Posts: 2
Threads: 1
Joined: May 2023
City: Quincy
State, Province, Country: Illinois
Hello all! I'm a newbie to the phorum so excuse my decorum. I have a "Hippo" model that is holding me up. The IF transformer in front & behind the speaker is dead. I need to remove it to replace the caps within. Has anyone else completed this task with success? Power goes in but doesn't come out, so I need to dig in a bit more. Thanks...
Posts: 990
Threads: 40
Joined: Feb 2015
City: Roseville, MN
Hello Rich and welcome to the Phorum. First, I love puns and you opened with two, bravo! Next, your IF transformer sounds like an open primary winding. Removing them is usually pretty simple but reinstalling is tricky if you don't mark the can position on the chassis and the relative position of the coil form inside the can. After you get it out use an ohmmeter to determine which winding is the primary and pray you can find a broken or loose wire dangling near a terminal. Sometimes all that's needed is to reflow solder to the terminals to reestablish the connection. If none of this solves the problem then the open is internal to the winding. On rare occasions the wire can be unwound and the break will be a few turns in. Others have replaced the entire can with one from a donor radio but it must be one that has the same resonant frequency. Work slowly and carefully, the wires are delicate. GL
Posts: 2
Threads: 1
Joined: May 2023
City: Quincy
State, Province, Country: Illinois
Thanks, Rod! I've worked on Zenith transformers with mica issues before. I didn't know what the process was trying to get the assembly out of the Philco can. There are two gold tabs on two sides. I didn't know if I needed a special tool or what.
Posts: 105
Threads: 17
Joined: Mar 2018
City: angeles city,philippines
looking at your photo i see a bent over tab and theres probably another opposite it on the skirt of the can