Eddystone 730/1A drive cord

[ChristianFletcher]

I have recently been given a 730/1A and the drive cord has become detached from the pulley’s and is tangled around the inner workings. I have downloaded various documents on re-stringing and gearbox from the Eddystone Website, but I am not sure how to get started.

Is it necessary to disconnect the front panel and the attached controls, I cannot see any way of gaining access without doing this. I also want to know how the drive cord mechanism is detatched from the tuning capacitor and if required how to remove the chrome selectivity control.

Many Thanks


Regards Christian L Fletcher.

[Skywave]

I can give some advice from memory; it's a difficult job.

The front panel has to come off. To do this, the front panel control knobs have to come off and all the fixing hardware that secures these controls to the front panel. As I recall, there is one (maybe two?) very small Allen key grub screw that secures the selectivity control onto its shaft. The die-cast front panel is secured to the chassis by four coarse-threaded slot-head screws - at least two are only accessible by removing the black front panel escutcheon. To remove this, do not use a screw-driver: use a wide flat-blade knife. The securing screws are frequently very tight: use a well-fitting 'driver and apply the torque gradually to avoid damaging the slot in the screw head. You need a long, stout, parallel-blade screwdriver to gain access to them: they are well recessed. There is a flexible spider shaft coupling to the main tuning capacitor which will need two grub screws to be loosened: do not remove the grub screws completely. It may be necessary to remove the chrome handles: inspection will indicate. There may well be other dismantling to be done before the front panel can be completely removed: again, inspection will show, but I think I've covered the main. As I say, all this is from memory.

Give yourself plenty of time & space to do the job and keep a note pad handy to make drawings of how something looked prior to dismantling. This is good advice on any job like this, of course, but it is particularly relevant to Eddystone radios, which, IMHO, were not designed with maintenance in mind.

That lot should enable you to "get started" - and good luck with it.

Al / Skywave

[XTC]

I've replaced the drive cord on a 730/4, and yes, the front panel has to come off. I believe some of the other Eddystones such as the UHF and VHF 770s are pretty much the same in that replacing the drive cord involves taking off the front panel and it seems like an awful lot of dismantling.

Everything is cramped and it was very fiddly to get some of the controls back. There are screws which give the impression they must have been tightened by tame demons, because there's so little access room.

It's been a few years ago and I don't have detailed recollections. It wasn't hard, so much as infuriatingly fiddly. I recall I had problems with the flywheel which came loose a couple of times. When I replaced the cord I thought it was a worthy use of a bit of the proper dial cord I've got. I've been told that originally, these sets used wire rather than cord.

On my set, a 730/4, the chrome selectivity control has a slotted brass grubscrew.

You just have to work at it systematically, take digital photos and make notes and diagrams and think twice if you find you are forcing anything. Make sure you are using Allen keys etc. that are a nice snug fit.

Pete.

[ChristianFletcher]

Thanks for both these replies.

This confirms what I though about removing the front and it looks like a time consuming job. I will take the time for some WD40 to sink into the fasteners before trying to undue them. I cannot see any screws holding the chrome selectivity control but I will have a closure look.

Your absolutely right about parts being difficult to get at. I had to replace one of the capacitors in the tuning box and it was like the joke about trying to push a marsh mellow up a wild cats bum.

The tuning cord is a wire and I have read that Pike wire available from a fishing shop is the stuff to go for. I have to admit when this set is lit up in the shack the back lamps and band selector lamps look fantastic.

Regards

Christian