Have been a bit bored latley as I'm have to wait for Ktown to get back working on the 660L(spare chassis is coming) A member who shall remain nameless reminded me that I have a little farm set.
http://www.nostalgiaair.org/pagesbymodel...013310.pdf
Got it a year or so ago. After doing a quick survey of it it seems to be in fair shape. Huge cabinet little chassis. Being a '39 model it has rubber wire but for the most part under the chassis it's OK. The battery cable is toast. It's seen some service over the years it has a replacement output transformer and an electrolytic cap.
Made up a new battery cable from some old computer p/s harnesses (switching supplies ARE good for something). Replaced 6 cap and one one meg resistor. Other checked within tolerance.
Haven't put power to it yet, don't know whether it would be easier to solder up a bunch of dry cell or dig up the ac supply I used on the old Crosley Trirdyn. It has an adjustable filament voltage.
Yep, small chassis for this size cabinet.
Do these even have electrolytics or they did without them? Not much to filter. But if used the caps had to live much longer than in AC radios, no ripple.
It's got a 3mfd electrolytic cap(29) right off the B Battery. Was looking at the specs and was surprised to read that it only pulls down 6ma from the HV.
6mA.....any piece of crap el cheapo electrolytic will do. And, what's good, any capacitance. You could use 3, or 10, or even 100uF with no ill effects.
So got up and thought I'd put some battery juice on it and see what happens. Well nothing! Battery power was up to snuff but no audio. Did some quick troubleshooting to find that I had cut the ground return for the output tube's filament. Fixed that up and it sprang to life.
But one other issue cropped up, I don't I can turn it off. No click. Most farm sets have a dual switch on the back of the volume control. One set of contacts breaks the B battery connection and the other the A battery connection. This way there can be no current drawn when the set is off. I've have had sets from the'20s which just break the A battery supply the thinking is that if there is no filament voltage (A battery) the tubes won't draw any current. This is true but God help your expensive B batteries if you have a leaking plate bypass cap. Doesn't take much over a week or two to drain them down to unusable. But I digress. Disconnect all of it's tentacles 3 on the vc +1 for the loudness tap and 4 on the switch and pop it out. The **** works fine! Clean it up put it back in. So now I'm thinking that the off/on flag is what was causing the problem. I was a little stiff. Cleaned it and a bit of oil and we're back in business.
Still have to mate it with the cabinet/spkr.
This set probably hasn't been played since the 50's or 60's or earlier. I think of it's first owner back in '39. there was a of action going then. The UK and Poland where feeling Hitler's wrath. US economy was gaining some steam but still sluggish. Worlds Fair in NY the place to be if you can afford it.
The farm set was used in locals with no in coming AC electrical power. Kerosene lamps for light after dark fire place for heat. Hand pump your water from a well.
This owner after a day of work just want's to sit down and relax with a pipe and his radio (w/his kero lamp to see the dial). Have a few laughs with Fibber McGee & Molly or try to outsmart the experts on Information Please.
We've come pretty far!!!
Nice work Terry, and your painting a picture with words of a probable day in the life of the owner,
Just wonderful.
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Tnx Mike I'm no wordsmith!!! That's for sure!
Just to give you a little reference in terms of size here's it next to Philco's best (and biggest) table set for '36 the 116B. Hard to tell them apart!!!!
Considering it has a whopping 110 mw output it sound quite loud. Maybe not as loud as ac/dc set but pretty close. Average AC/DC set uses about 30w (unless your Kirk he gets those old buzzard ones with the 300ma toobs) This thing uses 1.5vdc @ 250ma and 90vdc @6ma that isn't much.
Is it called a "farm set", because there is enough room to raise chickens in the back of that cabinet?
Mark K8KZ
I enjoyed the historical perspectives, I often think beyond the sound coming out of a radio and wonder what else was listened to, by who, and what their station was in life, kinda neat.
Many people only look at a radio or radio through the lens of the current world and miss what it may have really meant.
On an other note Farm Sets are often overlooked due to power supply issues, some of them are good receivers and are neat links to a pre electrification society.
Too bad many of them are overlooked.
Paul