Thanks Paul for the Loktal tip. Like most of your viewers, I have struggled with Loktals for many years. No one ever shared that tip! Philco seemed to use a lot of Loktals in the early 40's. When I see that "7" on the tube type, I shy away. Keep up the tek tips. Even an ol" dog like me can learn something! Have a Happy New Year, Dave
Wonderful video, but I always enjoy hearing the radios after the work is done like other technicians have done. To me, that is what's so special about them: their warmth of sound from another era.
Am working on a 1948 Zenith radio and I encountered some Allen Bradley and roundie resistors, as you call them, and so now know more than before. I will diligently check the "roundies" first. Thanks for the tip.Bob
You got snow, while we in the Netherlands are 3 days away from hottest December ever recorded. No frost or snow just 14 degrees Celsius on average. It is a wonderful world :) Happy new year to you also.
I love your videos and have learned quite a lot from them. You have a knack for explaining complicated concepts to regular folks like me! I'm looking forward to a video on using vintage test equipment (like mine) to align my old radios. I would also love to learn a little more about safety caps. Thank you for your effort!
Good info. I used to fix up old radios some twenty five years ago but got out of it. I may try and get back into it. I have numerous old console and tabletop radios. Love the old tube stuff.
Even though I am an old Heathkit junkie from way back and I wonder what experience you have had in that area, and knew much of what you covered, I am so impressed with your delivery and sequencing. Always admire a fine teacher.
I always learn from your videos. At my parent's house is my Grandfather's1942 Philco console I think it is a 42-395. I am 60 years old, and used to play that thing when I was a kid. I still turn it on often when I go over there, it still sounds great. The only repair done to it in my lifetime was I replaced the rotted rubber line cord. It appears that somebody replaced the rectifier tube at one time because there is a Raytheon branded tube in the set with the old philco tube in the box. Until today, I never knew how to properly remove loktals. All the other tubes appear original, and I see absolutely no evidence of any repairs under the chassis ALL capacitors are original, including the electrolytic, which is the cheap cardboard tube variety, strapped under the chassis. It does not even hum! I do not leave it plugged in, of course.
I always learn something from you. I know how to make things work but never learned the fine points. I never ran into people willing to pay either and lost hope. You are a dying breed. Keep up the good work.
Good stuff again and thank you for the ending where you mention the Oscilloscope episode. Looking forward to that one. Happy New Year to you and your family !!! Ron
Hi Mr. Carlson, As usual an excellent presentation. I was little confused at first when you had the chassis upright on its edge. I thought the brown object behind it was an air bag, meant to protect your test equipment in the event the chassis tipped backward. I went back to the beginning and then realized you actually had the antenna behind the radio. Silly me. There is another fellow on youtube Shango066 who does vintage repair videos, among other things. He often discusses something he calls "silver mica disease" causing IF problems. Perhaps that is a topic for a Tuesday repair tip that you can talk about in your most excellent way of explaining things in detail. I love your tech tips. Exceptionally coherent. Thank you Loved the kitty cat and Christmas tree
Happy New Year. Yup those cardboard capacitors are snow storm machies. My very first circuit a mains neon oscillator circuit. Needed a cap. I know where theres one I told Terry. Shot up his shed to a Baird BW TV. Been in there 2 or 3 years at the time. Yup. Dampalota. Put the cap in circuit worked. We made a cellebration cupa while it was running. In the kitchen we heard WHOOMP! Rather loudly. Looked in the living room doorway and it was............SNOWING! LMAO. Terrys mum was not amused. We were both 9 at the time.
Same thing with me. Age around 12, was working on an audio power amp when the power supply paper filter cap blew. It was like a Roman candle and snow storm at the same time. Was in the basement, so it was easy to clean up. Fun times.
Happy New Year to you too! Thank you for all those entertaining and educative video's. I have no knowledge of electronics at all, but still watched all your video's. Looking forward to 2016 :)
Great Tips! I don"t have any old radios, but I do have an old guitar amp that I am going to re-cap. Thanks to you for all the great videos this year! You have given me the confidence to tackle the amp re-cap project and many others. Have a great New Year!
Lots of good Tuesday tips for the holiday Paul, thanks for sharing. I am getting ready to refurbish a Hallicrafter S-38E receiver, so your tips are very timely. First time for do that type of project. Merry belated Christmas and Happy New Year.
Hello Paul !!Great tip about the Loctal Tube !! You have a great old Philco Radio there !! I Love the old radios, Keep them tubes GLOWING,Nothing like them, especially Transmitters using the bigger tubes like 4-400 or 4CX250B (Collins KWS-1) in my case.Looking forward to more Tech Tips and other videos, You are the best at presentations !!! Many thanks and Happy New Yearsto You and yours and all your video subscribers too. John A Bellas KC2UVN.
+John Bellas Thanks John, for the very kind words! Been a while since I have worked on a KWS-1. A Friend of mine has a KW1... Nice old transmitter. 810's are getting expensive, glad I have quite a few for my Gates.
I enjoy your videos tremendously. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with the world. Have a safe and healthy 2016 and looking forward to your next video. 73.
Nice winter project. In Arizona, it is the heat that keeps me in the lab!!!! Great tips on tube removal and cap replacement. Your videos are the BEST in my opinion. I agree with ToddFun below. These are the best electronics engineering videos I have seen so far. Keep up the great work. You inspire me to learn more and stay focused on the engineering space. Thanks !!!!!
I'll be darned... The loctal removal part of this video was worth the price of admission Great video all the way thru. I always enjoy them. Happy and prosperous New Year to you and yours Paul
Ikr, I had never had a radio with one before until recently, and I was wondering why in the hell the tune wouldn’t come out, I think I damaged the socket because it doesn’t lock anymore 😐 feel like such a noob lol
Paul,I would appreciate your doing to do more videos on the basics of old ham radio gear restoration, if you have the time.Thank you for all you've done!!73,Ron Gross AD7FVSahuarita, AZ
Happy New Year My to you and the family. Good tip I didn't know about the domino square capacitors. Thanks for sharing I always learn something watching your video's.
I didn't know about that dimple removal procedure for locktals Paul. I always used a small screwdriver between the chassis and base to pry the tube straight up. It looks like all that bending would perhaps elongate the female socket connectore, but I don't know.I also didn't know the roundie resistors had a tendency to be so far out of tolerance.Great information! Keep the coming.Happy New Year!!!73sTomj
You comment on the thinner leads on modern components, but I've also noticed many components now have plated steel leads. No doubt that will be the reason they fail in a decade or two - the internals of Mylar caps could probably last forever.
Thanks Mr. Carlson. Some good tips for sure. I have one comment on lead dress. Try not to change the lead dress. It is possible that the factory tweaked the lead dress to quiet down a radio. Some receivers have wires with a single twist or two which actually are acting like capacitors. Hallicrafters used this for BFO coupling. Then of course there are the gimmic caps. Fixing what appears to be a random mess in the wiring CAN cause a lot of grief. That is my Tuesday Tech Tip. :). Happy New Year. Thanks for the instruction for 2015!
You have a very nice house! And I am surprised to see snow there... I thought you are in BC ! While contact cleaner is great for switches, I would like to highly recommend an excellent Canadian product which works wonders to clean and _lubricate_ potentiometers, or restore electrical connections which have been attacked by leaking batteries or corrosion (green crust)... *ACF-50* by Lear Chemical Research. It is MIL-SPEC and tested not to affect values of capacitors or inductors, be conductive or damage plastics or rubber. It is not rated as toxic or flammable. After using for more than 25 years, I have to state it is a great product. Really enjoy your videos, Paul.
Thanks for reply. Do you have a contact for your shop? You might be one of the few people in Canada (if not anywhere) where I could get replacement Sperry gas discharge / neon displays for the 1973 Tektronix Model 31 scientific calculator I am trying to repair. The device powers up, but the five left side digits are not visible. It also exhibits some odd math errors on occasion... 4 + 4 resulting in an answer of 9. The device might be quite rare, and was over 2,500$ in 1973, so I thought it is worth saving: www.oldcalculatormuseum.com/tek31.html
Every time I watch your videos it makes me want to peel apart my tube based signal generator and AM modulator. I use that same contact cleaner for volume POTs and selector switches, no more scratchy audio for me. Great video!
Great tips Paul as usual. One note, some (not necessarily all) phenolic switch wafers can actually be damaged by the chemicals in tuner cleaners so I usually use 100% DeOxit that comes in the small bottle with a needle tip (that tiny bottle still has about 3/4 of the original liquid in it after 20 years of bench use!). Drake rig experts especially make note of this caution. Now pots, that's a different story - hose 'em! Happy New Year! 73 - Dino KL0S
Another great Tech Tips Tuesday video Paul.Thanks for that tip on removing those "Loktal" type tubes. Guess I will put my hammer and punch up he he.Hope to see many more in 2016 my friendHave a happy New Year.
Re: death caps- these were connected directly to the Ac line and ground on older amps before three prong cords to reduce hum when a polarity switch was engaged. Many claimed they are lethal if the chassis is touched but what i have found is that very little ac passes thru them.
+Ron C This is why Y1 or Y2 rated capacitors are your safest bet. I have come across shorted line to chassis capacitors before. I was at a ham swap may moons ago, I had two capacitor testers I was going to plug in to test, to see if the EYE tubes worked. Both had metal handles..... I plugged them in at the swap meet ( I found a wall outlet ) Not thinking, I grabbed both units to face them at me.... WOW! That woke me up in a hurry! Both of them smashed against the floor..... I bought them.... The tubes worked perfectly..... Ouch!
I've watched many of your video's and learned a lot. The equipment you have is out of the price range of some of us. Could you do a video on what a reaonable test bench would be?
Great video. Please do follow up on your mooted idea and compile a tutorial/demo about aligning using vintage test gear. I would find that supremely interesting. Keep 'em coming...
Excellent tips, Paul. Thanks for the video and All the Best in 2016! I look forward to more great videos. BTW, some mentioned Patreon ; I would have no problem supporting your Patreon as I get substantial value from your videos.
+Shaun Merrigan Hi Shaun, if I do keep this video thing going, I may consider Patreon in the future. Thanks for your thoughts and kind words as well! Happy new year!
I always learn something new from your videos. I thought that dimple on loctals was simply to indicate where the key was…not sure why you'd need to know that on the OUTSIDE of the tube, but now I know! If I may make a request: a video showing how to determine the difference between "postage stamp" silver micas and the wax/paper capacitors that have that same, or very similar form factor. I think they called them "encapsulated wax/paper caps". I use Deoxit as a contact cleaner, and it has the same flow valve on the nozzle. I too find it useless, as even in the low setting, it releases an unholy gush of fluid that goes everywhere. I've toyed with the idea of putting some deoxit into a needle-tip flux bottle for strategic application.
That is indeed a lovely radio, well chosen, that man! The beautiful great speaker on the bench next to the chassis, is that from the same machine? Any one of your Tech-Tips videos is better than a year's subscription to Popular Mechanics! Pertinent, logical, methodical, exhaustive, very well filmed, and very well narrated, your videos are of the very highest standard, and eminently re-watchable.
I have a suggestion for a "Radio Repair". On ebay, there are a couple vendors who take older OEM car radios and install a stereo input jack so people can plug into their iPads or phones. How would someone identify the point in the circuit where the input (CD, cassette, radio) is passed to the amplifier for output, and it would be appropriate to add the stereo plug in order to play the external source instead? In my case, I have a Ford Expedition that has AM/FM/Cassette in the dash and is wired for a remote CD Changer (which I do not have), and I'd like to add the extra input in a convenient location, rather than putting in an aftermarket stereo. Suggestions?
I've been describing this incorrectly. it was the capacitor leads I was referring too of the i.f. can. they're color coded white red blue and black. under that color coded insulation was the really fine wire I was talking about that's wrapped around the leads.
HI Paul...Hows about doing another extensive trouble shooting video like you did with the Hammerland or other radio. Its a lot of fun, and informative to watch you troubleshoot a piece of gear. Nice video here as always. Best to you...Jack
Thanks for the video. I learned something here. I also suspect that you live nearby to me (Ottawa) since you appear to have been in the same snow storm we had here.
Paul, Great video. Getting caught up on the rest. About 80% finished. One question, what is that long oblong tan colored object behind the receiver chassis? Have a Happy New Year.
+Donald D'Egidio Hi Donald! The tan oval object is the antenna for the receiver. When you service this type of chassis, that has to be attached (4 wires) for the radio to work correctly. So it's a bit of a pain to have that hanging off the back of the radio while working on it. Happy new year!
Thanks Paul for the Loktal tip. Like most of your viewers, I have struggled with Loktals for many years. No one ever shared that tip! Philco seemed to use a lot of Loktals in the early 40's. When I see that "7" on the tube type, I shy away.
Keep up the tek tips. Even an ol" dog like me can learn something!
Have a Happy New Year,
Dave
+david young
Thanks Dave! Happy new year to you as well!
Wonderful video, but I always enjoy hearing the radios after the work is done like other technicians have done. To me, that is what's so special about them: their warmth of sound from another era.
Great Job Paul! Look forward to every Tuesday now!!! Lloyd - WA9NLA
+llsdigitek
Thanks Lloyd!
Am working on a 1948 Zenith radio and I encountered some Allen Bradley and roundie resistors, as you call them, and so now know more than before. I will diligently check the "roundies" first. Thanks for the tip.Bob
+Robert Jacko
Glad to help out Bob!
Paul, you never fail to amaze me with your knowledge of electronics. Thank you for our continuing education!
+B Lacey
Your welcome! Glad your enjoying the video's.
Another great video! Thanks for addressing several of the top issues found in refurbishing and repairing antique radios.
You got snow, while we in the Netherlands are 3 days away from hottest December ever recorded. No frost or snow just 14 degrees Celsius on average. It is a wonderful world :) Happy new year to you also.
+Bart Zuidgeest
Thanks Bart! We also just had a small earth quake (4.9) about 30 minutes ago. Happy new year!
I love your videos and have learned quite a lot from them. You have a knack for explaining complicated concepts to regular folks like me! I'm looking forward to a video on using vintage test equipment (like mine) to align my old radios. I would also love to learn a little more about safety caps. Thank you for your effort!
Good info. I used to fix up old radios some twenty five years ago but got out of it. I may try and get back into it. I have numerous old console and tabletop radios. Love the old tube stuff.
+Joe Schlabotnick
Thanks Joe!
Even though I am an old Heathkit junkie from way back and I wonder what experience you have had in that area, and knew much of what you covered, I am so impressed with your delivery and sequencing. Always admire a fine teacher.
I always learn from your videos. At my parent's house is my Grandfather's1942 Philco console I think it is a 42-395. I am 60 years old, and used to play that thing when I was a kid. I still turn it on often when I go over there, it still sounds great. The only repair done to it in my lifetime was I replaced the rotted rubber line cord. It appears that somebody replaced the rectifier tube at one time because there is a Raytheon branded tube in the set with the old philco tube in the box. Until today, I never knew how to properly remove loktals. All the other tubes appear original, and I see absolutely no evidence of any repairs under the chassis ALL capacitors are original, including the electrolytic, which is the cheap cardboard tube variety, strapped under the chassis. It does not even hum! I do not leave it plugged in, of course.
+DEW409
Thanks for the story!
Thanks, I love your videos, great information and fun to follow along!
Great Tips - You make it simple. Thank you.
I heated my Waxed paper capacitor collection and made a candle. Your videos are really good Carlson.
I always learn something from you. I know how to make things work but never learned the fine points. I never ran into people willing to pay either and lost hope. You are a dying breed. Keep up the good work.
+Mark Anderson
Thanks for the kind words Mark!
Enjoyed the video. That was a good tip on how to properly remove loctal tubes. I've been doing it wrong for years! Thanks and happy holidays.
+Armand Corpolongo
Thanks Armand! Right back at ya!
Thanks for the tips, Paul. Happy New Year - Live long and prosper!
+Robert Calk Jr.
Thanks Robert! Happy new year to you as well!
Good stuff again and thank you for the ending where you mention the Oscilloscope episode. Looking forward to that one. Happy New Year to you and your family !!! Ron
+Ron C
Thanks Ron! Happy new year to you and your family as well!
Your tech tip videos are amazing. Thanks, they are my favorite to date.
+Todd Harrison (ToddFun)
Thanks for the kind comment Todd!
+Todd Harrison (ToddFun) I agree, Great videos from a Great Man called, Mr Carlson's Lab!
I appreciate this video very much. Thank you!
I enjoy your tips, they help refresh my memory. Have a Happy New Year!
+Gene Hudson
Happy new year Gene!
Great tips. Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge.
+Billy “stormlight” Steen
Glad you enjoyed the video Billy! Thanks for your comment.
Great as always, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year !
+Ivan Doe
Thanks Ivan! Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you as well!
Hi Mr. Carlson,
As usual an excellent presentation. I was little confused at first when you had the chassis upright on its edge. I thought the brown object behind it was an air bag, meant to protect your test equipment in the event the chassis tipped backward. I went back to the beginning and then realized you actually had the antenna behind the radio. Silly me.
There is another fellow on youtube Shango066 who does vintage repair videos, among other things. He often discusses something he calls "silver mica disease" causing IF problems. Perhaps that is a topic for a Tuesday repair tip that you can talk about in your most excellent way of explaining things in detail.
I love your tech tips. Exceptionally coherent.
Thank you
Loved the kitty cat and Christmas tree
+BillyLapTop
Good idea for a TTT topic. I think your the first person to notice our little fuzzy kitty,.. he is a little nut! Thanks for your input!
Nice set of tips - thanks!
+w2aew
Hi Alan. Thanks for the kind comment! Glad you enjoyed the video, and thanks for stopping by!
Great video.. HappyNew Year Paul
65 years in electronics did not know about Loktal" tubes removal
+DENNIS N
Happy new year Dennis!
Thanks Mr. Carlson, I always learn something watching your excellent videos! Happy New Year.
+StealthParrot
Happy new year to you as well!
Great stuff Paul, and I never fail to learn something from your content. I joined your Patreon last week and am loving it all. Thanks man.
Welcome aboard Marty!
Happy New Year and thanks for the superb vids!
+youwillknowusbythe
Thanks! Happy new year to you too!
Happy New Year. Yup those cardboard capacitors are snow storm machies. My very first circuit a mains neon oscillator circuit. Needed a cap. I know where theres one I told Terry. Shot up his shed to a Baird BW TV. Been in there 2 or 3 years at the time. Yup. Dampalota. Put the cap in circuit worked. We made a cellebration cupa while it was running. In the kitchen we heard WHOOMP! Rather loudly. Looked in the living room doorway and it was............SNOWING! LMAO. Terrys mum was not amused. We were both 9 at the time.
+Raymond Earle
Thanks for the story Raymond! Happy new year!
Same thing with me. Age around 12, was working on an audio power amp when the power supply paper filter cap blew. It was like a Roman candle and snow storm at the same time. Was in the basement, so it was easy to clean up. Fun times.
Thank you my friend. Have subscribed. Happy new year.
Another great video. Happy New Year!
+Aron Gooch
Thanks Aron! Happy new year to you too!
Happy New Year to you too!
Thank you for all those entertaining and educative video's.
I have no knowledge of electronics at all, but still watched all your video's.
Looking forward to 2016 :)
+Hendrik Hendrikson
Thanks! Happy new year to you and yours too!
Great video Paul! The video using vintage test gear will be a favorite for sure!
Thanks again
Frank
+hffenninger
Thanks Frank!
Great Tips! I don"t have any old radios, but I do have an old guitar amp that I am going to re-cap. Thanks to you for all the great videos this year! You have given me the confidence to tackle the amp re-cap project and many others. Have a great New Year!
+Dave Mckim
That's great news Dave! Good luck with the amp and your other projects. Happy new year to you as well!
Lots of good Tuesday tips for the holiday Paul, thanks for sharing. I am getting ready to refurbish a Hallicrafter S-38E receiver, so your tips are very timely. First time for do that type of project. Merry belated Christmas and Happy New Year.
+Tech Chuck Legg
Good luck with the S-38E Chuck! Keep me informed of your adventure. Merry Christmas and happy new year to you as well!
Nice video Mr Carlson. Thanks!
+Richard Cunningham
Thanks!
happy new year.......can't wait for the next video...thanks again
+mountainhawk
Happy new year to you too!
Outstanding Mr Carlson ! Happy New Year to you and yours.
Bobby
+Bobby Tectalabyss
Thanks Bobby! Happy new year to you and yours as well!
Hello Paul !!Great tip about the Loctal Tube !! You have a great old Philco Radio there !! I Love the old radios, Keep them tubes GLOWING,Nothing like them, especially Transmitters using the bigger tubes like 4-400 or 4CX250B (Collins KWS-1) in my case.Looking forward to more Tech Tips and other videos, You are the best at presentations !!! Many thanks and Happy New Yearsto You and yours and all your video subscribers too. John A Bellas KC2UVN.
+John Bellas
Thanks John, for the very kind words! Been a while since I have worked on a KWS-1. A Friend of mine has a KW1... Nice old transmitter. 810's are getting expensive, glad I have quite a few for my Gates.
I enjoy your videos tremendously. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with the world. Have a safe and healthy 2016 and looking forward to your next video. 73.
+BX2ABT
Thanks for the kind words! Happy new year!
Nice winter project. In Arizona, it is the heat that keeps me in the lab!!!! Great tips on tube removal and cap replacement. Your videos are the BEST in my opinion. I agree with ToddFun below. These are the best electronics engineering videos I have seen so far. Keep up the great work. You inspire me to learn more and stay focused on the engineering space. Thanks !!!!!
Thanks for the kind words Jim!
Another great Video alway looking forward for the next one. Thanks
+Jo John
Thanks!
Happy New Year to you and your family too and thanks for sharing :)
+Yann Kitson
Thanks Yann! happy new year to you and your family as well!
Thank you Mr Carlson....great tips as usual. Will try to keep them in mind. We try not to miss an episode......
Rick Ross, VE7FWP, Mission.
+Richard Ross
Glad you enjoyed Rick!
Cool! You read my mind. I was going to suggest a repair vid using test gear from the era of the piece being repaired. Can't wait to see it!
+Arnold Rimmer
Thanks Arnold!
I'll be darned... The loctal removal part of this video was worth the price of admission
Great video all the way thru. I always enjoy them.
Happy and prosperous New Year to you and yours Paul
+Michael Lloyd
Thanks for the kind words Michael! Happy new year to you and yours as well!
Ikr, I had never had a radio with one before until recently, and I was wondering why in the hell the tune wouldn’t come out, I think I damaged the socket because it doesn’t lock anymore 😐 feel like such a noob lol
" Marry Christmas & Happy New Year" I'll be looking forward for your tips and videos in the coming year.
Dan
+Dan Todd
Thanks Dan, Right back at ya! :^)
Another great video! I'm looking forward to a demonstration of radio alignment using older test gear like you mentioned.
+Shawn Bottom
Thanks for your comment Shawn!
What a stunning radio! I always like your videos, every one. I am subscribed. I wish the very best for you and your loved ones in 2016!😁
+BobEckert56
Thanks Bob, Right back at ya!
your videos are so AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i learn a ton of stuff !!!!!!!!
thanks a lot!
Your welcome, glad your enjoying!
i love your videos. thank you.
You are so welcome!
Hey Mr. Carlson, Glad to be a subscriber. I would like to wish you a Happy New Year & All the Best in 2016. Take care, be good, Cass.
+Cass Virgillo
Thanks Cass! Happy new year to you and your as well!
Happy New Year to you too Paul
+rupert handford
Thanks Rupert! Right back too ya!
Paul,I would appreciate your doing to do more videos on the basics of old ham radio gear restoration, if you have the time.Thank you for all you've done!!73,Ron Gross AD7FVSahuarita, AZ
I have recently posted a video on a Hammarlund receiver, have you seen that? Here: ua-cam.com/video/4kT57s0kCAk/v-deo.html
Thanks for your time and another great video Happy NEW YEAR
+fitter108
Thanks! Happy NEW YEAR to you as well :^)
Good Job, didn't know that about lock tail tubes. Marry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and family.
+Gordonseries385
Happy new year to you as well Gordon.
Happy New Year My to you and the family. Good tip I didn't know about the domino square capacitors. Thanks for sharing I always learn something watching your video's.
+Ruben
Glad you enjoyed the video Ruben! Happy new year to you and yours!
I didn't know about that dimple removal procedure for locktals Paul. I always used a small screwdriver between the chassis and base to pry the tube straight up. It looks like all that bending would perhaps elongate the female socket connectore, but I don't know.I also didn't know the roundie resistors had a tendency to be so far out of tolerance.Great information! Keep the coming.Happy New Year!!!73sTomj
+AntiqueRadioandTV
Thanks Tom! Happy new year to you too!
You comment on the thinner leads on modern components, but I've also noticed many components now have plated steel leads. No doubt that will be the reason they fail in a decade or two - the internals of Mylar caps could probably last forever.
Thanks Mr. Carlson. Some good tips for sure. I have one comment on lead dress. Try not to change the lead dress. It is possible that the factory tweaked the lead dress to quiet down a radio. Some receivers have wires with a single twist or two which actually are acting like capacitors. Hallicrafters used this for BFO coupling. Then of course there are the gimmic caps. Fixing what appears to be a random mess in the wiring CAN cause a lot of grief. That is my Tuesday Tech Tip. :). Happy New Year. Thanks for the instruction for 2015!
+Stephen Moore
Thanks for your input Stephen! Happy new year to you and yours!
Enjoy your videos!!!
+jorge hernandez
Thanks jorge!
You have a very nice house! And I am surprised to see snow there... I thought you are in BC !
While contact cleaner is great for switches, I would like to highly recommend an excellent Canadian product which works wonders to clean and _lubricate_ potentiometers, or restore electrical connections which have been attacked by leaking batteries or corrosion (green crust)... *ACF-50* by Lear Chemical Research. It is MIL-SPEC and tested not to affect values of capacitors or inductors, be conductive or damage plastics or rubber. It is not rated as toxic or flammable.
After using for more than 25 years, I have to state it is a great product.
Really enjoy your videos, Paul.
Thanks for your comment Mr Lake.
Thanks for reply. Do you have a contact for your shop? You might be one of the few people in Canada (if not anywhere) where I could get replacement Sperry gas discharge / neon displays for the 1973 Tektronix Model 31 scientific calculator I am trying to repair. The device powers up, but the five left side digits are not visible. It also exhibits some odd math errors on occasion... 4 + 4 resulting in an answer of 9. The device might be quite rare, and was over 2,500$ in 1973, so I thought it is worth saving: www.oldcalculatormuseum.com/tek31.html
Every time I watch your videos it makes me want to peel apart my tube based signal generator and AM modulator.
I use that same contact cleaner for volume POTs and selector switches, no more scratchy audio for me.
Great video!
+Nick Moore
Thanks Nick! Hope all is well.
+Mr Carlson's Lab Oh yeah, its 25 and sunny where I am. Great HDR photo at the beginning of this video too.
Thanks Nick. My "camera shy" other half is responsible for the awesome pictures.
Great tips Paul as usual. One note, some (not necessarily all) phenolic switch wafers can actually be damaged by the chemicals in tuner cleaners so I usually use 100% DeOxit that comes in the small bottle with a needle tip (that tiny bottle still has about 3/4 of the original liquid in it after 20 years of bench use!). Drake rig experts especially make note of this caution. Now pots, that's a different story - hose 'em! Happy New Year! 73 - Dino KL0S
+Dino Papas
Thanks for your input Dino! Happy new year to you as well!
Very informative thanks, happy new year :)
+SpectreOZ
Thanks! Happy new year!
great video as always, lots of good info. need to delete some memory to fit all this in!!! happy new year paul1!!!!
+jeff b
Thanks Jeff, Happy new year to you as well!
Happy New yaer to you too!
+Eric Vincent
Happy new year!
We miss you Paul. Please make more videos as time allows. Very 73 de k8idx -Paul
Thanks Paul. I'm hoping to have one published by tomorrow (Tuesday) It's been 3 weeks in the making, I think you will enjoy it.
@@MrCarlsonsLab I'll be sure to check it out. TNX
Thanks. Keep 'em coming!
+John Terry
Thanks John!
The radio in the corner @0:17 has fantastic woodwork! Can you feature it for us some day?Love the video.
+Ham4Ham
Will do!
THX for the tips.
Have a healthy 2016 :-)
Hi Paul, very nice stuff on vintage gear! Great video as always! The force is with you :^) Here in DL we say "GUTEN RUTSCH" Take care and Cheers!
+TRXBench
Thanks Peter! Happy new year to you and yours! "GUTEN RUTSCH" :^) I hope I said that right..
+Mr Carlson's Lab perfect Paul! Happy new year to you and yours!!
I would like to see you remake the old paper capacitors into new paper looking ones.
I have thought about that.
Thank you for the Loktal tip, I am embarrassed to have not known! 73
+g0fvt
Your welcome!
Another great Tech Tips Tuesday video Paul.Thanks for that tip on removing those "Loktal" type tubes. Guess I will put my hammer and punch up he he.Hope to see many more in 2016 my friendHave a happy New Year.
+The Radio Shop
Thanks! Happy new year to you too!
Thank you for the content!
+fdxdsm
Thanks for stopping by!
Great video thanks for sharing
+wade hicks
Thanks for stopping by Wade!
Re: death caps- these were connected directly to the Ac line and ground on older amps before three prong cords to reduce hum when a polarity switch was engaged. Many claimed they are lethal if the chassis is touched but what i have found is that very little ac passes thru them.
+Ron C
This is why Y1 or Y2 rated capacitors are your safest bet. I have come across shorted line to chassis capacitors before. I was at a ham swap may moons ago, I had two capacitor testers I was going to plug in to test, to see if the EYE tubes worked. Both had metal handles..... I plugged them in at the swap meet ( I found a wall outlet ) Not thinking, I grabbed both units to face them at me.... WOW! That woke me up in a hurry! Both of them smashed against the floor..... I bought them.... The tubes worked perfectly..... Ouch!
+Mr Carlson's Lab Thank you !!!
I've watched many of your video's and learned a lot. The equipment you have is out of the price range of some of us. Could you do a video on what a reaonable test bench would be?
+Sficlassic
It's coming in the near future. I'm already collecting gear for it.
I wish I had a picture of it. I'm thinking it might very been some sort of shielding but I don't know for sure. thanks for the reply.
Great video. Please do follow up on your mooted idea and compile a tutorial/demo about aligning using vintage test gear. I would find that supremely interesting. Keep 'em coming...
+lion8lamb
Thanks for your comment!
Excellent tips, Paul. Thanks for the video and All the Best in 2016! I look forward to more great videos. BTW, some mentioned Patreon ; I would have no problem supporting your Patreon as I get substantial value from your videos.
+Shaun Merrigan
Hi Shaun, if I do keep this video thing going, I may consider Patreon in the future. Thanks for your thoughts and kind words as well! Happy new year!
Good tip on loctals!
+vonzigle
Glad you enjoyed! There is a new video up yesterday as well :^)
I always learn something new from your videos. I thought that dimple on loctals was simply to indicate where the key was…not sure why you'd need to know that on the OUTSIDE of the tube, but now I know!
If I may make a request: a video showing how to determine the difference between "postage stamp" silver micas and the wax/paper capacitors that have that same, or very similar form factor. I think they called them "encapsulated wax/paper caps".
I use Deoxit as a contact cleaner, and it has the same flow valve on the nozzle. I too find it useless, as even in the low setting, it releases an unholy gush of fluid that goes everywhere. I've toyed with the idea of putting some deoxit into a needle-tip flux bottle for strategic application.
+Jason Atkin
Thanks for your comment Jason!
Thanks for the video
+Slim Hermer
No problem!
I always look forward to your very informative videos. Thanks a lot. de: N9WHH
+Chris H
Thanks Chris!
That is indeed a lovely radio, well chosen, that man! The beautiful great speaker on the bench next to the chassis, is that from the same machine? Any one of your Tech-Tips videos is better than a year's subscription to Popular Mechanics!
Pertinent, logical, methodical, exhaustive, very well filmed, and very well narrated, your videos are of the very highest standard, and eminently re-watchable.
+av8bvma513
Thanks for the very kind words! The speaker is out of that Philco.
I have a suggestion for a "Radio Repair".
On ebay, there are a couple vendors who take older OEM car radios and install a stereo input jack so people can plug into their iPads or phones.
How would someone identify the point in the circuit where the input (CD, cassette, radio) is passed to the amplifier for output, and it would be appropriate to add the stereo plug in order to play the external source instead?
In my case, I have a Ford Expedition that has AM/FM/Cassette in the dash and is wired for a remote CD Changer (which I do not have), and I'd like to add the extra input in a convenient location, rather than putting in an aftermarket stereo.
Suggestions?
I've been describing this incorrectly. it was the capacitor leads I was referring too of the i.f. can. they're color coded white red blue and black. under that color coded insulation was the really fine wire I was talking about that's wrapped around the leads.
Thanks again.
+PelDaddy
Glad you enjoyed!
did you ever make a followup video where you used old test gear to completely service and align a radio?
HI Paul...Hows about doing another extensive trouble shooting video like you did with the Hammerland or other radio. Its a lot of fun, and informative to watch you troubleshoot a piece of gear. Nice video here as always. Best to you...Jack
+Jack neff
Thanks for your input Jack. I'm working on an indepth resto right now. When I post, you will definitely enjoy that. Take care!
Is the failure of capacitors mainly a function of how old they are or how long they have been in a powered radio?
I like Deoxit but I’ll try the MG brand. Thanks🤓
Fred, W8FSF
For lubrication try bicycle chain oil, tiny drop is enough and works better that machine or engine oil.
Also does wonders on old, computer type, fans.
+Dragan Milivojević
Wow, I will have to try that. Thanks for the suggestion!
good job!
Paul's past life was,a radio mechanic in the 1930s.
Thanks for the video. I learned something here. I also suspect that you live nearby to me (Ottawa) since you appear to have been in the same snow storm we had here.
+Eric Everton
Hi Eric. Thanks for your comment!
Paul,
Great video. Getting caught up on the rest. About 80% finished. One question, what is that long oblong tan colored object behind the receiver chassis?
Have a Happy New Year.
+Donald D'Egidio
Hi Donald! The tan oval object is the antenna for the receiver. When you service this type of chassis, that has to be attached (4 wires) for the radio to work correctly. So it's a bit of a pain to have that hanging off the back of the radio while working on it. Happy new year!
Great tips. Happy new year 2016 (or as germans would say "Guten Rutsch")
+Chip Guy Vids
Thanks! Guten Rutsch to you too :^)