Regentone A155 Radio - Page 2 - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

jjl · 20th Apr 2020, 1:06 pm

That's the same chassis as that fitted to my RGD version.
I never did work out the purpose of the rear panel sockets close to the GRAM and L.S. sockets. There's no mention of them in the user guide for the radio and there's no aperture in the back panel to allow access.

John

TonyDuell · 20th Apr 2020, 5:50 pm

If it's the socket I think you mean, the trader sheet refers to it as a 'test panel'. It's used to connect a 'scope to the detector stage when aligning the set.

music-centre · 20th Apr 2020, 9:49 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparky67

I noticed the speaker grill is tarnished over the opening but came up quite bright where it is over the wood. Is there a recommended way to improve its appearance?

I think I would just remove the chassis and speaker and use one of those kitchen/bathroom spray products on the speaker grille with a toothbrush.
You could respray it but it always looks too "new" in my opinion.
Steve.

Sparky67 · 30th Apr 2020, 10:55 am

Hi all,

All of the waxy paper caps have now been replaced, the valves removed and the electrolytics are being slowly reformed, successfully so far. I only have a 150V DC supply so going to have to think about where another 150V can be found...!

Another couple of questions if I may. Can the electrolytics be reformed using raw rectified DC and relying on 150V-worth of reforming to do the rest, or does it need to be smoothed at source? Also, the large 1.5k ‘HT smoothing’ resistor is high in value. Would a 7 or 10W replacement resistor be suitable and is a wire-wound any advantage?

I am going to have another go at improving the speaker grill finish today. Kitchen cleaner, toothpaste and chrome cleaner are on the list of cleaners and abrasives to attack it with!

Thanks

Martin

ms660 · 30th Apr 2020, 11:31 am

The power dissipated by the 1.5k resistor should be approx. 0.9 Watt.

A 2 Watt job should do.

Lawrence.

regentone001 · 30th Apr 2020, 2:11 pm

hav you tried the radio yet before changing everything? I have had several of these radios and the radiogram versions through my hands and have had to change very little.

Sparky67 · 30th Apr 2020, 6:29 pm

Thanks for the advice on the smoothing resistor. That makes life a bit easier!

The grill came back nicely with some Cillit Bang foaming cleaner and the recommended toothbrush.

I didn’t try it before changing the higher capacitance couplers and decouplers. I presumed there was a reason it had been relegated to his loft all those years ago so took the expert advice and replaced the likely failed, or failing caps first.

The smoothing caps were reformed today at 250V, they came back quite quickly. So I bit the bullet and switched it on, and apart from noisy switches and noisy VHF tuning it all appears to work OK. And it sounds very nice compared to modern radios!

All working except for the EM80 magic eye tuning indicator that is... What should I be seeing there?

Thanks.
Martin

20th Apr 2020, 1:06 pm	#21
jjl Octode Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Ware, Herts. UK. Posts: 1,082	Re: Regentone A155 Radio That's the same chassis as that fitted to my RGD version. I never did work out the purpose of the rear panel sockets close to the GRAM and L.S. sockets. There's no mention of them in the user guide for the radio and there's no aperture in the back panel to allow access. John

20th Apr 2020, 5:50 pm	#22
TonyDuell Dekatron Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Biggin Hill, London, UK. Posts: 5,222	Re: Regentone A155 Radio If it's the socket I think you mean, the trader sheet refers to it as a 'test panel'. It's used to connect a 'scope to the detector stage when aligning the set.

30th Apr 2020, 10:55 am	#24
Sparky67 Heptode Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Great Barr, Sandwell, West Midlands, UK. Posts: 589	Re: Regentone A155 Radio Hi all, All of the waxy paper caps have now been replaced, the valves removed and the electrolytics are being slowly reformed, successfully so far. I only have a 150V DC supply so going to have to think about where another 150V can be found...! Another couple of questions if I may. Can the electrolytics be reformed using raw rectified DC and relying on 150V-worth of reforming to do the rest, or does it need to be smoothed at source? Also, the large 1.5k ‘HT smoothing’ resistor is high in value. Would a 7 or 10W replacement resistor be suitable and is a wire-wound any advantage? I am going to have another go at improving the speaker grill finish today. Kitchen cleaner, toothpaste and chrome cleaner are on the list of cleaners and abrasives to attack it with! Thanks Martin Attached Thumbnails

30th Apr 2020, 11:31 am	#25
ms660 Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Cornwall, UK. Posts: 13,454	Re: Regentone A155 Radio The power dissipated by the 1.5k resistor should be approx. 0.9 Watt. A 2 Watt job should do. Lawrence.

30th Apr 2020, 2:11 pm	#26
regentone001 Heptode Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Coventry, West Midlands, UK. Posts: 519	Re: Regentone A155 Radio hav you tried the radio yet before changing everything? I have had several of these radios and the radiogram versions through my hands and have had to change very little.

30th Apr 2020, 6:29 pm	#27
Sparky67 Heptode Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Great Barr, Sandwell, West Midlands, UK. Posts: 589	Re: Regentone A155 Radio Thanks for the advice on the smoothing resistor. That makes life a bit easier! The grill came back nicely with some Cillit Bang foaming cleaner and the recommended toothbrush. I didn’t try it before changing the higher capacitance couplers and decouplers. I presumed there was a reason it had been relegated to his loft all those years ago so took the expert advice and replaced the likely failed, or failing caps first. The smoothing caps were reformed today at 250V, they came back quite quickly. So I bit the bullet and switched it on, and apart from noisy switches and noisy VHF tuning it all appears to work OK. And it sounds very nice compared to modern radios! All working except for the EM80 magic eye tuning indicator that is... What should I be seeing there? Thanks. Martin Last edited by Sparky67; 30th Apr 2020 at 6:41 pm.