the selector card so that the desired voltage is readable at the bottom of the card. Orient indicator pin to point up when desired voltage is readable at the bottom. Insert voltage selector card into the housing with edge showing selected voltage entering first and printed side of card facing the fuse compartment. Reinstall cover and verify the indicator pin shows the desired voltage.
If required the fused holder may be changed to take European standard fuses. Remove the Phillips head screw holding the fuse holder to the cover, turn the holder over and reinstall with the screw. The European arrangement requires two fuses.
REPLACING AC-500 LED BOARD
Remove the chassis from its case, following the written instructions for this procedure. Lay the chassis upside down on a soft surface, being careful not to damage the tone arm. With the controls facing you, the LED board will be on the right. Remove the three screws holding the board in place. The plug connecting the LED board to the preamp is in the upper left corner of the LED board. Carefully lift the board up and off its connecting pins.
To install the new board, carefully line up the plug on the back side (LED side) of the board with the corresponding pins on the preamp board, and gently push down until the LED board stops against the three mounting studs. Replace the three screws to hold the board in place.
ADJUSTMENT
Use a signal generator set for a 1KHz sine wave at approximately 0.25 volt RMS (the level is not critical).
Connect a 10 ohm load to the main speaker output, and connect an RMS voltmeter across the load.
MUSIC CHANNEL:
Set the AUX MUSIC A-B BAL and A-B INPUT controls to about mid-range. Connect the signal generator to either AUX MUSIC INPUT A or INPUT B. Adjust the MAIN phono volume control for an output level of 1.5 volts RMS. Adjust VR1 (right rear of LED board) for 5 LEDs turned on. A level of approximately 20 volts should light all LEDs.
VOICE CHANNEL:
Set the AUX VOICE INPUT LEVEL control to about mid-range. Connect the signal generator to the AUX VOICE INPUT. Adjust the MIC 1 MAIN volume control for an output level of 1.5 volts RMS. Adjust VR2 (left front of LED board) for 5 LEDs turned on. A level of approximately 5 volts should light all LEDs.
CHANGING LIFTER BOARD
REMOVING AC-500 FROM ITS CASE
Slide a screwdriver under the chrome handle cover and snap it off, exposing the two bolts which hold the handle in place. Remove these bolts. On the opposite side of the unit, locate the two rubber feet. Remove the bolts that hold these feet in place.
Make sure the tone arm is locked in its clip. Lift out the platter, and set it aside. Turn the set on its right side and pull the front of the chassis away from the case about 3 or 4 inches CAUTION! - PULLING THE FRONT TOO FAR TO THE RIGHT OR FORWARD BEFORE PULLING THE BACK TO THE RIGHT CAN CAUSE PERMANENT DAMAGE. Push the back forward just far enough to clear the RCA jack on the rear. Pull the back out until it JUST clears the case. There are two cables plugged into the power supply, note the location of the plugs and unplug them. The power supply will remain in the case. Slide the chassis to the right and out of the case.
INSPECTION AND FAMILIARIZATION
Turn the chassis upside down on some padding with the controls toward you. The lifter electronics are contained on the printed circuit board located on the left side of the set. Check the cables to be sure they are in place.
There are two plugs on the lifter board: the 8 PIN control /voltage and the lifter motor. Inspect these cables and note the orientation of the plugs.
BOARD REPLACEMENT
Remove the control / voltage cable from the lifter board. Unscrew the 4 screws on the left side of the chassis that secure the lifter board. Remove the lifter motor cable from the old board and attach it to the new board. INSURE THAT THE BLACK WIRE IS CLOSEST TO THE LONG SIDE OF THE BOARD (PIN 1). Move the lifter power switch to its “ON” position (toward the end of the board with the three adjustment controls). Mount the board in the chassis with the switch just touching the “ON” end of the slot in the top deck. Tighten the mounting screws, and make sure the switch can move fully in both directions. Connect the control / voltage cable and check that it connects to all eight pins.
CAUTION! PERMANENT DAMAGE CAN BE CAUSED BY CARELESS RE-ASSEMBLY!
The post at the rear of the left chassis side panel (behind the lifter board) must be kept clear of the power supply capacitors.
To re-assemble, stand the case upright on its right side. Line up the chassis parallel to the bottom of the case with the back edge just far enough forward to clear the RCA jacks. Check that the post will clear the capacitor on the power supply. Slide the chassis part of the way in and when the jacks are clear slide it to the rear. To reconnect the cables, swing the front of the chassis to the right no more than 3 to 4 inches. Be careful not to allow the front of the set to come too far out of the case while the back is still in the case.
LIFTER ADJUSTMENTS AC-500
Adjustments are made with the set right side up and the platter in place. On the right side of the set there is a 1 inch opening with access to three screwdriver adjustments. The top left sets the low or rest point. The bottom center sets the high or up point. The top right is a factory set adjustment of the cycle speed, and should not need adjustment.
Set the lifter arm stop point so that the arm would drop in the lead-in groove of a record. With the power off, manually raise and lower the reset arm to find the proper setting.
Place the tone arm on its rest and turn the set and the lifter on. Adjust the low (top left) so that the lifter arm is just above the top deck. Press and hold the reset button and adjust the high adj (lower) so the needle is about 1/8 inch off the record. Release the reset button and reset the low point. The low and high adjustments interact slightly and you must work back and forth a couple of times.
REFINING THE ADJUSTMENTS
Most callers never reset to the start of the record. You may place the stop to the point you are going to use for your records and reset the high point. This will result in a lower setting off the record and a softer needle drop. However it will have to be reset if the stop is moved.
If necessary the speed may be adjusted to your desires. If the tone-arm bounces when lifted from the center of the record, the speed is TOO FAST. If the high point is correct and the needle slides across the record the speed is TOO SLOW.
REMOVING AC-500 FROM ITS CASE
Slide a screwdriver under the chrome handle cover and snap it off, exposing the two bolts which hold the handle in place. Remove these bolts. On the opposite side of the unit, locate the two rubber feet. Remove the bolts that hold these feet in place.
Make sure the tone arm is locked in its clip. Lift out the platter, and set it aside. Turn the set on its right side and pull the front of the chassis away from the case about 3 or 4 inches CAUTION! - PULLING THE FRONT TOO FAR TO THE RIGHT OR FORWARD BEFORE PULLING THE BACK TO THE RIGHT CAN CAUSE PERMANENT DAMAGE. Push the back forward just far enough to clear the RCA jack on the rear. Pull the back out until it JUST clears the case. There are two cables plugged into the power supply, note the location of the plugs and unplug them. The power supply will remain in the case. Slide the chassis to the right and out of the case.
REMOVING THE POWER SUPPLY & INSTALLING IN NEW CASE
Remove the 3 bolts that come up through the bottom of the case, and one set screw, that hold the power supply into the case. Relocate the power supply to the new case. Be sure to tighten down the 3 nuts before installing the 3 locking nuts on top of them.
Reverse the REMOVING AC-500 FROM ITS CASE instructions to install the AC-500 into the new case.
Please contact Hilton Audio Products, Inc. should you have any questions.
Slide a screwdriver under the chrome handle cover and snap it off, exposing the two bolts which hold the handle in place. Remove these bolts. On the opposite side of the unit, locate the two rubber feet. Remove the bolts that hold these feet in place.
Make sure the tone arm is locked in its clip. Lift out the platter, and set it aside.
Turn the set on its right side and pull the front of the chassis away from the case about 3 or 4 inches CAUTION! - PULLING THE FRONT OUT TOO FAR AT THIS TIME COULD DAMAGE THE POWER SUPPLY.
Push the back forward just far enough to clear the RCA jack on the rear. Pull the back out until it JUST clears the case. There are two cables plugged into the power supply, note the location of the plugs and unplug them. The power supply will remain in the case. Slide the chassis to the right and out of the case
CHANGING TURNTABLE MOTOR AND
REMOVING AC-500 FROM ITS CASE
Slide a screwdriver under the chrome handle cover and snap it off, exposing the two bolts which hold the handle in place. Remove these bolts. On the opposite side of the unit, locate the two rubber feet. Remove the bolts that hold these feet in place.
Make sure the tone arm is locked in its clip. LIft out the platter, and set it aside. Turn the set on its right side and pull the front of the chassis away from the case about 3 or 4 inches CAUTION! - PULLING THE FRONT TOO FAR TO THE RIGHT OR FORWARD BEFORE PULLING THE BACK TO THE RIGHT CAN CAUSE PERMANENT DAMAGE. Push the back forward just far enough to clear the RCA jack on the rear. Pull the back out until it JUST clears the case. There are two cables plugged into the power supply, note the location of the plugs and unplug them. The power supply will remain in the case. Slide the chassis to the right and out of the case.
Locate the tension spring which provides the spring tension to hold the motor assembly up so that the drive wheel contacts the underside of the platter. Remote the nuts and washer from this bolt, remove the spring and the motor assembly will swing out so that you can get at it.
Unsolder the three leads, the two going to the motor and the one ground lead. Remove one of the hex bolts holding the motor mount to the bracket, slide the grommet off the other bolt and the motor will come out. Remove the two bolts holding the bracket to the motor.
Install the replacement motor by following above instructions in reverse order.
**** PLEASE RETURN THE OLD MOTOR TO US FOR INSPECTION ****
POWER ENTRANCE MODULE
The power entrance module contains the power off/on switch, fuse holder, voltage selector and power cord receptacle.
To open the power entrance module to replace the fuse or change voltage use a small screwdriver, ball point pen or similar device. Remove the power cord, insert tip of tool at a 45 degree angle into notch between the power cord receptacle and power module cover, apply pressure towards cover while prying upward.
To change the fuse, the fuse holder is attached to the cover and the fuse is easily removed and replaced. If the fuse again blows almost immediately, unplug the amplifier and do not attempt to use it until the cause of the problem has been determined. Refer to the trouble shooting section of this manual.
To change from 120 to 240 volts pull the voltage selector card straight out of the housing using the indicator pin. Orient the selector card so that the desired voltage is readable at the bottom of the card. Orient indicator pin to point up when desired voltage is readable at the bottom. Insert voltage selector card into the housing with edge showing selected voltage entering first and printed side of card facing the fuse compartment. Reinstall cover and verify the indicator pin shows the desired voltage.
If required the fused holder may be changed to take European standard fuses. Remove the Phillips head screw holding the fuse holder to the cover, turn the holder over and reinstall with the screw. The European arrangement requires two fuses.
REPLACING AC-500 LED BOARD
Remove the chassis from its case, following the written instructions for this procedure. Lay the chassis upside down on a soft surface, being careful not to damage the tone arm. With the controls facing you, the LED board will be on the right. Remove the three screws holding the board in place. The plug connecting the LED board to the preamp is in the upper left corner of the LED board. Carefully lift the board up and off its connecting pins.
To install the new board, carefully line up the plug on the back side (LED side) of the board with the corresponding pins on the preamp board, and gently push down until the LED board stops against the three mounting studs. Replace the three screws to hold the board in place.
ADJUSTMENT
Use a signal generator set for a 1KHz sine wave at approximately 0.25 volt RMS (the level is not critical).
Connect a 10 ohm load to the main speaker output, and connect an RMS voltmeter across the load.
MUSIC CHANNEL:
Set the AUX MUSIC A-B BAL and A-B INPUT controls to about mid-range. Connect the signal generator to either AUX MUSIC INPUT A or INPUT B. Adjust the MAIN phono volume control for an output level of 1.5 volts RMS. Adjust VR1 (right rear of LED board) for 5 LEDs turned on. A level of approximately 20 volts should light all LEDs.
VOICE CHANNEL:
Set the AUX VOICE INPUT LEVEL control to about mid-range. Connect the signal generator to the AUX VOICE INPUT. Adjust the MIC 1 MAIN volume control for an output level of 1.5 volts RMS. Adjust VR2 (left front of LED board) for 5 LEDs turned on. A level of approximately 5 volts should light all LEDs.
CHANGING LIFTER BOARD
REMOVING AC-500 FROM ITS CASE
Slide a screwdriver under the chrome handle cover and snap it off, exposing the two bolts which hold the handle in place. Remove these bolts. On the opposite side of the unit, locate the two rubber feet. Remove the bolts that hold these feet in place.
Make sure the tone arm is locked in its clip. Lift out the platter, and set it aside. Turn the set on its right side and pull the front of the chassis away from the case about 3 or 4 inches CAUTION! - PULLING THE FRONT TOO FAR TO THE RIGHT OR FORWARD BEFORE PULLING THE BACK TO THE RIGHT CAN CAUSE PERMANENT DAMAGE. Push the back forward just far enough to clear the RCA jack on the rear. Pull the back out until it JUST clears the case. There are two cables plugged into the power supply, note the location of the plugs and unplug them. The power supply will remain in the case. Slide the chassis to the right and out of the case.
INSPECTION AND FAMILIARIZATION
Turn the chassis upside down on some padding with the controls toward you. The lifter electronics are contained on the printed circuit board located on the left side of the set. Check the cables to be sure they are in place.
There are two plugs on the lifter board: the 8 PIN control /voltage and the lifter motor. Inspect these cables and note the orientation of the plugs.
BOARD REPLACEMENT
Remove the control / voltage cable from the lifter board. Unscrew the 4 screws on the left side of the chassis that secure the lifter board. Remove the lifter motor cable from the old board and attach it to the new board. INSURE THAT THE BLACK WIRE IS CLOSEST TO THE LONG SIDE OF THE BOARD (PIN 1). Move the lifter power switch to its “ON” position (toward the end of the board with the three adjustment controls). Mount the board in the chassis with the switch just touching the “ON” end of the slot in the top deck. Tighten the mounting screws, and make sure the switch can move fully in both directions. Connect the control / voltage cable and check that it connects to all eight pins.
CAUTION! PERMANENT DAMAGE CAN BE CAUSED BY CARELESS RE-ASSEMBLY!
The post at the rear of the left chassis side panel (behind the lifter board) must be kept clear of the power supply capacitors.
To re-assemble, stand the case upright on its right side. Line up the chassis parallel to the bottom of the case with the back edge just far enough forward to clear the RCA jacks. Check that the post will clear the capacitor on the power supply. Slide the chassis part of the way in and when the jacks are clear slide it to the rear. To reconnect the cables, swing the front of the chassis to the right no more than 3 to 4 inches. Be careful not to allow the front of the set to come too far out of the case while the back is still in the case.
LIFTER ADJUSTMENTS AC-500
Adjustments are made with the set right side up and the platter in place. On the right side of the set there is a 1 inch opening with access to three screwdriver adjustments. The top left sets the low or rest point. The bottom center sets the high or up point. The top right is a factory set adjustment of the cycle speed, and should not need adjustment.
Set the lifter arm stop point so that the arm would drop in the lead-in groove of a record. With the power off, manually raise and lower the reset arm to find the proper setting.
Place the tone arm on its rest and turn the set and the lifter on. Adjust the low (top left) so that the lifter arm is just above the top deck. Press and hold the reset button and adjust the high adj (lower) so the needle is about 1/8 inch off the record. Release the reset button and reset the low point. The low and high adjustments interact slightly and you must work back and forth a couple of times.
REFINING THE ADJUSTMENTS
Most callers never reset to the start of the record. You may place the stop to the point you are going to use for your records and reset the high point. This will result in a lower setting off the record and a softer needle drop. However it will have to be reset if the stop is moved.
If necessary the speed may be adjusted to your desires. If the tone-arm bounces when lifted from the center of the record, the speed is TOO FAST. If the high point is correct and the needle slides across the record the speed is TOO SLOW.
REMOVING AC-500 FROM ITS CASE
Slide a screwdriver under the chrome handle cover and snap it off, exposing the two bolts which hold the handle in place. Remove these bolts. On the opposite side of the unit, locate the two rubber feet. Remove the bolts that hold these feet in place.
Make sure the tone arm is locked in its clip. Lift out the platter, and set it aside. Turn the set on its right side and pull the front of the chassis away from the case about 3 or 4 inches CAUTION! - PULLING THE FRONT TOO FAR TO THE RIGHT OR FORWARD BEFORE PULLING THE BACK TO THE RIGHT CAN CAUSE PERMANENT DAMAGE. Push the back forward just far enough to clear the RCA jack on the rear. Pull the back out until it JUST clears the case. There are two cables plugged into the power supply, note the location of the plugs and unplug them. The power supply will remain in the case. Slide the chassis to the right and out of the case.
REMOVING THE POWER SUPPLY & INSTALLING IN NEW CASE
Remove the 3 bolts that come up through the bottom of the case, and one set screw, that hold the power supply into the case. Relocate the power supply to the new case. Be sure to tighten down the 3 nuts before installing the 3 locking nuts on top of them.
Reverse the REMOVING AC-500 FROM ITS CASE instructions to install the AC-500 into the new case.
Please contact Hilton Audio Products, Inc. should you have any questions.
