Portable tube record player with batteries

[KentTeffeteller]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

I thought the AC adapter unit for this radio-phono would be quite large; the photo of the adapter attached to your post showed me it was. I still think an adapter could be built from scratch, if only three voltages are needed (as you said, A and B for the radio, the third for the phonograph motor). The transformer would be quite large, since it supplies all three voltages (unless, of course, the supply had a separate transformer for the phono motor), so I can see why the entire adapter would be the size it is. However, I would replace the selenium rectifier with modern rectifier diodes, as selenium rectifiers had a bad habit when they shorted of giving off a gas which smelled for all the world like rotten eggs (!).

If I had one of these players, I would operate it on AC power as much as possible due to the high current drain of the phono motor, not to mention the filament (A) and plate (B+) current drawn by the tubes. These players probably were the best available at the time but, as I said, due to the high current drain, I wouldn't think they were used as portables very much, except perhaps during power outages. I cannot quite imagine seeing anyone carrying one around as teenagers do nowadays with transistor portables (since those tube-operated RPs were so large), any more than I can imagine anyone having a large tube-operated RP with them at the beach, for instance.

BTW, I just saw the specifications for the AC adapter, and was amazed how short the output cable is (15 inches). That short cable did not allow the user much of a choice as to where to put the adapter; that is, the latter would almost have to be quite close to the player itself. I wonder if an extension cable was available so this wouldn't be a problem.

These players were not meant for high fidelity, RCA's "Golden Throat" logo of the 1950s notwithstanding, but that was probably just as well since the rock-and-roll music being played over the radio (and on records) at that time was nowhere near hi-fi to begin with. The phonograph cartridge was probably, almost certainly the cheapest available as well; after all, it would make little or no sense to to put a hi-fi cartridge in a record player which would be used to play rock and roll, not to mention other types of crazy music we hear these days.

These phonos were made to play sedate music, cut at low volumes, 1949-1954 style. The cartridges in these could not track loudly cut Rock & Roll without mistracking and groove damage. Think Perry Como and his ilk.