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

Finished Arvin 444...
#1

I recently acquired an Arvin 444 for < $30. It is a 4(!) tube superhet with a single oscillator can, which I thought was pretty neat, to cram everything in there. It was originally white, but I believe they made them in red as well. I am not much of a "purist" in any situation, so I chose Rustoleum "cherry" for the final 2 coats.

I recapped it and did a a good cleaning and alignment. I also added an antenna, which I believe is a requirement, as it doesn't have any kind of coil or loopstick. There is a sort of inductor at the base of the antenna to "load" it I believe.

To clean it, I used a non-metallic (but still quite abrasive) drill attachment for light sanding on cars. It was very rusty, but this made quick work of it. I used this method on the chassis and the case.

Mistakes I must learn from? I would sandblast the case in future metal radios. I could not get all the paint out of the cooling fins on the front and you can tell. :-( Still, this is my first time painting anything except perhaps a model car in my youth, so I am pretty happy! Also, I need to be more careful about dust and temp control on painting. The other mistake I made several time was ripping the speaker cone. On such a small chassis, that is not much space to grab and I have bigger hands. Fortunately, I was able to patch it sufficiently.

The hardest part, electromechanically, was adjusting the ganged capacitor adjustment screw. I could not get all of the dirt out of it for the life of me and had to settle for "good enough." Once it is set, it is good, but getting to that point requires a steady hand!

I am impressed at how loud this little thing is!

[attachment=0]
#2

Here is a pictorial "history" of the project, if you'd like to see that it's actually better than when I got it! :-)

http://camateg.posterous.com/tag/arvin444




Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)
[-]
Recent Posts
Philco 91 Speaker Replacement
The spider is glued on the cone and so is the voice coil. I think you can use a cotton swab dipped in acetone and carefu...RodB — 02:42 PM
Restoring Philco 37-604C
Yes I saw that. If I knew, I'd probably try to arrange for getting it myself. But I have just got one. Which does not m...morzh — 01:44 PM
Philco 38-2 Automatic Tuning
When you push the lever, you are supposed to rotate the disk to the desired station. Then the magnetic tuning will acqu...morzh — 01:42 PM
Philco 38-2 Automatic Tuning
I figure out the muting from another picture that helped. Now I need to know how the automatic tuning works. When I push...dconant — 12:11 PM
Philco 91 Speaker Replacement
How would I go about removing the spider from the cone?dconant — 12:04 PM
Philco 38-2 Automatic Tuning
Hello, I am having trouble getting my automatic tuning to stay unmuted. If I play with the tuning handle I can get it to...dconant — 10:51 AM
Does anyone make photofinish replacements?
Here’s the link to the DIY photofinish section of our site: klondike98 — 09:46 AM
Delco car radio Peko vibrator converstion issues
Hi Richard, Thx for posting the schematic.  As I remember as a kid, these were great performers for the time, likely...MrFixr55 — 08:56 AM
Delco car radio Peko vibrator converstion issues
hello mr Fixr, The Electro  Powersupply that I am powering the radio with has a huge choke plus a 10,000ufd electrolyti...radiorich — 10:58 PM
Delco car radio Peko vibrator converstion issues
How about putting a choke in the power supply? The big cap was likely an attempt to stabilize the DC. Kids who cre...MrFixr55 — 09:19 PM

[-]
Who's Online
There are currently 2145 online users. [Complete List]
» 2 Member(s) | 2143 Guest(s)
AvatarAvatar

>