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dave walsh · 25th Mar 2019, 2:48 pm

A number of threads like this were opened in 2018 as a response to the retro "up-cycling/recycling" mania, as promoted by various programs on TV. There were positive but perhaps mainly negative comments about this trend. It was sometimes seen as defacing otherwise excellent bits of kit or alternatively rescuing them from oblivion! Prior to that quite recent trendy development, members have sometimes commented, in the past, on the defacement of radios by the addition of a reading lamp on the top. This was usually functioning as a mains dropper re a set originally designed for 115 volts! While sorting various magazine runs [with Forum help] I came across a PW article [January 1961] yesterday.

It's about an AC/DC, live chassis, series fed, "Combined Radio and Table Lamp" using 12SK7, 12SL7 and 6G6 [12A6] valves! It was specifically designed to take advantage of the light bulb rather than something that was added on! "The power which is normally wasted in this [dropper resistor] component is made to serve a useful purpose. The lamp may be used without the radio but when the radio is working [it] must be in circuit." This is similar to the arrangement that applies in the Lamp Limiter design as the Wavechange switch doubles up to place the bulb in series or not! So this is an example of a Lamp being specifically included in the design, rather than just tacked on!

Dave W

25th Mar 2019, 2:48 pm	#138
dave walsh Dekatron Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Ramsbottom (Nr Bury) Lancs or Bexhill (Nr Hastings) Sussex. Posts: 5,817	Re: I hate Steampunk AVOs A number of threads like this were opened in 2018 as a response to the retro "up-cycling/recycling" mania, as promoted by various programs on TV. There were positive but perhaps mainly negative comments about this trend. It was sometimes seen as defacing otherwise excellent bits of kit or alternatively rescuing them from oblivion! Prior to that quite recent trendy development, members have sometimes commented, in the past, on the defacement of radios by the addition of a reading lamp on the top. This was usually functioning as a mains dropper re a set originally designed for 115 volts! While sorting various magazine runs [with Forum help] I came across a PW article [January 1961] yesterday. It's about an AC/DC, live chassis, series fed, "Combined Radio and Table Lamp" using 12SK7, 12SL7 and 6G6 [12A6] valves! It was specifically designed to take advantage of the light bulb rather than something that was added on! "The power which is normally wasted in this [dropper resistor] component is made to serve a useful purpose. The lamp may be used without the radio but when the radio is working [it] must be in circuit." This is similar to the arrangement that applies in the Lamp Limiter design as the Wavechange switch doubles up to place the bulb in series or not! So this is an example of a Lamp being specifically included in the design, rather than just tacked on! Dave W