18-10-2016, 04:44 PM
(This post was last modified: 18-10-2016, 04:45 PM by Mike Watterson.)
Lovely 
I would say that most of what I learnt at third level was no use in the next 30 years. Except there was no-way anyone would have known in advance which bits I'd need!. First year in college I used a slide rule and ever afterwards used electronic calculators. I never used valve curves till a couple of years ago and only needed them to design new stuff. Vintage restoring seems to be mostly cabinet / mechanical with the electronics rarely being taxing compared to transistor or IC equipment repair.
Commonest electronics issue maybe 99 out of 100 replaced parts: Leaky paper caps.
Next is burnt out audio transformers.
Dying selenium rectifiers.
Then Electrolytics that won't reform.
Some damaged IFTs, either wire corroded or snapped at pin. McMichael the cores fall off the brass adjusters.
Very rarely I have to replace resistors.
One beehive trimmer
Two tuning caps that needed repaired.
Most valve replacements are because they are missing or physically broken or filament gone. A couple only replaced because they are "poor".
However most of my radio sets are valve battery type, 2V and 1.4V. I have a few radiograms and record players. Some early transistor portables. I don't do P.A.s or TVs (I have one miniature CRT JVC TV/Radio). I'd like maybe one 1950s 9" valve TV, though 525 line USA would be handier than UK 405 line!
I would say that most of what I learnt at third level was no use in the next 30 years. Except there was no-way anyone would have known in advance which bits I'd need!. First year in college I used a slide rule and ever afterwards used electronic calculators. I never used valve curves till a couple of years ago and only needed them to design new stuff. Vintage restoring seems to be mostly cabinet / mechanical with the electronics rarely being taxing compared to transistor or IC equipment repair.
Commonest electronics issue maybe 99 out of 100 replaced parts: Leaky paper caps.
Next is burnt out audio transformers.
Dying selenium rectifiers.
Then Electrolytics that won't reform.
Some damaged IFTs, either wire corroded or snapped at pin. McMichael the cores fall off the brass adjusters.
Very rarely I have to replace resistors.
One beehive trimmer
Two tuning caps that needed repaired.
Most valve replacements are because they are missing or physically broken or filament gone. A couple only replaced because they are "poor".
However most of my radio sets are valve battery type, 2V and 1.4V. I have a few radiograms and record players. Some early transistor portables. I don't do P.A.s or TVs (I have one miniature CRT JVC TV/Radio). I'd like maybe one 1950s 9" valve TV, though 525 line USA would be handier than UK 405 line!
