• WARNING: Tube/Valve amplifiers use potentially LETHAL HIGH VOLTAGES.
    Building, troubleshooting and testing of these amplifiers should only be
    performed by someone who is thoroughly familiar with
    the safety precautions around high voltages.

Salvaged console tube reciever

Status
Not open for further replies.
Jump to Latest
#22
gain-wire said:
Wow. Here's another story for you, from my "younger" youth.
When I was like eighteen I was driving around with my Dad for my driver's license in our neighborhood, and what do I notice on the right side of the road? A medium sized console radio, just like you described. At this time I was just starting to appreciate tubes and HI FI. (well what used to be hifi in the seventies, I used to go through the 1969 and 1970 Stereo Review buyer's guide every day for fun, not even realizing that I couldn't buy the stuff anymore).
So anyway, I slow down next to the console and ask my Dad, oh please can we pick it up? I knew he wasn't too happy about taking home a big thing like that, he knew it would just be lying around in the basement doing nothing, but he accepted. But, the catch was: I was going to have to put it in the trunk myself. No help from him. Yeah. I ain't exactly built like a macho dude, but managed anyway. I guess his point was he wanted to see how much I really wanted the darn thing! Well after five minutes of careful lifting and trunk lid strapping, I got it in. (we had a Buick park avenue at the time).

Got home, needless to say I dd just like you civicprotection, I didn't bother to measure anything or look inside, I hauled that baby out of the truck onto the garage floor on that bright summer day, plugged her in and turned the switch!

I remember tuning to oldies 1310, and hearing the temptations, it was sooo fitting... I think it was the closest I ever got to feeling what it must have been to be cool in the sixties...

It did sound good.

Sadly, my Dad said, listen we're not going to keep this around, so take the electronics and junk the wood.

I still have the chassis and some tubes. It was a Marconi, probably made in Montreal or Toronto. 50C5 output tubes with little teeny output transfomers, each driving an 8 inch full range speaker.

chain chain chain...
Click to expand...

Nice story dude, thanks for adding it.
 
#23
I would I be able to do that?
Click to expand...

I will not say definitely, until pictures (top and bottom) of the chassis are posted. You have a pair of 9 pin sockets and you need to install a 3rd. Also, get the schematic scans up.

Dave's suggestion of a RH84 variant makes a lot of sense. FWIW, I'd add a small % of GNFB, just to linearize the O/P trafo.

BTW, DIYer extraordinaire Steve Bench has provided a MPX decoder design that can be used to get stereo from the mono tuner. With only a single 6AU6, that tuner is no great shakes. Still, you say it sounded decent.
 

Attachments

  • RH84 Schematic.gif
    RH84 Schematic.gif
    11.1 KB · Views: 217
  • Steve Bench MPX Adapter.gif
    Steve Bench MPX Adapter.gif
    13.2 KB · Views: 219
#24
Eli Duttman said:
I will not say definitely, until pictures (top and bottom) of the chassis are posted. You have a pair of 9 pin sockets and you need to install a 3rd. Also, get the schematic scans up.

Dave's suggestion of a RH84 variant makes a lot of sense. FWIW, I'd add a small % of GNFB, just to linearize the O/P trafo.

BTW, DIYer extraordinaire Steve Bench has provided a MPX decoder design that can be used to get stereo from the mono tuner. With only a single 6AU6, that tuner is no great shakes. Still, you say it sounded decent.
Click to expand...

I have been listening to the pile of naked components, all sitting on my kitchen table. The FM dipole antenna is lying there unhappily.
I plugged in the original speakers, and I have been listening to FM for over an hour. It sounds very nice. The bass is good and the midrange is sweet too. I have to fiddle with the controlls, still needing a good cleaning with contact cleaner.

It is not mono FM, it is stereo FM. But I can switch between mono FM and stereo. Ummm why would anybody pick mono when............
 
#26
Eli Duttman said:
You previously stated that the 8 tube model in your possession does not have MPX. No MPX = no FM stereo. I uploaded Mr. Bench's circuit for a reason.
Click to expand...

In the booklet that it came with, it shows some specs for two models,
and I am assuming that because mine has only 8 tubes that it must be the
one I said. But the dial on the controls has (in order shown):

-Tape
-Phono
-AM
-FM
-FM S

You are wrong, I played the thing on "FM Stereo" mode and listened.....it IS stereo. I crank the knob it to FM and it sounds VERY mono. Like crap.

I looked at it, and the booklet says under "special features":

*FM stereo radio- factory equipped

Did I say "MPX" in my previous post you mentioned? I don't recall doing so.

But thank you for your circuit diagrams. Looks good.
 
Last edited:
#27
I don't think you can buy any power transformer for less than $10.

The yellow stains are most likely Marlboro or Kent's -- not easy to buy tri-sodium phosphate anymore, but the latter-day analogs (TSP-Free) work quite well in returning that Crest-like brightness to your teeth. You Canadians probably didn't have Ipana.
 
#28
CivicProtection said:
...
It is not mono FM, it is stereo FM. But I can switch between mono FM and stereo. Ummm why would anybody pick mono when............
Click to expand...

Although listening to FM mono does seem a step backwards, listening to AM (98% mono in the USA, I doubt anything AM in Canada is broadcast in Stereo) in mono is just the right thing to do. It is the last bit of low-tech electronics that people still use all around. Except the telephone.

I long so much to live through the sixties and seventies (well I got two years out if them) that one day I'll wake up in 1961.

uh-oh..
 
Last edited:
#30
jackinnj said:
I was in 5th grade then -- the hits were "Run around Sue" , "Mary Lou", "Lion Sleeps Tonight" and "Bristol Stomp" --
Click to expand...
Holy Cow, there are some older people here than me... But I mean that with respect. With any luck I'll be old some day too.

I love the two first songs, don't care much for the third and never heard the last. Hey I got a good question for you, and for that matter, anyone else who lived through that period.
a while ago, years before I picked up the console, I got an old Rheem reel to reel deck (yes, mono) that came with a reel. I listened to it and aside from Johnny B Goode (that made me VERY happy) it had this blues song that I've never heard since. It had horns in it along with an electric guitar playing licks at the end of each bar, and guy who sang like Little Richard, singing, if I recall: "My baby said she'd leave me, never told me the reason why",(sang twice, then some other line for the finishing IV part to the verse).

Could someone please PLEASE tell me what that song is? I lost the tape and have had the song in my head for the past twelve years.

Please help me. it's like a curse. I am not joking. I'd so much like to be able to listen to the song again.🙁

sorry to end on a depressing note.
 
#32
I don't know why, but I can guess. After a few hours of running it and playing with the pots, the whole thing sounds better. I wonder if I cooked some trapped moisture out of some resisters or something. But it has settled down and sounds very nice.
 
Last edited:
#33
There are power conditioners you can buy that plug into a wall socket and then you can plug what you want up to 1500w into it.

The one I have will protect devices from: line noise, over volts, bad sinewave, and a few other things. So I plugged my tube reciever into it and it into the wall.

I think it will help keep things running smoothly, yes?
 
Last edited:
#34
As far as I can tell, everything it has was made in Canada!

All the internals, line cord, most of the tubes, chassis, speakers, etc.

Even the spruce 1/2 inch plywood I picked up at home depot said "made in Canada".

Manuals and booklets are printed here too. I started noticing this when I saw that the thing was full of robertson head screw heads. I knew it was from 1964, so I was like wtf? It's all Canadian!

This diy project and the good sound coming from it is making me feel a little proud.
 
Last edited:
#35
Oh and I read the round paper that was left with the recod player:

it says "Stereo equipped "Garrard Autoslim" automatic record changer

What does that mean? It is any good? I believe the needle is a new sapphire tipped one.
I saw a discarded package in the cabonet before I did my thing to it.

What shale I do with it? It is really clean. All I need to do is make a VERY simple four wall box for it to sit on and bolt to with its shock absorbing springs, and wire up 115v ac, then feed the rca plugs out the back of the diy box to the amplifier.

It is good or junk?
 
#37
CivicProtection said:
it says "Stereo equipped "Garrard Autoslim" automatic record changer
Click to expand...

Most of them were junk. I'll need to see a pic to tell for sure. Likely thou. The ones (maybe) worth using for a low end rim drive project would likely be reserved for higher end consoles.

A saphire needle means a ceramic cartridge. Flipped over useful for playing 89s but i wouldn't put modern LPs on it.

dave
 
#39
planet10 said:
Probably on the order of 3-4 watts.

dave
Click to expand...

I am totally confused! The booklet says it is 10 watts of audio,
but it is very loud with the factory speakers. Fine it was designed to work well with it.
But! I took my large floor model stereo speakers from my living room and lugged them to the kitchen and plugged the buggers in.

I was rewarded with deep rich sound! I turned the volume up and down and they drove the speakers to the limit and the sound quality was beautiful and room filling! No distortion at high volume, just clear music.

How is this possible!?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom