Ekco A239/1: A Sorry Tale.

[Mark R]

Good point Steve re the screened cable

[Joe]

I did check the transformer windings relative to chassis.

I'll have go at the cables tomorrow as my back has had enough of bending over it for one day.

Thanks for the tips.

- Joe

[Joe]

Latest developments, or lack thereof:-

   
Green dots = changed caps.

I broke the HT as marked by the red line which made no difference.

The screened leads marked in green megger out at infinity.

C55 had already been changed for a 630V Wima one but I changed it again along with C60.

I can't find C59 or the associated tap on the volume pot. C58 is there but connects one end of the track to a through-chassis pin with nothing else on it.

The electrolytic can (C62 and C63) has a bulge on the bottom but it always had. It's certainly something to rule out and I have got suitable caps in stock.

By the way, would it be hideous profligacy to buy a new soldering iron tip?

   

I can only recall buying four in my whole life and this one was as good as new this time last year!

More later.

- Joe

[Alistair D]

The grid of the EM80 is linked to the pole of the switch with the gram input. A short in the EM80 or it's wiring could cause the fault you have. Maybe even leakage across the valve base.

Al

[Joe]

Thanks, Al. While I've been testing the valve has been out but I'll check the wiring and base.

- Joe

[Joe]

I said this thing was cursed. I was having a poke about while waiting for my soldering iron to warm up and got a nip off it as I'd switched the wrong socket on. I'd switched it off there in the name of safety!

   

If the circuit is broken on the blue line there's nothing on the Tone wiper so I believe that this rules out the EM80 and associated components along with C62 and C63.

I've also removed C58 as, for all it probably wasn't doing any harm, it certainly wasn't doing any good.

- Joe

[Coherers]

By the way, would it be hideous profligacy to buy a new soldering iron tip?

I can only recall buying four in my whole life and this one was as good as new this time last year!

One of my Antex tips looks just like that. I didn't do anything in the workshop for a month, and when I came back I found that I'd left the soldering iron on all that time (Doh!). With that result - mine was a fairly new tip too.

[Joe]

I think my record's a week.

- Joe

[Joe]

Sorted the so-and-so!

Steve was right (of course be was!) back in Post 32. I'd been confused as I was mixing the switch connections up.

I'd ruled everything else out so tried it in desperation thinking if that didn't work it was going on e-Bay in bits.

The only defence I have, apart from stupidity, is that it's an absolute pig to work on and I've been spoilt with so many Bush sets. At least I've learnt more than I would have if I'd done that in the first place.

It still needs tidying and hopefully I'll be able to replace the valves I've pinched out of it at Golborne.

There's a volume adjustable hum, which is particularly noticeable on VHF; that's now working thanks to a new ECC85. Hopefully getting rid of the remaining Hunt's will shift it.

Thanks for the help. I may well set Steve on the Pye next month, it won't stand a chance.

- Joe

[Joe]

Re-cap done and hum gone.

There are a couple of Hunt's left as I haven't got any small enough replacements but will be ordering some bits soon so will get them then.

The bottom of the smoothing can is bulging but has been ever since I've had it and it hasn't blown up and seems to work fine.

- Joe