# Makita LXT Radio Mod



## Greg Di (Mar 12, 2005)

The POS DC power adapter that comes with the radio broke (the wires ripped out) so rather than buying another adapter and having it break again, I came up with this.






It was pretty easy to do with parts I got on Amazon.

Note: The blue LED switch is actually not necessary, but I thought I was going to need it when I started and when I saw the little blue twinkly light come on, there was NO way I was taking it out. :laughing:


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

I had the same radio but i think it was the older green model. It had a similar issue where the power plug just stopped working. 

Fine job on the mod!


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

Nice:thumbsup:

You gonna branch off into jobsite radio repair?:laughing::laughing:


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

griz said:


> Nice:thumbsup:
> 
> You gonna branch off into jobsite radio repair?:laughing::laughing:


I could be the first customer. Ill have to dig mine out and see if I can replicate your process.


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## redwood (Dec 5, 2007)

Ok, you have a little better then stock radio and the satisfaction of fixing a problem, but really, 2 hours labor plus $ 20 in parts and you could have bought a new radio and had a nice dinner.:whistling

I have that radio, and I agree about the power adapter being a poor design, plus storage is a pain if you have a battery installed.

I won't buy another Makita radio until they include a battery charger.


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## Winchester (Jun 29, 2008)

redwood said:


> Ok, you have a little better then stock radio and the satisfaction of fixing a problem, but really, 2 hours labor plus $ 20 in parts and you could have bought a new radio and had a nice dinner.


But the new radio would still have a cheap crappy power cord and no phone charger.


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## Greg Di (Mar 12, 2005)

redwood said:


> Ok, you have a little better then stock radio and the satisfaction of fixing a problem, but really, 2 hours labor plus $ 20 in parts and you could have bought a new radio and had a nice dinner.:whistling


Well if it makes you feel any better, I throw out my chisels when they are dull and buy new ones instead of sharpening them. :laughing:


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## Greg Di (Mar 12, 2005)

ohiohomedoctor said:


> I could be the first customer. Ill have to dig mine out and see if I can replicate your process.


It's not tough to do. There is load of room in the case to fit the power adapter in permanently even if still want to use the LXT battery option. There's probably enough room in the case to rig a power strip on the side in lieu of the 12V out if you wanted to get creative.

All you really have to do is cut two wires and reroute where the new juice is coming from. I soldered everything so it would be bombproof and used scrap wire I had left over from deck wiring to connect the IEC receptacle to the transformer permanently.

I'm just excited to not have to worry about that power adapter anymore AND having a way to charge my phone.

I thought about relocating the AUX 2 mini jack, but the circuit board it's attached to is glued in for life to the case and I didn't want to break it getting it out.


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

Greg Di said:


> It's not tough to do. There is load of room in the case to fit the power adapter in permanently even if still want to use the LXT battery option. There's probably enough room in the case to rig a power strip on the side in lieu of the 12V out if you wanted to get creative.
> 
> All you really have to do is cut two wires and reroute where the new juice is coming from. I soldered everything so it would be bombproof and used scrap wire I had left over from deck wiring to connect the IEC receptacle to the transformer permanently.
> 
> ...


:thumbsup:

I throw out my dull chisels too


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## dkillianjr (Aug 28, 2006)

Looks sweet Greg! Nice job:thumbup: The 12v plug was a great idea. My milwaukee has one and I don't know what I would do without it.



Dave


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## Scribbles (Mar 10, 2009)

ohiohomedoctor said:


> :thumbsup:
> 
> I throw out my dull chisels too


you guys are pathetic, i sharpen my new ones.


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## Tashler (Mar 4, 2006)

Bunch of sissies. I throw out my new ones. Don't want to risk using anything that might not possibly be sharp.

Got to have standards.

My way of helping obama's economic recovery effort.


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## chris klee (Feb 5, 2008)

Nice job. now you have a radio that no one else has.


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## Tom Struble (Mar 2, 2007)

yea..but when are you ever at a construction site?:blink:


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## Greg Di (Mar 12, 2005)

Tom Struble said:


> yea..but when are you ever at a construction site?:blink:


You'd be surprised. Sometimes I actually still enjoy wearing a toolbelt. I get bored of just managing.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

Scribbles said:


> you guys are pathetic, i sharpen my new ones.


Lol me too. They ain't sharp until I sharpen them.


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## GRB (Feb 23, 2009)

Greg Di said:


> You'd be surprised. Sometimes I actually still enjoy wearing a toolbelt. I get bored of just managing.


I thought you were focusing on your TV career these days. :thumbsup:


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## Greg Di (Mar 12, 2005)

GRB said:


> I thought you were focusing on your TV career these days. :thumbsup:


Hey...I *DID *make a YouTube video, didn't I? :laughing:


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## GRB (Feb 23, 2009)

Greg Di said:


> Hey...I *DID *make a YouTube video, didn't I? :laughing:


I thought that was Kreg. :cheesygri


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## Tom Struble (Mar 2, 2007)

getting hard to tell the difference:laughing::thumbup:


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## randyf (Oct 2, 2012)

Greg Di said:


> The POS DC power adapter that comes with the radio broke (the wires ripped out) so rather than buying another adapter and having it break again, I came up with this.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That's awesome- my radio has been sitting around dead for a while. I repaired the adapter a couple of times and couldn't bring my self to replace it with another flimsy piece of crap. As much as I like my Makita LXT tools the radio cord really aggravates me. 

Does the IEC adapter work like an adapter? How do you convert to the correct level of dc power?


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## WarriorWithWood (Jun 30, 2007)

use the old power pack or get an aftermarket one and solder the leads to it.


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 17, 2008)

nice mod. now its like the newer bosch radio but 1/2 the weight prob


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## randyf (Oct 2, 2012)

WarriorWithWood said:


> use the old power pack or get an aftermarket one and solder the leads to it.


Thanks. 
Thats what I figured. Mine tests as dead- I'll have to find another.


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## Tom Struble (Mar 2, 2007)

what ever happened to that Greg guy?


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

Tom Struble said:


> what ever happened to that Greg guy?


Too busy spooning hgtv directors...


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## Tom Struble (Mar 2, 2007)

he does like to cuddle


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## RobertCDF (Aug 18, 2005)

Tom Struble said:


> he does like to cuddle


You would know... not that there's anything wrong with that...


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

Tom Struble said:


> he does like to cuddle


:blink::blink:


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## WarriorWithWood (Jun 30, 2007)

Tom Struble said:


> he does like to cuddle


I ain't touching that with a 10' pole. :001_unsure:


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## randyf (Oct 2, 2012)

*So I fixed my radio....*

Thanks to Greg's original post I was able to repair my radio in the same fashion. I'm not an electrical expert, and it took me little time to get it done right but I'm happy with it. I did a write up with a few pics describing in detail how to do the mod, I hope this helps someone else repair and upgrade their radio...

http://newbutterfield.com/blog/?p=240


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