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If you have a lot of projects going on, you can always postpone this project and fit it in for 2019 national safety day/week March 4th. Have a Merry Christmas. :-)
Mr Carlson nice radios! They take me right back to my wide eyed youth and my first shocks … ! As your(North American) mains supply sockets are polarised these days chop off the moulded rubber plug and replace it with a polarised one AND/OR hard wire a small 1:1 isolating transformer ( or better fit a pug that can only be connect to the transformer). And of course replace that RF screening capacitor (Chassis is a Faraday cage) with a mains (line) grade ( Y type 600-1000VAC)
Thanks for making such thorough and informative videos, Paul. It's always interesting to hear you work through your thought processes when you trouble-shoot. Please show us how you would make this radio safe. The merits of making this particular unit safe and usable can be debated ad infinitum. There are many of us with radios that present the same hazard and would benefit from knowing how to mitigate the hazard.
4:40 When he mentioned evidence of previous electrocutions I was picturing bits of burnt flesh still stuck to metal parts rather than a color-coded plug.
My vote is to make it safe and restore it. Something that beautiful, regardless of how poorly it was engineered, deserves to live. If we just cut the cord off and shelve it, what have we learned?
It's beautiful, but between the safety issues and the super simple design that looks like it would have minimal sensitivity, I wonder if it would be a candidate for an entirely new solid state circuit inside, instead of a simple as-is restoration? Edit: I just realized - with a metal case, it must be shielded so well it'd never work well with an internal ferrite antenna anyway!
@@NiHaoMike64 : Exactly and do a proper grounding circuit addition to ensure it will do a proper grounding. I never owned one, but had seen it in a sears and roebuck catalog and wanted it!
I grew up around old tube type radios , never knew how dangerous they could be . But always have had respect for electricity. I do enjoy your professionalism.
When I was about 12 I used to go to a soda fountain in a drug store. They had a large stainless steel soda fountain. They had a soup heater that would give the soda jerks shocks. One day I told one of them to pull the plug and turn it over before plugging it back in. The looks when the shocks stopped made me swell with pride. Everyone there thought I was a genius!
Silvertone was a Sears & Roebuck brand. They stamped that brand on their musical instruments as well. With Sears on it's deathbed it would be nice to see the radio restored, and possibly end up in a museum some day. I enjoy your videos. They are way over my head, but I still learn something every time I watch one.
Pretty much exactly how I feel. Even though I know more than the average person. It’s still an immense language. Here. But it actually starts to sink in. Just by watching and listening hard.
Excellent presentation! As a collector of vintage and antique radios, I leave all the repairs to a qualified serviceman. Everyone who is even remotely thinking about plugging in grandma's or great-grandma's old radio that they found in the attic or cellar should view this video, and heed the cautions about the potentially lethal dangers that lurk within many of these instruments. I vote restore, and provide the necessary modifications to make the radio safe, and then create labels for the back and bottom to instruct future owners.
Paul: I would enjoy viewing videos on a masterful restoration of this chrome beauty. I, too, have no idea what the engineers were thinking at the time. Nice find.
Paul, the simple stuff like this is my favorite. I find it totally relaxing how you describe things, and I've learned a lot here. I vote to make her safe.
These AA3, 4, and 5s are all very eye catching(some more than others) from the outside and only the outside. The average buyer was not really electronically minded but was commercially convinced the more tubes the better the radio. By today many have disappeared into the trash can because they no longer worked, shocked the owner or a curious child, or just eventually got ugly, or replaced by a better radio. Turning one of them on today is a trip into nostalgia and a time that seemed less complicated. A restoration to me is hard to define because keeping the exterior beauty is easy but the interior workings can be completed in many different ways. The purist restoration is exactly to print with no modifications and includes no safety regards or function improvements. A Safety restoration incorporates safety improvements and additions to make the restoration as safe as can be but may still have Lethal voltages inside. The last restoration is what I call the spirit of the circuit. Many will Boo, Hiss, Condemn, swear at, even make physical gestures about it. This restoration keeps the stages but the entire schematic and workings are completely made solid state(I can hear it now). The tuning , filters, band selection, and any other reusable parts are used but the spirit of the circuit is now transistorized and the power supply is now low voltage maybe even from a wall wart. The tubes may be gone if the tube sockets are used as tie points. The spirit of the circuit is there but only in transistorized form and the exterior is still intact. Among all the Boos and Hiss this is submitted as a vote for restoration as Mr Carlson would do a safe restoration.
Paul - by all means - the little fellow deserves to work. I can't wait to see it working - complete with long-wire antenna. A great video - really is amazing how they use to do things.
Yeah, it's unique to that brand of meter. When you overload it, it says ouch :P Overload includes when a signal goes out of range, it will say ouch until it adjusts to the right range. Kind of a silly thing that always gives someone a chuckle the first time they see it.
First sir thank you for all the incredible restorations and insights you share from your vast knowledge of electronics. I am just a lowly autistic werewolf with many other disabilities sir unable to do the cool things you do with ease. I enjoy watching you troubleshoot these radios and other electronic devices. I couldn't solder two wires together to save my life BUT, watching your channel I have learned just enough to let me make better decisions when buying electronics technology of any kind from any era. Ok to answer your question I would love that you RESTORE this hazardous radio to SAFE WORKING CONDITION! I feel by restoring this radio adding all needed safety features will give additional detailed insight into safety. Mr. Carlson no one stresses safety like YOU when dealing with electronics! By watching you take a toxic electronic design embodied in this radio and rendering it safe to use, you will offer invaluable practical real world understanding of the fundamentals of safe electrical engineering theory! Mr. Carlson you would be saving lives by sharing all the considerations needed to create a safe design when starting from a dangerously unsafe design this radio represents. Please consider my request and the logic that is its genesis. Again thank you Mr. Carlson for sharing all your projects and being such a kind and detail oriented teacher. You have the respect of the AUTISTIC WEREWOLF!
I remember when I was in my early teens, (1960's), I used to get TV's and radios from various places to repair and sell them. Nearly all of them were built this way. They called them AC/DC sets, (although it has a different meaning these days!) But the golden rule was that you always wore rubber soled shoes and kept one hand in your pocket when working on them, so no danger of getting any amps across your heart. The days of selenium (metal) rectifiers, how I miss 'em! Anyway, I'd stick some isolation in there and save it.
Great information for the average consumer. It reminded me of the older power tools like drills, saws, and sanders that have aluminum housings, and 2-conductor, non-polarized plugs. They develop ground faults through the overheated motor windings that make contact with the armature or field windings and create a path to the aluminum case. I also had a situation where an old refrigerator had line voltage connected to the metal housing of the refrigerator. It was probably caused by moisture build up in the older fiberglass insulation from condensation and some unprotected line connections to lights or components. Another interesting case was a Craftsman Sawzall (reciprocating saw) that I was using outdoors to cut down a small dogwood tree. I was kneeling down on a large piece of cardboard and had dug around the trunk of the tree and was using the saw with a 9" blade to cut the trunk just below ground level. I was holding the front of the saw close to the vent holes and resting the outside palm of my hand on the ground at the perimeter of the hole. I started getting electric shocks through my hand. The skin between my thumb and forefinger was entering the case through the vent holes and touching the metal in the gear housing. Even though the tool was double insulated, a ground fault had developed with the motor (likely from years of hard use and heat damage to the windings). So even modern double insulated tools have design defects that could result in electrocution and be fatal. If I was not kneeling on cardboard, but directly on the ground, the electrical leakage path would have been through my chest to my knees!! I immediately cut the cord off the saw and then took the saw completely apart (so no one would trash pick it) and threw it out, went out and bought a new Milwaukee Saw kit. -- Joe Smetona.
I vote for isolating the cabinet and restoring the set. Nice looking little set. Like it or not, people are going to find and use these sets, a video on making it safer would be a good idea. I have a similar 1948 Airline 84KR-1520B with a metal cabinet with a hot chassis (and cabinet), interesting little sets.
Thanks for all the informative and interesting videos. Yes! Spare its life and make it safe. Back in the 50s and 60s our radios, TVs, etc, were almost all transformerless, and here in the UK the mains voltage is 240V! At the time there were the newer 3 pin earthed sockets, but most houses still had the older 2 pin reversable sockets running alongside the new. Many a lesson was learned....the hard way!
Another video treasure . . . You say, "Thanks for watching." And I want to say thanks for taking the time to share your work. It is inspiring and educational . . . and it serves as a reminder of simpler times. Blessings
Wow... Just wow. That's such an insane design. I think you should make it safe. It's a beautiful piece, but just being a dust collector wouldn't do it justice.
Very interesting, that shockingly attractive radio is a true electro-cutie! I vote for the restoration, but I'm that way, I like to see things work. Thanks for the great video Paul and the great explanation of the hot chassis radio sets! Have a great Christmas!!
"You've been a bad boy, Lester... now go turn on the radio set to Dr. Kildare!" I would like to see it restored with its own isolation xformer, it is a very pretty radio IMO. EDIT: just became a Patreon supporter. You are one very gifted teacher of electronics and every bit worth supporting!
Yes I do think this should be completely re done and made safe too use daily ! It looks great and I think it would be a wonderful addition to anyone's home or office space !
Yes, Mr. Carlson, you have my vote to, make it safe, it may even sound pretty good when you get past the hum. Oh yes, and I love your videos you are a great teacher, thank you for making it easy for us all to learn, keep them coming and Merry Christmas to you and your family.
I have learned to trust your knowledge and would trust you to restore her properly and safely. Everything deserves not to be forgotten and this is one that shouldn't be forgotten. If another can be found, this one can be used as a teaching method in comparison to one that hasn't been made safe. Thank you and I will keep my eye out for one.
These were popular at the time. They were made by Arvin (Noblitt-Sparks (irony noted)) and also sold under their name as well as Sears' Silvertone. Arvin supplied Sears with small radios from '46 and into the late 60s or early 70s. This 4-tube version was the most common of this style and 5-tube versions were also offered. This is a somewhat uncommon chrome version as most were painted. Arvin was also an appliance and auto parts manufacturer, specializing in mufflers and heaters. Sears probably also sold those. Back then people were used to getting zapped by their radios and appliances going back to the early 30s. It was the rising influence of UL that led to safer designs. The UL label became a selling point as years passed.
Chassis with the 132 prefix are indeed Silvertone made by Arvin. Another popular Silvertone manufacturer was Warwick, who's chassis number began with 528 or 529.
@@bitrot42 Everyone was chrome-crazy in those days. It was very "modern" and "futuristic". I blame pre-war world fairs for it but it became a thing with appliances and there was a period where chrome furniture was popular. (Arvin also made some of that, especially outdoor stuff.) This was when cars started to get chrome to the extent that it was referred as "slobber" here and "American Grin" overseas. The Buick carried this to extreme at one point. Arvin wasn't the only one to offer chrome radios then either. Detrola had an AM/SW set they offered in either all chrome or painted with a chrome front and even wood with a chrome front. They also supplied Sears and others with a few models. Even Hallicrafters had one of these they rebranded and offered under their name. Crazy times.
I loved this video too, however I'm surprised how many want to see a restoration. I've just started watching the Mr Carlson channel, and I have to agree with him that it was better to remove it from the public. Loved the comments about it working great as a bathroom radio. =) I think it's a lovely radio (not the electrical design) to display only, but after clipping the line in, keep the cord as this tells part of its history.
GFCI doesn't help if there is no ground tab. This plug isn't even polarized. Just swapping out the line cord to have asymmetric blades would help quite a lot, since this is what the previous owner did by painting the plug.
Please restore it and teach us how simple it wouldve been for the engineers to make the radio safe! The information you provide may even help someone not overlook safety in their own projects. Thanks for being here & be safe!
It's going to be interesting to see how you isolate the chassis from the case electrically. I would see if I could go about isolating the two physically as well without disturbing the actual "look" of the radio.
Restore and make safe for sure! Only recently found your channel - love the way you explain things so thoroughly in layman's terms! Subscribed and lots of videos to watch :-)
Make it safe, but add a note on the back explaining what was done. It’s too nice to retire it! Merry Christmas and thank you for all the great videos. You’ve motivated me to restore many dumpster finds.
I wish you and your family have a prosperous New Year keep making videos I haven’t got a clue what you’re talking about or what you’re doing but I just love watching your videos
Yes Paul. Please fix this hot mess. There are sooo many of these transformer-less radios and ham equipment out there waiting for someone without an isolation transformer and variac to plug them into a wall outlet to see if they work. A presentation from you on this subject, the proper way to use safety caps, and basic safety issues around old equipment like this will save lives.
I had one of these all- metal hot-chassis Silvertones as a child back in early 1950s. it sat in the bedroom that I shared with my oldest sister. Our radio had a black case with yellow plastic knobs. I remember that it stopped working and our mother took it to a radio repairman who repaired it by replacing a tube, which he returned to us. My sister and I listened to it regularly before we went to sleep.
Absolutely do a video on making this unit safe as there must be many other types and people out there that could use the knowledge you exhibit. Don from your Patreon site.
I vote for fixing it and trying to make it safe. I think it would be very educational. I have the same radio, except it’s brown paint, not chrome. Those radios were made by Arvin. You have excellent taste in HV bench power supplies - the Lambda 71! Merry Christmas and happy new year to you and your family. Keep up the great work!
I vote for refurbishing...I really like the look of this old radio. It is exactly the kind of project I used to really enjoy. While I am no electronics engineer, I do have some extensive electronics education with Uncle Sam's help and my VA after I got out. My original intention was to get that EE degree...I discovered that after using trig to calculate beta...that was the extent of my higher maths....lol. So I am a tinkerer, and have had many shocking experiences in the course of having a career in electronics. I worked on DTMF phones, and crypto gear and when you talk about watching out for capacitor shock you are oh so right! I burned two nice holes in my arm when it contacted the two connectors at the top of a capacitor in the power supply drawer on the equipment I was working on...definitely got my attention. That was after I had disconnected the power cable a half an hour before...sigh.
Make it safe, if you are happy to do so , I am wondering if the makers didn't like the public, in producing such a death trap. Anyone thinking of joining Patreon YESSS go for it, I really like it , if your into electronics you learn so much, not on Paul's payroll.
If you think 117 volts is ouch, try a European version of a hot chassis with 240 volts...Now that is really OUCH!! Hope you do make it safe. Love to see how the reception is with such simple circuitry.
Proscriptus Interesting factoid: I read that a full shot of 240 is better than 120 for your chances of survival. As I understand, 240 is more likely to stop fully your heart, but 120 is more likely to cause a heart to fibrillate. Fibrillation is more dangerous than a complete stoppage because it is harder to restore a normal beat, especially if a defibrillator is not handy. So I read and as I recall. Anyhow, I don't plan on testing the idea.
Hi Mr. Carlson. I think this might be an excellent example for you to explain some radio basics to those of us who are new to this. A simplistic or cursory rundown of how radios work and , in particular, how each tube functions in this case would be very interesting. Incorporating safety tips and making this radio safe would be a very good instruction for most of us here. so, I vote that we carry on with this restoration. Thank you.
Make it safe, I always put of a polarized plug and cord and change the switch to switching the "hot", I found a lot of these radios switch the chassis on and off leaving you with a hot chassis when off if the plug in in the wrong way.
Fascinating! Could you install a small isolation transformer inside, or maybe put a little inverter in it and power it from an external 12V power brick? Edit: After watching the rest of the video, consider just replacing the capacitor with a class Y safety cap and possibly eliminate the 330k resistor. A grounded cord would be nice, as well.
0:30 They were thinking "the bean counters in the accounting dept are going to electrocute some of our customers, but at least dead people can't ask for a refund and as engineers we can just blame accounting". Safety tends to take a backseat to cost/profit, even today.
It's a piece of nostalgia I think you should make it safe, besides I want to see exactly how your going to do that. Great job on everything you do and I really appreciate your expertise.
Thumbs-up on restore it and make it safe to use. She's a little beauty, but at moment she is hurting and needs the gentle touch of Mr Carlson, the electronics doctor to fix the little girl.
I think you found that schematic so quickly because many other people probably have had the same concerns with this model and have done the same thing you are. And they wanted to make sure this schematic was easy to find for other engineers like you.
I have a book from 1959 about tape recorders. According to that it was common back in the days of DC mains to have the mains negative grounded to the chassis via a small capacitor. That radio seems to be a universal (both AC and DC) model so it had the capacitor too.
You may be able to stick a torroidal isolation transformer standing on its side in the middle. Current draw shouldn't be to high on this with the exception of initial surge current so it shouldn't need a very large transformer.
@@AlexandreJasmin no, in many usa sets the chassis is not connected 'hard' /directly to the 'neutral' of the mains but via a capacitor and high value resistor(220k ish) in parallel so its effectively 'earthy'/neutral only in rf terms, the negative 'line' of the ht-/b- is 'isolated' from the chassis itself, by the RC combo.... but of course if supply is reversed (or when radio switch is off, as many had the switch in the neutral line!!), its not 'hard' or direct live but through the resistor and reactance of the capacitor, it probably wouldnt kill but you'd certainly get a surprise if you touched it , so direct earthing the chassis should be ok...
in the uk, the chassis was almost always hard connected to the 'neutral' line, and if any set had a metal case (i can only think of a few, mainly some ac/dc mains 'communications' receivers ) this case was fully isolated from the chassis and earthed..
the one in the video has this capacitor plus resistor 'isolation' from chassis to neutral so the case could be easily earthed to make it safe, there'd be only the capacitor plus resistor combo between neutral and earth, and even when switched off, with the 'negative' ht/b- line going 'live', the current flowing to earth from this now 'live' line would be a few milliamps at the most, not usually enough to trip a rcd/gfci
I would love to see you make this thing safer! I picked one up at an antique shop (unbeknownst to how dangerous it was) and I got a little bit of a shock. I am probably going to try and make mine safer.
If that radio switches one side of the line to the chassis ( common in that era) it's NEVER plugged in right. If the owner fortuitously connects the chassis to neutral it will be safe, but only when it's turned on. In the off position, the chassis is connected to the hot side through the tube heaters. Relatively low resistance compared to someone's body. Thanks.
@@countryhamop4580 Yes. Minor rewiring. Someone once suggested to me that small radios switched the chassis side to keep the audio leads on the attached volume control at chassis ground to prevent hum on the audio. Maybe maybe not. Dangerous though.
I think this is a great looking radio and I’d love to see it made safe and usable, I’m also interested in seeing how you’d make it safe to operate and how well it receives with this simple circuitry.
I would love to see this one restored and made safe! I'm especially interested in what line cord modifications are needed. I imagine that isolating the case would be rather challenging.
I have a Silvertone Radio/Record Player that was a real killer. These were called AC or DC radios although I don't know if DC was around much. The engineers were thinking that wired this way the radio DID NOT NEED A POWER TRANSFOSRMER. Money, Money, above in series (50L6 & 25W4 Etc) The Power cord & plug were NOT polarized. On side of the AC went to the chassis & the over went directly to the chassis. On my radio if the plug happened to be wrong, you got 110 right one the metal record player arm. OUCH. Not one you would want to take out by the pool & listen to a record...
The AC/DC radio AA5 started in the late 1930s, when some cities still had Edison's DC generating power, so they could use the radio in either power system. Why they didn't think about making the plugs polarized is beyond me, but it was easy enough to know if the plug was in backwards in DC systems. it just wouldn't work.
Strictly speaking, electrocution (a portmanteau meaning electrical execution) is always fatal. What people who survive contact receive are electric shocks.
I like the look but I'm not sure how you could make it safe. I like your show. I've watched several episodes now. I don't know anything about electronics but you make it interesting. I like how meticulous you are. You have to admire a person who takes so much care in their work. :)
Make it safe. Polarize plug so chassis is always neutral and rewire power switch so it switches the hot. Add a safety cap. Is there anything else that can be done other than that except adding a transformer or rubber-coating the cabinet? If anyone has a better solution it’s Mr. Carlson.
Yeah, good point. The more I collect and work on these things the more dangerous I realize they are. I tell anyone who’s interested to never plug in an old radio unless they know what they’re doing or have had them checked out.
I hope you will continue to work on this radio so that people will be aware of the dangers. You could also highlight what to look for in the schematic of this and other high risk radios that would indicate a hot chassis. The Hallicrafters S-38 radio has a hot chassis and there are a lot of them around and many newbies are restoring these vintage radios probably in some cases being unaware of the lethality of the radio. I think a number of other Hallicrafters radios also have hot chassis. So a video on how to make these radios safe to operate would be a godsend! I also have a personal interest in this because I just purchased a Hallicrafters S-85 with the intent of restoring it. But I noticed it has one of the input power lines going through a switch to ground just like the chrome Silvertone radio in this video. So does it have a hot chassis?? I need to know this before I do any work on this S-85 radio. Thanks, Gordon
Please restore it and make it safe. It would be very beneficial to people like me who are learning how to bring life back to vintage radios. All American radios scare me a little, but I want to understand them and how to work on them. I enjoy (a lot) your clear explanations of the more basic troubleshooting techniques. Thank you for sharing.
I have this same radio, but it appears to be factory painted white. I plan to repair and update this radio so I definitely vote for you to restore this radio
Hi Mr. Carlson, Can you restore an old tube type TV and speak to the dangers back then that were inherent in these units compared to the sets we use today? Thanks much, love your video's...
"Honey, my mother is coming over tomorrow... Where are you going?" "I'm just going to the basement, Mary. I bought her this beautiful shiny radio last week, I know it's somewhere around here in the bin..."
I vote to make it safe and restore it. "Interesting" device! Also interesting to see how well it receives with such simple components and circuitry. Happy New Year!
First thought, population control. I agree that radio takes stupidity to the next level. Back in that day folks just knew better that to fool around with these. Today is a different story. With the metal case connected directly to the chassis I can see a lot of things go wrong for the end user. At least Hallicrafters isolated the metal case with rubber washers in the S-38 model which is known as the "killer" radio. You already know my thoughts on this old classic radio Paul. As always thanks for sharing.
@ab5ni I have one as well and in the same spot as you. I'm gonna wait until I learn more and can work with someone who has the tools and knowledge to make it safe. It is a sexy old radio. KE5ETX
Click this link to Learn Electronics in a different and very effective way. Lots more video's and projects for you to build as well! Click here: www.patreon.com/MrCarlsonsLab
Merry Christmas and Happy New year thx for all the great videos
Very interested in watching how these radios could be made safer. Always appreciate your clear and concise explainations. Merry Christmas!
If you have a lot of projects going on, you can always postpone this project and fit it in for 2019 national safety day/week March 4th. Have a Merry Christmas. :-)
Mr Carlson nice radios! They take me right back to my wide eyed youth and my first shocks … ! As your(North American) mains supply sockets are polarised these days chop off the moulded rubber plug and replace it with a polarised one AND/OR hard wire a small 1:1 isolating transformer ( or better fit a pug that can only be connect to the transformer). And of course replace that RF screening capacitor (Chassis is a Faraday cage) with a mains (line) grade ( Y type 600-1000VAC)
Thanks for making such thorough and informative videos, Paul. It's always interesting to hear you work through your thought processes when you trouble-shoot.
Please show us how you would make this radio safe. The merits of making this particular unit safe and usable can be debated ad infinitum. There are many of us with radios that present the same hazard and would benefit from knowing how to mitigate the hazard.
I love the look! I vote restore and make safe.
yep, it can be done, i've commented how,..
+1
I vote restore and keep dangerous
@@LuizDahoraavida LOL. You're so bad...
Agreed.
4:40 When he mentioned evidence of previous electrocutions I was picturing bits of burnt flesh still stuck to metal parts rather than a color-coded plug.
I was thinking at least a fingerprint burned into it or something as well.
My vote is to make it safe and restore it. Something that beautiful, regardless of how poorly it was engineered, deserves to live. If we just cut the cord off and shelve it, what have we learned?
maybe put a new polarized plug on as well :)
Paul, Here's my vote to make it safe and restore it. Even though you've done similar videos before, newer viewers probably have not seen them.
@@JeffLMisc I vote for a grounded plug.
It's beautiful, but between the safety issues and the super simple design that looks like it would have minimal sensitivity, I wonder if it would be a candidate for an entirely new solid state circuit inside, instead of a simple as-is restoration?
Edit: I just realized - with a metal case, it must be shielded so well it'd never work well with an internal ferrite antenna anyway!
@@NiHaoMike64 : Exactly and do a proper grounding circuit addition to ensure it will do a proper grounding. I never owned one, but had seen it in a sears and roebuck catalog and wanted it!
I grew up around old tube type radios , never knew how dangerous they could be . But always have had respect for electricity. I do enjoy your professionalism.
My vote is make it the best that you can. Bring back alive and most safest to anyone will use it. Thanks for sharing Mr Paul.
When I was about 12 I used to go to a soda fountain in a drug store. They had a large stainless steel soda fountain. They had a soup heater that would give the soda jerks shocks. One day I told one of them to pull the plug and turn it over before plugging it back in. The looks when the shocks stopped made me swell with pride. Everyone there thought I was a genius!
You WERE a genius, to know that. Also very kind to help them out !
Rrstore, make safe, add a stainless steel fine filter mesh painted black for a super slick look
Silvertone was a Sears & Roebuck brand. They stamped that brand on their musical instruments as well. With Sears on it's deathbed it would be nice to see the radio restored, and possibly end up in a museum some day. I enjoy your videos. They are way over my head, but I still learn something every time I watch one.
Pretty much exactly how I feel. Even though I know more than the average person.
It’s still an immense language. Here.
But it actually starts to sink in. Just by watching and listening hard.
Send it to Sears, you could put them *closer* to their deathbed... :)
If Silvertone was a mass produced Sears & Roebuck brand, did it have a UL, (Underwriters Laboratory), Approved seal on it?
@@DarkFlamage I have absolutely no idea, sorry.
Maybe somebody could try and sue Sears for selling the radio... Good luck trying to collect....
The perfect bathtub radio.
stupid bathroom GFCI will save the mother in law though...
@@jusb1066 epic post
ChristopherLionRoars i
ChristopherLionRoars s
oooouch!
Excellent presentation! As a collector of vintage and antique radios, I leave all the repairs to a qualified serviceman. Everyone who is even remotely thinking about plugging in grandma's or great-grandma's old radio that they found in the attic or cellar should view this video, and heed the cautions about the potentially lethal dangers that lurk within many of these instruments. I vote restore, and provide the necessary modifications to make the radio safe, and then create labels for the back and bottom to instruct future owners.
Yes, save it's life and put in a nice grill cloth.
Stick an isolation transformer in front of it to make it safe to run, job done.
Yes, I think a grill cloth will transform the appearance of that thing.
Paul:
I would enjoy viewing videos on a masterful restoration of this chrome beauty. I, too, have no idea what the engineers were thinking at the time. Nice find.
Thinking?....No laughing!😄⚡😖
🤔 let’s make it safe 👍
easy fix, a new line cord
Paul, the simple stuff like this is my favorite. I find it totally relaxing how you describe things, and I've learned a lot here. I vote to make her safe.
The quality of your videos are on a different level, from content to a/v, you sir are a master. Thank you for all of your effort!
Definitely do over.
These AA3, 4, and 5s are all very eye catching(some more than others) from the outside and only the outside. The average buyer was not really electronically minded but was commercially convinced the more tubes the better the radio. By today many have disappeared into the trash can because they no longer worked, shocked the owner or a curious child, or just eventually got ugly, or replaced by a better radio. Turning one of them on today is a trip into nostalgia and a time that seemed less complicated.
A restoration to me is hard to define because keeping the exterior beauty is easy but the interior workings can be completed in many different ways. The purist restoration is exactly to print with no modifications and includes no safety regards or function improvements. A Safety restoration incorporates safety improvements and additions to make the restoration as safe as can be but may still have Lethal voltages inside. The last restoration is what I call the spirit of the circuit. Many will Boo, Hiss, Condemn, swear at, even make physical gestures about it. This restoration keeps the stages but the entire schematic and workings are completely made solid state(I can hear it now). The tuning , filters, band selection, and any other reusable parts are used but the spirit of the circuit is now transistorized
and the power supply is now low voltage maybe even from a wall wart. The tubes may be gone if the tube sockets are used as tie points. The spirit of the circuit is there but only in transistorized form and the exterior is still intact.
Among all the Boos and Hiss this is submitted as a vote for restoration as Mr Carlson would do a safe restoration.
Thanks Paul! I say let's make it safe! Ouch! That is so cool! I can't wait to get my Curve Tracer built. Merry Christmas!
Paul - by all means - the little fellow deserves to work. I can't wait to see it working - complete with long-wire antenna. A great video - really is amazing how they use to do things.
lol, the meter literally said OUCH lol, I would like to see this thing fixed up
yeah XD that meter is funny
Yeah, it's unique to that brand of meter. When you overload it, it says ouch :P Overload includes when a signal goes out of range, it will say ouch until it adjusts to the right range. Kind of a silly thing that always gives someone a chuckle the first time they see it.
First sir thank you for all the incredible restorations and insights you share from your vast knowledge of electronics. I am just a lowly autistic werewolf with many other disabilities sir unable to do the cool things you do with ease. I enjoy watching you troubleshoot these radios and other electronic devices. I couldn't solder two wires together to save my life BUT, watching your channel I have learned just enough to let me make better decisions when buying electronics technology of any kind from any era.
Ok to answer your question I would love that you RESTORE this hazardous radio to SAFE WORKING CONDITION! I feel by restoring this radio adding all needed safety features will give additional detailed insight into safety. Mr. Carlson no one stresses safety like YOU when dealing with electronics! By watching you take a toxic electronic design embodied in this radio and rendering it safe to use, you will offer invaluable practical real world understanding of the fundamentals of safe electrical engineering theory!
Mr. Carlson you would be saving lives by sharing all the considerations needed to create a safe design when starting from a dangerously unsafe design this radio represents. Please consider my request and the logic that is its genesis. Again thank you Mr. Carlson for sharing all your projects and being such a kind and detail oriented teacher. You have the respect of the AUTISTIC WEREWOLF!
I remember when I was in my early teens, (1960's), I used to get TV's and radios from various places to repair and sell them. Nearly all of them were built this way. They called them AC/DC sets, (although it has a different meaning these days!) But the golden rule was that you always wore rubber soled shoes and kept one hand in your pocket when working on them, so no danger of getting any amps across your heart. The days of selenium (metal) rectifiers, how I miss 'em! Anyway, I'd stick some isolation in there and save it.
Great information for the average consumer. It reminded me of the older power tools like drills, saws, and sanders that have aluminum housings, and 2-conductor, non-polarized plugs. They develop ground faults through the overheated motor windings that make contact with the armature or field windings and create a path to the aluminum case. I also had a situation where an old refrigerator had line voltage connected to the metal housing of the refrigerator. It was probably caused by moisture build up in the older fiberglass insulation from condensation and some unprotected line connections to lights or components.
Another interesting case was a Craftsman Sawzall (reciprocating saw) that I was using outdoors to cut down a small dogwood tree. I was kneeling down on a large piece of cardboard and had dug around the trunk of the tree and was using the saw with a 9" blade to cut the trunk just below ground level. I was holding the front of the saw close to the vent holes and resting the outside palm of my hand on the ground at the perimeter of the hole. I started getting electric shocks through my hand. The skin between my thumb and forefinger was entering the case through the vent holes and touching the metal in the gear housing. Even though the tool was double insulated, a ground fault had developed with the motor (likely from years of hard use and heat damage to the windings). So even modern double insulated tools have design defects that could result in electrocution and be fatal. If I was not kneeling on cardboard, but directly on the ground, the electrical leakage path would have been through my chest to my knees!!
I immediately cut the cord off the saw and then took the saw completely apart (so no one would trash pick it) and threw it out, went out and bought a new Milwaukee Saw kit. -- Joe Smetona.
Thanks for sharing your story Joe!
I remember an old 50' fridge we had that didn't have a polarized plug. If you lean on the fridge while cooking on the stove, you'd receive a tingle!🤯
I vote for isolating the cabinet and restoring the set. Nice looking little set. Like it or not, people are going to find and use these sets, a video on making it safer would be a good idea. I have a similar 1948 Airline 84KR-1520B with a metal cabinet with a hot chassis (and cabinet), interesting little sets.
Thanks for all the informative and interesting videos. Yes! Spare its life and make it safe. Back in the 50s and 60s our radios, TVs, etc, were almost all transformerless, and here in the UK the mains voltage is 240V! At the time there were the newer 3 pin earthed sockets, but most houses still had the older 2 pin reversable sockets running alongside the new. Many a lesson was learned....the hard way!
Another video treasure . . . You say, "Thanks for watching." And I want to say thanks for taking the time to share your work. It is inspiring and educational . . . and it serves as a reminder of simpler times. Blessings
I vote yes to restoring this beautiful rare Silvertone radio. Make it safe. You are the best teacher.
Wow... Just wow. That's such an insane design.
I think you should make it safe. It's a beautiful piece, but just being a dust collector wouldn't do it justice.
Very interesting, that shockingly attractive radio is a true electro-cutie!
I vote for the restoration, but I'm that way, I like to see things work.
Thanks for the great video Paul and the great explanation of the hot chassis radio sets!
Have a great Christmas!!
"electro-cutie".
Golf clap. 👍
Watt a punny comment. I think I'll join the resistance in saying this radio needs restoration. Pray with me... Ohmmmmm... Ohmmmmm...
I know, I know, I shouldn't be getting so amped up about it...
@@JerryDodge: That was revolting!
@@edwatts9890 Watt else did you expect? :-)
"You've been a bad boy, Lester... now go turn on the radio set to Dr. Kildare!"
I would like to see it restored with its own isolation xformer, it is a very pretty radio IMO.
EDIT: just became a Patreon supporter. You are one very gifted teacher of electronics and every bit worth supporting!
Yes I do think this should be completely re done and made safe too use daily ! It looks great and I think it would be a wonderful addition to anyone's home or office space !
Yes, Mr. Carlson, you have my vote to, make it safe, it may even sound pretty good when you get past the hum. Oh yes, and I love your videos you are a great teacher, thank you for making it easy for us all to learn, keep them coming and Merry Christmas to you and your family.
I have learned to trust your knowledge and would trust you to restore her properly and safely. Everything deserves not to be forgotten and this is one that shouldn't be forgotten. If another can be found, this one can be used as a teaching method in comparison to one that hasn't been made safe. Thank you and I will keep my eye out for one.
These were popular at the time. They were made by Arvin (Noblitt-Sparks (irony noted)) and also sold under their name as well as Sears' Silvertone. Arvin supplied Sears with small radios from '46 and into the late 60s or early 70s. This 4-tube version was the most common of this style and 5-tube versions were also offered. This is a somewhat uncommon chrome version as most were painted. Arvin was also an appliance and auto parts manufacturer, specializing in mufflers and heaters. Sears probably also sold those.
Back then people were used to getting zapped by their radios and appliances going back to the early 30s. It was the rising influence of UL that led to safer designs. The UL label became a selling point as years passed.
Chassis with the 132 prefix are indeed Silvertone made by Arvin. Another popular Silvertone manufacturer was Warwick, who's chassis number began with 528 or 529.
Great info! I bet Arvin thought they were doing something pretty special by making it look like one of their appliances. Oops...
@@bitrot42 Everyone was chrome-crazy in those days. It was very "modern" and "futuristic". I blame pre-war world fairs for it but it became a thing with appliances and there was a period where chrome furniture was popular. (Arvin also made some of that, especially outdoor stuff.) This was when cars started to get chrome to the extent that it was referred as "slobber" here and "American Grin" overseas. The Buick carried this to extreme at one point.
Arvin wasn't the only one to offer chrome radios then either. Detrola had an AM/SW set they offered in either all chrome or painted with a chrome front and even wood with a chrome front. They also supplied Sears and others with a few models. Even Hallicrafters had one of these they rebranded and offered under their name. Crazy times.
I loved this video too, however I'm surprised how many want to see a restoration. I've just started watching the Mr Carlson channel, and I have to agree with him that it was better to remove it from the public. Loved the comments about it working great as a bathroom radio. =)
I think it's a lovely radio (not the electrical design) to display only, but after clipping the line in, keep the cord as this tells part of its history.
Restore, please!
But before that... Demo the unit as plugged into a GFCI! To show how those work to keep us safe!
GFCI doesn't help if there is no ground tab. This plug isn't even polarized. Just swapping out the line cord to have asymmetric blades would help quite a lot, since this is what the previous owner did by painting the plug.
Please restore it and teach us how simple it wouldve been for the engineers to make the radio safe! The information you provide may even help someone not overlook safety in their own projects.
Thanks for being here & be safe!
It's going to be interesting to see how you isolate the chassis from the case electrically. I would see if I could go about isolating the two physically as well without disturbing the actual "look" of the radio.
I really enjoy your videos and I am still learning I am 68 thank you very much from Gary in the UK.
Restore and make safe for sure! Only recently found your channel - love the way you explain things so thoroughly in layman's terms! Subscribed and lots of videos to watch :-)
Make it safe, but add a note on the back explaining what was done. It’s too nice to retire it! Merry Christmas and thank you for all the great videos. You’ve motivated me to restore many dumpster finds.
I wish you and your family have a prosperous New Year keep making videos I haven’t got a clue what you’re talking about or what you’re doing but I just love watching your videos
Thanks Robert! I'm always working on one.
Yes! Watching you make it safe and restoring makes it worth it.Your videos are the best!
Where do you put the bread?
Yes Paul. Please fix this hot mess. There are sooo many of these transformer-less radios and ham equipment out there waiting for someone without an isolation transformer and variac to plug them into a wall outlet to see if they work. A presentation from you on this subject, the proper way to use safety caps, and basic safety issues around old equipment like this will save lives.
I'd enjoy watching you restore it and making it safe.
I had one of these all- metal hot-chassis Silvertones as a child back in early 1950s. it sat in the bedroom that I shared with my oldest sister. Our radio had a black case with yellow plastic knobs. I remember that it stopped working and our mother took it to a radio repairman who repaired it by replacing a tube, which he returned to us. My sister and I listened to it regularly before we went to sleep.
Absolutely do a video on making this unit safe as there must be many other types and people out there that could use the knowledge you exhibit. Don from your Patreon site.
Ouch! I love that! How cool is a meter that says Ouch!! Thanks for sharing Paul.
From my family to yours,Merry Christmas and a happy new year!!
I vote for fixing it and trying to make it safe. I think it would be very educational. I have the same radio, except it’s brown paint, not chrome.
Those radios were made by Arvin.
You have excellent taste in HV bench power supplies - the Lambda 71!
Merry Christmas and happy new year to you and your family. Keep up the great work!
Thanks! That supply is definitely great! It's never failed in the 25 Years I have owned it.
And where the heck do you get that meter.....does it have an audio "ouch" position?....lol
I think your idea of getting it away from the general public is the best one.
I vote for restore and make it safe. Preserve that history.
Making it safe isn't preserving the history. It's rewriting the history. I vote leave it as-is as a lesson on poor design.
I vote for refurbishing...I really like the look of this old radio. It is exactly the kind of project I used to really enjoy. While I am no electronics engineer, I do have some extensive electronics education with Uncle Sam's help and my VA after I got out. My original intention was to get that EE degree...I discovered that after using trig to calculate beta...that was the extent of my higher maths....lol. So I am a tinkerer, and have had many shocking experiences in the course of having a career in electronics. I worked on DTMF phones, and crypto gear and when you talk about watching out for capacitor shock you are oh so right! I burned two nice holes in my arm when it contacted the two connectors at the top of a capacitor in the power supply drawer on the equipment I was working on...definitely got my attention. That was after I had disconnected the power cable a half an hour before...sigh.
Make it safe, if you are happy to do so , I am wondering if the makers didn't like the public, in producing such a death trap. Anyone thinking of joining Patreon YESSS go for it, I really like it , if your into electronics you learn so much, not on Paul's payroll.
I would like to support him but i will not use Patreon dude to there bias against free speech.. :(
is there any other way to join?
@@Mr_Meowingtons Maybe contact Paul,
You are awesome to prevent someone from getting a shock
If you think 117 volts is ouch, try a European version of a hot chassis with 240 volts...Now that is really OUCH!! Hope you do make it safe. Love to see how the reception is with such simple circuitry.
Oh yes ouch!! The pink panther movie when he puts his finger in the socket! The one with the vacuum cleaner and parrot bird one of my favorite.
Proscriptus Interesting factoid: I read that a full shot of 240 is better than 120 for your chances of survival. As I understand, 240 is more likely to stop fully your heart, but 120 is more likely to cause a heart to fibrillate. Fibrillation is more dangerous than a complete stoppage because it is harder to restore a normal beat, especially if a defibrillator is not handy. So I read and as I recall. Anyhow, I don't plan on testing the idea.
Or.... 380v 3ph... 🙄😏 I've had the "displeasure" of feeling that emf whilst operating a machine... 🙄😣😱 it BITES ! 😂
Hi Mr. Carlson. I think this might be an excellent example for you to explain some radio basics to those of us who are new to this. A simplistic or cursory rundown of how radios work and , in particular, how each tube functions in this case would be very interesting. Incorporating safety tips and making this radio safe would be a very good instruction for most of us here. so, I vote that we carry on with this restoration. Thank you.
Make it safe, I always put of a polarized plug and cord and change the switch to switching the "hot", I found a lot of these radios switch the chassis on and off leaving you with a hot chassis when off if the plug in in the wrong way.
I agree, it’s so beautiful it deserves to live... Safely! If you do then I reckon a deep red colour for the grill cloth would look stunning
Fascinating! Could you install a small isolation transformer inside, or maybe put a little inverter in it and power it from an external 12V power brick?
Edit: After watching the rest of the video, consider just replacing the capacitor with a class Y safety cap and possibly eliminate the 330k resistor. A grounded cord would be nice, as well.
Yes, definitely try to restore and make the thing safe! Would make for an interesting project.
0:30 They were thinking "the bean counters in the accounting dept are going to electrocute some of our customers, but at least dead people can't ask for a refund and as engineers we can just blame accounting". Safety tends to take a backseat to cost/profit, even today.
It's a piece of nostalgia I think you should make it safe, besides I want to see exactly how your going to do that. Great job on everything you do and I really appreciate your expertise.
Fix it up. It’s an iconic piece of the 50’s.
Thumbs-up on restore it and make it safe to use. She's a little beauty, but at moment she is hurting and needs the gentle touch of Mr Carlson, the electronics doctor to fix the little girl.
Mother-in-law's radio?
Shower model?
I think you found that schematic so quickly because many other people probably have had the same concerns with this model and have done the same thing you are. And they wanted to make sure this schematic was easy to find for other engineers like you.
Restore and make safe, I’d like to see what the procedure would be.
I have a book from 1959 about tape recorders. According to that it was common back in the days of DC mains to have the mains negative grounded to the chassis via a small capacitor. That radio seems to be a universal (both AC and DC) model so it had the capacitor too.
You may be able to stick a torroidal isolation transformer standing on its side in the middle. Current draw shouldn't be to high on this with the exception of initial surge current so it shouldn't need a very large transformer.
@@georgeevans1341 easier and cheaper to fit a 3 core mains lead, with chassis/case to true earth..
@@andygozzo72 Having both the earth and neutral connected to the chassis would trip GFCI. You need some kind of isolation transformer.
@@AlexandreJasmin no, in many usa sets the chassis is not connected 'hard' /directly to the 'neutral' of the mains but via a capacitor and high value resistor(220k ish) in parallel so its effectively 'earthy'/neutral only in rf terms, the negative 'line' of the ht-/b- is 'isolated' from the chassis itself, by the RC combo.... but of course if supply is reversed (or when radio switch is off, as many had the switch in the neutral line!!), its not 'hard' or direct live but through the resistor and reactance of the capacitor, it probably wouldnt kill but you'd certainly get a surprise if you touched it , so direct earthing the chassis should be ok...
in the uk, the chassis was almost always hard connected to the 'neutral' line, and if any set had a metal case (i can only think of a few, mainly some ac/dc mains 'communications' receivers ) this case was fully isolated from the chassis and earthed..
the one in the video has this capacitor plus resistor 'isolation' from chassis to neutral so the case could be easily earthed to make it safe, there'd be only the capacitor plus resistor combo between neutral and earth, and even when switched off, with the 'negative' ht/b- line going 'live', the current flowing to earth from this now 'live' line would be a few milliamps at the most, not usually enough to trip a rcd/gfci
I would love to see you make this thing safer! I picked one up at an antique shop (unbeknownst to how dangerous it was) and I got a little bit of a shock. I am probably going to try and make mine safer.
If that radio switches one side of the line to the chassis ( common in that era) it's NEVER plugged in right. If the owner fortuitously connects the chassis to neutral it will be safe, but only when it's turned on. In the off position, the chassis is connected to the hot side through the tube heaters. Relatively low resistance compared to someone's body.
Thanks.
He could move the switch to the hot side. Noticed it's switching the neutral.
@@countryhamop4580 Yes. Minor rewiring. Someone once suggested to me that small radios switched the chassis side to keep the audio leads on the attached volume control at chassis ground to prevent hum on the audio. Maybe maybe not. Dangerous though.
I think this is a great looking radio and I’d love to see it made safe and usable, I’m also interested in seeing how you’d make it safe to operate and how well it receives with this simple circuitry.
The signal tracer is super minty 👌🏻👌🏻
I would love to see this one restored and made safe! I'm especially interested in what line cord modifications are needed. I imagine that isolating the case would be rather challenging.
Maybe use a grounded power cord and do the wiring like an old metal case power saw or drill. I'm a total newbie so take that with a grain of salt.
I have a Silvertone Radio/Record Player that was a real killer. These were called AC or DC
radios although I don't know if DC was around much. The engineers were thinking that
wired this way the radio DID NOT NEED A POWER TRANSFOSRMER. Money, Money, above
in series (50L6 & 25W4 Etc) The Power cord & plug were NOT polarized. On side of the
AC went to the chassis & the over went directly to the chassis. On my radio if the plug
happened to be wrong, you got 110 right one the metal record player arm. OUCH. Not one
you would want to take out by the pool & listen to a record...
The AC/DC radio AA5 started in the late 1930s, when some cities still had Edison's DC generating power, so they could use the radio in either power system. Why they didn't think about making the plugs polarized is beyond me, but it was easy enough to know if the plug was in backwards in DC systems. it just wouldn't work.
Restore & Safety vid please! - I'm especially interested in the safety retrofitting.
Strictly speaking, electrocution (a portmanteau meaning electrical execution) is always fatal. What people who survive contact receive are electric shocks.
I like the look but I'm not sure how you could make it safe. I like your show. I've watched several episodes now. I don't know anything about electronics but you make it interesting. I like how meticulous you are. You have to admire a person who takes so much care in their work. :)
Make it safe. Polarize plug so chassis is always neutral and rewire power switch so it switches the hot. Add a safety cap. Is there anything else that can be done other than that except adding a transformer or rubber-coating the cabinet? If anyone has a better solution it’s Mr. Carlson.
that would work in 90% of american housholds. The other 10 % are wired wrong. You need to take miswired outlets into consideration.
Yeah, good point. The more I collect and work on these things the more dangerous I realize they are. I tell anyone who’s interested to never plug in an old radio unless they know what they’re doing or have had them checked out.
I hope you will continue to work on this radio so that people will be aware of the dangers. You could also highlight what to look for in the schematic of this and other high risk radios that would indicate a hot chassis. The Hallicrafters S-38 radio has a hot chassis and there are a lot of them around and many newbies are restoring these vintage radios probably in some cases being unaware of the lethality of the radio. I think a number of other Hallicrafters radios also have hot chassis. So a video on how to make these radios safe to operate would be a godsend! I also have a personal interest in this because I just purchased a Hallicrafters S-85 with the intent of restoring it. But I noticed it has one of the input power lines going through a switch to ground just like the chrome Silvertone radio in this video. So does it have a hot chassis?? I need to know this before I do any work on this S-85 radio. Thanks, Gordon
Make it safe and restore.
Please restore it and make it safe. It would be very beneficial to people like me who are learning how to bring life back to vintage radios. All American radios scare me a little, but I want to understand them and how to work on them. I enjoy (a lot) your clear explanations of the more basic troubleshooting techniques. Thank you for sharing.
I say you make it safe, just in case
I think the engineers were trolling hard with that sexy radio. Mr. C you crack me up with your one-liners.
Even the meter says ouch ahaha :)
that cracked me up.
This will be a perfect example/lesson of how to make a radio of similar design as safe as possible! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
That's not a radio, it's a Darwin selector masquerading as a radio.
I have this same radio, but it appears to be factory painted white. I plan to repair and update this radio so I definitely vote for you to restore this radio
Restore and isolate! That is If you can find a suitable isolation transformer.
I vote to make it safe. It would be neat to see it in operation again! Thanks Paul.
Restore it and make it safe to use.
I'll add my vote to the restore and make it safe side of the tally. Love your videos, really enjoying the course on Patreon!
"You know as much about this as I do"- Paul, I can assure you that that is not true.......lol.
Hi Mr. Carlson, Can you restore an old tube type TV and speak to the dangers back then that were inherent in these units compared to the sets we use today? Thanks much, love your video's...
I have some planned. Thanks for your input.
"Honey, my mother is coming over tomorrow... Where are you going?"
"I'm just going to the basement, Mary. I bought her this beautiful shiny radio last week, I know it's somewhere around here in the bin..."
LOL
I vote to make it safe and restore it. "Interesting" device! Also interesting to see how well it receives with such simple components and circuitry. Happy New Year!
First thought, population control. I agree that radio takes stupidity to the next level. Back in that day folks just knew better that to fool around with these. Today is a different story. With the metal case connected directly to the chassis I can see a lot of things go wrong for the end user. At least Hallicrafters isolated the metal case with rubber washers in the S-38 model which is known as the "killer" radio. You already know my thoughts on this old classic radio Paul. As always thanks for sharing.
@ab5ni I have one as well and in the same spot as you.
I'm gonna wait until I learn more and can work with someone who has the tools and knowledge to make it safe. It is a sexy old radio. KE5ETX
Not so many law suits back then...