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Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#31
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My clock radio is a zenith 6 tube set with an large ferrite rod antenna with some kind of noise cancelling going on, it has connection to the chassis thru a shielded cable. Great set and very good AM dxing. The chassis is classic zenith hand wiring. The only weak point is the dial string which just broke the other day, but of course an easy fix. It has the built in coffee pot outlet, and a sleep timer so I can plug in a TV or stereo, and have it auto shut off after about 45 min.
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#32
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Speaking of Japanese AA5's, here is a chassis picture of one
And a similar complete radio These were not very good.
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#33
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Yep I couldn't agree more these Tek scopes are a something to behold in regards to build quality...
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Visit my Vintage TV & Radio Page - http://nzvintagetvradio.blogspot.com/ My YouTube Link - http://www.youtube.com/user/glenz1975?feature=mhsn |
#34
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The Tek scopes could also not be beat in terms of weight also. They weigh a ton! Probably the cause of many back problems for engineers!
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#35
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I was completely amazed last night by an RCA CTC-4 "The Director 21". I've had this set for a while now and have powered it up once, I was greeted with a nice bright full raster. I tried it again last night even though I know I shouldn't trust those old caps, and after a slow start it came up with no popping smoking or arcing....yay! I hooked up my NTSC generator and was greeted with well........a white screen. After another close look, an I.F tube was a little out of the socket and was not lit, pushed it in and BAM! I had color bars on the screen, acceptable convergence, purity, sound, brightness, tint range ect!!!!! This set is UN-restored and looks to have been never serviced. It was built in late 1955 and still works today on all of it's original parts. Now THAT is quality!!!! It proves that if stored properly for a sets entire life, as this one never left the spot in which it was installed new until I bought it, they can almost last forever! I went through and touched up everything and the picture looks really nice now, I watched it for about 6 hours. Anime looks great on this thing, I'll have to post some screen shots from Sekirei and Girls Bravo!
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My TV page and YouTube channel Kyocera R-661, Yamaha RX-V2200 National Panasonic SA-5800 Sansui 1000a, 1000, SAX-200, 5050, 9090DB, 881, SR-636, SC-3000, AT-20 Pioneer SX-939, ER-420, SM-B201 Motorola SK77W-2Z tube console McIntosh MC2205, C26 Last edited by zenithfan1; 05-09-2011 at 07:26 AM. |
Audiokarma |
#36
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I don't want to sound like I'm beating a dead horse but I would still be careful with anything with old electrolytics. In the past I have had several pieces of equipment from the 60's (Harman-Kardon A300 amp and RCA CTC-16) which worked fine with all of their old caps when first tested but after anywhere from several days to several years worth of use, the old electrolytics shorted out. This can be disastrous if there is no fuse in the power line.
The A-300 got all new caps and diodes and has worked with no trouble at all now. The CTC-16 still needs to get its replaced (haven't used it since the problem occured.) |
#37
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Excellent advice, Chad. Makes me kinda wince when I read stories like that, just as it does when I read of some guy who's running the OEM tires on his 1950 Ford...Its not a question of "If" the old caps are gonna check out, its a question of "When"...
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Benevolent Despot |
#38
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always a good idea to fuse the B+, even if there is a circuit breaker. I like to install a inline fuse holder, then just meter the current with a analog meter. Monitor the current on start up and select a fuse that is maybe 50% over the max current, or closer if you are the worry type (like me). I would rather lose a fuse now and then than risk a power transformer. I do this regardless of new or old filter caps, frankly I dont really trust new ones much more than old ones. and while on the subject of old equipment a bucking transformer seems like good insurance on really hard to replace stuff. That is something I have been meaning to look into.
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#39
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I used a voltage-bucking transformer on my Harman-Kardon A300 with great success. This amp runs the tubes pretty close to the max voltages and I was also having a problem with output tubes arcing due to high line voltage (and therefore high B+ voltage). I used an old power transformer from an XL-100 color TV and was able to find a winding that would buck the AC line about 6 volts down.
I have seen some really bad damage done by the lack of fuses in some equipment, particularly Hammond organs. Yes, even new capacitors or tubes could short out although a lot less likely than old electrolytics, so I always put fuses in when I repair something. I have seen burned up wiring and power transformers and 5U4 tubes where the glass melted due to a short. The 15-20 amps available from an AC wall outlet can do a lot of damage when a component inside an un-fused unit shorts and the house circuit breaker will not blow. |
#40
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Quote:
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Audiokarma |
#41
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I know all that stuff I put a fuse in line with the B+ and in the line cord, as I was using a cheater. I don't plan on using it regularly either I plan to recap it ASAP now that I know it works so well!! I just wanted to share that it works after 55+years.
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My TV page and YouTube channel Kyocera R-661, Yamaha RX-V2200 National Panasonic SA-5800 Sansui 1000a, 1000, SAX-200, 5050, 9090DB, 881, SR-636, SC-3000, AT-20 Pioneer SX-939, ER-420, SM-B201 Motorola SK77W-2Z tube console McIntosh MC2205, C26 Last edited by zenithfan1; 05-09-2011 at 11:41 AM. |
#42
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That is amazing, I know I leave filter caps alone on 60's era (if they test well). It would be interesting to see how those filter test for leakage and power factor with an old school cap tester.
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#43
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Just sent my daughter a re-tube kit and some contact cleaner for her HH Scott Type 130 pre-amp, which was built in 1958. I asked her when she was much younger if she wanted a brand new stereo, and she said "no dad, I want a tube system like yours", so I whipped up a Stereo 70, the Scott, and a pair of Bose bookshelf speakers. The tuner, cassette deck, and CD player are "modern". The thing sounds great no matter what is played through it, and that's the goal, after all...
Kevin
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stromberg6 |
#44
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I agree with Chad on the electrolytics. In fact, I was at a presentation about the design of micro-inverters(one per panel) for solar cells. As these are being designed to last as long as the panels(25 years), the design is completely avoiding electrolytic caps! They are a reliability issue even now!
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#45
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Quote:
In a city not very big (county administrative center b.t.w.), but with more civilized people then in other places they bought in 1990 3 Swiss buses manufactured in 1965; after riding in Switzerland for 25 years (they where give proper care there) they ride in Romania for 19 more years! Unfourtenley, I never ride one of those buses. B.t.w., in the '50's the Swiss body manufacturers arleady used aluminium! I don't know if the old tv sets where made to last 40 yrs, but they where made to last unleass 20 yrs. Back then the cosnumerism mania wasn't so the big. They say that you need consumerism to get the industry to work. In the past people used they stuff for a longer period of time (maybe except for the cars) and the society wasn't banckrupt. And they say that some newer products are consuming less energy. But what about the energy conusmed to manufactured them. What about the enormus cantity of waste, that isn't always recycled as the say? But I think the radios where made to last. I have an 1972-1975 "Sony" ICF 111 radio that I don't think that it was ever repayred. Except for the F.M. - M.W. - L.W. comuter, that sometimes dosen't work fine is very good. I replaced the capacitors to my 1966 East-German radio (I use it only as an amplifier) and it's working fine. Even some old Made in Romania radios (whic wheren't soo god) are still working. That's why I don't like new products. Except for I.T. stuff and maybe digital camera I don't need to replace my apparats every few years. I use 2 mobile (cellular) phones manufactured some 5-6 yrs ago. |
Audiokarma |
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