AC Civilian Receiver

[Aerodyne]

Hessian of a good quality can usually be obtained from dressmaker's suppliers - any shops that have a department with cloth on rolls, such as Dunelm Mills.
I'm surprised that a Philips receiver should have had a Truvox loudspeaker fitted as original equipment. Am I missing something here? Did Philips own Truvox? Seems unlikely. I'll do a spot of research.
Joe, I will send you a scan of the wording for the top of the set if you'll PM me your email address. I can also show you - if you'd like to see it - a photo of the back I made for one of my restorations, plus the large label. It is accurate to the original. If you need a JPG of the scale plate, I have that too.
-Tony

[Aerodyne]

A very quick Google brought this site:
http://brenelltape.co.uk/id9.html
Very brief info here, but it seems that LS production began by Truvox in 1936 in Britain. No apparent connection with Philips, so either Philips bought the unit in or it was fitted by persons unknown at a later date.
Typically, Truvox no longer make loudspeakers, nor tape recorders; they appear to have captured a large market in floor cleaners!
-Tony

[Joe]

I've got the cabinet glued up and have cleaned the chassis. The maker remains a mystery as there's a mark on the rear of the chassis that looks like the ghost of a name plate but it's not there. This is a fate which is unlikely to befall my Fergy as the plate on that is held on with clutch-head screws!

The smoothers sound dreadful so I've just ordered ten which will take a while to arrive and there are a few others that I'll need to buy so it won't be working for a while. I'll enjoy doing the case and mechanical bits in the mean-time.

- Joe

[Yorkie]

The maker's ID number on mine is just a crudely applied rubber stamp and ink job on the rear chassis apron next to the mains input. If you look at the rear view pic on my earlier posting, you'll note 'U7' which is Murphy, followed by a serial number. Perhaps other makers used a data plate fixed to the rear apron, but I doubt it. Maybe if you clean the dirt off the back apron carefully Joe, you'll see the makers ID in an ink stamp between the mains lead input and aerial socket.

As to the label on top, the text is is a maroon colour on a gold background. It's hard to tell whether it was a waterslide transfer or a paper label. I've taken a photo of mine, which is very poor and only to give an idea so that you could produce one. The label is 3" long and 1" high and is applied centrally on the top of the cabinet with the text facing to the front. The text is centred, and has a box around it. I've tried to identfy a suitable standard font in MS Word, and the nearest is I think 'IMPACT' with the top line of text in 16 pt bold, and the two italic lines of text in 12 point. You'll notice that the 'R' in IMPACT font is similar in style to the original. For comparison, I've tried it in 'Franklin Gothic Demi' in 16pt and 12 pt bold, with italic for the two lower lines of text, but you'll see that the R is dfferent from the original style. I've knocked up a couple of quick examples to give you an idea, and have compared them with the original. I just furtled about in PAINT to try to create a custom colour that was as near to gold as possible and a similar custom colour of dark red(ish!). Maybe you could do something like that and print it on paper, then spray the paper with several coats of clear lacquer to protect it and stiffen it up, or could take the more exotic route of gold decal paper from 'crafy compueter paper' if (big if!) your printer is up to the task.

In the attached two drafts, 'IMPACT' is the second draft entitled 'top label 2'.

Hope that helps a bit.


David

[Joe]

It's always the way: no matter how many fonts you've got you've never got the right one.

I could resist no longer and was also thinking that there was no point buying/making minor bits if there was something really nasty amiss with it.

I connected it up through the lamp-limiter with no valves in and it drew 40mA which showed that the transformer primary was OK. I then put the rectifier in, which had fallen out in transit, and that glowed. The current went up to 85mA and the HT was 360v. The smoothers couldn't have been too bad as they took a few seconds to discharge.

One little oddity is that it should have three separate ones but this set has a single and a double. I can't see any reference to this in the variations list but, as Tony pointed out, I don't expect they were all documented.

I then bunged the rest of the valves in and just about managed to pick up Absolute Radio. It sounded rotten but was like a dog walking on his hinder legs. It is not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all.

At least it's now definitely worth getting on with the other bits. I've seen a tuning cord drum somewhere but can't think where.

It's certainly proving an interesting job and I got a Premium Bond cheque this morning which has paid for it and at least some of the bits it'll need. I'm certainly very pleased to have it and it being smaller than I expected will make it easier to ultimately house.

- Joe

[Andy - G8MNM]

Joe,

Do you have or have access to a copy of Chas Miller's Valve Radio & Audio Repair Handbook?
You will find lots of interesting information about the wartime utility receivers there.
For copyright purposes I don't think I could copy the pertinent section, but I bought my copy off Ebay or Amazon for a decent price.
It is a book well worth buying as it is a mine of information for use in repairing/restoring valve radios.

Good luck with yours, I've fancied one of those radios myself for a while.

Andy

[Joe]

Thanks for the tip, Andy. I'll have a look.

- Joe

[Joe]

I haven't done much to it today as I've been forcing myself to get some other chores done while the weather allows.

I glued the cabinet last night and it's set very well. I've been over it with wire-wool and given it a few coats of linseed oil and it's looking lovely.

The latest idea for speaker cloth is (are?) my painting trousers.

   

There's an upholstery supply place quite near me so I'll also look what they've got at some point. These finishing touches are a long way off yet though.

It's perhaps a silly question but why is the pusser stuff so flipping expensive? I've looked at various places aimed at both the restoration of vintage equipment and the repair of modern and there's little between them. It doesn't have to be conductive or anything so how the dickens is £18 a square FOOT justified?

Joe

[tiv48]

jo if you pm me your address i have some hession you can have
rob t

[Joe]

I've now had a proper look at the smoothers. Both halves of the double one are disgustingly healthy, leaking only just over a milliamp with the voltage over three-hundred. The single one is a different matter. The leakage is zero but the voltage across it is only a hundred and there's no sign of any capacitance either so that will be a re-stuff.

The cabinet continues to improve and has already been admired by a couple of people.

- Joe