13-10-2019, 12:52 PM
A reference elsewhere to the terrible smell that a selenium rectifier can produce reminded me of the days from the mid 50s on that selenium rectifiers were found in many TVs until finally ousted by the efficient silicon diode.
Even the heat of the soldering iron was sufficient to give you a whiff as you changed one of these.
The stink lingers and permeates everywhere when one of these rectifiers develops a fault.
I also remember a story that appeared in Radio Retailing back in the day about one of these that continued to work whilst one of the elements was breaking down. The problem was that the stench would have been released slowly and continue even after the set was switched off. Initially trapped inside the cabinet, it would gradually find its way out through the ventilation slots and spread. Every time the set was switched on, the sequence would repeat and the smell would gradually get worse but the time delay and the way it spreads gave no clue to the owner where the smell was coming from!
Eventually the set needed attention - whether the problem was due to the rectifier or something else, we don''t know but, as soon as the engineer walked through the front door he instantly recognised the smell. He was shown the set and asked how long it had been making the smell.
The owner and his family were stunned - they explained that they had tried everything to trace and eliminate the source of the stench without success. In desperation they'd called out the local pest control officer who'd taken up the floorboards to look for the rotting remains of mice or rats!
Even the heat of the soldering iron was sufficient to give you a whiff as you changed one of these.
The stink lingers and permeates everywhere when one of these rectifiers develops a fault.
I also remember a story that appeared in Radio Retailing back in the day about one of these that continued to work whilst one of the elements was breaking down. The problem was that the stench would have been released slowly and continue even after the set was switched off. Initially trapped inside the cabinet, it would gradually find its way out through the ventilation slots and spread. Every time the set was switched on, the sequence would repeat and the smell would gradually get worse but the time delay and the way it spreads gave no clue to the owner where the smell was coming from!
Eventually the set needed attention - whether the problem was due to the rectifier or something else, we don''t know but, as soon as the engineer walked through the front door he instantly recognised the smell. He was shown the set and asked how long it had been making the smell.
The owner and his family were stunned - they explained that they had tried everything to trace and eliminate the source of the stench without success. In desperation they'd called out the local pest control officer who'd taken up the floorboards to look for the rotting remains of mice or rats!
