Here's the story. I bought this green Emerson AX-235 "Little Wonder" radio at the St.Vincent DePaul outlet store in San Francisco back about 1974. The line dropping cord had already deteriorated and was cut off about an inch from the chassis.
I kept it as an object de art until about 1987, at which point I got the itch to see if it would work.
I got a Sams for it and discovered the problem with the line dropping cord. Not having any prior knowledge of AC/DC units, I made some efforts to locate a line dropping cord, not realizing that they did'nt make them anymore; that NOS cords probably were unreliable. Either way, I was unable to obtain one and eventually substitued a big resistor wired in series with a normal zip cord (outside the radio).
Rememeber... my objective at that point was not to restore the radio, but merely to 'see' if it would function. Well, it did. I picked up a couple stations and then turned it off when the resistor began heating up.
Since that time, I have not touched the radio, but I have, thanks to the internet, learned about using a diode or a non-polarized cap in place of the line dropping cord. That's do-able....
As the radio sits now, it's attractive enough... the case is intact, the grill and knobs are fine and the dial and face plate as also undamaged. So it looks fine sitting on the shelf.
BUT, here is my question - - is it really in my interest to restore this radio, or should I leave it the way it is ?
My idea of restoring would be to replace the caps, test and replace any faulty tubes and resistors, add the diode or capacitor to substitute for the line dropping cord and probably polish up the cabinet a bit. That's it.
Thanks, Louie7
p.s. Actually, at one point, I did in fact obtain a NOS line dropping cord from an old radio repair shop that was going out of business. But it had two major things against it. First, it was a 'universal' cord, meaning it had several nichrome elements of different lengths, for different values of resistance, sort of a one-size-fits-all thing with about 9 attachable wires instead of three. Secondly, it was folded up in a cardboard box and when I pulled it out and tried to unfold it, the insulation began cracking and crumbling. Tossed it.
If you intend to restore the radio, by all means, go for it. Any modification such as the cap or diode should be done in such a way to not harm the inner workings of the radio so that a future owner (unfortunately I haven't found a way to live forever) can put it back to "original" conditon.
The addition of a cap or diode can be done so it could be removed easily if needed. And you'll have a fully working radio in the meantime.
My $0.02.
If you intend to restore the radio, by all means, go for it. Any modification such as the cap or diode should be done in such a way to not harm the inner workings of the radio so that a future owner (unfortunately I haven't found a way to live forever) can put it back to "original" conditon.
The addition of a cap or diode can be done so it could be removed easily if needed. And you'll have a fully working radio in the meantime.
My $0.02.
For the most rare and valuable sets, it is often wise to disguise new parts within old ones (namely, capacitors). I like to do this with all of my sets, if practical, especially if the capacitors have attractive labels. It is hardly worthwhile on a plain 1950s-60s set.
For your resistance line cord, AES (www.tubeandmore.com) sells two kinds of cloth line cords, both of which make nice aesthetic substitutes for the original cord. However, neither contains a resistance element. The capacitor or diode dropping method is preferred, anyway.
T.
I'd like to mention a couple things...
First, while hunting for some other parts completely unrelated to the Emerson, I discovered four NOS MIB line dropping cords that I evidently acquired off eBay a few years ago for my 'Little Wonder' project..put away..and promptly forgot about.
So, I suppose if I want to go the 'totally stock' route, that's now on the table. Fire hazzard? Maybe, but let's face it.. this is NOT the radio I'll be using on a daily basis.. *heh*
Second, and most interestingly, I stumbled upon a website that proposes a somewhat different alternative to line dropping than resistor cords, diodes or capacitors.
http://www.radiophile.com/tinytim.htm
Have a look, ya'll, and see what you think...
Maybe it COULD work. It's an intriguing idea. I'll have to do the math and the research. But thanks to Warren, I won't have to scratch my head quite as much. :-)
L7
http://www.nj7p.org/Tube.php
:Sure, you can do the tube substitution too.
:12A8 12K7 12Q7 50L6 35Z5 = 121 volts. The rectifier socket would need to be re-wired. Use any AA5 schematic for a comparison for the 35Z5 and dial lamp.
: Here is a link for looking at the tube base pin-outs.
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:http://www.nj7p.org/Tube.php
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