A friend gave me a Kolster K-20 that's been in a barn for a long time. I disassembledit and cleaned all of the mouse residue out, and then took the bottom plate off of the amplifier/power supply to clean that up. I found a great deal of wax on the inside of the bottom plate and the wires. Anybody know what may have been the origin of the wax? I've seen residual tar from the block capacitor cans in other radios I have, but I've never seen this before.

Jeff

In a few early A.C. power supplies "book" capacitors were placed in a metal "can". They were all held in place by pouring wax into the can. Early Montgomery Ward A.C. sets (along with others) had power supplies with such. Most companies used tar...Over time the wax seeps out..This could be the wax you see...

Anyone know what the value of Capacitor GC4 is? It's in the detector circuit. I'm going to bypass the original, but I don't want to over-do or under-do the value.

Jeff

Jeff,

The value of the detector grid condenser is 250pf (250uuF) and the grid return resistor is 2 meg Ohms (2,000,000). Some other information is the other grid resistors are 200 Ohms and the other grid condensers are 500pf (500uuF) I believe. The variable resistor/volume control??? (reostat) is approximately 15,000 Ohms.

Clifton

:Anyone know what the value of Capacitor GC4 is? It's in the detector circuit. I'm going to bypass the original, but I don't want to over-do or under-do the value.
:
:Jeff
:

:Jeff,
:
:The value of the detector grid condenser is 250pf (250uuF) and the grid return resistor is 2 meg Ohms (2,000,000). Some other information is the other grid resistors are 200 Ohms and the other grid condensers are 500pf (500uuF) I believe. The variable resistor/volume control??? (reostat) is approximately 15,000 Ohms.
:
:Clifton
:
:
::Anyone know what the value of Capacitor GC4 is? It's in the detector circuit. I'm going to bypass the original, but I don't want to over-do or under-do the value.
::
::Jeff
::
:
:
Clifton,

Thanks for the info. After I replaced that, the .002 mfd cap in the same circuit, and everything in the waxy old Dublier capacitor block, this thing probably works as well or better than when the original owner took it home in 1928.

Jeff

Jeff,

Glad to hear you got the old timer going again.

Clifton

::Jeff,
::
::The value of the detector grid condenser is 250pf (250uuF) and the grid return resistor is 2 meg Ohms (2,000,000). Some other information is the other grid resistors are 200 Ohms and the other grid condensers are 500pf (500uuF) I believe. The variable resistor/volume control??? (reostat) is approximately 15,000 Ohms.
::
::Clifton
::
::
:::Anyone know what the value of Capacitor GC4 is? It's in the detector circuit. I'm going to bypass the original, but I don't want to over-do or under-do the value.
:::
:::Jeff
:::
::
::
:Clifton,
:
:Thanks for the info. After I replaced that, the .002 mfd cap in the same circuit, and everything in the waxy old Dublier capacitor block, this thing probably works as well or better than when the original owner took it home in 1928.
:
:Jeff
:

:A friend gave me a Kolster K-20 that's been in a barn for a long time. I disassembledit and cleaned all of the mouse residue out, and then took the bottom plate off of the amplifier/power supply to clean that up. I found a great deal of wax on the inside of the bottom plate and the wires. Anybody know what may have been the origin of the wax? I've seen residual tar from the block capacitor cans in other radios I have, but I've never seen this before.
:
:Jeff

Hi, Jeff. I don't know the answer, but I opened up a Kolster K-20 that I had too and see the same thing. Enough wax all over the wires to make a candle or two. Almost like they were going to encase the wiring in a catacomb. Funny thing is... the radio works. I had to replace the line cord and fix the on/off switch but after that it fired up and played OK.

Bob
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