I am starting to give up.. The radio is a Motorola 52x13u, I have no sound. I have traced thru this thing till I can't see, and I still have no sound.. When I ohm thru the voice coil , I get a pop, or crackle So I find nothing wrong with this.. I have read resistors, the ones that you think would be a problem, I Replaced the original electrolytic cap section with two of similar value, I dont know what else to do.. Can some one give me some LAYMANS terms on what to try next.. Oh, and I even crossed with another speaker on the voicecoil to see if maybe the speaker was possibly bad. I swapped all the tubes with different ones from another radio that works, and Im still stumped.. HELP

One thing to try is: touch the center lug of the volume control with a screw driver tip. Or even better with your finger touching the shaft of the screw driver (Be sure to be insulated from the rest of the set) and be using a isolation transformer – you should hear a hum. If you do hear a hum, the problem precedes the audio section. If you don't the problem may be in the audio section.

Hi Jesse, did you check the ohms thru your IF transformers. I had one that didn't get any sound and found a fried coil. I replaced it with one I had on hand and got sound. Good Luck, George T.

:I am starting to give up.. The radio is a Motorola 52x13u, I have no sound. I have traced thru this thing till I can't see, and I still have no sound.. When I ohm thru the voice coil , I get a pop, or crackle So I find nothing wrong with this.. I have read resistors, the ones that you think would be a problem, I Replaced the original electrolytic cap section with two of similar value, I dont know what else to do.. Can some one give me some LAYMANS terms on what to try next.. Oh, and I even crossed with another speaker on the voicecoil to see if maybe the speaker was possibly bad. I swapped all the tubes with different ones from another radio that works, and Im still stumped.. HELP
:

I did Check the If cans and got readings on the cans.. I had no opens... Or 000, on the meter.. I am totally stupid, OR one hellva moron.. Again , Ive repaired plenty of radios before this one, and Im totally stupified, !!

:I did Check the If cans and got readings on the cans.. I had no opens... Or 000, on the meter.. I am totally stupid, OR one hellva moron.. Again , Ive repaired plenty of radios before this one, and Im totally stupified, !!
:
:

Hi Jesse

Test that Henry suggested is a good start. You should hear hum from the speaker.

Have you measured voltages? Without plate & screen voltage you won't have any sound. Here is the schematic:

http://techpreservation.dyndns.org/schematics/52/52_Motorola_52X13U_85.djvu

To view it requires the djvu program, available free on the internet.

Measure voltages called out on the schematic.

Norm

::I did Check the If cans and got readings on the cans.. I had no opens... Or 000, on the meter.. I am totally stupid, OR one hellva moron.. Again , Ive repaired plenty of radios before this one, and Im totally stupified, !!
::
::
:
:We've all been there and more than likely will be there again. Don't let it get you down the answer is there somewhere unless of course it is a haunted radio. LOL Sometimes you have to move onto another radio project and revisit this one sometime in the future.
:

Just a thought/suggestion...Did you check the volume control...Sometimes where the "lugs" inside of the volume control contact the resistance strip are not touching it or are corroded...I have restored radios where I checked EVERYTHING...and dam it.. this was the whole problem LOL ..Just a thought....

:Hi Jesse
:
: Test that Henry suggested is a good start. You should hear hum from the speaker.
:
: Have you measured voltages? Without plate & screen voltage you won't have any sound. Here is the schematic:
:
:http://techpreservation.dyndns.org/schematics/52/52_Motorola_52X13U_85.djvu
:
: To view it requires the djvu program, available free on the internet.
:
: Measure voltages called out on the schematic.
:
:Norm
:
:
:
:::I did Check the If cans and got readings on the cans.. I had no opens... Or 000, on the meter.. I am totally stupid, OR one hellva moron.. Again , Ive repaired plenty of radios before this one, and Im totally stupified, !!
:::
:::
::
::We've all been there and more than likely will be there again. Don't let it get you down the answer is there somewhere unless of course it is a haunted radio. LOL Sometimes you have to move onto another radio project and revisit this one sometime in the future.
::
:

Hi Jesse,

I emailed you a pdf of the schematio as well, just in case you don't have djvu viewer.

Gary

:Hi Jesse
:
: Test that Henry suggested is a good start. You should hear hum from the speaker.
:
: Have you measured voltages? Without plate & screen voltage you won't have any sound. Here is the schematic:
:
:http://techpreservation.dyndns.org/schematics/52/52_Motorola_52X13U_85.djvu
:
: To view it requires the djvu program, available free on the internet.
:
: Measure voltages called out on the schematic.
:
:Norm
:
:
:
:::I did Check the If cans and got readings on the cans.. I had no opens... Or 000, on the meter.. I am totally stupid, OR one hellva moron.. Again , Ive repaired plenty of radios before this one, and Im totally stupified, !!
:::
:::
::
::We've all been there and more than likely will be there again. Don't let it get you down the answer is there somewhere unless of course it is a haunted radio. LOL Sometimes you have to move onto another radio project and revisit this one sometime in the future.
::
:

Ok, first and foremost thanks to all who have emailed me back. I have the schematic, and as far as checking voltages... I dont have a Isolation Transformer.. I poked around in here last week, thinking I will check the plate volts, and pow, a couple of flashes, from grounding out on a resistor, and by the way, replaeced it too that kinda gave me a wake up call. Im not afraid, but careful since I dont have the IT. Now, IM thinking about checking these again, and as long as the multimeter is clipped to ground, and IM only touching the lug where plate volts are then I should be fine..I just dont like those sudden popps..

:Ok, first and foremost thanks to all who have emailed me back. I have the schematic, and as far as checking voltages... I dont have a Isolation Transformer.. I poked around in here last week, thinking I will check the plate volts, and pow, a couple of flashes, from grounding out on a resistor, and by the way, replaeced it too that kinda gave me a wake up call. Im not afraid, but careful since I dont have the IT. Now, IM thinking about checking these again, and as long as the multimeter is clipped to ground, and IM only touching the lug where plate volts are then I should be fine..I just dont like those sudden popps..
:
Try the good ole (and safe) method of checking your local oscillator. Tune a good radio (battery operated transistor, if possible)a blank space to somewhere around 1200 kHz. Turn volume all way up. Tune your "sick" radio back and forth around 750 kHz. At soome point you should hear a "thump" or "pop" as the local oscillator the Motorola (frequency on dial plus 455) crosses the frequency of the good radio. You can go insane trying to fix a radio with a bad local oscillator.
Lewis

::Ok, first and foremost thanks to all who have emailed me back. I have the schematic, and as far as checking voltages... I dont have a Isolation Transformer.. I poked around in here last week, thinking I will check the plate volts, and pow, a couple of flashes, from grounding out on a resistor, and by the way, replaeced it too that kinda gave me a wake up call. Im not afraid, but careful since I dont have the IT. Now, IM thinking about checking these again, and as long as the multimeter is clipped to ground, and IM only touching the lug where plate volts are then I should be fine..I just dont like those sudden popps..
::
:
:Jesse:
:Try the good ole (and safe) method of checking your local oscillator. Tune a good radio (battery operated transistor, if possible)a blank space to somewhere around 1200 kHz. Turn volume all way up. Tune your "sick" radio back and forth around 750 kHz. At soome point you should hear a "thump" or "pop" as the local oscillator the Motorola (frequency on dial plus 455) crosses the frequency of the good radio. You can go insane trying to fix a radio with a bad local oscillator.
:Lewis
:
I dont have a battery operated transistor, but On my bench, I have a older ghetto blaster and tried test at around 1250, and of course nothing.. I will try 1200 and old radio at or around 750 and try to get them to cross.. I have never had a radio that was this hard to diagnose.. I dont have a isolation transformer or a variac, so I am kinda shaky about checking voltages without a I T.. It is ok to do it?

How about you use a battery operated VOM Even an El-Cheapo one gives a good read out for voltage. Don't have to worry about grounding out anything that way.

:How about you use a battery operated VOM Even an El-Cheapo one gives a good read out for voltage. Don't have to worry about grounding out anything that way.
:

If you are not sure if it's a chassis ground or what's know as a B- Buss. Put the negative lead of your meter on the negative side of the filter capacitors. You should be able to read the DC voltage that way.

: If you are not sure if it's a chassis ground or what's know as a B- Buss. Put the negative lead of your meter on the negative side of the filter capacitors. You should be able to read the DC voltage that way.
:
When I read the Electrolytics thats what I did, put the negative of the VOM on the Negative of the caps and got a -Reading on the meter.. I really am wondering if I actually have a decent ground on the caps? Cause that would cause no voltage to travel thru the radio wouldn't it?

I don't think it has anything to do with the grounds. It sounds like you don't have any B+ at all. Check the rectifier cathode output see if you have anything at that point. If you do, then follow the path though the resistors, then though the output transformer primary on up to the plate of the 50C5. You should fine something open doing this. If by chance there is no DC at all on the rectifier cathode, replace it, Try again an post the results.

:I don't think it has anything to do with the grounds. It sounds like you don't have any B+ at all. Check the rectifier cathode output see if you have anything at that point. If you do, then follow the path though the resistors, then though the output transformer primary on up to the plate of the 50C5. You should fine something open doing this. If by chance there is no DC at all on the rectifier cathode, replace it, Try again an post the results.
:
I cooked the rectifier tube, I am thru.. This shit is not worth it.. Radio, is in the Dumpster..No reason to even think I could fix this piece Of JUNK.. Tired of it being on THE BENCH..

Well Jesse, Sometimes things happen. Don't give up on the hobby though. You could just chalk this up as a learning experience. You really should give a 2nd thought about the radio now in the dumpster, go get it and save it for parts if nothing else. If the rectifier tube is shot now, so what it's not all that a big deal.
If the heater still works, you could just use a diode and resistor, learn a little about doing that too. Make the damn thing work anyway. Don't let it beat you.
Better luck next time.

So what? I've cooked rectifier tubes also. Live and learn. I'm sure there's no one in this forum who hasn't cooked a tube by mistake... or felt like throwing a radio in the trash bin. But, when you fix one – it makes it all worthwhile. Put the set aside. Cool down. Go on to something else. Come back to it when you've learn more.

That's my opinion for what it's worth.