Murphy A50 dial assy - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

vinrads · 30th Jun 2020, 12:51 pm

I could do with a pic or help assembling the dial assy the radio has been on the waiting list for about ten years ,as a consequence the memory has failed me

Mick.

cathoderay57 · 30th Jun 2020, 4:59 pm

Hi Mick, do you have the Murphy manual for this? If not then I can transcribe the instructions for removing the station name panel, the reverse process being what you need. If that doesn't help I do have a working A50 but getting the chassis out and back in is a bit of a pig, so I'd rather not, unless you are absolutely stuck. Cheers, Jerry

vinrads · 30th Jun 2020, 6:17 pm

Hi Jerry thank's for responding , I have a play with the bits, am I correct in saying that there is a plastic window trapped between the curved part ,then I saw where four holes lined up ,am I talking sense ,I don't want you to go to trouble of removing the chassis , I am sure I will work it out , cheers Mick.

vinrads · 30th Jun 2020, 9:48 pm

Ah! does the plastic window have station names on it , I don.t seem to have that part, bu

er. well it has been ten years. Mick.

cathoderay57 · 30th Jun 2020, 10:21 pm

Hi Mick, I've taken a couple of photos from the front (although it is difficult to get a decent shot because of the reflections from the smoked glass). Yes, there is a curved station name panel that is held in place by the 2 vertical side brackets with slots in them shown in your images. The idea is that the station name panel at the front remains stationary (with different colours for each band) while the drum rotates behind it causing the bars on the drum to line up with the station names at the vertical cursor. The text from the manual says the following.
"The station name panel can be removed by undoing the securing screws. Four screws hold the escutcheon assembly to the tuning frame, four more hold the panel frame to the escutcheon, and eight hold the panel to the panel frame. When replacing the name panel it should be assembled so that the vertical brackets are behind the scale frame, otherwise the drum will rub the scale. Bakelite spacing washers were used between the escutcheon and the tuning frame in the earlier models, but these were replaced with rubber ones to give greater clearance between the drum and the scale. When replacing the escutcheon, see that the names register correctly with the markings on the drum".As it happens after I powered up the set, the wretched mains on-off switch has now got contacts stuck open so I will have to take the chassis out anyway to fix that. Watch this space! Cheers, Jerry

vinrads · 30th Jun 2020, 11:03 pm

Hi Jerry thank's for going to the trouble with the pictures, and the description they will be a great help , all I need to to now is find the dial . Good luck with the on off switch , I found s squirt of WD sometimes works ,Mick.

cathoderay57 · 1st Jul 2020, 9:09 am

Hi Mick, if you are up for a challenge I reckon it might be possible to make a replica station names dial. I'm thinking of a clear plastic drinks bottle, and maybe a hotwire fixture to bend the edges back for the fixings. Then you would need a waterslide transfer to stick on the inside of the plastic. Because the originl is curved, scanning is impossible but when I get the chassis out I'll take some measurements and have a go at typing out the station names in MS Word, then resizing and converting to pdf.
Cheers, Jerry

vinrads · 1st Jul 2020, 9:19 am

Hi Jerry wow! that sounds like a plan ,I have never done anything like that , but I may be able to get it printed on self adhesive film from a pdf . Mick.

cathoderay57 · 1st Jul 2020, 12:56 pm

Here we go. First, a sketch of the dial assembly. Then a few photos. I'll have to do a second post with the rest of the photos and the dial image. P.S. Sorry, there's an error in the sketch. The height of the plastic station name panel should be 192mm, not 19mm. Cheers, Jerry

cathoderay57 · 1st Jul 2020, 1:08 pm

Here are the rest of the photos and the dial images. I've provided versions first in MS Word 2007 (on the page you will find a 2-column table with only the centre vertical border filled in. The left hand column is blank). The document is sized so as to print the right size (but see note at the end)). Secondly it is provided as a pdf, again resized to print the right size. If you get problems with the size(s) check in printer set-up that you don't have something like a check box ticked for "fit to page" or similar.
When you have printed the waterslide or sticky transparency (noting you will probably need to flip the image to print in reverse) it needs to be positioned so that the station names align with the bars on the drum, starting with Aberdeen at the top. By my measurement, the top of the lettering for Aberdeen should be positioned at 25mm from the top edge of the station name panel, as shown in the sketch on the previous post. It looks like you won't need the hotwire fixture to fold the plastic - if you get a bottle of the right diameter it should be flexible enough just to drill the 8 mounting holes using the scale frame as a template. Good luck!

MurphyNut · 1st Jul 2020, 1:40 pm

Something to watch out for is the curved perspex shrinking and coming into contact with the drum and wearing away the lettering. Sadly long before I got my set this had happened. I enlarged the fixing holes slightly and was able to get curvature right so nothing rubs and I can now hang onto what lettering I have left!

cathoderay57 · 1st Jul 2020, 1:54 pm

Flipping the image for reverse printing is easy when you know how! I did struggle for a bit. The easiest way is from printer set-up. For example I have a Canon TS5051 inkjet. To print in reverse from MS Word select print, printer properties, media type drop down needs to be changed from plain paper to other papers > T-shirt transfers. Can also be described as mirror image print. If you get stuck best Google your printer name with the question. Cheers, Jerry

high_vacuum_house · 1st Jul 2020, 2:01 pm

Good afternoon,
I have a rather battered A 50 radio that is visually complete if you wish to have a doner set to rob the dial assembly from for a few beer tokens!!. It is near the end of a rather long “to do something with” list. If you are interested, PM me And I can sort something out.

Christopher Capener

vinrads · 2nd Jul 2020, 9:02 am

Hi thank's for all the info there Jerry, I have downloaded it , as I don't have a colour printer I will need to get a friend of a friend to do the work , he has done dials for me in the past on clear self adhesive film .
Thank's for the offer Christopher ,definitely interested. PM sent . Mick.

30th Jun 2020, 12:51 pm	#1
vinrads Dekatron Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Chesterfield, Derbyshire, UK. Posts: 3,762	Murphy A50 dial assy I could do with a pic or help assembling the dial assy the radio has been on the waiting list for about ten years ,as a consequence the memory has failed me Mick. Attached Thumbnails

30th Jun 2020, 4:59 pm	#2
cathoderay57 Nonode Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: Bristol, UK. Posts: 2,384	Re: Murphy A50 dial assy Hi Mick, do you have the Murphy manual for this? If not then I can transcribe the instructions for removing the station name panel, the reverse process being what you need. If that doesn't help I do have a working A50 but getting the chassis out and back in is a bit of a pig, so I'd rather not, unless you are absolutely stuck. Cheers, Jerry

30th Jun 2020, 6:17 pm	#3
vinrads Dekatron Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Chesterfield, Derbyshire, UK. Posts: 3,762	Re: Murphy A50 dial assy Hi Jerry thank's for responding , I have a play with the bits, am I correct in saying that there is a plastic window trapped between the curved part ,then I saw where four holes lined up ,am I talking sense ,I don't want you to go to trouble of removing the chassis , I am sure I will work it out , cheers Mick.

30th Jun 2020, 9:48 pm	#4
vinrads Dekatron Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Chesterfield, Derbyshire, UK. Posts: 3,762	Re: Murphy A50 dial assy Ah! does the plastic window have station names on it , I don.t seem to have that part, buer. well it has been ten years. Mick.

30th Jun 2020, 10:21 pm	#5
cathoderay57 Nonode Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: Bristol, UK. Posts: 2,384	Re: Murphy A50 dial assy Hi Mick, I've taken a couple of photos from the front (although it is difficult to get a decent shot because of the reflections from the smoked glass). Yes, there is a curved station name panel that is held in place by the 2 vertical side brackets with slots in them shown in your images. The idea is that the station name panel at the front remains stationary (with different colours for each band) while the drum rotates behind it causing the bars on the drum to line up with the station names at the vertical cursor. The text from the manual says the following. "The station name panel can be removed by undoing the securing screws. Four screws hold the escutcheon assembly to the tuning frame, four more hold the panel frame to the escutcheon, and eight hold the panel to the panel frame. When replacing the name panel it should be assembled so that the vertical brackets are behind the scale frame, otherwise the drum will rub the scale. Bakelite spacing washers were used between the escutcheon and the tuning frame in the earlier models, but these were replaced with rubber ones to give greater clearance between the drum and the scale. When replacing the escutcheon, see that the names register correctly with the markings on the drum".As it happens after I powered up the set, the wretched mains on-off switch has now got contacts stuck open so I will have to take the chassis out anyway to fix that. Watch this space! Cheers, Jerry Attached Thumbnails

30th Jun 2020, 11:03 pm	#6
vinrads Dekatron Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Chesterfield, Derbyshire, UK. Posts: 3,762	Re: Murphy A50 dial assy Hi Jerry thank's for going to the trouble with the pictures, and the description they will be a great help , all I need to to now is find the dial . Good luck with the on off switch , I found s squirt of WD sometimes works ,Mick.

1st Jul 2020, 9:09 am	#7
cathoderay57 Nonode Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: Bristol, UK. Posts: 2,384	Re: Murphy A50 dial assy Hi Mick, if you are up for a challenge I reckon it might be possible to make a replica station names dial. I'm thinking of a clear plastic drinks bottle, and maybe a hotwire fixture to bend the edges back for the fixings. Then you would need a waterslide transfer to stick on the inside of the plastic. Because the originl is curved, scanning is impossible but when I get the chassis out I'll take some measurements and have a go at typing out the station names in MS Word, then resizing and converting to pdf. Cheers, Jerry

1st Jul 2020, 9:19 am	#8
vinrads Dekatron Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Chesterfield, Derbyshire, UK. Posts: 3,762	Re: Murphy A50 dial assy Hi Jerry wow! that sounds like a plan ,I have never done anything like that , but I may be able to get it printed on self adhesive film from a pdf . Mick.

1st Jul 2020, 1:40 pm	#11
MurphyNut Heptode Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Croxley Green, Hertfordshire, UK. Posts: 979	Re: Murphy A50 dial assy Something to watch out for is the curved perspex shrinking and coming into contact with the drum and wearing away the lettering. Sadly long before I got my set this had happened. I enlarged the fixing holes slightly and was able to get curvature right so nothing rubs and I can now hang onto what lettering I have left! __________________ Clive

1st Jul 2020, 1:54 pm	#12
cathoderay57 Nonode Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: Bristol, UK. Posts: 2,384	Re: Murphy A50 dial assy Flipping the image for reverse printing is easy when you know how! I did struggle for a bit. The easiest way is from printer set-up. For example I have a Canon TS5051 inkjet. To print in reverse from MS Word select print, printer properties, media type drop down needs to be changed from plain paper to other papers > T-shirt transfers. Can also be described as mirror image print. If you get stuck best Google your printer name with the question. Cheers, Jerry

1st Jul 2020, 2:01 pm	#13
high_vacuum_house Octode Join Date: May 2003 Location: Belper Derbyshire Posts: 1,935	Re: Murphy A50 dial assy Good afternoon, I have a rather battered A 50 radio that is visually complete if you wish to have a doner set to rob the dial assembly from for a few beer tokens!!. It is near the end of a rather long “to do something with” list. If you are interested, PM me And I can sort something out. Christopher Capener __________________ Interests in the collection and restoration of Tefifon players and 405 line television

2nd Jul 2020, 9:02 am	#14
vinrads Dekatron Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Chesterfield, Derbyshire, UK. Posts: 3,762	Re: Murphy A50 dial assy Hi thank's for all the info there Jerry, I have downloaded it , as I don't have a colour printer I will need to get a friend of a friend to do the work , he has done dials for me in the past on clear self adhesive film . Thank's for the offer Christopher ,definitely interested. PM sent . Mick.