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Success Stories If you have successfully repaired or restored a piece of equipment, why not write up what you did and post details here. Particularly if it was interesting, unusual or challenging. PLEASE DO NOT POST REQUESTS FOR HELP HERE! |
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4th Nov 2018, 10:50 pm | #1 |
Pentode
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Coventry, West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 220
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Field Coil Speaker
Currently working on a Goblin Time Spot with a field coil speaker. The speaker cone was badly torn and the field coil was open circuit so my initial thought was to replace it with a permanent magnet speaker and a separate filter choke. However, curiosity got the better of me so I decided to start unwinding the coil to see if I could find the break. Of course once you have started.....! About 3 hours later found the break right at the start of the coil! Break repaired and coil re-wound (another 3 hours), patched up the torn cone and the speaker is now working perfectly. I'm a happy bunny
The coil is 1500 ohms of 35 awg which equates to just under a mile of wire all done by hand - I think I've earned a beer |
5th Nov 2018, 12:08 am | #2 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 9,642
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Re: Field Coil Speaker
So do I
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5th Nov 2018, 8:36 am | #3 |
Heptode
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Rotherham, South Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 559
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Re: Field Coil Speaker
Hello Paul.
Well done outstanding work. I have 3 Goblin Time spot radios all working, and I never get tired of looking at them. Kevin. |
5th Nov 2018, 9:12 am | #4 |
Pentode
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Coventry, West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 220
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Re: Field Coil Speaker
Yes they are nice looking radios. Mine needs quite a bit of work, the chassis is quite rusty and the cabinet needs re-finishing but I think it will be worth the effort in the end.
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5th Nov 2018, 9:50 am | #5 |
Rest in Peace
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Harlaxton, Lincolnshire, UK.
Posts: 3,944
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Re: Field Coil Speaker
Well done Paul, nice job.
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5th Nov 2018, 9:54 am | #6 |
Banned
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Middlewich, Cheshire, UK. & Winter in the Philippines.
Posts: 3,897
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Re: Field Coil Speaker
I was lucky with mine, the 'speaker is OK, but sometimes the clock starts backwards.
well done, hand winding, wow! RSI injury? Sam. |
5th Nov 2018, 11:33 am | #7 |
Pentode
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Coventry, West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 220
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Re: Field Coil Speaker
Funnily enough I've just been looking at the clock and surprise surprise that is open circuit as well. Time to think about building or buying a coil winder I think!
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5th Nov 2018, 12:18 pm | #8 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Leominster, Herefordshire, UK.
Posts: 16,536
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Re: Field Coil Speaker
Clock coils can be rewound with fewer turns of thicker wire then run from a small transformer. A standalone clock can use a basic wallwart though a space in the case would be better for one that's part of another unit.
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5th Nov 2018, 12:28 pm | #9 |
Pentode
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Coventry, West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 220
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Re: Field Coil Speaker
Thanks for the info - Yes I've read some other threads on the forum about this so that is one option to consider. There is plenty of room in the chassis so it would be easy enough to mount a small transformer from a cannibalised wall wart.
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5th Nov 2018, 12:55 pm | #10 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Cottingham, East Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 5,766
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Re: Field Coil Speaker
Wow - not just unwinding the coil, but presumably, at the same time, winding the wire onto a spool to reuse without kinking it, then rewinding the coil again? Quite a task, and in the true traditions of 'make do and mend' & 'waste not - want not'. I've only re-wound one field coil, and as with most things in life, the only time you think you might do it twice, is just before you've done it once! In my case, I simply used new wire and a homebrew motor -powered coil winder and that was challenging enough (2.3kms of wire).
I've hand-wound a 1,000 Ohm coil on a set of HR headphones by hand, and that was a doddle by comparison.
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David. BVWS Member. G-QRP Club member 1339. |
5th Nov 2018, 1:15 pm | #11 |
Pentode
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Coventry, West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 220
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Re: Field Coil Speaker
Yes that's pretty much exactly how I did it David. I didn't really intend to unwind it all when I started, it was a case of "I'll just unwind a bit to see if I find the break". Of course once you have started.....
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12th Nov 2018, 12:07 am | #12 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Bewdley, Worcestershire, UK.
Posts: 4,748
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Re: Field Coil Speaker
Fantastic work Paul, such tenacity and patience is commendable. Well done!
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14th Nov 2018, 9:50 pm | #13 |
Tetrode
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Serzedo, Portugal.
Posts: 83
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Re: Field Coil Speaker
Nice work on the coil...murphy's law was applied in your case it was the last piece of wire that was broken
I usually patch my speakers with kitchen paper soaked in a solution of wood glue and water, it works very well and retains flexibility and resistance. how did you patch that one? sometimes i keep modern speakers to reuse the cone and the modern foam suspension when the old one is badly damaged. when i reuse the cone i keep the original spider and voice coil and glue the new cone on it, sometimes keeping a bit of the old cone in place because they tend to be deeper....it works very well, sounds good and doesnt rattle. not for audiophile grade of course but more than enough to keep a radio going |
14th Nov 2018, 10:12 pm | #14 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK.
Posts: 875
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Re: Field Coil Speaker
Yep - great work Paul ...... and no departure from originality. Any clue as to why it went open .... green spot?
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15th Nov 2018, 1:57 pm | #15 |
Pentode
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Coventry, West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 220
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Re: Field Coil Speaker
Yes pretty much the same - I used PVA glue and tissue paper but put some fine gauze material over the top, it's the stuff sold at garden centres as weed control fabric.
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15th Nov 2018, 2:00 pm | #16 |
Pentode
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Coventry, West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 220
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Re: Field Coil Speaker
It looked as though the wire had just become detached from the copper strip it was connected to, just re-soldered it! The radio looked like it had been stored in a damp location so corrosion may have had something to do with it.
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16th Nov 2018, 10:25 pm | #17 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Manchester, UK.
Posts: 713
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Re: Field Coil Speaker
Nice one well done Paul.
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28th Nov 2018, 10:10 am | #18 |
Rest in Peace
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Basildon, Essex, UK.
Posts: 4,100
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Re: Field Coil Speaker
Is that PVA glue covering the diaphragm and outer corrugations?
If it is the bass response is likely to be severely handicapped, I did that on my first speaker repair and the sound was very thin and somewhat quieter. Mike |
29th Nov 2018, 1:22 pm | #19 |
Pentode
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Coventry, West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 220
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Re: Field Coil Speaker
Yes it is, unfortunately the original paper was so fragile it seemed to be the only way of doing anything with it. The sound quality is OK but not brilliant and as you say I'm sure the PVA will be having a negative effect on it. I might look into the possibility of grafting a new cone onto the existing voice coil at some point in the future.
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1st Dec 2018, 9:18 pm | #20 |
Retired Dormant Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Crew Green, Powys, Wales, UK.
Posts: 68
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Re: Field Coil Speaker
On my frequent visits to Thailand I found shops there that sell individual loudspeaker parts (sold with disco/PA type eqpt) parts include voice coils (imperial and metric sizes), rolled surrounds and cones. But alas they all use modern high flux ceramic permanent magnets, so don't give up on your field coil winding skills. They also sell the rigs for aligning and gluing the coils. You can barely buy basic components here in UK now except on-line. Backwards progress or what?
Mind you its a long way to go for a 50 Bhat voice coil...but a good excuse for a holiday. Robert |