[Jayce]

Ok, this wasn't planned at all. I've been sick all day and got a call right after work from a shop I know in Canton, Ohio about some 'goodies' he had just gotten in from an elderly gentleman he knows. Apparently, this guy had inherited his parents old home down in Marrietta, Ohio and was cleaning it up for a sale. The radio that caught my attention is when my buddy said one of the radios pulled from the attic and now in his shop was a Philco model 30 in a fairly good cabinet. Well, I hobbled up there and took a look, then placed my money down and brought the console home. The only thing that made me take pause is the cabinet. It is not like the 30 lowboy pictured here and more like the late version of my 87 lowboy cabinet. It looks all correct though and I am wondering if Philco actually stuck early model 30 units into leftover cabinets? With 8 tubes, this seems to be a fairly deluxe set for a battery set of the time.

   

   

[jerryhawthorne]

Got to love that one Jayce. I'm fond of the tapestry grill cloth and wish someone would reproduce it as they fade. Still love them. Those radios that had doors that would close over the front seemed to have survived better. Great looking radio.
Jerry

[Jayce]

Just pulled this set back out today and am thinking about placing it at the front of the repair line after the auction I am going to Wednesday. I really want to see how this battery set performs. Only issues will be building a good power supply to mount in the cabinet, especially with the dual C battery design, and that hard speaker cone. But, I really want to keep the original speaker in this set it if works as it is kinda unique.

[jerryhawthorne]

Here is the schematic for those who wish to follow. I hope it is right. Seems to be missing a dot on the filament line.
Jerry

http://www.nostalgiaair.org/PagesByModel...029585.pdf

[tab10672]

For what its worth, I have a 95 with the same tapestry cloth that was badly faded so I bought a set of sharpie fine point markers (the set walmart sells with about 50 different colors) and since the cloth is embroidered the thread is raised so much that you can color in the high stitches to bring it back to life.

[Jayce]

Thanks for the help so far. Only question I still have is the cabinet style. All the type 30 lowboys I have seen thus far have the later version cabinet, not this one.

[Radioroslyn]

For the C supply I would just use some batteries maybe some AA type wired in series. The current usage is very low so the AA will last years. As for the speaker you can easley convert it to use a PM speaker all you need is a P/P output transformer and a suitable replacement speaker. There is no field coil on the original.
GL
Terry

[Ron Ramirez]

Well, a model 30 in a 1929 lowboy cabinet. I guess this is another instance where Philco was using up excess inventory at the beginning of a model year to create a few Phactory Phranken-Philcos.

This isn't the only time I've seen a Philco chassis of one season in a cabinet of another. It appears that during the Depression, Philco often created limited quantity Phactory Phrankens to use up excess stock. The Philco grandfather clock is an example. It was made first with model 70 chassis, then with model 71 chassis, then with Model 52 chassis. And I have one with a model 89 chassis that I believe came that way from the factory.

Hang on to that 30, Jayce, it's unique!

[TA Forbes]

Gosh! Another Philco Phranken!!

I LOVE how Philco did this!!

Nice set, Jay!

[Jayce]

Oh, I have no plans to let this radio go anywhere except my bedroom if it proves to be a good performer. First off, I love this style of Philco lowboy and it is in good overall condition and complete. Second, I know most of the history of this piece and am (basically) the second or third owner of it.

[Jayce]

Tonight work is to begin on this set! Only issue: the on-off knob somehow managed to take a serious set on the shaft and I broke some of the edge off the knob trying to get it back off. It was hard to get off before, but this time was really bad and I nearly tore the skin off my fingers trying to pop it back off the shaft. I'll have to find another. The knob is actually a bit defective, with an irregularly drilled or molded hole. My fingers really hurt from that thing...

[TA Forbes]

Do what I do to avoid sore fingers.

Have your wife, kids, or someone else's wife or kids pull the knob off.

Someone else's pain is much easier to deal with than your own pain.

[Arran]

Building a more permanent C- supply isn't too hard, the biggest issue is trying to remove the AC ripple from it but that's where voltage regulators can come in handy. The old fashioned way to supply C- was to take it out of the B- string with a series of resistors, but a cheap Pi filter network with a choke resistor won't cut it for battery sets. The one good feature with console battery sets is that they usually incorporated a shelf to store the A and B batteries, so there is lots of room even to put an all tube based battery eliminator/power supply let alone a SS one.
Regards
Arran