[DavidJField]

Hi all,

A friend asked me to sell some stuff for him. One item is this Philco 212 radio/phono. The phono disc changer is missing a bunch of parts. Cabinet wood is in decent condition, but needs to be refinished. I haven't plugged it in to see it anything lights up. I know nothing at all about old radios or tubes - is there anything I should know before I try turning it on? Can anyone offer any advice on how to sell a hulk like this in need of restoration and lots of parts? Or should I part it out?

trying to attach a photo, but in case I can't, here are all of them in an ImageShack album: http://imageshack.us/g/1/9992845/

Thanks,
David

[Ron Ramirez]

Hi

First of all, where are you located? "United States" is way too vague. Please change your profile to include (just) a city and state, it will make it easier to help you find a buyer for your set. Thanks.

Man, it's a real shame that the cloth front is worn off around the tuning, volume, and off-on controls. Plus, three of the four knobs are not original, and the one knob that is original (on the off-on switch) should be on either the volume or the tone control.

Is the turntable (platter) missing from the Capehart changer? I did not look at all of the photos, but the ones I did look at, I did not see the platter.

That would be a great addition to someone's collection, assuming the missing parts for the Capehart changer can be found.

[DavidJField]

Thanks Ron.
The platter is missing, and one of the photos shows that a cast metal armature is broken (I think it's the base of the arm that moves the discs). I'm looking for more info on the changer - wondering if it would be worth finding a non-working one for parts.
Also, I did find this: http://www.philcoradio.com/tech/plugin.htm and no, I haven't plugged it in yet. Kind of figured there might be something like that. Not sure I want to invest that much in it, but I'm tempted. Where can I buy electrolytics? I saw the resources page, but I don't see anybody listed as selling electrolytic condensers - are they called something else? Can they be tested, instead of blindly replacing them?
If I start pulling parts off to test them, is there anything I need to beware of like charged capacitors, etc?
Profile updated (Pasco, WA)
Thanks,
David

[Arran]

From my experience and personal observation you would be better off selling the unit as it is whole rather then parting it out as most of the parts are only useful for other Philco sets of the same era. What typically happens when you part out something is people will buy a few small select pieces and leave you stuck with the rest. If you were in my area I would be interested in having a look at this thing, but see if you can find the phonograph platter. The good news is that Capehart made record changers for other companies too, Majestic radios as well I think, so it may be possible to find the missing parts from a set in even worse shape.
Regards
Arran

[Ron Ramirez]

Yes, it would be worth finding another Capehart changer for parts - even with the bad cloth front panel, these 212 sets are not found that often.

Sorry, try electrolytic capacitors. Mouser Electronics, Bob's Antique Radios, Radio Daze, Just Radios are a few of the vendors selling these.

The 212 is 82 years old now - the capacitors are going to be bad and will all require replacement. No sense wasting your time on testing them.

Oh, and there are two versions of the 112/212 chassis. The early version has two 45 audio output tubes (very pricey) and will use no electrolytic capacitors; its filter capacitors are embedded in a large can mounted on top of the chassis, filled with a black wax-like material, very hard and with a high melting point. The later version uses two 47 audio output tubes and does have two copper Mershon electrolytic capacitors along with a much smaller metal can with a few paper capacitors inside.

If no power has been applied to the set in a long time, there should be no danger of a shock from a charged capacitor, but safety first - if it is the later version with electrolytics, you can use a screwdriver blade to short the positive ends to chassis ground just to be sure. (Never, ever do any service work under the chassis without making sure the set is unplugged first!)