Eddystone Radio

[Murphyv310]

Hi Lawrence.

Yes I have to agree. I really think some of Eddystone's receivers are over-rated.
For 1946 I'd think this set would be a fair old performer but the downtime if a fault occurred or a dial card snapped would be excessive, no thought for repairs especially if the service engineer had no manual.
I've added a picture of the recap job on the IF strip.

   

[Murphyv310]

Today I hope to improve the cosmetic appearance of the front panel, then the tricky job of fitting the tuning scale "then" fitting and aligning both pointers. The metal holding strips for the glass and scale need to be removed to actually get them aligned and also to get the front panel aligned to the chassis without damaging the pointers, it's really a two man job I might have to improvise a jig. Then of course getting the bottom screws in place for the scale and glass holding plates look impossible.

[Terry]

This is bordering on the bizarre, Trevor!

I don't think I've ever come across any chassis which doesn't have the scale permanently attached that doesn't have an index mark somewhere to indicate the pointer position with the gang at maximum capacity. The pointer then aligns with the scale correctly on reassembly.

Getting all those toggle switches attached to the front panel again looks like another bundle of fun. Definitely no thought was given to service accessibility with this set! I would have expected all those switches to be mounted on a bar attached to the chassis so that they all emerge through the panel together, possibly with additional nuts on the outside for appearances sake.

[Murphyv310]

       
Hi.
As can be seen in the pictures this task is near on impossible without being totally flexible.
The glass is held in place by two thin brackets that are arranged between the glass and dial then the dial is secured by angled brackets with two screws on each.
One screw is impossible to do with normal tools.
In this case I decided to to attach a thin layer of double sided tape to keep the glass firmly in position on the front panel. This at least enabled me to free up one of my hands. Eventually I got everything lined up and the top screws in place. On turning the set round I saw that the bandspread pointer had been bent.
After another stripdown I got a result to only find the spacer plates are different on the left to the right hand side.
I gave up and have had a few wines to drown my sorrows. Perhaps I'll strip it all down tomorrow and try again....... or I'll fire it in the bucket

[Murphyv310]

               

Hi.
Well I have now been able to sort out the the brackets that hold the glass in place and I think I can devise a tool to get the really inaccessible last screw in place. I have now fitted the switches and controls and improved the routing of the cables. The set has been fully tested and a couple of valves has brought up the performance to a very good level indeed. The downside is the 6X5G rectifiers, the one in the set is down with HT being 50v less than it should. I have 5 of these in stock and they all flash internally, a quick cobbled up EZ80 is fine and restores HT to normal.
I think I'll make up an adaptor plate and fit a B9A base and the EZ80 as a permanent solution.
Using Mullard valves gives improved performance rather than 6K7/8 in RF and IF stages.
The job to repair the set was involved and really fiddly at times and not one I'd like to tackle again but the end result is good, the BFO & X-tal filter work well and for the valve line up it is sensitive even at 31Mhz.

[Geordie McBoyne]

Hi Trevor,
the successor of the 6X5G/GT is the 6X4 which has the B7G base. I think there is the Mullard equivalent of the 6X5GT somewhere in the shop. the Mullard EZ35.
http://www.radiomuseum.org/tubes/tube_6x4.html
http://www.radiomuseum.org/tubes/tube_ez35.html

Geordie McBoyne.

[Murphyv310]

Hi.
The sad fact is the 6X5 is well known to be a bad valve. its discussed in length on the "Zenith" forum and on these sets it's known to ruin the rather delicate mains transformers.
The 6X4 also has problems, perhaps less so though.
Looking at other octal based FW indirectly rectifiers there doesn't seem to be one available with a 600ma heater, all appear to have higher heater currents.
Rather than drill out the existing octal base and fit an adaptor plate I'll remove the octal skirt from one of the duff 6X5GT's ive got and connect a B9A base to it and pot it into the octal. this will mean the set can be returned to originality with minimum fuss but also means I can use the relible EZ80.

[Murphyv310]

Quick video of the set here: https://youtu.be/krCiVXARr3I

[radioman]

Lovely looking set you've got there Trevor - well done on the repair.
I've just watched your video, you said you'd changed the rectifier to an EZ40 so not the EZ80 you said you were going to fit... or was that a slip of the tongue  
I was thinking as you were tuning around looking for some stations "what a lot of noise" when you said exactly the same thing !
Anyway a nice set.

Regards,
Andy

[Murphyv310]

Did I say EZ40?? It is an EZ80 so yes a slip of the tongue!! A lot of the noise is generated in the shed and the PC and Sony monitor are the worst culprits.
I've ordered two nos EF39's to complete the job...... All good fun.