Re: The Thanks Thread
I have followed some of the debates recently on advice to newcomers on this board. Whilst I cannot claim to be a "newbie" ,having worked in and around industrial electronics most of my life, I had not restored domestic radios until after joining this forum in early 2014.
As a way of thanks and to give feedback I have listed all the things I have learnt, or re-learnt, that have specifically helped me restore various radios over the last few years.
In the order they come to mind without elaborating on the detail or persons that gave the advice they include:
1. Take time to build a frame to hold a chassis upside down when working on it.
2. Capacitor reforming and why you do not apply mains power to an old set to "see if it works"
3. Lamp limiters – When to use of and construction of.
4. IF Transformers - Do Not Touch
5. VHF Discriminators NEVER Touch.
6. Alignment of above can be done but needs test equipment and specific procedures.
7. Voltages on service sheets are a guide and may have been modified by meter loading. ( Ohms per volt loading)
8. Replacing components – It is ok to snip and join rather than try to unravel delicate valve base tags.
9. Capacitive droppers for heaters.
10. Fake/sub standard Components - 2N3055's in particular.
11. Live chassis sets precautions /repair implications and why they were designed with no protruding screws on the knobs.
12. Leaky capacitors and in particular Triode anode to Pentode grid coupling in audio output stages.
13. Leaky switch wafers bleeding HT into AGC lines - probably would never have found that on my own!
14. Plus all the bits that I have generously been given or purchased at reasonable prices.
So thank you to all for advice and comments which have enhanced my knowledge and enabled me to confidently switch on my radios knowing they will perform fairly closly to how they did when new.
Pete
|