116B dial drive disassembly surprise

116B dial drive disassembly surprise - Printable Version

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116B dial drive disassembly surprise - mbhdesign - 01-19-2023

Hi everybody,

I’m just starting the cleaning and disassembly of a Philco 116B and ran into an unexpected issue during the dial drive disassembly.

The first issue is that the Band Selection Actuator is missing. Now I know why the dial belt was just hanging loose.

The real surprise was to find that the Band Selector bracket itself has been attached to the dial drive housing bracket?! There are two grounding straps soldered to each bracket connecting them. Here are some pics:

Is that typical? Or was someone trying to solve a problem?

I’ve been following the excellent tutorial in the Philco Library (https://philcoradio.com/library/index.php/shop-talk/techniques/dial-drive-rebuilding-2/) but it doesn’t show this grounding strap attachment.

Can I ignore and cut these away from the band selector bracket?

RE: 116B dial drive disassembly surprise - Radioroslyn - 01-19-2023

If you need to remove it I would unsolder it and resolder at reinstallation. It's probably there to insure that the tuning cap is quite when tuning. Extra grounding doest'n hurt in rf circuits.

Great set GL!

RE: 116B dial drive disassembly surprise - mbhdesign - 01-19-2023

Hi Radioroslyn!

Ok! Sounds like a good plan to me. Thanks!

I’m pouring over other restoration posts related to this radio model. I may be missing other components as well. Keep an eye out for my upcoming want ad.

RE: 116B dial drive disassembly surprise - klondike98 - 01-19-2023

The 116B I worked on had a similar dual braid. I think Radioroslyn has it now.

RE: 116B dial drive disassembly surprise - Radioroslyn - 01-19-2023

Hey is that auction house still down there off rt 55 in Front Royal? Me and a couple of high school buddy's would drive down from MD on Sat afternoon. This would have been in the mid- late 70's. It was a real hoot! Even got some radios too.

RE: 116B dial drive disassembly surprise - Radioroslyn - 01-19-2023

Bob
Yup still have the early 116B. Found the needed opt and longwave antenna coil. So electronically a littlle bit of work the chassis would be in good order. On the other hand eeck that cabinet. Haven't done much w/it. It's on the docket for this spring. Have been busy with a 16B cathedral and a '34 16 RX chairside refinishing. The 118 spkr ended up donating it's cone and fc to repair a destitute 16B tombstone w/a 10 1/2" spkr.

mbldesign
I should be pretty well versed in the 116's as I have four of them but it's been four or five yrs since I've been digging around inside one. They are very similar to the four band model 16's. The later models (37-116, 38-116, and low fidelity '39-116) are very different from the four band 16's and 116. Just wondering which model do you have? Does your set have the 10 1/2" spkr (early) or the 8" spkr (late) ? While you have the dial out never clean it w/water! It will remove any printing. Odorless mineral spirits works well but use it gently.

https://philcoradio.com/phorum/showthread.php?tid=16833

Lots of wise guys here to help you w/you restoration. I'm not one of them I just have a lot of time on my hands...

RE: 116B dial drive disassembly surprise - klondike98 - 01-19-2023

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RE: 116B dial drive disassembly surprise - mbhdesign - 01-19-2023

Bob:
Yes, exactly! Thanks for your post link. I should have known someone would have seen this before!

Radioroslyn:
I’ll have to check if that auction house is still there. I’m pretty close to Newtown Auctions on Rt 11 in Stephens City. Not the same.

Yes, I’m lucky to have access to all this expert knowledge. It is deeply appreciated!

I will measure my speaker to see if it’s a 10-1/2 or 8” and will let you know. Sadly, the original dial was damaged long ago - but the fragments clean up nicely with mineral spirits!

RE: 116B dial drive disassembly surprise - mbhdesign - 01-19-2023

Here are some additional shots of the 116B chassis.

RE: 116B dial drive disassembly surprise - Radioroslyn - 01-19-2023

Dirty little bugger aint it. Got your work cut out for you
Cute AK40.
Don't know if you have run across this or not https://philcoradio.com/library/download/service%20info/service%20bulletins/Philco%20Service%20Bulletin%20222.pdf It's the service info for your set.

RE: 116B dial drive disassembly surprise - RodB - 01-20-2023

Strip down and head for the shower!

RE: 116B dial drive disassembly surprise - mbhdesign - 01-20-2023

Boy, no kidding! Good thing I can go outside and brush this chassis down. It's been in the low 50s here lately.
Sad (but not uncommon) story on this particular radio. It looks like a small animal chewed its way into the top of the cabinet, settled in, and left a lot of tiny ball-shaped droppings. Fortunately, it decided not to perish in there and desiccate. (Shudder.) Gloves, mask and serious sterilization procedures here. Felt a bit like "The Andromeda Strain."

That's actually an AK 37 back there. I picked it up as a spare parts set for my (eventual) AK 38 rebuild — when I get up enough courage to tackle it. Actually, tackling the bakelite condenser blocks in this 116B might not be a bad "introductory lesson" for tackling the AK 37 / AK 38 Power Unit. I'm always willing to learn!

Oh, and yes, this 116B looks like an early one. It has a 10-1/2" speaker.
Thanks for the Service Bulletin link! It's a much better resolution than I was able to pick up by browsing around.

Thanks again for your friendly advice and comments along the way here, too. It feels really great to know there's a crowd rooting for you in the background.

RE: 116B dial drive disassembly surprise - Radioroslyn - 01-20-2023

So if you have time to kill here's a few pics of my late 116B https://philcoradio.com/phorum/showthread.php?tid=19320 https://philcoradio.com/phorum/showthread.php?tid=15140 Scroll down a bit.

The baseboard in mine was falling apart. Steve Davis fabricated a new one for me and the fit was perfect. Also the banding for the outside on it and the 39-80. All of which went on without a hitch. He specializes in parts for the older cathedral cabinets and some handy tools.

Those AK power supplies are a bit of a scourge. The filter caps are buried in a gooey muck of tar. And an audio choke to maneuver around. Loads of laughs. I have a my self that someday I may get around to. I think I'd rather work on TV's. And I'm not that good at it. [Image: https://philcoradio.com/phorum/images/smilies/icon_twisted.gif]

RE: 116B dial drive disassembly surprise - mbhdesign - 01-20-2023

Hi Terry,

Quote:You wrote: Those AK power supplies are a bit of a scourge. The filter caps are buried in a gooey muck of tar. And an audio choke to maneuver around. Loads of laughs. I have a my self that someday I may get around to. I think I'd rather work on TV's. And I'm not that good at it.

Boy, that's for sure. I keep the AK 37 Power Unit on my bench as a reminder that whatever else I'm working on, it's not as tough as that's gonna be.

Gorgeous cabinet job! And really nice work on the breadboard! Wow!
My cabinet looks a lot more like the 32B and 611 models. Yours has a cool scallop-style lower front plate and streamlined wrap-around sides - very chic for 1936. Is that also because it's a later version?