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Bunch of old parts, worth anything?

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My girlfriend's father gave me a box full of old parts that used to be his father's. His father used to build and work on radios and other electronics and I guess these were his parts. He said they're from like the 50s, I think.

There's a bunch of tubes, capacitors, a tube amp and some misc parts.

The tube amp has one tube, RCA 80, two big transformers, two huge capacitors, a big bar that looks like a resistor(?) and what appears to be the inputs/outputs. I have no idea how or if it works, I'm reluctant to just plug it in.

I'm wondering if any of this stuff is worth anything, or usable. I can test the capacitors and resistors, but have no idea how to test a tube or even tell if it is blown.

I really know nothing about tube electronics, that's why I'm here :D

He also gave me about 40 pounds of old radio textbooks, repair books and other old electronic books. Some of the books are from the 30s, up to the 60s, I think.

I can't get my card reader to work, I'll try posting some pictures tomorrow.

Here's a list of the things I can identify:
Tubes:
Hytron 35Z4 GT
Tung~sol H7N7 GT
Super Silvertone 27 (three)
6BK7 in metal sheath
6J6 in metal sheath
Silvertone 6AH4 GT
Silvertone 6AU6
KEN-RAD 305 GT/G
Something ends in 7Z, I think.
GE 6Q7 GT
RCA Cunningham Radiotron 56
Firestone Air Chief 12SA7 GT/G
6CB6
Silvertone 6CB6
RCA 1A7 GT/G
RCA 6SN7 GT
Sylvania 6CL8A
RCA 35Z5 GT
Sylvania 12SJ7
Sylvania 6SA7
RCA Cunningham Radiotron 45

Capacitors:
Aerovox 20-20 MFD 150 DCWV
Aerovox .02 MFD 600 DCWV
Mallory TP 418 .1 MFD 600VDC
Mallory TP 415 .05 MFD 600VDC (two)
Cornell Dubilier “Dwarf Tiger” DT-6P .1 MFD 600 V
CD “Dwarf Tiger” DT-45P paper condenser .5 MFD 400 V
CD Beaver BRL 4215 20/40 MFD 150 WV
CD Beaver Dry Etched Foil Electrolytic BR 252A 25 MFD 25 VDC
CD Cub .01 MFD 600 VDC
CD “Dwarf Tiger” DT-4S1 .01 MFD 400 V
CD “Dwarf Tiger” DT-6S2 .02 MFD 600 V
CD “Dwarf Tiger” paper condenser DT-6T25 .00025 MFD 600 V
CD ZB2F18 (no ratings)
CD ZB2J24 (no ratings, two)
Zenith 22 1158 .05 MFD 200 WVDC
Zenith 22-1126F .01 MFD 400 VDC
Zenith 22-830 .02 MFD 600 WVDC
Zenith 22-448F .004 MFD 600 V
Zenith 22-1220F .002 MFD 600 V

Resistors:
Some carbon composition resistors
Two Micamold resistors (one big, one small, didn’t test for resistance)
A few potentiometers
 
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rkc7 said:
The tube amp has one tube, RCA 80, two big transformers, two huge capacitors, a big bar that looks like a resistor(?) and what appears to be the inputs/outputs. I have no idea how or if it works, I'm reluctant to just plug it in.

The 80 is a rectifier tube. If there are no other tube sockets then it is a power supply and one of the tranformers is a choke.


RCA 6SN7 GT
RCA Cunningham Radiotron 45

if there are 2 45s, these are the tubes for a really nice couple watt amp (assumming they test OK...

someone with greater knowledge (PRR?) will have to comment on most of the rest.

dave
 
Here are some pictures of what I have. I can take more, if it would help (just tell me what to take).

Oh the one I thought was "7Z" is a 14R7.

So is this "amp" a power supply? I just called it an amp because it looked like one. I really don't know anything about tube amplifiers or old electronics, so please excuse my ignorance.

I'm basically interested in how I can tell if these tubes are any good and if they (and the other parts) would be worth anything.

box of stuff
"Amplifier"
some transformers
Don't know what these are
All the capacitors
 
The "amp" does look like a power supply of sorts. On the right is a mains transformer, the one on the left might be a choke. I don't know the intended purpose of the tappad resistor at front. The thing is home made on a 2nd hand chassis.

The "misc" things that you don't recognise are variable capacitors for radio tuning. the one on the left is for AM bands 530 to 1600KHz -ish, the one on the right is for AM but also has sections for FM bands 88 to 108 MHz -ish. Very limited use for audio. All I can think of is for adjustable Eq on a phono preamp.
 
dhaen said:
The "amp" does look like a power supply of sorts. On the right is a mains transformer, the one on the left might be a choke. I don't know the intended purpose of the tappad resistor at front. The thing is home made on a 2nd hand chassis.

The "misc" things that you don't recognise are variable capacitors for radio tuning. the one on the left is for AM bands 530 to 1600KHz -ish, the one on the right is for AM but also has sections for FM bands 88 to 108 MHz -ish. Very limited use for audio. All I can think of is for adjustable Eq on a phono preamp.

Yeah, it looked kinda simple to be an amp to me, but I didn't know. It was home made, my girlfriend's grandfather was a tinkerer and worked mainly with radios.

djQUAN said:

I also saw a selenium rectifier (well, I think it is.) in the box of stuff. it's the blue square thingy with a hole in the middle. sort if like a diode but much less current capacity.

Yeah, that was another miscellaneous item in there.
Blue square thing
 
anatech said:
Hi rkc7,
Can you take a shot of the books? Those I'm interested in. A picture of them stacked showing the spines, if they can be read that way.
-Chris

I'll have to get back to you on that one. They're at my parent's house about 250 mi away. Next time I'm home, I'll bring them back with me and take some pics.
 
I have about three of those selenium rectifiers. about 1" by 1" square and has a current capacity of only 75mA from what I can remember. what's the size of that one?

in the "transformers" pic,

I think the top left looks like a choke, top right: audio output with the I core missing? bottom left: hairy choke. :D bottom right:coil from a relay or a bell ringer. what's the other side of that one?

well, if the top and bottom left both have only two wires, then they're both chokes. :)
 
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Hi rkc7,
What do you remember roughly about the books? Where they magasines, text books - that kind of thing? There is no rush for you to find out. I am interested because I love reading the older manuals and things. There is lot's to be learned from them.

Thanks,
-Chris
 
djQUAN said:
I have about three of those selenium rectifiers. about 1" by 1" square and has a current capacity of only 75mA from what I can remember. what's the size of that one?

in the "transformers" pic,

I think the top left looks like a choke, top right: audio output with the I core missing? bottom left: hairy choke. :D bottom right:coil from a relay or a bell ringer. what's the other side of that one?

well, if the top and bottom left both have only two wires, then they're both chokes. :)

The rectifier is the same size you gave, about an inch square.

The top right has 3 wires coming out of it on one side
Top left has two on one side, two on the other, the side you see has the cloth insulation missing
Bottom right also has two wires on either side, with insulation missing from the one side
Bottom left has only two wires, the ones you see, the other side looks the same, without any wires.

anatech said:
Hi rkc7,
What do you remember roughly about the books? Where they magasines, text books - that kind of thing? There is no rush for you to find out. I am interested because I love reading the older manuals and things. There is lot's to be learned from them.

Thanks,
-Chris

There were a few hardcover text books that were old, I think radio physics or something. Some books just about radios and electronics. And there was a small softcover book I remember about TV repair. I think I had like 15 or so books, some hardcovers, some softcovers. I didn't really look at them closely.
 
frugal-phile™
Joined 2001
Paid Member
rkc7 said:
There were a few hardcover text books that were old, I think radio physics or something. Some books just about radios and electronics. And there was a small softcover book I remember about TV repair. I think I had like 15 or so books, some hardcovers, some softcovers. I didn't really look at them closely.

Very likely the most valuable part sof the collection, possibly monetarily, but even more so if you wade through them.

dave
 
ah. the bottom left is indeed a choke.

top right is an output transformer, speaker is connected on the enamelled wires, primary is on the other side with a center tap.

I'm not sure what the top left is for and certainly have no idea what the bottom right is for. since it can't be an AC transformer because the core isn't laminated iron. it would make a very inefficient trafo.
 
Hi, Looking Closer at the Chassis I noticed tube numbers/Labeled near some of the holes,
RK34 = Power triode similar to a 2C34, Of course 7N7 is a loctal medium Mu Triode, The Other visible 2C3? cant locate data. It may have very well been an amplifier in its original form, My Guess is The Taller transformer is not actually connected to anything, The horizontally mounted transformer marked SNC is a PT, which i guess we are all in agreement some type of power supply/experimental thing. I have a buddy that has a power supply set up in a similar fashion he uses for prototyping.
trout
 
The top left marking is RK-34, right behind the tube is 12*1 (I think the * is 0, maybe?), then HY*15 (* is maybe C).

The second row, right above the big resistor starts with 1203 on the left, 7C7, 7C7, 1203 (looks like 12C3, though).

The side has N24V ABE 2, if that means anything.

I'm thinking it was an old radio chasis (not from looking at it, just from knowing he worked with radios a lot).

Also, as far as the circuit present on the chasis, here's a picture of the underside:

Underside

Both transformers are connected.
 
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