Pilot light dim on 42-321 Philco - Printable Version

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+--- Thread: Pilot light dim on 42-321 Philco (/showthread.php?tid=1877)

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Pilot light dim on 42-321 Philco - codefox1 - 06-13-2009

This was another "kit" by the time UPS got done with it. The cabinet was in pieces. For once the dial glass wasn't broken. Someone did a hack job and replaced the volume control with something that had a short shaft. Whatever knob they used was gone, so I'm short a knob. Replaced the volume control with a new one, and cut the shaft to the correct length and filed it down to receive a proper knob. So far so good. Recapped it, replaced the 50L6 with a NOS, patched up the speaker with elmer's and TP, about 1/4 the paper was gone or turned to dust, removed and washed the grille cloth and then stretched it over the cardboard, stapled it, glued it, removed the staples, and it came out pretty good. Made the prosthetic moulding out of hardwood scraps, stripped the finish, glued up the parts into a cabinet, painted the moulding black with enamel, waited a week for it to dry, and then then put on 2 coats of laquer. I assume now would be a good time to apply a Philco decal, which I don't have. I also think I should give another coat or two of laquer, this time a tinted one, as the cabinet now appears to be too light, although not unpleasant.

The internal antenna also was a kit, so I had to re glue the dowels, replace one of the missing pieces of wood, and straighten out the tangle of wire so the windings were symmetric. Used drippings from a candle to keep the spacings correct on the dowels. Low tech, but eminently reversable. The alignment was unremarkable, although it took a bit of coaxing and a buck's worth of deoxit to wash out the mouse turds and nicotine out of everything so I could proceed.

I put it together today, even though I'm not done. The set plays very well indeed. In fact it really rocks for a '42.

But I can barely see the dial because the #47 pilot lamp ( well that's what I put in there) is quite dim. There is a shunt resistor of 40 ohms with teh pilot light, and the rectifier does not have a filament tap. This is a new one on me, but I'll bet there is someone out there who has seen it before.

Thanks

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