The PHILCO Phorum

Well the bug finally bit.(kind of a funny expression for me to use as I been diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease ten years ago) I've been looking to get a cathedral set and have been chasing a few model 80's and 84's but prices haven't been quite what was willing to pay. Till this model 21 came up. Price was good and it looked pretty restoreable. So I pulled the trigger and bought it. It was local so with a 20 minute drive I had in hot little hands.

All in all it is in pretty good shape but after doing some checking found that the three rf coils are open primary and secondary, audio driver transformer, primary open BC resistor, one section open field coil, open. I'm a little afraid to measure the power transformer. Chassis is dirty but very little rust. Mershun cap has been replaced along with the filter that is under chassis.No metal box for the under chassis cap. No tube shield but I heard that Dick Oliver Is making repros of them. Speaking of repros I'm also going to get the front panel, arch, and molding.

The above is not a complaint but some sets can run into a lot of time and dead presidents to get them back to good or better condition. I'm very thankful that there are guys out there like Dick Oliver and many others that make some restoration much simpler.

When I picked the set up I told them I'd have it working that night, That didn't happen!
Will post some pics on my Flicker page soon.
Terry

Philco Model 21 by TBS-50B, on Flickr

More Pic's Here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/53710524@N06/
Terry

Congratulations on your acquisition.

Is that the one that was on eBay?

Oh, and do you have it going yet?

Doing a resto on a "basket case" can actually be more fun than trying to restore somthing in better shape. Especially if it is a relatively hard to find set like your model 21. There is less pressure to make it "perfect," and more pleasure in making it much better than it was when you aquired it.

Additionally on the "basket cases" that I have brought back to life, I have learned somthing about circuitry and replacement, and even cabinet work, that I haver put to good use with subsequent restoration projects.

It would be interesting to follow your progress on this neat set, maybe some updates and photos??

Yeah that's the one from epay. Haven't got it up and running as it needs a bunch of work. Anybody rewound a field coil from a K type speaker? What size wire? and how many pounds will I need? I did a quick measurement from the grid caps to ground and from B+ to the plate pins of the 24'A tubes all measured open. Is the coil winding data around?
All I've done so far is just a few measurement and a general cleaning. Thought I might pull the 80 and fire it up to see what filament voltage I have on the output tube sockets. Seems like I could have 5.0v if it's an early job and I wouldn't want to waste a good pair of 45's if it doesn't have the required 2.5v.
Will keep you posted.
Terry

I'm surprised that all three RF coils would be open, this warrants further investigation. The audio interstage burning out is a common problem with sets from this era but not an open speaker field coil, those rarely burn out unless there is a shorted output filter capacitor. You may find in each instance that the problem is something as simple as a bad solder joint or a wore broken away from the terminal.
Best Regards
Arran

I'm suspecting corrosion more than anything from moisture and acids in the paper/other materials used in construction.
Terry