Thread: Hmv 1115
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Old 6th Apr 2021, 2:33 pm   #1
MeanDumpsterCat
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Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Selsey, West Sussex, UK.
Posts: 204
Default Hmv 1115

Another resurrection in the can for me.

So far this is the oldest one i've worked on. Wasnt really much that needed doing but this set is very cramped making it just a little more challenging.

When I first go it I was happy to see it at least had all of it's valves. All original Marconi's in fact.
Most of the rubber wiring had started to decay quite badly including all the wires to the dropper resistor and speaker. I replaced all of that with some modern heat resistant wiring. Aside from the colour, i'm pretty happy with how that turned out. Unfortunately they didnt have any wires in "1940s brown". It was also caked in dust. Maybe it wasnt such a great idea to open it up on my living room floor ...

Looking at the underside it seemed to be all original with no previous repair work which is always a relief.
Some of the resistors were measuring a little high but since this wasnt going to be a full restoration, just a resurrection so to speak, I left them in place. Oddly the only resistors that measured high were the higher value ones. Anyhow, they werent far gone enough to cause any real problems (for now at least)

I replaced the paper and wax capacitors as they're over 70 years old and I didnt want to take any chances. Luckily there's not many in this set. I also replaced the electrolytics before powering up since they were both physically and electrically leaky.

Dial cord was also broken. I have fixed a new one in to the best of my ability. It doesnt track perfectly but works well enough for the moment. I also still need to fix up the cursor and re paint the back plate of the tuner scale since the original paint had started to flake off. I have removed the old paint altogether and at some stage i'll try and find some paint that's suitable.

First power up under the current limiter went okay. After leaving it on for a while I decided to give it the beans and see what happens. To my disappointment, nothing. Turns out a wire had broken off that I didnt notice when replacing the filter caps. After reconnecting that, it slowly crackled to life.

I have to say i'm very impressed by the sound for such a small speaker. I heard lots of people saying it sounds tinny and harsh but I cant say that in this case. Sounds a lot better than some modern radio's i've heard. I guess it's that slightly over the top push-pull output stage. Unusual for a small set but I believe this same chassis was used in radiogram models.

While there is still some minor work to do i'm very that I was able to make it work once again after being in someone's attic for the better part of 40 years.

I love this set mostly for it's quirky ugliness. The tasteless green and uninspired appearance make it dated in the best way and I just had to have it. It really looks like something from a long gone era.

Pictures + YouTube video attached below


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgkITdhFdZ4
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