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Collecting, Restoring Vintage Radios (Magazine Article) - P, Stenning (2002) WW
Collecting, Restoring Vintage Radios (Magazine Article) - P, Stenning (2002) WW
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By Paul Stenning
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By Paul Stenning
VER the last few years, collecting car radios, hi-fi equipment, telephones, In this article I will concentrate on
A Loewe Opta good quality valve set from the 1960s. The Bush DAC10 four-valve AC/DC set from
1950.
THERMIONIC EMISSION A rectifier valve has larger, more substantial electrodes than
When a metal is heated to a sufficiently high temperature in a detector diode, to cope with the much greater currents
a vacuum, it will give off electrons. These will be attracted to involved. Fig.1 shows a rectifier valve circuit with an AC input
any electrode that is at a more positive potential. and a half-wave rectified DC output.
Most metals will melt by the time they are hot enough to A smoothing capacitor would normally be connected across
emit a significant amount of electrons. the load (RL) to give a relatively steady DC
Tungsten is an exception, which gives good supply. The load would normally be the
emission at 2300 to 2500 degrees Centigrade, remainder of the circuit rather than a single
and melts at 3380 degrees Centigrade. This resistor.
would glow almost as bright as an electric The valve electrodes are indicated by the
lamp, which was a characteristic of early normal abbreviations – a for anode, k for cath-
“Bright Emitter” valves. ode and h for the heater connections. A heater
In later valves, the tungsten was coated supply is not shown in the diagram for sim-
with an oxide (such as barium or strontium), plicity.
which gives good emission at around 700
degrees Centigrade. THE TRIODE
In most valves, the emitting conductor is a By adding a spiral of wire or a wire mesh
separate component to the heating filament. between the cathode and the anode, it is pos-
The emitting conductor is known as the cath- sible to control the current flowing between
ode, and is normally in the form of a thin them. This additional electrode is known as
tube. The heater passes inside the cathode and the control grid.
is electrically insulated from it. This is known Referring to Fig.2, if a varying signal is
as an indirectly heated cathode. However, applied to the control grid (g1) via C1, the
most early valves, and those intended for bat- anode current will vary in sympathy. By plac-
tery operated radios, have directly heated ing a resistor (RA) between the anode and the
cathodes, where the heater and cathode are positive supply, the varying current will be
the same component. converted to a varying voltage on the anode.
In normal use the control grid will not be at
ELECTRON FLOW VS. a positive potential relative to the cathode,
CONVENTIONAL otherwise it will act as another anode and
CURRENT FLOW draw current (known as grid current). It is nor-
We are now used to thinking of current mally biased a few volts negative. In very
flowing from positive to negative. However, early radio sets, a separate grid bias battery
current is actually a flow of electrons in the was used, often having several tappings to
opposite direction. This anomaly is the result give different bias levels – but this was quick-
of an incorrect assumption by early scientists, ly superseded.
which has become established – hence we
have the separate terms Electron Flow and
Conventional Current Flow.
To avoid confusion (hopefully!), think in
terms of electron flow when considering the
actual workings of the valve, and conven-
Structure of a
tional current flow when thinking about the
Miniature Valve
circuit. 1 – Glass Envelope. 2 – Internal
Shield. 3 – Anode. 4 – Grid No. 3
THE DIODE (Suppressor Grid). 5 – Grid No. 2
(Screen Grid). 6 – Grid No. 1 (Control
The electron collecting plate is known as Grid). 7 – Cathode. 8 – Heater. 9 –
the anode. It normally consists of a cylinder or Exhaust Tip. 10 – Getter. 11 –
rectangular box of metal around the cathode, Spacer Shield Header. 12 –
a few millimetres away. Insulating Spacer. 13 – Spacer
Shield. 14 – Inter-Pin Shield. 15 –
When the anode is positive, the (negative) Glass button-Stem Seal. 16 – Lead
electrons emitted by the cathode are attracted Wire. 17 – Base Pin. 18 – Glass-to-
to the anode and hence there is a current flow. Metal Seal. Fig.2. Basic triode valve amplifier circuit.
Usually cathode biasing will be used. Instead of connecting commonly required in the AGC (Automatic Gain Control) cir-
the cathode directly to ground (0V), it is connected via a low cuits in radio receivers.
value resistor (RK). This will drop a few volts, so the cathode To achieve this the spacing of the wires that make up the
will be a few volts positive. The control grid is at high imped- control grid are varied, being closer together at the centre and
ance and draws virtually no current. It is normally connected to wider apart at the ends. By varying the negative voltage on this
ground via a high resistance (RG), and the signal is coupled via grid, the gain can be adjusted.
a capacitor (C1).
If CK is omitted, the voltage at the cathode will vary with the PENTODE POWER
anode current. This causes negative feedback, which gives a AMPLIFICATION
reduction in gain (and also reduces distortion). CK is fitted to The circuit in Fig.4 shows a typical Class-A pentode output
obtain the maximum gain from the stage, and has a low imped- stage. The anode load resistor is replaced with the primary of
ance over the signal frequency range. the output transformer (T1), which drives the loudspeaker
Triode valves are mainly used for low-level audio amplifica- (LS1). The purpose of the transformer is to convert the rela-
tion. Their use is limited at radio frequencies because of the tively high anode impedance of the valve to the low impedance
capacitance between the control grid and the anode. Although of the speaker.
this is only a few pF, the “effective capacitance” is approxi- Since the output transformer is inductive, its impedance
mately equal to this value multiplied by the stage gain. This varies with frequency giving an uneven frequency response. A
effective capacitance becomes the input capacitance of the capacitor (CA) is often connected in parallel with the trans-
stage, and has a drastic shunting and detuning effect on a radio former primary, which corrects this to a great extent (this is
frequency signal. sometimes referred to as tone correction). In some cases more
than one capacitor is used, together with series resistors to give
THE TETRODE correction that is more accurate.
The tetrode was a development of the triode, designed to over- The screen grid (g2) is shown connected to the HT supply
come the effective capacitance problem. A second grid is placed after a decoupling resistor (RD). This is a common arrange-
between the control grid and the anode. It is known as the screen ment in valve radio receivers.
grid, and acts as an electrostatic screen, the purpose being to A resistor, referred to as the “grid-stopper”, may be placed
minimise the capacitance between the control grid and anode. in series with the control grid (g1). This works in conjunction
For this to work it must be connected to ground at signal fre- with the input capacitance of the valve to attenuate the high fre-
quencies. If it were connected directly to 0V it would act as quencies (above the audio range) to ensure stability.
another control grid and greatly reduce the anode current. It is Many hi-fi amplifiers and some more expensive valve
therefore often connected to the HT rail via a resistor to drop receivers use a Class-B push-pull output stage. This is an
some voltage, and decoupled to 0V with a suitable capacitor. involved subject in its own right and will not be covered in
The tetrode solves the capacitance problem allowing opera- this brief article. A higher quality output transformer is
tion at high frequencies, and also gives greater gain. However, normally used in conjunction with negative feedback, which
it introduces another problem – limited output voltage swing if makes impedance correction capacitors (such as CA)
distortion is to be avoided. This is caused by secondary emis- unnecessary.
sion, which is too involved to describe in this brief article.
Consequently the use of the tetrode is generally confined to 20s OTHER VALVE TYPES
and early 30s sets, but it is included here because it is an impor- A number of special-purpose valves have been produced
tant stage in the development of a better solution. with a greater number of electrodes. For example, hexodes,
heptodes and octodes (containing six, seven and eight elec-
THE PENTODE trodes respectively) are sometimes used in mixer-oscillator
As its name implies, the pentode has five electrodes. Four of stages. The operation of these valves is rather complex and I
them are the same as those in the tetrode, namely the cathode, will not attempt to describe them here!
control grid, screen grid and anode.
To suppress the secondary emission a further grid, known as COMBINED VALVES
the suppresser grid, is added. This is normally connected to the Often more than one valve section is contained in a single
cathode, sometimes internally within the valve envelope, glass envelope. These sections normally share the same heater
otherwise a separate connection is provided. connections and are sometimes interconnected.
The result is a valve that retains the advantages of the tetrode The mixer-oscillator valve in radio receivers often consists
– high gain and operation at high frequencies – without the dis- of a hexode (or similar) and triode sections in the same enve-
tortion. Pentodes are commonly encountered in RF and IF lope. The triode is used as the oscillator section and the hexode
amplifier stages, and in amplifier power output stages. acts as the mixer and amplifier. The two sections may be con-
The circuit of Fig.3 shows a basic pentode amplifier stage. nected internally within the valve, or externally.
This is fairly similar to the triode circuit discussed previously, The first AF stages generally use valves containing several
with the addition of the connections to the screen and sup- diodes plus a triode in one glass envelope.
presser grids (g2 and g3).
FURTHER READING
VARI-MU VALVES Those requiring a more detailed discussion of valve opera-
It is often necessary to be able to control the amplification tion are advised to refer to the book by Chas E. Miller entitled
(gain) of a valve either manually or automatically. This is Valve Radio & Audio Repair Handbook (see page 16).
CIRCUIT OPERATION
In this section, I will give a brief In AC/DC sets, the valve heaters are contains several resistance sections for
overview of the circuit operation of AM connected in series and powered via a high voltage selection etc. The normal repair is
and FM valve radios, highlighting com- power dropper resistor directly from the to bridge the faulty section with a wire-
mon fault areas. Due to space restrictions, mains input (Fig.6). The heater current is wound resistor of suitable resistance and
this will be limited to the more common 100mA in many later sets. The dropper power rating.
circuit arrangements. This subject is cov- resistor often has to drop around 100V and Dial lamps (where fitted) are connected
ered in much greater detail on my website runs fairly hot, and thus failure is not either in the heater chain or in the neutral
and in some of the recommended books – uncommon. This component often connection to the whole set, and are
see later for details.
POWER SUPPLY
CIRCUITS
There are two basic power supply
arrangements, depending on whether the
set is designed for use on both AC and DC
mains or on AC mains only.
AC only sets use a transformer to power
the valve heaters and the full-wave HT rec-
tifier (Fig.5). The valve heaters and dial
lamps are connected in parallel and pow-
ered by a low voltage winding, often 6.3V.
The rectifier heater may be powered from
a separate winding and may be a different
voltage. The transformer normally pro-
vides isolation from the mains, allowing
the chassis to be earthed for safety if
required.
Fig.5. Power supply of a typical AC set.
8 SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT Everyday Practical Electronics, October 2002
The audio signal is coupled to the output
valve control grid from the preceding stage
via a capacitor. This capacitor will very
often be found to be electrically leaky,
putting a positive voltage on the control
grid. This causes the output valve to draw
excessive anode current. This will probably
be noticed initially as distortion and a low
HT voltage. Continued operation this way
can result in damage to the valve, output
transformer and other components.
Therefore, as soon as an unknown set
has power applied, the voltage on the out-
put valve control grid must be checked
with a high-impedance digital meter. It
should be zero or slightly negative. If there
Fig.6. Power supply arrangement for a typical AC/DC set. is any positive voltage here, the capacitor
must be replaced. A similar symptom can
occur due to internal leakage within the
normally shunted by a parallel resistor or Suitably rated modern electrolytics can be valve. This is more common on later
thermistor to keep the set running if a lamp installed below the chassis, ensuring that valves, in particular the UL41. If a replace-
fails. The HT is derived by half-wave the leads are kept as short as possible, to ment capacitor does not eliminate the pos-
rectifying the mains. The chassis is there- give steady mounting, and are adequately itive voltage on the grid, try a replacement
fore connected directly to one side of the sleeved. Axial capacitors are generally a valve.
mains (hopefully neutral!). AC/DC sets better choice. In either case, check the value and con-
should therefore be regarded as more dan- Some repairers like to cut the faulty can dition of the cathode resistor and any
gerous to work on than AC only models. open and fit the replacements inside. The bypass capacitor, since the excess voltage
Often a capacitor is connected directly cut is concealed underneath the capacitor- and current may have damaged them.
across the mains input of AC/DC sets. The mounting clip. Radial capacitors would be The output transformer can fail, with the
purpose of this is to prevent modulation a better choice for this. Do not use higher primary becoming open-circuit (often as a
hum (a hum or buzz when the set is tuned capacitance replacements, as these would result of the above problem). The best
to a strong signal). This capacitor will unduly stress the rectifier valve. replacement is one from a scrap set using
often be found to have blown itself to the same output valve.
pieces, and should always be replaced with AUDIO STAGES RS Components stock a suitable trans-
a Class X2 suppression component. Some sets have a method of disconnect- former, stock number 210-6475. This has
Some sets use a combination of AC and ing the internal speaker when using an several tappings on the primary and sec-
AC/DC techniques. Circuit operation is external speaker. This could be a switch, ondary, and the catalogue gives details of
usually evident by examining the circuit plug or screw, and is often the cause of the connections for various primary and
diagram. It should be noted that some of silent sets. speaker impedances. The primary imped-
these sets use an autotransformer and thus The vast majority of sets use a Class-A ance is the Ra figure for the valve (taken
do not provide isolation. Therefore, the output stage (Fig.7), with a single valve from a valve data book), and the speaker
fact that a set has a mains transformer (normally a pentode or beam-tetrode) dri- impedance is generally three ohms.
should not be taken to mean that the chas- ving the output transformer. The output There are often one or more capacitors
sis is isolated from the mains. transformer primary is in the anode circuit. and possibly resistors in the output valve
With all power supply arrangements, it The anode current is typically 40mA, and anode circuit, either in parallel with the out-
is important to ensure that the voltage the transformer primary drops between 15 put transformer primary or between the
selector is set to the appropriate position to and 40 volts DC. A small resistor (hun- anode and chassis. These components are
suit the mains supply voltage in your area dreds of ohms) in the valve cathode circuit intended to correct the non-linear frequency
(usually 230V/240V in the UK). Incorrect gives a small positive voltage on the cath- response of the output transformer. These
setting can result in valves and other com- ode. The resistor is often bypassed with a capacitors live a hard life, because of the
ponents being over-run, considerably small electrolytic capacitor, typically 25mF large AC signals on the anode. Replacements
shortening their lives. to 50mF. The control grid is biased to 0V must be rated at 600V DC or higher (I nor-
via a high-value resistor (500kW to 1MW), mally use 1000V components).
SMOOTHING thereby giving the correct negative bias rel- The output stage is normally preceded
Whatever type of power supply is used, ative to the cathode. by an audio amplifier stage, usually a
the rectifier will be followed by a smooth-
ing capacitor. There will normally be fur-
ther stages of smoothing and decoupling
for the earlier circuit stages. The smooth-
ing and decoupling capacitors are high
voltage electrolytics of 8mF to 50mF. Two
or three capacitors are normally contained
in a single can. With age and lack of use,
these often become electrically leaky and
low capacitance. If the seal is swelling or
there are signs of the electrolyte leaking
out the capacitor is unusable.
Electrically leaky electrolytics may
reform themselves when the set is pow-
ered, but if they are too bad they could From Detector
become very hot and possibly explode. The
use of a 100W bulb to limit the mains cur-
rent when initially testing a set will give
you sufficient time and warning to switch
the set off if the HT current is excessive.
The electrolytic cans are (generally) no
longer available. The usual repair method
is to disconnect the faulty capacitor but
leave the can in place so that it looks right. Fig.7. Typical Class-A output stage.
REPLACEMENT BACKS
If the original back to the set is missing
you should arrange an alternative. This is
essential if the set is to be used, to prevent
little fingers finding their way onto live ter-
minals. If you have a supply of scrap sets,
you may have a back that can be modified
to suit.
A suitable replacement back can be
made from hardboard or thin plywood.
Once it has been cut to size, drill or punch
a large number of 1/4 inch (6mm) holes
for ventilation. In particular, there should
be holes near the output and rectifier
valves, and any high power resistors.
Drilling hardboard gives a rather tatty fin-
ish, which can be tidied somewhat with
medium grade sandpaper. The back can
then be sprayed with black aerosol paint if
desired. Obviously it is much better if the
set is complete with the original back A selection of early valves from the collection of Bill Journeaux. (Courtesy Radio
when purchased. Bygones)
CABINET RESTORATION
Before embarking on the restoration of
the cabinet and chassis, you should con-
DISMANTLING in which case the clip can be removed by
turning it so that one of the gripping sec-
sider carefully what you are trying to Before attempting to clean and restore tions is next to the flat. Otherwise, grip the
achieve. This will vary with different sets, the cabinet, it should be dismantled as far sides of the clip with long nosed pliers and
and everybody has their own preferences. as possible. Normally the speaker baffle rotate it back and forth, as you pull it off –
Many restorers do not try to make the board is a separate assembly and is held in taking care not to break the pillar.
set look like new, as this can appear artifi- place with screws or clips. Trim and man-
cial. The normal aim is to restore the set to ufacturers logos are often held in place KNOBS AND TRIM
the condition it would be in if it had been with nuts, clips or bent-over pins on the Plastic, Bakelite and metallic parts can
kept on a sideboard since it was new, and inside, or possibly glued in place. The tun- initially be cleaned with warm water and
lovingly dusted occasionally. Small ing scale glass is normally held with a few washing-up liquid. The water should not
scratches and chips are signs of general metal fixing plates, fitted with rubber be too hot, as very hot water can cause
wear and tear, and should generally be pieces to protect the glass. plastic parts to soften and distort. Leave
accepted as such. These items can usually be readily the parts to soak for a few minutes. An old
Consider the value of the set, and the removed, and then cleaned and restored toothbrush is ideal for cleaning the parts
likely impact to this caused by any work individually. Also, remove the speaker and removing the grime from the finger-
you decide to do. If the set is worth next- from the baffle board. Do not try to grips of the knobs. Once the parts are
to-nothing before you start, you really separate glued items unless it is absolutely clean, rinse them in clean running water to
have nothing to lose, and could gain a necessary. remove the detergent, and leave them to
nice-looking set! However, if the set is rare On many Bakelite sets, the baffle board dry.
or valuable – say over £100 – you should and other components are held in place Brass items can then be polished using
take expert advice before doing anything with spring clips pressed over pillars. Brasso or a similar product. You will often
that could affect the appearance and value. Sometimes there is a flat side on the pillar, find that they have been coated
CONTACT DETAILS
The following list contains a selection of suppliers of vintage radio sets, infor-
mation and components. If you have Internet access, you can find a comprehensive
directory of suppliers at http://www.radiocraft.co.uk/directory/directory.htm.
Please note that some of these business- Savoy Hill Publications (Paul & Alex Email – sidney@tradradgrilles.free
es are run from the proprietor’s homes, so Ollivier), Fir View, 7 Rabys Row, serve.co.uk
please limit telephone calls to reasonable Scorrier, Redruth, Cornwall, TR16 Web – http://www.vintage-radio.com/
weekday business hours. In addition, some 5AW trg/
may not be open to callers, or may only be Email – paul.pollivier@virgin.net Phone – 01702 473740
open by appointment so always check Phone – 01209 820771 Sowter Transformers, The Boatyard,
before travelling. Chevet Supplies Ltd., 157 Dickson Road, Cullingham Road, Ipswich, IP1 2EG
Blackpool, FY1 2EU. Also sell books, Web – http://www.sowter.co.uk
VINTAGE RADIOS reprinted manuals, hardware and Email – techsupport@sowter.co.uk
The Wireless Works (Rob Rusbridge), 40 components Phone – 01962 620135
Fore Street, Bugle, St Austell, Cornwall, Email – chevet@globalnet.co.uk Fax – 0870 458 1700
PL26 8PE Phone – 01253 751858 Variable Voltage Technology Ltd., Unit
Web – http://www.wirelessworks.co.uk Fax – 01253 302979 24R Samuels Whites Estate, Cowes, Isle
Email – rob@wirelessworks.co.uk Mauritron Technical Services, 8 Cherry of Wight, PO31 7LP.
Phone/Fax – 01726 852284 Tree Road, Chinnor, Oxfordshire, OX39 All types of transformers for all types
Past Times Radio (Richard Booth), 4QY of circuits including specialist valve
School House, Old School Lane, Email – enquiries@mauritron.co.uk units and for restoration of vintage
Wadworth, Doncaster, DN11 9BW Web – http://www.mauritron.co.uk radios
Web – http://www.pasttimesradio.co.uk Phone – 01844 351694 Web –www.vvttransformers.co.uk
Email – richard@pasttimesradio.co.uk Fax – 01844 352554 Email – rb@vvt-cowes.freeserve.co.uk
Phone – 01302 858468 Duncan Amplification (Online Valve Phone – 01983 280592
Mobile – 07971 701380 Data) Fax – 01983 280593
On the Air (Steve Harris), The Vintage Web – http://www.duncanamps.com RS Components – telephone or web site
Technology Centre, The Highway, Nostalgia Air (Online American radio orders with a credit card only.
Hawarden, Deeside, CH5 3DN schematics – click the “Riders Online” Web – http://rswww.com
Web – http://www.vintageradio.co.uk link) Phone – 01536 444079
Email – info@vintageradio.co.uk Web – http://www.nostalgiaair.org
Phone/Fax – 01244 530300 Frank Nostalgia Air (Online Valve Data) For general radio components and
Mobile – 07778 767734 Web – http://frank.nostalgiaair.org spares, the suppliers under “Vintage
Radiocraft (Steve Ostler), Main Street, Radios” above will also be able to help.
Sedgeberrow, WR11 7UF, United
Kingdom. VALVES MAGAZINES AND
Web – http://www.radiocraft.co.uk Valve and Tube Supplies (Rod Burman), ORGANISATIONS
Email – steve@radiocraft.co.uk Woodlands Vale House, Calthorpe Radio Bygones, Wimborne Publishing
Phone – 01386 882280 Road, Ryde, Isle of Wight, PO33 1PR Ltd., 408 Wimborne Road East,
Mobile – 07876 296019 Web – http://www.valves.uk.com Ferndown, Dorset, BH22 9ND.
Radio Renaissance (Colin Boggis), Email – rod@valves.uk.com Subscriptions – 1 year (six issues) UK
Ruckholt Lodge, Ringwood Road, Phone – 01983 811386 £18.50; Europe £20.50 (airmail); Rest
Bransgore, Christchurch BH23 8AE Fax – 01983 563730 of the World £24.50 (airmail).
Web – http://www.radio-renaissance. Wilson Valves (Jim Fish), 28, Banks Web – http://www.radiobygones.co.uk
co.uk Avenue, Golcar, Huddersfield, York- Online http://www.radiobygones.com
Email – colin@radio-renaissance.co.uk shire, HD7 4LZ Email – radiobygones@wimborne.co.uk
Phone/Fax – 01425 674925 Email – wilsonvalves@surflink.co.uk Phone – 01202 873872
Mobile – 07714 750918 Phone – 01484 654650 Fax – 01202 874562
Malcolm Bennett’s Vintage Radios Fax – 01484 655699 British Vintage Wireless Society, c/o
(Online Sales and Wanted adverts) Kenzen (Ken Bailey), Unit 9, 16-20 Vintage Wireless Museum, 23 Rosen-
Web – http://www.valve.demon.co.uk George Street, Balsall Heath, Birming- dale Road, West Dulwich, London,
eBay (Online auction – look in ham, B12 9RG SE21 8DS
“Collectables – Radio”) Phone – 0121 446 4346 Web – http://www.bvws.org.uk
Web – http://www.ebay.co.uk Fax – 0121 446 4245 Email (membership enquiries – Graham
Terry) – g.terry@virgin.net
VALVE AND SERVICE Email (chairman – Mike Barker) –
DATA COMPONENTS AND MurphyMad@aol.com
Note: The service data and valve data CD- SPARES The Radiophile, Larkhill, Newport Road,
ROMs mentioned in this supplement are Traditional Radio Grilles (Sid Chaplin), Woodseaves, Staffs, ST20 0NP
available from the Radio Bygones Bookshelf 43 Lime Avenue, Leigh on Sea, Essex, Web – http://www.radiophile.co.uk
– see “Magazines And Organisations”. SS9 3PA Phone/Fax – 01785 284696
Bygones
for vintage radio www.radiobygones.com
BUY ONLINE
A complete list of contents for each CD-ROM is available from our website at www.radiobygones.co.uk. The list is far too
long to publish here, covering approximately 30 sides of A4 paper.
All information contained on the CD-ROMs is in PDF form and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader (included on each CD-ROM).
System requirements: Windows 95 or above, 20MB hard drive space. NOTE: Since the data on these CD-ROMs can be printed out
we are only able to exchange disks if faulty, we cannot offer a money back guarantee.