Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Is my radio supposed to electrocute me?
#1

A came across a non-working 37-62 a couple weeks ago. I replaced all the caps, most of the resistors, the way out of tolerance volume pot, a bad 6A8, and a pile of dry rotted wire....and lo and behold the thing works.
The thing is, when I reached to turn on the light over my work bench....with my hand on the chassis, I touched the metal switch box and got lightly zapped. The switch is on the same run with the receptacle that it was plugged in to. When I measure from the chassis to the conduit and I get 60v.
I know this is a dumb question but, is this normal? Thanks in advance.


Attached Files
.pdf 37-62.pdf Size: 177.29 KB  Downloads: 372

"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." — Winston Churchill
#2

reverse the plug in wall,,,maybe ???? need one of the polarity plugs???
#3

Or remove the screw from #30. Methinks what you are experiencing is ac leakage from the line bypass caps which is normal. Since this set has a cap on each side of the ac line I don't think flipping the plug around will matter. Back in the old days the chassis would have a ground wire connect to the chassis so it would be an issue.

When my pals were reading comic books
I was down in the basement in my dad's
workshop. Perusing his Sam's Photofoacts
Vol 1-50 admiring the old set and trying to
figure out what all those squiggly meant.
Circa 1966
Now I think I've got!

Terry
#4

No matter what you do you should never complete the circuit with two hands. Transformer or no transformer.
I agree with Terry, you are experiencing the leakage through the #30 cap. And these caps have the value which is about 6 times what they allow today for home equipment for Y-caps.
This one won't kill you but one day you might encounter a transformer with a breakdown and the outcome might be different.

One hand behind your back, always.

People who do not drink, do not smoke, do not eat red meat will one day feel really stupid lying there and dying from nothing.
#5

Thanks guys, I'll take the screw out of the Bakelite this evening and see what happens.
And lesson learned, one hand from now on.

"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." — Winston Churchill
#6

I removed the screw from #30 last night, it's still hot. I'm going to trace everything part by part and see if I can find some mistake I've made. Thanks for the help.

"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." — Winston Churchill
#7

Just for grins measure the ac voltage from wall socket, neutral to earth ground and measure from the ground on the socket to earth ground. Maybe some leakage before it get to your set.

When my pals were reading comic books
I was down in the basement in my dad's
workshop. Perusing his Sam's Photofoacts
Vol 1-50 admiring the old set and trying to
figure out what all those squiggly meant.
Circa 1966
Now I think I've got!

Terry
#8

The most probable causes:

1. The C30.
2. The power transformer leakage.
3. Possibly the Power switch on the Volume control potentiometer.
4. Just measure for shorts between MAINS plug and the chassis, see if the resistance is very low or even in a few kOhms range, still bad.

With good transformer and no C30 whatever short is after the transformer it should not matter, it is decoupled.

People who do not drink, do not smoke, do not eat red meat will one day feel really stupid lying there and dying from nothing.
#9

The two capacitors in item 30 a connected from each side of the line cord to chassis ground. This creates a voltage divider, putting one half of the line voltage on the chassis. The current is very low so, it is not a safety issue. The main reason for these capacitors is to provide an RF ground path for the antenna circuit. Think of it this way, if you look at the schematic, imagine a wire connected from the ground symbol on the antenna transformer (item 2) to the ground symbol the item 30 capacitors. As terry said remove the screw from item 30, then check to see if the voltage is gone from the chassis. If the voltage is gone, put the screw back in and don't worry about it anymore.

Steve

M R Radios   C M Tubes
#10

Thanks all for the advice, I'll dig into it and update/beg for more help.

"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." — Winston Churchill




Users browsing this thread: 2 Guest(s)
[-]
Recent Posts
1930s Stromberg-Carlson Tombstone Radio need help identifying model number
Hi Cap'n Clock, Unfortunately, I do not have this radio.  This is a shame because this should be a good performer.  2A5...MrFixr55 — 06:48 AM
American Bosch Model 802 auto radio
I think it would come under either American Bosch or United American Bosch. American Bosch made sets for the American We...Arran — 05:53 AM
trying to identify this wire type
Thanks to all for the feedback. As Arran said, it is probably an older replacement and yes it has a grid cap so I will ...georgetownjohn — 09:32 PM
trying to identify this wire type
It's possible that the red wire, actually a grid cap lead, is a very old replacement, I can't remember seeing a pre 1939...Arran — 09:18 PM
Gilfillan Brothers Car Radio?
Hi everyone,  Special thanks to Joe Rossi for tracking down this obscure radio and thanks to others who took up the hun...Antipodal — 08:15 PM
trying to identify this wire type
Here's one source for your wire of many. Take care and BE HEALTHY! Gary P.S. Can't get the right color you need? I ...GarySP — 06:40 PM
trying to identify this wire type
...and modern wire of the appropriate gauges and insulation V-rating (300V minimum, usually shown right on the wire) is ...morzh — 05:47 PM
1930s Stromberg-Carlson Tombstone Radio need help identifying model number
I have a question about this radio, is there anyone that has access to this radio that has an intact unmolested speaker ...captainclock1988 — 04:28 PM
1930s Stromberg-Carlson Tombstone Radio need help identifying model number
Well what makes me confuse all of those companies is that all three of those companies (Setchell-Carlson, Stromberg-Carl...captainclock1988 — 04:21 PM
trying to identify this wire type
The red wire is rubber covered wire. The others are cotton braid over rubber often in colors or a tracer, also strand...Chas — 02:43 PM

[-]
Who's Online
There are currently no members online.

>