Posts: 2,005
Threads: 361
Joined: Jun 2010
City: Dover, OH
I just picked up an unusual and rather large table radio built by Crosley today. I was so stunned when I saw it that I didn't even haggle the price! It's even bigger than my RCA 140 tombstone, but for a reason as it is a battery set. One of the best condition battery sets I have ever run across. Good cabinet, complete, and unmolested in any way. Even all the original battery leads are there, though I'll probably have to rework that if I ever go to power this set up. The chassis number and schematic number for this radio is 535 and the Crosley sites list this radio as the "Battery Fifty-Two". Other than that and the schmatics I found on nostalgia air, this radio draws a blank in my web searches so far. So, I wonder, did I get a real jewel or a lump of coal? Battery (farm) sets are always tricky and this thing is a monster of a table radio. Thankfully it doesn't weigh as much as the RCA 140!
No matter where you go, there you are.
Posts: 2,353
Threads: 92
Joined: May 2010
City: Clayton, NC
Neat Radio!!! Personally I often go after battery sets for the reason depicted by your Crosley. They are often in excellent original condition. The electronics are simple and usually one like yours will only require verifying that it is electrically sound. I do not recommend "jury-rigging" a power source for one unless you are VERY sound electrically, as DC voltage is inherently more dangerous than AC, and these battery sets draw a fair amount of DC current. (If im talking down to you, PLEASE forgive me.)
I recently aquired a Crosley 128 cathedral battery powered set. It is 3V A batt, 135V, 22.5V B batt, and after a mild rework, it WORKS !!!! It's an 8 tube model, with 2- 31 tubes as triode-pushpull output. NEAT set.
Posts: 2,005
Threads: 361
Joined: Jun 2010
City: Dover, OH
Sounds like your voltages are the same as mine. Oddly, mine lists the 22.5 voltage as the 'C' battery. I was a bit miffed to find out all the tubes but one were totally burnt out. The other tube was a dead short. Managed to find replacements for them all today but the 1B5. Going to dig through the tubes I just got last week for that one. I'm wondering if the radio has a short or if someone connected too high of a battery to the 'A' supply.
No matter where you go, there you are.
