( 
)HISTORY: The PC-55 series was produced from 1982 to 1986. The PC-55 was made from 1982 to 1985. The PC-550 from 1984 to 1986. The two models appear to be identical, exept the PC-55 was normally silver in color and the PC-550, black. Upon closer inspection and listening, though, the PC-55 sounds a little better than the PC-550. This could be due to the use of foam dampening in the speakers of the 55, versus paper in the 550. I have a PC-550 with foam in the speakers, though. I have noticed a slight difference in the woofers, too. My newer 550 has very shiny dustcaps, like the tweeters, the older 55/550s have a more matte color to the dustcaps. I have yet to compare part numbers of the woofers.
MODEL LINEUP:
The PC-55 was the first model in the series to be introduced. It came in silver finish. A black version occurs in some advertising, but has never been seen commercially.
PC-55: US model. 120/110v
PC-55b (need info)
PC-55c Canadian model. 120/110v or 220/240v
PC-55d (need info)
PC-55jw Japanese model. Switchable 110/120 to 220/240v
PC-55l (need info)
PC-55w World Edition. Switchable 110/120 to 220/240v
The PC-550 was produced later. It came in black finish. There were overseas versions that came in silver, they are amongst the rareset of boomboxes.
PC-550 American model. 120/110v
PC-550c Canadian model. 120/110v or 220/240v
PC-550d (need info)
PC-550j (need info)
PC-550l (need info)
PC-550w World Edition. Switchable 110/120 to 220/240v
PC-550wh (need info)
CAR ADAPTER: The CN-332 adapter cord provides 12v DC power. It has a cigarette/power socket plug on one end and a (female) plug on the other. It plugs into the 12v (male) plug on the back of the cassette deck. Approximate price: US$ 24.00
BATTERY PACK: The BP-12k (C-1)10 is a rechargeable Nickle-Cadmium (NiCd) battery. It comes with a wall-wart style charger. It will not charge while the unit is plugged into AC power. Approximate price: US$132.00
12v AC Adapter: The AA-12w adapter is a wall-wart style AC to DC adapter that can be used to power the tape deck portion of the unit when it is disconnected from the reciever unit. It plugs into a standard 110/120v AC outlet and feeds 12v DC current into the jack on the back of the tape deck. Approximate price: US$ 65.00
Here are some pics of the features and spec sheets. They uploaded small, though, so I will work on getting them bigger. Resizing them just made them illedgible!
EBAY SALES DIGEST:
I will have to figure out a way to post this info, as eBay will not allow outside links. Perhaps I will come up with a table of details on specific sales. I do not know how I will go about posting the pics from such sales, though. Stay tuned.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR!:
*There is a diode in the MUTING/MODE circuit of the tuner that likes to burn out. As it starts to go the circuit won't function untill the unit warms up. Eventually it will burn out all together. The tuner will then operate only in mono and will only pick up the strongest of stations. My first PC-55 was repaired and the tech put in a stronger diode. I will attempt to locate the part info on this. Always ask a seller to check and verify this function before paying top dollar!
*Make sure to verify that the battery compartment is clean! The AC plug on the back of the reciever has a little switch that defeats the battery circuit when plugged into AC current. There are AC cords that will fit the plug but don't have the "nib" that pushes in this switch. The result is that the AC current flows into the batteries (if present) and causes them to boil. Then the battery acid leaks out and down onto the cassette PC board. This happened to my first PC-55. Battery acid on a PC board is like electronic cancer! It eats away at the circuit path untill it gets dissapated; by then destroying the cassette deck! If you buy a unit, make sure it has the right cord! Many people will just include a standard cord from another piece of gear without knowing it's the wrong type. Better yet, just don't plug it in unless the batteries are removed.
*The fuse-type lights for the cassette deck display tend to be burnt-out. There are two, one on top and one on the bottom, behind the LCD. They are not easilly user-replaceable, but not real hard if your not scared to open the deck and be careful. They are 12v 200mA lamps. You can use 250mA which aren't as hot and just a little dimmer. 8v lamps will also work but don't last as long. They can be found at partsexpress dot com and other online sourses. Search for [fuse light 12v .250] Usually if a seller posts decent pictures of the unit powered on you can tell if a light is burnt. The LCD display is normally pretty bright.
*The volume sliders tend to wear out and get "scratchy" or not work at certain positions. Deox or other electronic cleaner can sometimes help, but it is usually a physical wear issue. This part is hard to find. Always ask a seller to check and verify this function before paying top dollar! The input selector and eq buttons suffer from the same problem, but Deox usually cleans these right up. You have to open the unit up to get to the switches. The buttons on the outside are attatched to plastic extensions.
*The antennas are cheap, easy to find and replace. Don't worry about them if everything else about the unit is in order.
*The display for the cassette deck is a big LCD. It has two ribbon-style connections that are basically conductive material laid out in lines on paper. With age the glue that attatches them gets so weak and brittle that they will pop off at the slightest pull or bump. If the display is unreadable it is nearley impossible to fix! I've attempted to fix several of these LCDs and never did anything but make them worse.
OTHER STUFF TO KNOW:
*Since these units have an AUX input, you can easilly hook up your CD player or, God forbid, your iPod. The "w" model has an unswitched 110v AC socket on the back that you can plug the wallwart of your portable CD player into. It does not work when on batteries, car adapter or AC/DC adapter.
*The side mounting plates for the speakers can be removed, rotated down, and attatched to just the cassete deck. You can then attatch the handle and carry the cassete deck separatley. I used to do this when taping/making dubs of live concerts. Digital has, of course, kind of superceeded this function, but you can't blast a show on your DAT recorder!
"WHY WON'T THE CASSETTE DECK TURN OFF!"
You may know this scenerio. You hit the power button on the tape deck and it cycles on and off. It's telling you to set the clock! The clock resets to 00:00 when the unit is unplugged. It doesn't want you to set any timer functions on the deck and not have the clock set right. Set the clock (MODE=>CLOCK, TIME SET, H-ADJUST, M-ADJUST) then hit the power button. The clock will stay set if there are batteries in the deck.
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