found a Dumont RA 113 entertainment center - Videokarma.org TV - Video

jln1966 · #1 11-11-2006, 09:57 PM

Hi all. I have posted on here before as jonnic. It has been a while. I am now useing the name jln1966. I have recently picked up an old entertainment center,a Dumont model RA113 B-7 for free. It has a 14" tv, am/fm and phono. The cabinet is cherry wood veneer which needs refinishing but it is solid. It has doors on the front to cover everything up. The phono is in a drawer in the left bottom and the speaker is beside it. I beleive it is a 1951 model. I am not sure how easy it will be to get working. It will probably not be cheap either. It will need recapped. I counted at least 12 electrolitics and 25-30 paper caps. The power transformer looks shot also. The wires coming out of it are black and it smells burnt. Some resistors look bad also. One is split. I am sure several tubes are bad also. It will be a challenge. The crt looks to have been replaced in 1963. That is a plus. The am radio chassis should work with a recap. Do you all think it is worth putting the time and money into. The transformer will be the hardest part to find.
John

Tubejunke · #2 11-12-2006, 01:06 AM

I had an RA109A from 1949 for years. Had to give it away as it was just too big. The 19ap4 metal/glass crt had a brightener on it as well. Seems to me that the transformer was HUGE in mine. I also remember the extreme number of tubes. Maybe 32? Its been a while. I think the DuMonts were the most interesting and finely constructed sets of that time.

Is your 14" crt a metal cone?

AudioKeith · #3 03-04-2007, 09:22 PM

John, Will send you a PM also in case you don't check here. I just picked up a Dumont RA 113-B-7 also. Sounds like the twin of yours. Just wondering how your restoration is going, what problems you have run into, and if you have found any good resources?

bgadow · #4 03-05-2007, 12:45 PM

I have some DuMont factory service bulletins, which I loaned a couple years back to the Early Television Foundation. Maybe if you check with Steve McVoy (member here) of the foundation he can help.

jshorva65 · #5 03-06-2007, 06:22 PM

I have an RA-113 here awaiting restoration, too. Mine is strictly TV/FM but has a 17" tube if memory serves correctly. Nice looking set. Mine was free along with others for the cost of a road trip with Jan and the kids (Thanks again, Tim!). At the moment, I'm getting my test gear back into shape after my long absence from AK and period of doing very little with the vintage tv service business that Jan and I started. I'm still dispaying and demonstrating the Fada TV-30 that I bought that same day and recapped.

Regarding the RA-109, that model uses one of those massive Sola constant-voltage transformers.

RA-113's power transformer is moderately large, but that set only runs a single 5U4 unlike the RA-103, 104, 109 and others which use two 5U4's. Check Sams for a suitable cross-reference from one of the manufacturers of replacement TV transformers and a NOS transformer of the correct cross-referenced part number could turn up reasonably priced on eBay. Research carefully, be patient, cover the prongs of the plug with heat-shrink until you've got suitable replacement parts on the way, and display it as-found until then just because it looks nice. If you know how to match up specifications and verify compatible mounting and are not averse to the expense, one of the brand-new ones that Antique Electronic Supply sells might be compatible. Patience and research, though, can save you some cash if you're willing to make the effort to look for a lower-priced NOS unit.

I'm waiting for the tuner to be repaired for my absolutely pristine-looking Fada 799. Even the CRT bracket pads were intact and their adhesive still holding on that set. Nicely stored in a climate-controlled environment, I'm sure. For now, the chassis is safely tucked away on a shelf with the speaker and control shafts well protected, awaiting reinstallation of its tuner and recapping. The empty cabinet is on display with the knobs safely boxed up inside and CRT safely boxed and stored on a shelf.

AudioKeith · #6 03-20-2007, 09:15 AM

Thank to all for the tips. This is my 1st TV restoration so will be a long process and a real learning experience. The Dumont is a really nice looking piece so am going to take my time and give it the attention it deserves. May seek some outside expertise with the tube work. Will document the process as I go along.