[morzh]

Rich

>> What a nice-looking chassis I would grabbed it too .


Yeah.....and there was the rest of the radio attached to it too! Also nice-looking!



Rod

So far. I do not wanto to jinx things, but the guy who sold it to me said "I restored it, it works". Well, I am sure it works in the way in might even pull stations and speak, but as "restored it", considering the only two parts replaced are the two electrolytic caps, and the replacements are "Philco-Ford" (likely made before I was born), I would hardly call it "restoration". And the power cord is original, even though it is not falling apart, but it needs replacement also.

The "special" in AKs is their capacitor cans, which need to be opened. Unlike the 808A, this one has several smaller ones.

But the parts are higher quality than the Philco's. Even the flexible resistors are better made and even look sturdier, including the end terminations. The ones by Philco are easily detached, often on their own.
No, no, I am not maligning Philco; theirs, especially when compared to many that came after them is good quality, but that's just that, good. AK's is superb. Just the tube panels are something.

Well, I guess this was one of the factors that did the AK in; many people are willing to compromise on quality when buying things, if the price reflects it. And there is no limits to that, considering what crap from overseas we are buying today. Oh well....

[radiorich]

Hello morzh,
Yes, my AK is a model 84 and it is the console and what they call the Red Lion cabinet version Yes, I would not trust those old capacitors and really old-line cord .
I did years ago buy a Howard Chassis that was from a Tombstone so i have no cabinet .

Sincerely Richard

[morzh]

   
   


These are the wires I replaced. The pink are the filament wires, and the white are signal wires. Started to crack, so I decided to replace them.


Now there is that question of the capacitors' cans. They are riveted to the chassis..

   

And these are the cans themselves (you could see the rivets).

   
   


The rivets are on the side, so could be easily drilled out, and then, I guess, replaced with screws, even if this will alter the apearance a little.

What did those of you who deat with these do?

Another option is just to install solder strips and bypass them. The caps' values, unlike the resistors, are all over the place (I checked out of circuit, of course).
Also the tone ctl can is a bit diffrerent (5-cap) from that in the sch (4-cap one).

I also decided to keep the electrolytic caps rework the way it is, (with the Philco-Ford caps replaced).  I will use solder lugs and use the existing electrolytics as the support.

[morzh]

Today I decided to take it on the condensor cans. I picked the first one, with the caps 13-16.
In fact, in the sch and on the chassis drawing the can has 4 caps; in reality it has 5 caps as the tone control switch uses 3 of them, and not 2 and one empty position, like the sch shows.

Here's the can in city.
   

I took the drill and drilled out the rivets.
   

The desoldered it.

Then I set my sodering iron tip temerature to just ove 800F.
   

The tin is rather thin, and so I kept heating the bead and shaking the solder off.

   

Then I pryed the lid and with a little help of soldering iron it came off fairly easily.

   

Then I heated the eyelets and shook out the solder to free the wires.

   

Also the solder bead on the side. I did not know whether it held the ground wire. So I desoldered it just in case.

   

With a bit of prying, some sort of cover came off, and then the innards.



   
   
   
   

The other side of the cover had some numbers on it; I wonder if it is the can P/N.
Would like to finsd out to figure the 3rd Tone ctl cap's value. Though I am sure it is small, 300-500pF, and not too important.

   

Some info on AK is here. But I need more.
http://www.atwaterkent.info/TechData/Ima...32_018.gif
http://www.atwaterkent.info/TechData/Ima...32_019.gif

It says the block number is 21250.
The Gernsback book gives the values of 21250 (with the exact confuguration as mine) as 500pF - 3nF - 7nF. The values are a tad different from what sch shows. But I will trust the description in these books, seem legit.

https://worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-...Supl-6.pdf

[radiorich]

Hello morzh,
Nice job on that capacitor and will you have enough room in the tin for the new parts .

Sincerely Richard

[morzh]

Rich

Yeah, I think there's enough room for yellow caps. I might use brown flat caps for 0.1uF, as yellow cylindrucla might be a tad too fat for it.

[morzh]

OK, I know exactly what I have.

There is "3 B 9" impressed upon the can. I checked, it seems that the first number 3 means something else, and the letter and numbers after that is the alternate name for the can. Thus, in the book B-9 is indeed 21250.
I checked on the rest of the cans and the same system works when checking the imprinted numbers against the 5-digit number in the book.

So now I know for sure my radio used 21250 can and not 20010 can (in the book listed next to mine, with all correct caps' values).

So, it is 0.0005uF, 0.003uF and 0.007uF (500pF, 3nF and 7nF) caps that I should be using.

[Eliot Ness]

Good detective work Mike. All of the 82 schematics I glanced at showed a 2 position tone switch, except on an 82D, so they obviously made a change at some point in time. Below is a link to the service data on the 80 series if you haven't run across it yet:

http://www.atwaterkentradio.com/ak80.pdf

[morzh]

John


Yes, that was one of the docs I found yesterday and saved to my AK folder


OK, now here's how I have just rebuilt the can.



Placed the caps inside.

   

Solder and trim.

   
   
   
   

Close the can after having put one of the dielectric covers inside.


   


Re-measure the caps. Should be 2x 0.1uf, 3nF, 7nF and 500pF.

   
   
   
   


Off to the next one. Waiting for the riveting tool to come to put it back in place.

[morzh]

Not so good new is, the tool I bought (rivnut) did not work well. Being not a very experienced user of these, I did not realize that M3 nut gripping range is too small, so I used up two rivets only to realize that it snaps under the cap box's hole.

I might throw some good money after bad, I found a kit of coutersunk rivnuts that also has M3 in them. Because the chassis' hole is countersunk, it might help. Well, it is another $17 risk, and I am willing to take it If not, heck, I will use blind rivets. Just have to find some good looking ones.

[radiorich]

Well morzh,
I hate that when things go that way sometimes it seems like an easy cut and dry project then $200.00 later you are up to your elbows in it .
Sincerely Richard

[morzh]

Rich.....I tell you this, if you are able to spend $200 on a hobby project, as one tax advisor told us about owing taxes on stock options, "this is a good problem to have".

[radiorich]

Hello Morzh ,
does bring home strays' count Saturday I found a Ozarka speaker and nice Wards Airline AM/FM from 1951 oh ya a couple books too one being Telechron/GE guide and another radio guide .
Sincerely Richard

[radiorich]

Hello Morzh ,
how is the AK coming along?

Sincerely Richard

[morzh]

Slowly.
I need to rebuild the rest of the cans (3 left).
Also need to decide if I am rebuilding the elecytrolytics. There is a chance I will simply relace the Philco Ford caps mount on soldering lugs, using the lytics as mounting posts.

During working days I am not doing much of it. Well, I have soldered the rebuilt can back. That counts for some activity