Telefunken Bajazzo De Luxe - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

jgaryk · 24th Sep 2006, 11:56 am

Model 5611, bought on eBay, described as "tuning pointers not moving on AM or FM". Upon inspection, the AM tuning capacitor was found to be jammed solid and one part of the FM tuning drive cord broken. Repairing the tuning capacitor was not too bad, I removed it and disassembled the shaft and drive gears, cleaned and lubricated them and re-assembled them. AM tuning was now OK. The FM drive cord was a nightmare. It's impossible to disassemble the set to expose the pulleys and tuning drum.

It's also impossible to see how the cord is threaded around the various pulleys.

I was able to obtain a diagram thanks to a gentleman in Germany. The FM tuning on this is done by a variable resistor supplying a DC voltage to the tuner itself. The diagram needed careful study in order to follow the multiple twists and turns of the cord around the pulleys. There are no tension springs on the tuning drum. Instead, two very small pulleys on a plate with a spring apply tension to the cord. It took me six hours to thread this properly, by which time my eyes were bugging out and I had a major headache.

I then discovered that FM worked fine on the three preset buttons, but there was just noise on the normal tuning. I cleaned the switches to no avail. I then measured the DC control voltages and discovered there was no +15 volt from the DC converter that supplies the tuning voltages. It turned out one of the two switches on the remote control jack was shorting to ground. Since it's unlikely that anyone would want to use a remote control on this set, I removed the two wires to the switch and bypassed it completely. The FM tuning now worked normally.

All this to point out to newcomers that a LOT of patience is required to do effective repairs on vintage radios!

howard · 24th Sep 2006, 12:35 pm

Hello Jgaryk,

YES one does need patience ! I have a Bajazzo Sport 201 which Ron Bryan here fixed for me, it's an earlier model than yours but similarly has an incredibly complex tuning mechanism and anyone who has managed replace the cord in one of these radios must have immense patience ! Well done ! Any chance of a pic of your radio ?

Howard

jgaryk · 25th Sep 2006, 3:27 pm

Hi Howard,

Photo attached - Gary

johnn · 25th Sep 2006, 4:05 pm

Hello Jgaryk,
I have a Bajazzo TS without the presets (not a DeLuxe) & a white plastic grill.
The FM tuning knob is supposed to act as a fine tune for SW, but it doesn't. It is earlier than yours as the FM tuning is permeabilty type in the FM tuner box.
Your excellent efforts & your description of them have now encouraged me to take another look!
The set is well constructed & a great favourite here.

John.

howard · 26th Sep 2006, 7:48 am

Hello Gary,

Gosh that is a nice radio. This TS5611 model I've found out was built between 1965-1966 so is older than mine. Outstanding quality transistor radios these Bajazzos

Howard

24th Sep 2006, 11:56 am	#1
jgaryk Retired Dormant Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Montreal Canada Posts: 48	Telefunken Bajazzo De Luxe Model 5611, bought on eBay, described as "tuning pointers not moving on AM or FM". Upon inspection, the AM tuning capacitor was found to be jammed solid and one part of the FM tuning drive cord broken. Repairing the tuning capacitor was not too bad, I removed it and disassembled the shaft and drive gears, cleaned and lubricated them and re-assembled them. AM tuning was now OK. The FM drive cord was a nightmare. It's impossible to disassemble the set to expose the pulleys and tuning drum. It's also impossible to see how the cord is threaded around the various pulleys. I was able to obtain a diagram thanks to a gentleman in Germany. The FM tuning on this is done by a variable resistor supplying a DC voltage to the tuner itself. The diagram needed careful study in order to follow the multiple twists and turns of the cord around the pulleys. There are no tension springs on the tuning drum. Instead, two very small pulleys on a plate with a spring apply tension to the cord. It took me six hours to thread this properly, by which time my eyes were bugging out and I had a major headache. I then discovered that FM worked fine on the three preset buttons, but there was just noise on the normal tuning. I cleaned the switches to no avail. I then measured the DC control voltages and discovered there was no +15 volt from the DC converter that supplies the tuning voltages. It turned out one of the two switches on the remote control jack was shorting to ground. Since it's unlikely that anyone would want to use a remote control on this set, I removed the two wires to the switch and bypassed it completely. The FM tuning now worked normally. All this to point out to newcomers that a LOT of patience is required to do effective repairs on vintage radios! Last edited by jgaryk; 24th Sep 2006 at 12:06 pm. Reason: Insert model no.

24th Sep 2006, 12:35 pm	#2
howard Nonode Join Date: May 2005 Location: Godalming, Surrey, UK. Posts: 2,593	Re: Telefunken Bajazzo De Luxe Hello Jgaryk, YES one does need patience ! I have a Bajazzo Sport 201 which Ron Bryan here fixed for me, it's an earlier model than yours but similarly has an incredibly complex tuning mechanism and anyone who has managed replace the cord in one of these radios must have immense patience ! Well done ! Any chance of a pic of your radio ? Howard

25th Sep 2006, 3:27 pm	#3
jgaryk Retired Dormant Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Montreal Canada Posts: 48	Re: Telefunken Bajazzo De Luxe Hi Howard, Photo attached - Gary Attached Thumbnails

25th Sep 2006, 4:05 pm	#4
johnn Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Scunthorpe, UK Posts: 154	Re: Telefunken Bajazzo De Luxe Hello Jgaryk, I have a Bajazzo TS without the presets (not a DeLuxe) & a white plastic grill. The FM tuning knob is supposed to act as a fine tune for SW, but it doesn't. It is earlier than yours as the FM tuning is permeabilty type in the FM tuner box. Your excellent efforts & your description of them have now encouraged me to take another look! The set is well constructed & a great favourite here. John. Last edited by johnn; 25th Sep 2006 at 4:07 pm. Reason: no signature

26th Sep 2006, 7:48 am	#5
howard Nonode Join Date: May 2005 Location: Godalming, Surrey, UK. Posts: 2,593	Re: Telefunken Bajazzo De Luxe Hello Gary, Gosh that is a nice radio. This TS5611 model I've found out was built between 1965-1966 so is older than mine. Outstanding quality transistor radios these Bajazzos Howard