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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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Old 12th Feb 2017, 3:55 pm   #1
MurphyNut
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Default Ferranti 255, what a nice radio!

This was a very easy success story as the said radio was given to me, this was about 6 years ago, I had a call at the door and there stood an elderly man holding the Ferranti.
It clicked after a while that I had actually worked with him some years earlier but not seen him since he retired.
Amazingly he had remembered I collected such things and had tracked me down, he offered me the set saying it didn’t work and could do what I wanted with it.
I plugged it in and true to his word it didn’t do much apart from light up. I knew even less about fixing radios than I do now but I guessed it might be a valve. I have a large tin with many smaller 1950’s valves in, so I went through replacing each one in turn with the same number. Then switching the set on after each swap to see if it would do anything.
I eventually hit the jackpot! The radio worked and really well too, in fact much better than I ever thought it would, FM was patricianly good no hiss and strong undistorted sound.
The radio is in very good cosmetic condition in and out looking as if it’s spent all its life in a dry environment.
This Radio gets used often and now lives in the summer house and looks happy sitting in the corner. It contains a large sized speaker and produces very nice sound quality, especially evident on Radio 3 with classical music.
As its working so well (there isn’t even the slightest suggestion of a hum) I’ve decided not to bother doing anything to it.
Lovely radio, (cat likes it too) they aren’t rare and often crop up on eBay and there never seems to be much interest in them, there was even the radiogram version advertised recently. (If only I had the space!)
Underrate? I think so.
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Old 12th Feb 2017, 4:48 pm   #2
ukcol
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Default Re: Ferranti 255, what a nice radio!

Hi Clive

Although I sympathise with the school of "if it ain't broke don't fix it", I would change the so called "that" capacitor.

It is C61 in the manufacturer's manual and is a 0.005uf (5000pF) @ 500 volts working. It is listed as a type TCC543. I am not familiar with the type TCC543 but I suspect it is a paper dielectric type.

If you leave it in place you run the risk of damage to the output valve and worst, the output transformer.

If you haven't got a manual its the only capacitor connected to pin 9 of the EABC80.
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Old 12th Feb 2017, 7:16 pm   #3
MurphyNut
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Default Re: Ferranti 255, what a nice radio!

Thanks Colin, I think I might well take your advice, I'd be a bit upset if the output transformer should be damaged.
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Old 12th Feb 2017, 7:40 pm   #4
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Default Re: Ferranti 255, what a nice radio!

The seal of cat approval is all this is required......

but it looks the 'business' in that situation.
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Old 13th Feb 2017, 9:21 am   #5
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Default Re: Ferranti 255, what a nice radio!

They are a good looking radio, my old neighbour had one, she used to work for Ferranti ( as did I eventually ) and it was in the lounge working well for many years. They are soundly constructed radios.
I would take that suggestion to change the audio grid coupling capacitor as being very sound advice. For peace of mind if nothing else, the outlay of a few pence and an hour of your time should ensure that it continues to work for a long time.
Loss of the output transformer could be the death knell of a treasured possession.
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Old 13th Feb 2017, 2:23 pm   #6
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Default Re: Ferranti 255, what a nice radio!

Nice. Which valve was the culprit?
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Old 13th Feb 2017, 4:41 pm   #7
MurphyNut
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Default Re: Ferranti 255, what a nice radio!

I'm sorry, it was some years ago and I've forgotten. It was just by sheer luck I found a replacement that worked from my box of mixed valves.
I remember being quite overjoyed when it sprung into life!
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