Another interesting one to restore.

[Yorkie]

Thanks David,
I like DAC90a's and I've got loads more to put on here too!

Regards

Rob

Every home should have one Rob, and most probably have had one at some time or another, given that hundreds of thousands were out on rental for a decade or so!

Do excuse my flippant comment - I admit to being a tad biased about the DAC90A, because to me, it's a reminder of a bleak childhood and years of post-war austerity - ration books, cod liver oil, power cuts and what not. We had one on the shelf from 1948 to '58 when it was put out for the binmen. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and While I see it as a cheerless, charmless, utilitarian object, others see it as a much cherished style icon of the 1940s.

It's a fact that despite the cautionary aspect of the live chassis and its design shortcomings, many restorers have cut their teeth on the DAC90A. There's such a raft of info about it, that any newcomer - however 'green' can be assured that they'll get all the help needed to successfully restore one. Not an especially cheap restoration - invariably a UL41 valve, perhaps a tenner on caps, if unlucky a new output transformer, and sometimes, though not often, a twin electrolytic for smoothing and reservoir, which takes the cost far beyond what the set is worth, though if it's a one-off for someone who really wants one, the resale value is irrelevant. It's a hobby after all - not a business, and hobbies have costs attached to them.

Like most I guess, I've restored several and soon learnt the costly lessson that if you don't want to write off a set of valves, the first task is to remove the spring rings from the valveholders or there's a high risk of breaking the pips off the valves. The spring retainers serve no useful purpose I can only assume that the valveholders were a job lot of ex WD surplus intended for equipment that was ruggedised for rough terrain. The DAC90A was built down to a price - not up to a standard, so I'm sure they wouldn't have gone to the added expense of superfluous retaining spirings on the valveholders. The retention of valves in their holders relies not upon nasty little springs, but upon the force of gravity - which has never been known to fail. If ever it did, I think the least of our worries would be valves floating out of their holders!

One thing I would say in its favour, is that at least Bush attempted a neat underchassis layout with the tagboard, at a time when many sets looked like a rat's nest.

Wittered Yorkie, taking the thread right off the topic of Gary's French 'Integra'. Sorry about that.