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Philco 16X restoration
#1

Today I eventually got to the Philco 16X that Kirk forcibly gifted upon me some 8 years ago.

Today I took the chassis  out, checked the speaker and the tubes.
Other than the rectifier 80 tube that was dead dead the rest were just fine, except a 78 tube that I popped the cap with the glass when trying to take off the grid clip.

The photos will be added later.
The radio was repaired some time in 40s or 50s, judging by the ceramic caps added, the type that was used in Zenith H600 which is 50s.
And the electrolytic in the center is twist-lock type, and the filter ones are not original either.

No rust, needs some regular cleaning.
The tuning gear works fine, though the cap will need a bit of cleaning and lube.


   
   
   
   
   

People who do not drink, do not smoke, do not eat red meat will one day feel really stupid lying there and dying from nothing.
#2

8yrs ago that must have been the first time we met him at ktown. Haven't worked on a 4 band 16 yet.
Got one it's been waiting for a while to be serviced. It's a chairside set and has a huge spker cabinet. I'm not sure which chassis it uses the B/smaller p/s and spker or the X chassis large p/s and large spker.

https://philcoradio.com/gallery2/1935a/#Model_16RX

When my pals were reading comic books
I was down in the basement in my dad's
workshop. Perusing his Sam's Photofoacts
Vol 1-50 admiring the old set and trying to
figure out what all those squiggly meant.
Circa 1966
Now I think I've got!

Terry
#3

Yeah about then.
Not in Kutztown: Sam and I drove to his place. When it was time to go he put that radio in my cargo bay.

This radio was probably retired when the rectifier tube had gone. I do not see anything that, given 40 years (the tubes marked testet in 1980-s) of time could've retired it. This 80 tube was probably the last drop: OK, it's gone, no more repairs.

People who do not drink, do not smoke, do not eat red meat will one day feel really stupid lying there and dying from nothing.
#4

Terry

The 4-band 16RX uses the Code 127 chassis with 5Z3 rectifier and type "U" speaker.

Edit: U-2 speaker

--
Ron Ramirez
Ferdinand IN
#5

Tnx Ron! I haven't look at it in a while.

Mike, I'm thinking your 80 took a dump because it's suppose to be a 5Z3. It can twice can deliver the current 250ma vs the 80's 125ma. Should match the code 126 diagram and have the U-2 speaker.

When my pals were reading comic books
I was down in the basement in my dad's
workshop. Perusing his Sam's Photofoacts
Vol 1-50 admiring the old set and trying to
figure out what all those squiggly meant.
Circa 1966
Now I think I've got!

Terry
#6

Went on Ed Schutz's website and ordered the rubber parts, the chassis support and the bumper.
It's a month left so I do not forget before it closes. Even though someone's taking over, might as well.

People who do not drink, do not smoke, do not eat red meat will one day feel really stupid lying there and dying from nothing.
#7

Spent some time recapping today. Three backelites are bolted to the chassis' sides, so not as convenient. And two were going close to the heat shield for the wirewound resistor, so I had to remove it in order to heat the caps.

Lots of alterations due to replacing caps with the external ones, not all accurate either.

Dilemma: find a 4 section electrolytic to try to be closer to the original or use 4 tubular caps locally. The repairman used a twistlock but with three sections, only two used and then two other replacements being tubular. I have not even looked at the twistlock, to see if it is correct value.

People who do not drink, do not smoke, do not eat red meat will one day feel really stupid lying there and dying from nothing.
#8

Mike, stuff the twist-lock with as many as you can. Gives you elbow room under the chassis.
#9

I will look and see if I have a spare.

--
Ron Ramirez
Ferdinand IN
#10

Mike, check your PM inbox.

--
Ron Ramirez
Ferdinand IN
#11

I have had good luck ordering aluminum can, multi section electrolytics from Antique Electronic Supply. Here;s a link to the section. Browse through and see if anything looks promising. Remember, it's OK to go over with capacity, even up to double, but make sure the voltage is equal or higher to what you replace.  https://www.tubesandmore.com/products/ca...30c112a746  Hope this can be of use to you.
#12

Ron

The cap came yesterday. Thanks.
Interesting, upon measuring, contrary to the usual, when the dry caps exhibit little or no capacitance left, this one has all 4 caps in the range of 3 to 8uF.
(Wow! It is 4 times as good! Icon_lol )
So, even though it will have to be cut open and re-stuffed, one thing we know, it has not dried up.

People who do not drink, do not smoke, do not eat red meat will one day feel really stupid lying there and dying from nothing.
#13

   
   


Well, Ron, I cut it open yesterday and soaked it in mineral spirit overnight. I was hoping it would dissolve that wax.
It did soften it but dissolve it did not.
So I used various stuff to clean the wax out of the can and an Exacto knife to clean paper and wax from the bottom.

The results are above. First I cut at the upper depression boundary, where it expands to the rest of the can.
The thought behind it being, that I could take the can, sand it a little so the narrowing at the bottom that used to be that upper boundary where I cut will widen and the bottom cylinder will just go in, at which point it could be glued.
It will look like this (the cap has not yet been stuffed)

   

People who do not drink, do not smoke, do not eat red meat will one day feel really stupid lying there and dying from nothing.
#14

Mike

Good job cleaning it up.

Yes, that is exactly how I would reassemble the can, as you have illustrated in the third photo just above.

I hope you can find film caps small enough to fit inside the can; perhaps something like RadioRich used in this thread (Panasonics from Mouser)?

--
Ron Ramirez
Ferdinand IN
#15

Ron

I do have 3 electrolytics (all good brands high ripple) and one film.
The formers 1,1 and 3.3uF and the film is also 1uF.
These are all RC filters and so the caps do not get stressed, so will last forever, for all intents and purposes.
The film one is there because I only habe 2 pieces of 1uF lytics.
And the 4 film 450V or 600V caps would likely not fit anyway due to low height of the cap.

However, the 1st filter (rectifier) 8uF cap will be the Solen 8.2uF film cap, which I stocked up on some time ago. The 2nd one, axter the choke, could be an ectrolytuc: I serialize 2x 22uF 500V ones from Panasonix, they have almost 700mA ripple rating, and there is little ripple after the choke.

I have just a tad more cleaning to do, with a cotton swab and alcohol, for the base, as the white spirit (the mineral one) did not somehow do a great job removing the wax.
Then I will have to drill, I think through the base, not through the rivets, holding the terminals. Not sure why. Maybe I am afraid of dissimilar metals. Though esthetics-wise that would look better.

Then 2 more lytics. They are not original. But look right.

People who do not drink, do not smoke, do not eat red meat will one day feel really stupid lying there and dying from nothing.




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