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Old 15th Aug 2008, 4:01 pm   #1
montesquieu
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Default Hacker Sovereign III; power supplies.

Stumbled across this forum after purchasing a Hacker Sovereign III (RP72) which looked almost new - even has its black and white 'design centre' label on it'.

Needs a battery (or power supply), the trouble is I don't know which one to use. It's like a pp3 style only the battery connectors are wider apart - I assume then the size is PP9 but the battery comparment looks too small for that (a letterbox shape not much over 30mm - plenty long but not very tall). Also there's only one battery connector when lots of what I read suggest there should be two.

Meanwhile the connector on the back for external power is round - I assume I can use a universal PSU for that - however it seems to want '12v pin neg external power' - while the pp9 is (I think) 9v. Also I'm a bit worried as the universal PSU I have is hard to specify polarity.

So questions - anyone know what battery I need and where I can get one? also will I cause damage if I plug in and get the external power lead polarity wrong?

I did look around the FAQ-type sections but there seems no info nearly so basic!

thanks in advance.

Last edited by Darren-UK; 15th Aug 2008 at 5:26 pm. Reason: More meaningful title applied.
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Old 15th Aug 2008, 5:14 pm   #2
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Default Re: Help a newbie?

Hi M. and welcome,

Apparently the RP72 uses eight D cells in a holder, wired in series to give 12V. It sounds like your holder is missing.

In which case, do try your 12V power supply. But the polarity MUST be right or you'll wreck the radio. Get a cheap digital multimeter (DMM) - you can buy one for under a fiver and get back to us to work it out.

Note that a regulated 12V supply is best, and that it doesn't have to be very powerful at all, 200mA or so is fine.

Nick.

Last edited by Nickthedentist; 15th Aug 2008 at 5:39 pm.
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Old 15th Aug 2008, 5:19 pm   #3
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Default Re: Help a newbie?

Yes, the RP72 does use 8 "D" cells, there is a picture of the arrangement in this thread:-

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...+Sovereign+III

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...5&d=1182035707

Regards, Mick.
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Old 15th Aug 2008, 5:30 pm   #4
'LIVEWIRE?'
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Default Re: Hacker Sovereign III.

According to the 1974/75 edition of 'Radio Servicing' The Hacker Sovereign III (Model RP72) uses 8 x SP2('D') Cells in series to provide 12v DC. This being the case I wonder why yours has a pp type Battery Snap Connector at all. You can use an external mains PSU, preferably of the Stabilised type, fitted with a coaxial DC Power Connector that fits the socket on the Hacker, but the polarity MUST be correct, i.e. centre pin NEGATIVE. Most Universal PSUs have either a polarity change switch or a reversible connector fitted
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Old 15th Aug 2008, 5:32 pm   #5
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Default Re: Hacker Sovereign III.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 'LIVEWIRE?' View Post
This being the case I wonder why yours has a pp type Battery Snap Connector at all.
I think the original battery holder was terminated in PP9-style snaps
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Old 15th Aug 2008, 5:34 pm   #6
'LIVEWIRE?'
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Default Re: Hacker Sovereign III.

mickjjo and Nick, you were obviously typing your posts at thre same time aa me. I didn't realise(or had forgotten!) that there were earlier threads on here covering this. Between the three of us, montesquieu, I hope we have been able to help you. Does your radio still have the Battery Hoder(The long white plastic object in the bottom of the cabinet) for the 'D' Cells

Last edited by 'LIVEWIRE?'; 15th Aug 2008 at 5:37 pm. Reason: To clarify battery details
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Old 15th Aug 2008, 5:44 pm   #7
montesquieu
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Default Re: Hacker Sovereign III.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 'LIVEWIRE?' View Post
mickjjo and Nick, you were obviously typing your posts at thre same time aa me. I didn't realise(or had forgotten!) that there were earlier threads on here covering this. Between the three of us, montesquieu, I hope we have been able to help you. Does your radio still have the Battery Hoder(The long white plastic object in the bottom of the cabinet) for the 'D' Cells

Thanks very much for all the info. All falls into place now.

The plastic battery holder is missing and it looks like it will be extremely hard to find another one. There is a small amount of brown residue on the inside of the case where most likely the batteries have leaked and the whole pack thrown away.

I do have a mains PSU I can use somewhere in the garage but the lack of ability to run it via batteries is disappointing.
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Old 15th Aug 2008, 5:47 pm   #8
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Default Re: Hacker Sovereign III.

so what does a model 3 look like ?
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Old 15th Aug 2008, 5:51 pm   #9
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Default Re: Hacker Sovereign III.

Here's a photo of the original holder. They were used in several Hacker models including Sovereigns III and IV, but often go missing, probably sometimes after suffering corrosion but they're also prone to splitting. Close examination of this one will show a crack at the connector end, the plastic is under considerable strain when the batteries are in place.

If you have a PP9 handy you could connect that for test purposes - the snaps are of the right polarity and spacing, and like most other Hacker models the Sovereign III is very tolerant of reduced voltages and should perform very nearly as well with a 9 volt supply as with 12 volts. Tried it just now with one of my own.

Regards,
Paul
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Old 15th Aug 2008, 6:24 pm   #10
montesquieu
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Default Re: Hacker Sovereign III.

I just found the PSU I had in the garage is 15-24v, so I need to find a 12v one ... means I won't be listening anytime soon it seems.
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Old 15th Aug 2008, 6:37 pm   #11
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Default Re: Hacker Sovereign III.

For testing, you can even try connecting it to a PP3 (smoke alarm size) battery, though the terminals won't stay connected properly. Just make sure you hold the male connector to the female battery terminal and vice versa.
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Old 15th Aug 2008, 6:45 pm   #12
Brian R Pateman
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Default Re: Hacker Sovereign III.

Maplin still list various battery holders so it might be worth a look if you have a local branch.

Regards,
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Old 15th Aug 2008, 11:29 pm   #13
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Default Re: Hacker Sovereign III.

For 12V, maybe one of the smaller sealed lead acid rechargeable batteries would fit in place of the battery pack- not too difficult to get a battery clip from an old PP9 connected the right way round to it. With a couple of series diodes you could even use your garage psu (set to 15V) to recharge the battery!

Some useful info on sizes in here http://www.yuasa-battery.co.uk/industrial/np.html somewhere....

Chris
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Old 16th Aug 2008, 9:02 am   #14
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Default Re: Hacker Sovereign III.

You might have to make a battery holder - I've just examined my RP75MB Super Sovereign that uses the same holder, and there is not much room in the case - possibly a ready-made holder would be too wide.
You could make a holder from plastic or MDF that holds C cells?
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Old 16th Aug 2008, 9:27 am   #15
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Default Re: Hacker Sovereign III.

I would echo Mikes comment.

The battery holder is a very tight fit and I have not found any holders that will go in mine. None of them had two rows of four cells so a holder for C Cells could be the best option.
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Old 16th Aug 2008, 11:57 am   #16
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Default Re: Hacker Sovereign III.

You could even use a AA holder, and fill it with NiMH cells as those are available in 3Ah form now, and the typical, alkaline 'D' cell rarely does better than 2.2Ah.
Not original I know, but the thing that I like best about my Sovereign Three (pictured) is the way it sounds, and I do at least have a few of the original nylon battery trays between more sets.
Maplin do offer trays for four 'D' cells that are slim enough to fit, and two of those, grafted back-to-back, will go in, but if you're going non-original, the AA cells and holders are cheaper, lighter and available in much more durable form.

[img]http://farm3.static.***********/2289/1792624223_3fe5690ada.jpg[/img]
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Old 17th Aug 2008, 2:48 pm   #17
montesquieu
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Default Re: Hacker Sovereign III.

Thanks for all the input guys. I've ordered some trays from Maplins and will have a go at getting it to work by battery when they arrive.

However, having placed an order I then managed to borrow a 12v supply that fits (with easy to set polarity) and I have managed to get the radio to work. Nothing on LW, only a very distorted 5 Live on MW (no other stations), FM works ok (reasonable sound) but drifts off a lot (every couple of minutes though somtimes it comes back again) and needs retuning every time you turn it on.

So looks like I bought a bit of a dud. Shame as cosmetically it's as good as new.

So a last question (and thanks again for everyone's input) - what's likely to be wrong with this and is it a major job to fix it up?
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Old 17th Aug 2008, 3:44 pm   #18
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Default Re: Hacker Sovereign III.

Is the power supply OK and does it supply the voltage and the current? Is it smoothed and regulated (i.e. NOT one of those nasty wall wart things?).

Cheers,

Steve P.
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Old 17th Aug 2008, 3:54 pm   #19
montesquieu
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Default Re: Hacker Sovereign III.

It's a big, chunky regulated power supply (not a wall wart) adjustable from 6v to 12. Would a bad PSU cause it to cut out, then come back again?
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Old 17th Aug 2008, 4:04 pm   #20
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Default Re: Hacker Sovereign III.

Might do if the PSU is faulty.

Anyway, make sure all the connections are clean. Then go on a clean up (especially the buttons) and a capacitor hunt inside the unit. The electrolytics on these do cause problems. There's usually one on the speaker and change any across the batteries (or power supply) connections.

I haven't got the manual to hand unfortunately, but try typing Hacker or Hacker Sovereign into the search section of the site.

Cheers,

Steve P.
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