Homebrew wind-up/battery operated amp 78 rpm phonograph
 

Here's an oddball record player that I recently obtained. It looks like a homebrew unit that was made out of parts from other machines. It uses a spring driven motor and and a two tube battery operated amp. It looks like someone took the existing cabinet for another record player, removed the original turntable and motor, screwed down a new motorboard, and installed a spring driven motor out of an older phonograph. I can tell if the amp was something that was removed from something else or if someone built it from spare parts. It even came with a crusty old eveready #742 battery that looks to have been made in the '40's. Since the original batteries are NLA, I will mount modern battery holders inside the case and install modern batteries.

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/f...nograph001.jpg

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/f...nograph002.jpg

What tubes does it use? Maybe a 3Q5GT in the output? Driven, perhaps, by a 1N5GT or 1H5GT or similar. Crystal cartridge?

Probably either someones idea of the phono equivalent of a "farm radio" or a very fancy portable.

I always wondered if something like this was ever made, and now I know.

1H5 preamp and 1Q5 output with the standard flat metal crystal cartridge with a setscrew that holds the needle in place. I'm sure the cartridge is dead and will either need to be rebuilt or replaced.

How cool that I guessed the tubes! The 1Q5 is identical to the 3Q5 except for filament setup.

Where do you get cartridges rebuilt? I have a Meissner Radio-Phono-Recorder that needs both the pickup and cutting heads rebuilt. Well I would rather sell it and not bother.

Crosley, Philco and GE made a portable radio phono, that used a spring wound motor, late 30's, early 40's.

West-Tech Services rebuilds them. The last one I had rebuilt was $40 + $15 for a new needle.

Thanks; I bookmarked them for future need.