1940 Philco Wireless Remote Control Radio 40-217 - Remote Analysis and Repair.
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- Опубликовано: 21 июл 2022
- Remote acquired and revived.
DISCLAIMER: These videos show my way of doing things. Don't necessarily follow my advice, I could be wrong. You are responsible for your actions. Not me. 
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Hey that guy who found the remote was me. I'm glad someone got it. This is perhaps the most ridiculous piece of vintage electronics I've ever seen and I gotta see it working in all its Rube Goldbergian glory. 🤣
Thanks for the tip on the remote. I had to see it work and it’s absolutely hilarious.
Really different but it is cool.The man that bought it new was proud of it no doubt.
Mechtrician1,This technology was very advanced for its time especially being wireless. I personally don’t think it’s silly at all. Jukeboxes also used stepper motor systems receive selections from wall boxes and the systems were quite reliable and easy to maintain. I’m sure with a little TLC you’ll have it working properly and it will be reliable.
@@Suddenlyits1960 that’s not what I am saying at all. The technology is incredible for it’s day. Their implementation of it is lacking.
Saba made a large German radio with automated station finding and a WIRED remote control. Both station and volume knobs were motorized. It was quite amazing to watch it find a strong station, driven by a motor and vacuum tubes.
Shango sent me here. Great video! This is what Einstein referred to as "Spooky Action."
From a distance
Crazy that the designer's in 1940 thought that up! Thanks for posting!
Tesla had remote control in 1898
I appreciate your approach and the fact you wanted to see it work. Old stuff like this is remarkable when you think of what they had to work with. I believe they understood theory very very well. So glad someone located that remote as it seems to me it would be a rare accessorie to locate on a good day. Thanks for your post, thoroughly enjoyed what you did.
I've got this very radio and remote wrapped up and in storage in my side garage. It belonged to my grandfather, who gave it to my dad, and we were listening to it the night Cassius Clay aka Mohammad Ali beat Sonny Liston. The last time i was ever used was maybe in the 1970s. There was another duplicate model radio/remote pair at their friends home, but their basement was deluged by the 1965 flood and the lower half of the unit was water damaged beyond salvage and rather than keep the upper electronics, the complete radio was hauled to the dump. I have no idea what happened to the remote. I remember my grandfather demonstrating the operation of the remote.
Seems to work ok considering it's age and that in its day the radio spectrum looked alot different back then. Thanks for sharing this it's kewl to see where one of shangos projects ended up ;)
I'm 8 mins 39 seconds into your video, so apologies if what I say here is worked out later in the video: The reason they keep the filament off is to save the battery. A 3 volt tube starts working almost instantly so can be used like that I'm guessing. Now to watch the rest to see my theory blown out the water lol.... edit: Glad to see you've got it working. It will probably be more responsive and reliable once re-capped, rewired, maybe re-aligned, cleaned and all the shielding fitted and back in the cabinet with all the stuff in place. Amazing innovation for the time it was made, however gimmicky it may seem.
Hey. I went to visit a teacher of mine years ago. She had a very similar remote using a cord to change the sound and channel of her TV. It was amazing. I'm 61 now and I still remember dialing in a TV station.
There is a book by Riders on alignment of Philco receivers. See volume 2 where they have two special alignment
discussions near the end on alignment of Mystery Control for frequency amplifier and reception of stations. Lots
to learn about it and the book is available at the worldradiohistory's site. Might answer some eventual questions there.
Damn interesting piece of ancient remote control technology.
It’s quite common for the rotary dials on the mystery remotes to be warped due to the type of plastic they were made of. You’re is actually in much nicer than most. Some are so badly distorted they don’t rotate.
Coolest remote ever!!
There is a lot of information on the remote system and servicing it if you can find a 39-55RX / 39-116RX manual. It was covered in a Riders but I don't remember what model had the more detailed service information. Good Luck.
Very cool! Good luck on the restore 👍
The radio and remotes are classy looking pices of art deco furniture. The idea that it's "gimmicky" makes for its appeal. This radio was a rich gadget lovers radio in its day. It's as much an icon of electrical engineering and industrial design as the later Philco Predictas. 8:25
Remarkably while watching an old "Mr. Fong the Fatal Hour" circa 1934 this same set was featured as a murder mystery link in a murder. Look up the show and go to about the 55 min mark and the radio with its remote feature was showcased.
The Frequency of the remote was determined by the original seller at the radio store where it was originally bought, The frequency setpoint was kind of scattered to eliminate your remote from controlling your neighbors radio!!
I had assumed that. Like modern day DIP switches.
What they don’t tell you is what the frequency range is.
Great you've got it working to some degree.
That is neat to see it working
Talk about contemporary design! I thought it would act like a rotary phone. God, that thing is such jank I love it.
For volume up and down you’re supposed to hold down the fingerstop when you release the dial and it’ll keep advancing the motor until released.
Watch RUclipsr Robert Gartaz’s video titled “Philco Mystery Control Demonstration”
I have a 40-206 model from 1940 which has similar RF front end with push-buttons for selecting station presets. Like your model it also incorporates a SW band. The band select switch seems somewhat sloppy in these models. There is not a positive detent feel as the bandswitch is rotated. Cleaning the switch with some contact cleaner will likely help. Good luck!
That remote WILL have to be tuned to the radio's REMOTE receive frequency! You will have to determine the resonant frequency of the radio's (TANK) circuit. its large antenna coil is found in the bottom of the radios cabinet wound in a horizontal loop parallel to the floor a trimmer cap will be found at this coil and is the adjustment point for received frequency! -- Hope this helps!!
You must not have watched the whole video.
Yea I missed the last section of the video due to hitting the wrong key. You are right and thats how it happened. Ha Ha my mistake!
I recall in shangos video there is a wire off on the upper a tenna for the remote
Looks like you will have to clean and lubricate the stepper relay that controls the rotary selector switch, and replace those caps in the thyratron circuit, I had to replacwe all of them in my radio that I have!! I had found about half the caps were leaky and or shorted!
I do, but it sounds like you are commenting before watching the whole video.
Don't have allot of experience with these but I have that remote and it's warped as well. I thought heat may have got to it but now that I see yours is the same I'm wondering if the material used just has a tendency to do that over time
Here's a demonstration of how the remote works. I found it on Robert Gatarz channel. "Philco Mystery Control "
Hell yes love shango66
Hi, have you ever measured the inductance of the remote antenna loop in the cabinet? Mine is damaged with crumbled insulation and a few broken spots so I need to rewind a new one but I do not know where the connections going to the radio are tapped. I would appreciate it.
Sorry don’t have it anymore.
You have to wonder how the Philco engineers thought having a rotary dial and a tube powered remote was more effective than the later ultrasonic remotes such as the Zenith Space Command. I'm probably missing something...
It’s a pretty goofy system but then again, you have to remember, it was 1940. The US had not even entered WWII yet. It’s a gimmick for sure.
@@mechtrician1 They actually work quite well. I have owned multiple ones over the years. A gimmick in that there was an entire radio receiver in the radio just for the remote system. It must be tuned to the remote transmitter frequency. The adjustments on the remote receiver section and transmitter are so the one in your apartment didn't adjust the Mystery Control Philco in your neighbor's.
@@WC0125 I assumed that’s why there was an oscillator frequency adjustment in the remote.
@@WC0125 Philco even thought of that?Cool.
Philco also had a pneumatic tube remote system on many of their television sets. Lot more practical gimmick.
That remote is probably tolerable if the radio is on the other end of the room and the room is a 40 foot long library in your mansion.
The word you're looking for is decadic dialer.
Yes. Which is a form of pulse dialing.
I got repro mystery packs if you need one
Hi batterymaker, I’m the new owner of this radio and remote and I’d love to see about getting a battery for this remote.
Black wire if i recall
Hey mechtrician, my name is Thomas. I have a 65 falcon. I am currently wiring in a new alternator and could greatly use your wisdom. I have searched and searched the web and I’m still having trouble making my final calls on how I want to wire it. I’m not sure if maybe you would be interested in emailing me or something but I would appreciate it a lot! Thank you and god bless.
Send me an email. Address is in the About tab on the channel.
It did not seem “Mickey mouse” to me. Seems ingenious for what they had to work with 80 years ago.
It’s ingenious, yes, but they could have used better quality and more sturdy components.
Pity the poor radio repairman called out on a service call on this thing in 1941. Guess it beats being at Pearl Harbor.
Young people used to instant gratification and response time measured in milliseconds can't appreciate tube era innovation and just call it a gimmick because it's slower than an iPhone.
This is gimmicky and I'm no millenial.