What did you last repair?

I had an older (2002) Sony subwoofer laying around, unused. SA-WMSP1.

Nothing wrong with it of course, but I wanted to "re-purpose" it, maybe use it out on the patio for tunes.
Has an LM3886TF amp chip driving an 8 inch in a ported box.
So....
I added some brackets, mounted a decent tweeter co-axially in front of the woofer, disengaged all the caps that filtered the highs between the op-amps, and even added a silent squirrel cage blower to the heatsink for good measure.
Then I velcro'd a Panasonic portable CD player to the top, added a sturdy carry handle.


Sounds very nice now, punchy bass, crisp highs, plenty of volume too.
 

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It's been a busy pandemic for me.
* Brought a Threshold S-350 back to life (bad connection to the torroidal PS coil)
* Recapped and cleaned a Threshold NS-10 which sounds horrible no longer.
* Re-belted, re-greased, and put a new needle on an RCA MTT-135 linear-tracking turntable for my son. This was actually a marvel of consumer engineering. There were really clever things to sense the end of record and identify tracks (this supports random track playing). The hardest thing was to figure out how to engage the automatic door mechanism when putting on the cover. It was like a Chinese box puzzle but I finally figured out the proper sequence.
* Re-wired my DIY electrostatics because they sprung a high-voltage leak.


And that's just my audio equipment. Tracked down my A/C failure to a pair of relay controller modules that both blew the same trace on their PC boards. I put fused jumpers to fix them. It looks like they purposely made those traces so thin that they would blow with the slightest overload... sneaky.
 
That would have been pretty annoying! Enough to finally dig in there to fix it. How long have you been putting up with it that way?

Just bought some "N" to SMA cables - almost forgot to buy some BNC to SMA cables too, glad I looked at this post of yours kodabmx.

You're absolutely right. It's been going on a while - months probably... but really was only noticeable with that kind of sound - specifically the piano jungle at the end of the Hyundai commercials.

Glad I found that post to link for you. Ideally, you upgrade your stuff to use t he new standards for security, but if you have your server/firewall set up properly and up to date, you should be fine.

Worst case is you get ransomware that exploited SMB1 and Netbios and all your files get encrypted for a ransom... If you can live with that (please everybody reading this - BACK UP YOUR CRAP!) you're good to go!
 
Recently restored/overhauled/re-aligned a 1962 Magnavox 0FM22 table radio, part of my collection.
I just sold it to my neighbor, he wants to use it in his dining room, and his wife is getting new dining room furniture of the Mid Century Modern style, so this adds to the look.


This particular model radio was featured on the old black/white show "The Dick Van Dyke Show"
Magnavox was one of the sponsers and all the "props" in that show were naturally their brand.
 

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Hi kodabmx,
Got nailed with ransomware already on Win7. Lost everything on that one computer. I pulled the drive and installed a new one, then a complete reload. After that I put the original HD in a SATA to USB adapter and performed a format, then loaded Fedora on a different computer, then formatted it again under Fedora. There is now guarantied no trace of the original or other malware on that drive.

That experience really sucked.

wiseoldtech, Lovely radio!

Hey Jack,
Who didn't love Mary??? I didn't know she was a dancer before the show.
 
I repaired my Velodyne ULD12 subwoofer, replacing the surround. Also stripped the finish on its cabinet and stained it "mahogany".

@wiseoldtech -- Laura Petrie, aka Mary Tyler Moore was a dancer on Broadway before the Dick Van Dyke Show. There were a couple episodes in which she performed.


Yes indeed she was!
I saw those episodes, one fairly recently.
The opening theme of the Mary Tyler Moore Show also gave a hint of her talent.
 
wiseoldtech, Lovely radio!

I have one like it, though not as pretty. It worked when I got it maybe 30 years ago, and still does, although it is starting to tell me that it might need a new filter cap. At this time there is no hum, but I can hear some 120 Hz IMD, especially on FM. Will any thing made today still be working in nearly 60 years?
 

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I have one like it, though not as pretty. It worked when I got it maybe 30 years ago, and still does, although it is starting to tell me that it might need a new filter cap. At this time there is no hum, but I can hear some 120 Hz IMD, especially on FM. Will any thing made today still be working in nearly 60 years?


The 3 section filter cap is likely on its way out now.
Replace it with 100u-100u-100u 250V three seperate caps, all grounded near the original can, but removed.
And lose the selenium rectifier - a 1N4007 is better.


Also, the 4uf cap in the discriminator is bad, causing lousy FM sound.
Don't attempt RF alignment unless you're qualified, that model is a bitch to do.
 
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Hi George,
Enjoy your radio! It does have a unique look for a tube radio. The meter is pretty funky sitting there front and center.

I would use the closest can capacitor from CE manufacturing (tubesandmore). Using separate capacitors might be cheaper, but makes a mess and is more difficult to install nicely. I use new cans for any rebuilds I do. Stuffing the old can with new caps isn't really a viable plan either. There is no ventilation for the new capacitors. People forget that.

-Chris
 
The 3 section filter cap is likely on its way out now.
Replace it with 100u-100u-100u 250V three seperate caps, all grounded near the original can, but removed.
And lose the selenium rectifier - a 1N4007 is better.

Also, the 4uf cap in the discriminator is bad, causing lousy FM sound.
Don't attempt RF alignment unless you're qualified, that model is a bitch to do.

Hi George,
Enjoy your radio! It does have a unique look for a tube radio. The meter is pretty funky sitting there front and center.

I would use the closest can capacitor from CE manufacturing (tubesandmore). Using separate capacitors might be cheaper, but makes a mess and is more difficult to install nicely. I use new cans for any rebuilds I do. Stuffing the old can with new caps isn't really a viable plan either. There is no ventilation for the new capacitors. People forget that.

-Chris

I have owned this radio for about 30 years. During a collecting / hoarding time in our lives we stomped flea markets and yard sales for "stuff." Once our parents started dying off and we had to clean out their houses, we realized that we had way too much "stuff." This was at a time when Motorola began their biggest downsizing phase, so I knew than my career was on life support, and we would leave Florida when it ended, and therefore have to move all the "stuff" that we didn't eliminate.

I had probably 30 to 40 old radios, some were quite collectible, others, just $5 yard sale finds like this Maggie. Stan (ESRC) had an antique radio show in his parking lot several times a year, so one day we took most of the radios to his show with prices on them. Every hour of so I would wander away from the car and my wife would yell, "My husband isn't here, come make an offer while he isn't looking." That worked, but nobody wanted the old Maggie, so I still have it.

I have never looked inside, so I didn't know that it has a selenium rectifier. That has to go if and when I decide to take it apart, they make a toxic stink when they fry. I have the equipment and skill necessary for a complete alignment, but rarely find it necessary unless sensitive parts are changed in the RF, mixer or IF circuitry. The radio is in a basement and gets the same 4 stations that I get in my car outside and they are in the right places on the dial, so alignment isn't needed.

I still have a few ugly duckling radios that nobody bought, and a couple that I chose to keep, like one of the first superhet's that RCA ever made. I fixed that one 20 years ago and it still works, but has developed an intermittent condition.

I also have an old Fairbanks Morse tombstone radio that I have never tested or even looked inside, it just looks neat. My first thought when I saw it would get me killed in some forums, "That would make a neat looking guitar amp." It is also too nice to hack, so if restoration is possible, it's life as a radio will go on.