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How to revive a semi-dead Tecsun PL-320?

Mark Roberts

Mark Roberts

One of my Tecsun PL-320s seems to be in a half-dead state. The clock and other off-state functions will work when the receiver is off. But it won't turn on for actual radio reception. When I press the power button, the screen goes blank for half a second, the backlight turns on, and then the screen switches back to the off-state clock display. I can set the clock and it is keeping time. However, occasionally, when I try to turn the radio on, the clock resets to zero hours and zero minutes.

I've been looking for some way to reset the radio to the factory defaults in hopes that the radio will function again. I've taken the battery out for the better part of the day but that didn't work. I put in a different BL-5C battery. That didn't work. As was suggested in one online post for the similar PL-330, I held down the "return" button, used to delete all memory settings. The device apparently did delete the presets, but still did not reset the radio.

I've found no reset button or receptacle on the unit. I pulled off the tuning and volume knobs to see if any reset button/hole was hiding behind them. Nope. There's also no such thing in the battery compartment, or behind the little stand on the rear of the unit. None of the so-called hidden functions on the PL-320 appear relevant. I pressed "VM" to get a display of the firmware version. That display appeared, but the radio still won't work.

I also can't tell if the radio will charge or not. The usual "CHA" indication on the display doesn't appear.

Given less than steady hands, I would rather not disassemble the radio but that would seem to be the next step. Before I take that drastic measure, does anyone have any ideas? I know the PL-320 is less common than the PL-330, but I believe they have much in common other than that the PL-320 doesn't have SSB.

As they say, thanks in advance.
 
OK, I'll take a crack at your problem...

I have 3 Tecsun radios, though not your models ( 2 PL-380s and a PL-310ET). Though I'm running them on standard AA Alkaline cells, when the batteries have discharged to the point that they won't run the radio, they act just like your description; display works until I try to turn on the radio, then everything goes blank and then back to clock.

Are you charging the batteries through the radio or do you have a free-standing charger? Have you confirmed that the batteries indeed have a full charge? If so, then I would be looking for corrosion or a loose wire in the battery connector or charging circuit.

Sometimes the simple stuff is what throws me off quite often. Beyond that, it may be deeper than I can help you with.

Good luck!
 
Without a pinhole reset feature, like on my '880, I dunno. I cured quirky problems with mine by a reset. All I could suggest is send an email to Radio Jay Allen, since he has reviewed that model. Wish I could be more helpful.
 
KenoGuy said:
OK, I'll take a crack at your problem...

I have 3 Tecsun radios, though not your models ( 2 PL-380s and a PL-310ET). Though I'm running them on standard AA Alkaline cells, when the batteries have discharged to the point that they won't run the radio, they act just like your description; display works until I try to turn on the radio, then everything goes blank and then back to clock.
Click to expand...
I think this is the best explanation I've seen so far. Thanks for that insight! I've never let my '380 or '310s go fully down (I'm using metal hydride rechargeables in them) so I haven't seen that behavior before. The battery charging on the PL-320 that isn't working behaves strangely. From what's indicated as a dead battery, the indicator shows a full charge in 37 minutes (give or take), which is too fast for me to believe. Typical charging time from dead state on the PL-320 is measured in hours. The PL-320 has a stopwatch-like display to indicate the length of time that charging has taken.

After charging, the battery then fully discharges within two days, which also is much faster than it should be. I've gone through a couple of cycles of charging and discharging, and this behavior is consistent.

The conclusion I've reached is that the charging circuitry isn't working properly, and can't give enough of a charge to allow the radio to turn on. I avoid using fast chargers with these radios, but I might have inadvertently used one in this case, causing damage. It's probably time to give up on this unit for dead.
 


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