Birthday radio. (Microfunk). - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

Tractorfan · 16th Jul 2019, 9:58 am

Hi,
For my Birthday I was given this rather nice little French AM radio from 1962. It's branded 'Microfunk' and has six transistors plugged into sockets. It operates on 9 volts via a little four pin plug. Not sure if it was a standard battery, or something peculiar to France or Continental Europe.
The set is very well made, and I'll try it out when I get a minute. It's a typically simple circuit and of its time, so simple to fix if it doesn't burst into song!
Sorry for the quality of the photos. Blame the iPhone!

Cheers, Pete.

Cobaltblue · 16th Jul 2019, 10:10 am

Hi Pete does it look as if a PP11 will fit in there?

https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/ever_power_pack_pp11.html

Quite common on early radios taping the 9 V at 4.5V and returning the speaker via the tap saves you a capacitor

Cheers

Mike T

paulsherwin · 16th Jul 2019, 10:28 am

Yes, if that's the explanation then it's easy enough to add the speaker capacitor and run the radio from a PP9 or even a PP3.

Refugee · 16th Jul 2019, 11:11 am

I have got a French set and it used two 4.5 volt batteries.
Two three cell AA holders and a hmoe made adapter did the job.
It has a nice sound with its plywood cabinet.
I had to evict a Callins capacitor from the IF amp to get it going.

Mike. Watterson · 16th Jul 2019, 4:40 pm

You can still buy at least two brands of the 4.5V packs in UK/Ireland. Though more common in Europe. Panasonic & someone else. The originals used Zinc Carbon "B" cells and actually any brand of Alkaline AA is a similar capacity, except the Duracell special cheap value version, which is less.

Most of continental Europe used an adaptor and 2 x 4.5V packs rather than the PP9.

Tractorfan · 16th Jul 2019, 9:47 pm

Hi,
Thanks for your replies.
The connector only has two wires, so must be for a single 9 volt battery rather than two 4.5 volt units.
I powered it up from a small PSU, and it pulled in one station very weakly on G.O. (long wave), so it's very deaf.
Cheers, Pete.

Mike. Watterson · 16th Jul 2019, 9:53 pm

It may be for a missing 2 x 4.5V battery holder.
One part takes the two sets of tongues and then the wired part does about a 1/2 or 1/4 turn to "lock" the battery tabs in. So it's two separate parts. It's not a complete holder, it just goes on top of the two packs with the tabs tucked in and then your part with the two connections and wires latches in.

Otherwise the ONLY battery is the PP11. There would then be a wire link on the plug as the PP11 is two separate halves of a PP9 in a box.

Herald1360 · 16th Jul 2019, 10:27 pm

Is there room there for a PP11 or even two MN1203 or 1289 type 4.5V batteries?

Mike. Watterson · 16th Jul 2019, 10:38 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Herald1360

Is there room there for a PP11 or even two MN1203 or 1289 type 4.5V batteries?

If not it's baffling. Actually PP9, PP11 and 2 x 1289 (now 3R12 and the MN1203 is a 3LR12) are all similar amount of space. Only some strange holder for 6 x AA using that 4 pin plug would be much smaller.
http://www.blaukatz.com/tables/other-batteries/
http://www.blaukatz.com/tables/layer-batteries/
Also some batteries on Radio Museum & Wikipedia.

Mike. Watterson · 16th Jul 2019, 10:45 pm

Also https://www.smallbattery.company.org..._catalogue.htm
and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine-volt_battery

So either a PP11, or a holder that took 2 x 3R12 or 6 x AA.
I don't think ANY transistor set took individual "B" cells (the R12) or "A" cells.

poppydog · 17th Jul 2019, 8:19 am

My French sets all have/had an adaptor that enables a pair of LR12 to be used, the 4 pin connector plugs in to the top of the adaptor. I can post a pic tonight.

Regards Poppydog

Maarten · 19th Jul 2019, 6:41 pm

Is it French made, or made for sale in France?

poppydog · 19th Jul 2019, 8:59 pm

Here are the pics of the connectors as promised, they are both French made but are both unusable really as there are bits broken off of them so the radios have been converted to run on either 6AAs or PP9.

I also have a Pygmy (of Paris

) Lystron that still uses a similar connector.

Regards
Poppydog

Refugee · 19th Jul 2019, 10:36 pm

My Pigmy set has a hard wired 2X 1289 battery connector.
The adapter only needed tree tabs as the center one is common.
It works fine with 6X AA cells.

Mike. Watterson · 20th Jul 2019, 9:20 am

My Pygmy may use 67 or 90V. I must "restore" it. Dx96 series and loads of SW in a plastic case.

Those are the sort of 3R12 (1289) adaptors I've seen in Switzerland and online.

poppydog · 20th Jul 2019, 9:30 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike. Watterson

My Pygmy may use 67 or 90V. I must "restore" it. Dx96 series and loads of SW in a plastic case.

Those are the sort of 3R12 (1289) adaptors I've seen in Switzerland and online.

Can you post some links to the LR12 adaptors online please Mike?

Regards poppydog

Mike. Watterson · 20th Jul 2019, 9:52 am

No idea where or when I saw them. Maybe some model on the Radiomuseum?
It wasn't someone selling them.

16th Jul 2019, 9:58 am	#1
Tractorfan Dekatron Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: St. Frajou, l'Isle en Dodon, Haute Garonne, France.(Previously: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, UK.) Posts: 3,183	Birthday radio. (Microfunk). Hi, For my Birthday I was given this rather nice little French AM radio from 1962. It's branded 'Microfunk' and has six transistors plugged into sockets. It operates on 9 volts via a little four pin plug. Not sure if it was a standard battery, or something peculiar to France or Continental Europe. The set is very well made, and I'll try it out when I get a minute. It's a typically simple circuit and of its time, so simple to fix if it doesn't burst into song! Sorry for the quality of the photos. Blame the iPhone! Cheers, Pete. Attached Thumbnails __________________ "Hello?, Yes, I'm on the train, I might lose the signal soon as we're just going into a tunn..."

16th Jul 2019, 10:10 am	#2
Cobaltblue Moderator Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Exeter, Devon and Poole, Dorset UK. Posts: 6,864	Re: Birthday radio. Hi Pete does it look as if a PP11 will fit in there? https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/ever_power_pack_pp11.html Quite common on early radios taping the 9 V at 4.5V and returning the speaker via the tap saves you a capacitor Cheers Mike T __________________ Invisible airwaves crackle with life or at least they used to Mike T BVWS member. www.cossor.co.uk

16th Jul 2019, 10:28 am	#3
paulsherwin Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 27,941	Re: Birthday radio. Yes, if that's the explanation then it's easy enough to add the speaker capacitor and run the radio from a PP9 or even a PP3.

16th Jul 2019, 11:11 am	#4
Refugee Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Worksop, Nottinghamshire, UK. Posts: 5,553	Re: Birthday radio. I have got a French set and it used two 4.5 volt batteries. Two three cell AA holders and a hmoe made adapter did the job. It has a nice sound with its plywood cabinet. I had to evict a Callins capacitor from the IF amp to get it going.

16th Jul 2019, 4:40 pm	#5
Mike. Watterson Heptode Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Limerick, Ireland. Posts: 901	Re: Birthday radio. (Microfunk). You can still buy at least two brands of the 4.5V packs in UK/Ireland. Though more common in Europe. Panasonic & someone else. The originals used Zinc Carbon "B" cells and actually any brand of Alkaline AA is a similar capacity, except the Duracell special cheap value version, which is less. Most of continental Europe used an adaptor and 2 x 4.5V packs rather than the PP9.

16th Jul 2019, 9:47 pm	#6
Tractorfan Dekatron Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: St. Frajou, l'Isle en Dodon, Haute Garonne, France.(Previously: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, UK.) Posts: 3,183	Re: Birthday radio. (Microfunk). Hi, Thanks for your replies. The connector only has two wires, so must be for a single 9 volt battery rather than two 4.5 volt units. I powered it up from a small PSU, and it pulled in one station very weakly on G.O. (long wave), so it's very deaf. Cheers, Pete. __________________ "Hello?, Yes, I'm on the train, I might lose the signal soon as we're just going into a tunn..."

16th Jul 2019, 9:53 pm	#7
Mike. Watterson Heptode Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Limerick, Ireland. Posts: 901	Re: Birthday radio. (Microfunk). It may be for a missing 2 x 4.5V battery holder. One part takes the two sets of tongues and then the wired part does about a 1/2 or 1/4 turn to "lock" the battery tabs in. So it's two separate parts. It's not a complete holder, it just goes on top of the two packs with the tabs tucked in and then your part with the two connections and wires latches in. Otherwise the ONLY battery is the PP11. There would then be a wire link on the plug as the PP11 is two separate halves of a PP9 in a box. Last edited by Mike. Watterson; 16th Jul 2019 at 9:58 pm.

16th Jul 2019, 10:27 pm	#8
Herald1360 Dekatron Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Leominster, Herefordshire, UK. Posts: 16,535	Re: Birthday radio. (Microfunk). Is there room there for a PP11 or even two MN1203 or 1289 type 4.5V batteries? __________________ ....__________ ....\|____\|\|__\|__\_____ .=.\| _---\__\|__\|_---_\|. .........O..Chris....O

16th Jul 2019, 10:45 pm	#10
Mike. Watterson Heptode Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Limerick, Ireland. Posts: 901	Re: Birthday radio. (Microfunk). Also https://www.smallbattery.company.org..._catalogue.htm and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine-volt_battery So either a PP11, or a holder that took 2 x 3R12 or 6 x AA. I don't think ANY transistor set took individual "B" cells (the R12) or "A" cells.

17th Jul 2019, 8:19 am	#11
poppydog Banned Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Cornwall, UK. Posts: 849	Re: Birthday radio. (Microfunk). My French sets all have/had an adaptor that enables a pair of LR12 to be used, the 4 pin connector plugs in to the top of the adaptor. I can post a pic tonight. Regards Poppydog

19th Jul 2019, 6:41 pm	#12
Maarten Dekatron Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Haarlem, Netherlands Posts: 4,199	Re: Birthday radio. (Microfunk). Is it French made, or made for sale in France?

19th Jul 2019, 8:59 pm	#13
poppydog Banned Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Cornwall, UK. Posts: 849	Re: Birthday radio. (Microfunk). Here are the pics of the connectors as promised, they are both French made but are both unusable really as there are bits broken off of them so the radios have been converted to run on either 6AAs or PP9. I also have a Pygmy (of Paris ) Lystron that still uses a similar connector. Regards Poppydog Attached Thumbnails

19th Jul 2019, 10:36 pm	#14
Refugee Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Worksop, Nottinghamshire, UK. Posts: 5,553	Re: Birthday radio. (Microfunk). My Pigmy set has a hard wired 2X 1289 battery connector. The adapter only needed tree tabs as the center one is common. It works fine with 6X AA cells. Attached Thumbnails

20th Jul 2019, 9:20 am	#15
Mike. Watterson Heptode Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Limerick, Ireland. Posts: 901	Re: Birthday radio. (Microfunk). My Pygmy may use 67 or 90V. I must "restore" it. Dx96 series and loads of SW in a plastic case. Those are the sort of 3R12 (1289) adaptors I've seen in Switzerland and online.

20th Jul 2019, 9:52 am	#17
Mike. Watterson Heptode Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Limerick, Ireland. Posts: 901	Re: Birthday radio. (Microfunk). No idea where or when I saw them. Maybe some model on the Radiomuseum? It wasn't someone selling them.