Fitting A New PLug To A Reel To Reel Tape Recorder

[Cameron]

I just bought a late 60's Philips 4304 for a bit of fun. It was sold to me as working via eBay but annoyingly the seller cut the plug off for "safety reasons" before sending it to me.

I've gone to wire in a plug but the two cores of the flex cable are both white with a minutely thin strand of blue running down the middle of the two white cores.

Can anyone suggest how to properly wire it to a UK plug please?

Thanks.

[Station X]

Unless you're planning to fit a three core flex, connect one wire to live and the other to neutral.

The player uses double pole mains switching, so you may want to do some continuity tests to make sure the internal fuse is in the live wire.

[llama]

Is the thin strand of blue made of wire or just a piece of thread?
Graham

[Herald1360]

If it's posh two core the blue thread could be a teardown to make stripping easier.

[Cameron]

Yes looking closer, the blue wire is just a thread.

So am I right in thinking that there is no positive or negative on the player? The two white wires have nothing on them at all to suggest a polarity. So do I connect one wire to live and one to earth on the UK three pin plug?

[Station X]

The terms positive and negative have no real meaning as far as an alternating supply is concerned, as the polarity changes fifty times every second. The correct terms are live and neutral.

The neutral side of the supply will be close to earth potential, but the live side will be 240V above earth potential.

It is best to have the INTERNAL fuse connected in the live lead, so that if it blows with the player switched on there will be no live parts apart from the player's OFF/ON switch.

Player switched on. Internal fuse removed. Meter on ohms range. One lead clipped to one wire of the mains flex. Other lead fitted with a probe. Probe both sides of the fuse holder. Note the reading. Repeat for the other wire. The lead which gives the lowest reading should be connected to live.

[Station X]

Circuit here:-

http://www.radiodatabase.nl/toestell...4304/N4304.pdf

[Herald1360]

Originally Posted by Cameron

So do I connect one wire to live and one to earth on the UK three pin plug?

NOOOOOOO!!!

At best you'd take out your RCD, at worst in a faulty system something could get unexpectedly live.

Connect the wires to LINE & NEUTRAL. NO EARTH CONNECTION AT ALL.

[Nickthedentist]

Yes. One wire to L, the other to N, either way round to keep things simple.

And fit a 3A (red) fuse in the plug, not a 13A (brown) one.

[AC/HL]

Post 3 in this thread should help, first picture: https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=75401

Meaning no offence to Cameron at all, the opposite, I am pleased the question was asked. One more enthusiast without getting a shock (lethal or otherwise) and a bit of kit working again.

I am more than a little shocked (pun not originally intended) that wiring a plug isn't common knowledge any more. A non intended consequence of the 'safer' moulded plug I suppose, even though you can buy 'fit your own' plugs at DIY stores.

[Nickthedentist]

Not helped by the lack of colour coding in this machine's flex too, I suppose.

[vidjoman]

When the machine was made most houses would have used a 5 amp 2 pin plug that could be plugged in either way round so it didn't matter.

[Cameron]

The lack of colour coding was what made me question it, I can wire a plug, I promise!

The machine fired up perfectly, response from the amp, FF/RW working as they should, playback needed a bit of help though - the take up side of the deck wasn't quite pulling fast enough. I suspect a strip down, degrease, clean and re-assemble might sort it out. If I remember correctly, these Philips machines have three rubber bits on the reel to reel tables that engage with the motor? Perhaps these have perished

[Tractorfan]

Hi,
It was very common across Europe to have non-colour coded (often single insulated) flex as almost all audio equipment was run from a two pin reversible plug & socket.
I have a couple of Grundig tape recorders from the UK which have three core colour coded flex, whereas the European spec machines of the same model no. have two core flex.
Cheers, Pete.

Ah, the machine works, the whole ethos of this forum.

Good old fashioned meths. can work wonders when cleaning rubber 'friction wheels', there is a bit of methanol in there (that's why it isn't the best thing to drink) which is a powerful solvent.

[Tractorfan]

Hi,
I had a Philips machine many years ago which had three rubber like 'buttons' as the take-up clutch. These had turned to the cosistency of 'Jellytot' sweets, andI never got around to replacing them.
Cheers, Pete.