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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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27th Jun 2020, 2:23 pm | #1 |
Hexode
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK.
Posts: 465
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Pye SP/AC
My latest restoration - this is a Pye SP/AC from 1934. When I got it, it was derelict. Several components needed to be replaced, including the loudspeaker and - inevitably - several capacitors. The power supply had to be rebuilt from scratch as it used "wet electrolytics" and the original Westinghouse metal rectifier passed AC quite happily. The valves (all Mazdas), however, were all in good working order, and there is no reason to suppose that they are not the originals.
The case was also in pretty poor condition and had to be stripped and re-varnished to match, as far as possible, the original finish. Several sections of the case needed to be separated and re-glued. It is clear that this set either got soaked at some time or, more probably, stored for a long period in damp conditions. I had to make a new dial and more or less guess what it looked like as I was unable to get a pattern. I based the ranges and station names on another Pye set of the same period and in practice they are pretty close. The alignment was all over the shop; the IFTs in particular were miles out. Anyway, here are some pictures - before and after. The set now sounds lovely; in 1934 it was a top-of-the-range model from a leading manufacturer. It's an interesting circuit: V1 is RF amplifier, V2 triode-pentode FC, V3 IF amp, V4 double-diode output pentode. It has an interesting feature - a milliammeter in series with V3 anode which functions as a tuning meter. |
27th Jun 2020, 5:03 pm | #2 |
Nonode
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Coulsdon, Surrey, UK.
Posts: 2,109
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Re: Pye SP/AC
A fabulous piece of work and more patience than I could muster in a millenium !
Nicely done. Andy |