A worthy project, thanks for sharing it with us! I was waiting for a Cagney voice saying " you dirty rat", but alas, we will have to wait for another video. So the transformer works, tube and caps ordered, speaker in tack, as John would say....piece of cake, nothing to worry about! But there is always something......
Looks like a good start , after all cleaning is done . To bad Dickel can't say the same . My brother has a old westinghouse cabinet looks similar only with a round glass dial with 3 bands, he had it refurbished , The old cabinet radios are beautiful and a good conversation piece look forward to next chapter
Looks like a great project Buzz! back when I was a teenager I got my hands on an old Atwater Kent that had a huge mouse nest in it. I had someone electronically restore it for me because I didn't know what I was doing back then.
That's a great find for $20.00, thanks for sharing your work, I find your videos entertaining. Also we learn along with you, like to lock up your gnome when you are out of the house. Carl
Nasty stuff in that radio, Buzz! Glad you didn't find any petrified rats in there. Be careful and don't breath any of that dust in. The cabinet looks in good shape.
Hey Buzz it's your friend Marty! Still love your videos! I am buying the Westinghouse we- 24 tomorrow! My friend hooked to a short light says everything comes on but it hums do i know it will need electrolytic caps in power supply the cabinet is gorges! So ANYWAYS I am GOING to watch your restoration videos on this because you're so good doing your videos Marty
Dickel is in big trouble with the law and it looked like they caught up with him. Can't wait for the next episode. That rat urine smell is tough to get rid of Buzz. What a deal you got on this one and that cabinet looked like it's in really good condition. I love your sense of humor!! God Bless and thanks so much for another great episode....
Glad to see the transformer was OK. The "stuffing" underneath the chassis reminded me of an old corny one liner - "Hey, did ya hear about the lady who worked in a kotex factory and thought she was making matresses for mice?" Yeah, I know, it was lame.
Going to be a fun project Buzz - looking forward to the next episode. I hope Dickel can get out of this scrape OK. Go easy on the little rascal - after all, who among us has never stolen a credit card, cash and a car and run from the cops?
Poor Dickel, I feel bad for him, maybe you can help him out pay his bail and make him a nice hot bowl of mice stew..LOL You should have cleaned out that chassis outside, you don't want that stuff on your bench or in your shop, I hear handling that can be very bad for you. Great deal on that radio and you made out on that transformer. Great video.
Hi Bill....Dickel may call Uncle Dorkel to bail him out ..haha..........I had a suspicion of a nest in the chassis, but I had to do it on camera,....the risks I take to make these videos for my subscribers!!!...lol...thanks for watching.....also good job on the camera mount..I didn't have time to comment....Buzz
Hey Buzz. You lucked out with this one. Decent radio. Good Speaker, Good Trans, Coils look good. I bet most of the dogbones are way out of spec. That choo choo train test music always makes me nervous for some reason. Yes, sort of like prototype circuit boards. My RCA 262 was similar in construction. That rat had a nice home. I wonder how much it will take to bail Dickel out of jail..
hi Meister..in back of the radio it says RCA, made the chass.......iI will try to power it up after i replace the electrolytic's and that chewed up cap... did the mouse give you a start?....I gave Dickel your phone number , so you can bail him out!!...take care, Buzz
Buzz, Clean that radio with some 90% rubbing alcohol. That's what John from Arkansas uses all the time. It will sterilize whatever mouse residue is left and also dry quickly. BTW the mouse also made me jump. Nice project.
Waaay back in the '60s, the parents of a friend of mine bought a Hotpoint range. After about a month, while they were cooking on it, it quit working and smoke came out of the opening around one of the dials. When the repairman opened it up, he found a mouse with its jaws still firmly attached to a wire and most of the hair around its mouth singed off.
Buzz1151 No, but the day it happened, my friends' dad actually saved the electrocuted mouse because it wasn't covered under the warranty.... true story. Btw... his dad was a Renault mechanic. Does that explain anything?
hey buzz, I thought the radio chassis looked familiar. I restored an American Bosch tombstone radio with what looks like the exact same chassis. same two circuit boards underneath, same coils, etc. except my dial scale numbers were straight across, not on an arc on the celluloid scale. and the dial scale on mine moves up and down like yours, and the different scales were different colors, and the tuning knob turns very gradually when turned. I think on mine, the on off is also the tone control and the top left knob which is frozen on yours is volume. when I recapped the circuit boards I removed them and labeled all the wires connected to them so I'd know which wires went where when I put them back in. there were alot of wires to label. the rolled caps reminded me of tootsie rolls. and when I found the schematic on line there were some caps in the radio that weren't labeled on the schematic, and I assumed they were .05mf. because That's what they read on my capacitor testing meter. there were alot of them under the chassis. mine works pretty well and picks up alot of stations. can't wait to see how yours performs.
Man! Talk about a rats ass of a radio! You got the whole nest there my friend and like others, your cartoon rat made me jump too. I'm really looking forward to this project. Great stuff Buzz.
Looks like another fine project Buzz. Wow the rodent community was quite something. Like Simon mentioned, the rat cartoon kind of caught me by surprise lol. Be looking forward to this one.
Good night sir Allow me to congratulate you on another interesting project that I will follow with interest. Allow me two suggestions: Before moving the radio chassis, first blow it up with compressed air in an airy place to release all the accumulated waste and dust. Then sprinkle with alcohol 90 ° to disinfect because the rat pee is poison. As for the transformer, after cleaning, wrap the conductors with a shade sleeve with different colors for the inlet, outlet and filaments. PS. Do not punish Mrs Dinkel ... She's a nice little man and the blunders are because of her age. greetings Eduard
Hi Eduardo..I will put difference colors on the transformer just for you ....I will spray the chassis to clean it....Dickel seems to be in big trouble, doesn't he?........Buzz
Funny you should make this video. I had a few mice in my shop so I set about catching them and removing them to the brush pile in the back of the yard. a five gallon bucket and a half of a cookie works really well. As soon as they get in the bucket I put a lid on it and take em out. So far I've caught around 85, and there's still a few more as least. Something to do while I'm listening to the radio at night. Any way that should be a nice set when you're done.
Great video Buzz. Chassis looked like a rat living with a sheep in there. LOL. A 3 foot Gnome driving a red car - the cops will never find him. Regards, dave
Yet another great video Buzz. . . Would either you or Dickle to do a quick vid about your volt/amp meter box. I'd like to see the innards of it - do you have to use a shunt for the amp gauge? Mine will short out about 45% of the time, and I don't think I have loose connections (at least on in the BOX - my brain, I'm not so sure) so i'd like to see one that works. Thanks
that radio is beautiful that speaker could use a good air hosing . hope your not paying for dickels bail fees lol. p.s. ive got a radio sitting next to me right now that barely needed any work . just a fixed botch wire job and away it played on its factory parts . now i just need a huge antenna and id probably pick up a German radio station.
The cabinet of this radio looks a hell of a lot better than your last one. Will this cabinet need any work done on it at all? Also, not counting this radio, how many radios do you have right now that need restoration? By the way, that mouse made me flinch too!
Hey Jim...The top will need refinishing, but the rest just needs a good cleaning and some Howard's restore-a-finish wiped on it, then a few coats of lacquer....I have a few plastics radios around, and 1 larger wood radio in the garage....
Poor Dickel, lol. I was getting those "IRS" calls for a while with my caller ID giving them as places like Apple Valley, WA and San Antonio, TX. I asked them if the IRS in their name meant Indian Revenue Service, lol. They get mad when ya laugh at them on the phone. I started calling them back just to harass them. I was like, so you called me to scam me out of money and you have the nerve to get pissed off that I won't stop calling you? Well, piss up a rope, LOL. That guy's Grandfather had electricity on his farm in 1934? Wow, my folks didn't get electric in Tennessee until like about 1954. When it lists watts on the chassis or on the inside cabinet label, is that how many it consumes or is it the radio's output? Your transformer reminds me of the one in that Philco I'm working on, although it does have one screw that holds it in, it has other screw holes, but none of them line up with the transformer holes. Glad to see the transformer checked out good and that the antenna coils look so good. That's halfway there by itself. Take care, Gary
Hi Gary...how are you?...Since you are sympathetic to Dickel, maybe you can bail him out of jail!! haha....You make an interesting point about electricity in 1934...I don't know when the farm area got power, but I only live 13 miles from Portland, and the grandfather's farm is about 25 from Portland...Maybe he bought it second hand in the 40's. ...we shall never know my friend...the transformer is a replacement, I will show it next week....the watts is what it consumes........take care my friend.......Buzz
Its wired the same as a dim bulb tester, except instead of the bulb, you use an amp meter, and you use a voltage meter across the line....hope that helps.....buzz
Have been looking forward to this one, Buzz. On that power transformer, I agree with Kenneth below, definitely not the original. ALSO...P=I•E, .3•120=36 Watts...does that seem strange to you that the transformer with no load is consuming 36 watts of power? Seems just a teensy bit on the high side for not having any load connected. P.S. You got me with the damned rat, too!
Hi Jason, yes its a replacement transformer, and I shall do further testing.....now that you mention that, at the time I was surprise it went up like that to .3...but we shall see.........Buzz
It's possible that the insulation resistance of the transformer's windings have been affected by moisture, and is causing the excessive current draw. I'm guessing you don't have a megger to check it, but one thing you might consider, is "baking" the transformer to drive out any potential moisture that might be inside. I had to do this with a ham radio transmitter that had spent a lot of time in a damp environment. I took a metal coffee can, put a 40 watt light bulb in the bottom, and made a metal grille to sit on top. I put the transformer atop the grille and wrapped the top of the thing in aluminum foil to trap in the heat generated by the bulb. Took about 8 hours of "baking" like this, but the moisture was driven out, and the insulation resistance went way up, which is what you want Low and slow is the way to go with this...you don't want the transformer getting too hot. I'd say not hotter than 150 degrees.
Brendan thinks the transformer is OK..here is his reply to your original question.. * "Now about the current. Your subscribers math, of course is right. You are drawing 36 watts. Or about half the rating of the radio in full operation. A transformer is a very inefficient piece of equipment. This because it takes a lot of power just to create a magnet field and saturate the core. How much current this takes, is a very difficult mathematical problem. Because we are dealing with A/C voltage and impedance. To demonstrate this: You measured the primary winding of this transformer at 6.9 ohms. If we were dealing with a DC voltage and we put 6.9 ohms across 115 volts, we would draw approximately 16 1/2 amps! So obviously because of the impedance of the primary winding current the draw is much lower on A/C. However, it still takes some current to to create the magnetic field and saturate the transformer core. This is why the transformer will draw current even if nothing is hooked to it. Think of this as “Overhead”. It’s this necessary overhead that makes a transformer inefficient. I personally believe that the transformer is good!" * Jason...I rewired it and let it run several hours @115V with no load , then 1 hour @ 122V......It was luke warm,,just nice to warm your hands when you come inside fro the cold.... but the real test will come when we power it up...Thank you Jason for your concern..... It is appreciated....Buzz
Makes sense. I knew the transformer was going to consume power with no load (which is why I go around unplugging unused wall-warts in my home) but I didn't know that nearly 40 watts was a reasonable number. Electricity was cheap in the '30s I guess. Will have to do some experimentation myself with this, as it's very interesting. Hopefully I didn't cause too much concern with my comments, or make extra work for you, buddy!
That isn't the original transformer. Someone replaced the original which was mounted through the chassis cutout hole with an upright style, and didn't bother to make an adapter plate for the chassis. You could always remove one of the transformer bells and mount it the right way. Bet the rat chewed on the wiring, and at some capacitors. Good luck fixing it! Hope you have the Sams. You actually trust that POS Harbor Freight multi-meter? Good think you only tried to measure the 2.5 volt winding with the ohm-meter! (I'd like to see that HF POS blow up though).
Hi Kenneth....yeah, you are right after examining the transformer, but I don't care..it works...there's no Sams on this old thing...I have the original schematic that i will show next week...its weird...this will be easy to fix..I expect it will be running next week.....Those free Harbor Freight meters are cheaper than buying a new battery for my other meter....which was why I used it...and its accurate too!......Buzz
I'm sure that transformer is OK, I was just suggesting that you could mount it the same way that the original had been by removing one of the end bells. Dave on the EEVblog did a tear down and review of those HF multimeters. While they are reasonably accurate (better than an analog meter for sure) they don't seem to be built for user safety. I've gotten a few of them for free by using the HF coupons, and I had an idea of using the guts of them for an internal meter for a home brew power supply.
Hi Buzz Can you Kindly send me a Wiring Diagram for your Workshops Volt and Amp Box Meter. I searched On-Line and could not Find any. Mohammed A. Rahim Radio/TV/Computer Tech.
Damn, Buzz, I can't stand rats! I would rather pet a rattlesnake! I jumped out of my chair when that rat came out! I guess he got in and out where the transformer scooted aside.
I hate rodents. buzz, I was holding my breath while you were measuring the output. safety says, DON'T CHANGE LEADS LOADED!! I saw you hit one of the 5v leads, and it could just as easily been the 700v wire, good job, but buzz, please.
How is it possible I missed your channel for this many years? 😂 So many videos to watch, so much fun!
enjoy!🍺🍺
Another great series has begun. What an nice early Christmas gift for us. Thanks Buzz.
yes, a new series is exciting...who knows what will happen....Buzz
And we get to open up an early gift and they'll be more pleasant videos surprises to come. Thanks Buzz
A worthy project, thanks for sharing it with us! I was waiting for a Cagney voice saying " you dirty rat", but alas, we will have to wait for another video. So the transformer works, tube and caps ordered, speaker in tack, as John would say....piece of cake, nothing to worry about! But there is always something......
remember, there's always the unexpected......Buzz
Looks like a good start , after all cleaning is done . To bad Dickel can't say the same . My brother has a old westinghouse cabinet looks similar only with a round glass dial with 3 bands, he had it refurbished , The old cabinet radios are beautiful and a good conversation piece look forward to next chapter
thanks..stay tuned...
Nice one Buzz,
The old Westinghouse looks very promising.
Phil.
hello Phil....thank you old chap..I shall do my best!!
Looks like a great project Buzz! back when I was a teenager I got my hands on an old Atwater Kent that had a huge mouse nest in it. I had someone electronically restore it for me because I didn't know what I was doing back then.
Did he restore the mouse too? haha
LOL
That's a great find for $20.00, thanks for sharing your work, I find your videos entertaining. Also we learn along with you, like to lock up your gnome when you are out of the house.
Carl
hi Carl...Dickel wants to hide out in your house...got room?
Sorry, I think my cats would eat him and get tummy aches and spread him all over the house.
Nasty stuff in that radio, Buzz! Glad you didn't find any petrified rats in there. Be careful and don't breath any of that dust in. The cabinet looks in good shape.
Hi kevin...it was pretty gross,........hence the shower!!
Poor Dickel !! give me a scare there ! lol enjoyed watching !!!
Virginia......is it possible you could bail out Dickel?...haha.....Buzz
Hey Buzz it's your friend Marty! Still love your videos! I am buying the Westinghouse we- 24 tomorrow! My friend hooked to a short light says everything comes on but it hums do i know it will need electrolytic caps in power supply the cabinet is gorges! So ANYWAYS I am GOING to watch your restoration videos on this because you're so good doing your videos Marty
hope yours doesn't have a mouse in it
These are the best. Thanks for all the effort you put in. So funny!!
thanks, I like people to be entertained and laugh....Buzz
Dickel is in big trouble with the law and it looked like they caught up with him. Can't wait for the next episode. That rat urine smell is tough to get rid of Buzz. What a deal you got on this one and that cabinet looked like it's in really good condition. I love your sense of humor!! God Bless and thanks so much for another great episode....
hey Wilson...thanks..I hope you enjoy tomorrows video...Buzz
Glad to see the transformer was OK. The "stuffing" underneath the chassis reminded me of an old corny one liner - "Hey, did ya hear about the lady who worked in a kotex factory and thought she was making matresses for mice?" Yeah, I know, it was lame.
Hi RF...I think this radio will clean up just fine....
Hello Buzz good to see you new radio.
thanks Richard..raising a cold brew to you!!,,cheers
Looks like a great project!! Have to admit your "mouse" made me jump too!
hickory dickory dock Tim...haha
Going to be a fun project Buzz - looking forward to the next episode. I hope Dickel can get out of this scrape OK. Go easy on the little rascal - after all, who among us has never stolen a credit card, cash and a car and run from the cops?
next weeks episode looks to be a humdinger, if I get my tubes in.....poor Dickel...I feel sorry for him...haha.....buzz
Poor Dickel, I feel bad for him, maybe you can help him out pay his bail and make him a nice hot bowl of mice stew..LOL
You should have cleaned out that chassis outside, you don't want that stuff on your bench or in your shop, I hear handling that can be very bad for you.
Great deal on that radio and you made out on that transformer.
Great video.
Hi Bill....Dickel may call Uncle Dorkel to bail him out ..haha..........I had a suspicion of a nest in the chassis, but I had to do it on camera,....the risks I take to make these videos for my subscribers!!!...lol...thanks for watching.....also good job on the camera mount..I didn't have time to comment....Buzz
Looks like ya needed the Rat Patrol for that chassis! . . . . looks like a fun challenge Buzz. . . ;) Rog
i agree..thanks for watching..next week will be a good one.....Buzz
Hey Buzz. You lucked out with this one. Decent radio. Good Speaker, Good Trans, Coils look good.
I bet most of the dogbones are way out of spec. That choo choo train test music always makes me nervous for some reason. Yes, sort of like prototype circuit boards. My RCA 262 was similar in construction. That rat had a nice home.
I wonder how much it will take to bail Dickel out of jail..
hi Meister..in back of the radio it says RCA, made the chass.......iI will try to power it up after i replace the electrolytic's and that chewed up cap... did the mouse give you a start?....I gave Dickel your phone number , so you can bail him out!!...take care, Buzz
Thank You Buzz ... Your Help is highly appreciated ...
by the Way Say Hi to John for me
Wish you and your Family all the Best...
You got it
Buzz, Clean that radio with some 90% rubbing alcohol. That's what John from Arkansas uses all the time. It will sterilize whatever mouse residue is left and also dry quickly. BTW the mouse also made me jump. Nice project.
watch the next episode...Buzz
Waaay back in the '60s, the parents of a friend of mine bought a Hotpoint range. After about a month, while they were cooking on it, it quit working and smoke came out of the opening around one of the dials. When the repairman opened it up, he found a mouse with its jaws still firmly attached to a wire and most of the hair around its mouth singed off.
Did he eat the mouse? haha
Buzz1151
No, but the day it happened, my friends' dad actually saved the electrocuted mouse because it wasn't covered under the warranty.... true story. Btw... his dad was a Renault mechanic. Does that explain anything?
I guess the WR stands for Westinghouse Rat. Should be an interesting restore. Looking forward to it as always.
this looks to be a good restore, but a bad time of the year for doing cabinet finishing!!......Buzz
hey buzz, I thought the radio chassis looked familiar. I restored an American Bosch tombstone radio with what looks like the exact same chassis. same two circuit boards underneath, same coils, etc. except my dial scale numbers were straight across, not on an arc on the celluloid scale. and the dial scale on mine moves up and down like yours, and the different scales were different colors, and the tuning knob turns very gradually when turned. I think on mine, the on off is also the tone control and the top left knob which is frozen on yours is volume. when I recapped the circuit boards I removed them and labeled all the wires connected to them so I'd know which wires went where when I put them back in. there were alot of wires to label. the rolled caps reminded me of tootsie rolls. and when I found the schematic on line there were some caps in the radio that weren't labeled on the schematic, and I assumed they were .05mf. because That's what they read on my capacitor testing meter. there were alot of them under the chassis. mine works pretty well and picks up alot of stations. can't wait to see how yours performs.
hey there amberola... I have a schematic that looks to be made by appliance draftsmen..haha..I will show it next week....its quite funny....Buzz
Man! Talk about a rats ass of a radio! You got the whole nest there my friend and like others, your cartoon rat made me jump too. I'm really looking forward to this project. Great stuff Buzz.
Hi Gord...I think next weeks video will be one of my best...I want to see that radio play after maybe 60 years!!!....Buzz
Looks like another fine project Buzz. Wow the rodent community was quite something. Like Simon mentioned, the rat cartoon kind of caught me by surprise lol. Be looking forward to this one.
Hi Carl.. how the hell are you my friend......funny, I didn't intend for people to be scared, just laugh on my rat animation......Buzz
Good night sir
Allow me to congratulate you on another interesting project that I will follow with interest.
Allow me two suggestions:
Before moving the radio chassis, first blow it up with compressed air in an airy place to release all the accumulated waste and dust. Then sprinkle with alcohol 90 ° to disinfect because the rat pee is poison.
As for the transformer, after cleaning, wrap the conductors with a shade sleeve with different colors for the inlet, outlet and filaments.
PS. Do not punish Mrs Dinkel ... She's a nice little man and the blunders are because of her age.
greetings
Eduard
Hi Eduardo..I will put difference colors on the transformer just for you ....I will spray the chassis to clean it....Dickel seems to be in big trouble, doesn't he?........Buzz
Funny you should make this video. I had a few mice in my shop so I set about catching them and removing them to the brush pile in the back of the yard. a five gallon bucket and a half of a cookie works really well. As soon as they get in the bucket I put a lid on it and take em out. So far I've caught around 85, and there's still a few more as least. Something to do while I'm listening to the radio at night. Any way that should be a nice set when you're done.
I'd just put out mouse traps and kill those pests...haha
Great video Buzz. Chassis looked like a rat living with a sheep in there. LOL. A 3 foot Gnome driving a red car - the cops will never find him. Regards, dave
haha...you are correct Sir.....Buzz
If Dickel makes it to Canada he could be run for political office on a liberal platform. They are pretty free with other people's money too. Dave
Chassis looked solid, mouse must have went in at the broken transformer mount.... must have been like that for a long time...lol
If only that radio could talk...I would listen...haha...Buzz
Yet another great video Buzz. . . Would either you or Dickle to do a quick vid about your volt/amp meter box. I'd like to see the innards of it - do you have to use a shunt for the amp gauge? Mine will short out about 45% of the time, and I don't think I have loose connections (at least on in the BOX - my brain, I'm not so sure) so i'd like to see one that works. Thanks
I will do a video on it ..watch this fridays video....Buzz
Buzz, do you think that was a replacement transformer? I really like the changing dial scale, very nice.
Yeah, It's a replacement for sure after looking at it.........take a look next week..........Buzz
Ok Buzz ya got me with the cartoon rat. As for Dickel, I think he is dicked!
I was expecting a laugh, not a scare!! ..sorry....and yes Dickel is dicked!!......Buzz
that rat made me jump out of my chair, lol
haha....
that radio is beautiful that speaker could use a good air hosing . hope your not paying for dickels bail fees lol. p.s. ive got a radio sitting next to me right now that barely needed any work . just a fixed botch wire job and away it played on its factory parts . now i just need a huge antenna and id probably pick up a German radio station.
hope you are not in Germany. or if you are you will be in big trouble if you need a huge antenna..lol......Buzz
no no im in Canada but true you know your radio needs work when you need a antennae tower to get a station xD
The cabinet of this radio looks a hell of a lot better than your last one. Will this cabinet need any work done on it at all? Also, not counting this radio, how many radios do you have right now that need restoration? By the way, that mouse made me flinch too!
Hey Jim...The top will need refinishing, but the rest just needs a good cleaning and some Howard's restore-a-finish wiped on it, then a few coats of lacquer....I have a few plastics radios around, and 1 larger wood radio in the garage....
I stand in the shadow of the BuZzer and glorify in his manual manipulations with great expectation :)
Bless you my limey bloke!!
E makes I laff!! :)
Poor Dickel, lol. I was getting those "IRS" calls for a while with my caller ID giving them as places like Apple Valley, WA and San Antonio, TX. I asked them if the IRS in their name meant Indian Revenue Service, lol. They get mad when ya laugh at them on the phone. I started calling them back just to harass them. I was like, so you called me to scam me out of money and you have the nerve to get pissed off that I won't stop calling you? Well, piss up a rope, LOL. That guy's Grandfather had electricity on his farm in 1934? Wow, my folks didn't get electric in Tennessee until like about 1954. When it lists watts on the chassis or on the inside cabinet label, is that how many it consumes or is it the radio's output? Your transformer reminds me of the one in that Philco I'm working on, although it does have one screw that holds it in, it has other screw holes, but none of them line up with the transformer holes. Glad to see the transformer checked out good and that the antenna coils look so good. That's halfway there by itself. Take care, Gary
Hi Gary...how are you?...Since you are sympathetic to Dickel, maybe you can bail him out of jail!! haha....You make an interesting point about electricity in 1934...I don't know when the farm area got power, but I only live 13 miles from Portland, and the grandfather's farm is about 25 from Portland...Maybe he bought it second hand in the 40's. ...we shall never know my friend...the transformer is a replacement, I will show it next week....the watts is what it consumes........take care my friend.......Buzz
hey, can you put up a drawing on your brown box with the volt and amp.meter..thanks
Its wired the same as a dim bulb tester, except instead of the bulb, you use an amp meter, and you use a voltage meter across the line....hope that helps.....buzz
forget here's some info
antiqueradio.org/dimbulb.htm
Have been looking forward to this one, Buzz. On that power transformer, I agree with Kenneth below, definitely not the original. ALSO...P=I•E, .3•120=36 Watts...does that seem strange to you that the transformer with no load is consuming 36 watts of power? Seems just a teensy bit on the high side for not having any load connected.
P.S. You got me with the damned rat, too!
Hi Jason, yes its a replacement transformer, and I shall do further testing.....now that you mention that, at the time I was surprise it went up like that to .3...but we shall see.........Buzz
It's possible that the insulation resistance of the transformer's windings have been affected by moisture, and is causing the excessive current draw. I'm guessing you don't have a megger to check it, but one thing you might consider, is "baking" the transformer to drive out any potential moisture that might be inside. I had to do this with a ham radio transmitter that had spent a lot of time in a damp environment. I took a metal coffee can, put a 40 watt light bulb in the bottom, and made a metal grille to sit on top. I put the transformer atop the grille and wrapped the top of the thing in aluminum foil to trap in the heat generated by the bulb. Took about 8 hours of "baking" like this, but the moisture was driven out, and the insulation resistance went way up, which is what you want Low and slow is the way to go with this...you don't want the transformer getting too hot. I'd say not hotter than 150 degrees.
Brendan thinks the transformer is OK..here is his reply to your original question..
*
"Now about the current. Your subscribers math, of course is right.
You are drawing 36 watts. Or about half the rating of the radio in full
operation. A transformer is a very inefficient piece of equipment. This because
it takes a lot of power just to create a magnet field and saturate the core. How
much current this takes, is a very difficult mathematical problem. Because we
are dealing with A/C voltage and impedance. To demonstrate this: You measured the primary winding of this
transformer at 6.9 ohms. If we were dealing with a DC voltage and we put 6.9
ohms across 115 volts, we would draw approximately 16 1/2 amps! So obviously
because of the impedance of the primary winding current the draw is much lower
on A/C. However, it still takes some current to to create the magnetic field and
saturate the transformer core. This is why the transformer will draw current
even if nothing is hooked to it. Think of this as “Overhead”. It’s this
necessary overhead that makes a transformer inefficient. I personally believe that the transformer is good!"
*
Jason...I rewired it and let it run several hours @115V with no load , then 1 hour @ 122V......It was luke warm,,just nice to warm your hands when you come inside fro the cold....
but the real test will come when we power it up...Thank you Jason for your concern..... It is appreciated....Buzz
Makes sense. I knew the transformer was going to consume power with no load (which is why I go around unplugging unused wall-warts in my home) but I didn't know that nearly 40 watts was a reasonable number. Electricity was cheap in the '30s I guess.
Will have to do some experimentation myself with this, as it's very interesting. Hopefully I didn't cause too much concern with my comments, or make extra work for you, buddy!
If they don't sent Duickel to jail you should make him clean & polish that radio
sounds reasonable to me...
That isn't the original transformer. Someone replaced the original which was mounted through the chassis cutout hole with an upright style, and didn't bother to make an adapter plate for the chassis. You could always remove one of the transformer bells and mount it the right way.
Bet the rat chewed on the wiring, and at some capacitors. Good luck fixing it! Hope you have the Sams.
You actually trust that POS Harbor Freight multi-meter? Good think you only tried to measure the 2.5 volt winding with the ohm-meter! (I'd like to see that HF POS blow up though).
Hi Kenneth....yeah, you are right after examining the transformer, but I don't care..it works...there's no Sams on this old thing...I have the original schematic that i will show next week...its weird...this will be easy to fix..I expect it will be running next week.....Those free Harbor Freight meters are cheaper than buying a new battery for my other meter....which was why I used it...and its accurate too!......Buzz
I'm sure that transformer is OK, I was just suggesting that you could mount it the same way that the original had been by removing one of the end bells.
Dave on the EEVblog did a tear down and review of those HF multimeters. While they are reasonably accurate (better than an analog meter for sure) they don't seem to be built for user safety. I've gotten a few of them for free by using the HF coupons, and I had an idea of using the guts of them for an internal meter for a home brew power supply.
Hi Buzz
Can you Kindly send me a Wiring Diagram for your Workshops Volt and Amp Box Meter. I searched On-Line and could not Find any.
Mohammed A. Rahim
Radio/TV/Computer Tech.
antiqueradio.org/dimbulb.htm
Very very funny
👍
I'd say that something quite rat-a-strophic must have happened in that radio.
is that a pun?...haha
Dear Mr. Dickel, i can offer you a free stay here in Finland. My daddy 86 years, will learn you a new language, swedish. Ps. Not a word to Buzz
Thank you Mr Stig....do you have any booze in the house?....signed, Dickel Afflockett
Dear mr. Afflocket, Your "booze" will be cleen and clear water. So you will become a total teetotaler. A punishment for what you have done to Buzz....
well, I guess I wont be coming.....Dickel..
LUSH!!
You Sir are not so bad yourself.....
Damn, Buzz, I can't stand rats! I would rather pet a rattlesnake! I jumped out of my chair when that rat came out! I guess he got in and out where the transformer scooted aside.
I think lightning wiped out that circuit board! And, please, no more rats!
haha,,,lots were scared..I thought people would laugh....
I hate rodents. buzz, I was holding my breath while you were measuring the output. safety says, DON'T CHANGE LEADS LOADED!! I saw you hit one of the 5v leads, and it could just as easily been the 700v wire, good job, but buzz, please.
Brendan already yelled at me for that!!
I hear gnomes are evil
so I hear, so are Democrat politicians...