[SteveForum Participant]

Hi I picked up this old philco. It looks worthy of restoration but the power cord does not look anything like a conventional set up. Can anyone tell me what has happened to this thing and what to do about getting a convention power supply wired in.

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[SteveForum Participant]

It needs a battery set. I discovered. Can these be converted?

[SteveForum Participant]

So my research indicates that you can make a battery pack for these. The wires that lead to the plug-in indicate A, B or C.. There is 1 wire labelled A on the tag it says aircell A+, 3 sets of wires labelled b with 45V on the plug end, 2 sets of wires labelled C with – 4 1/2 -3 V. If for instance I wired 5 9 V batteries in series to get 45 V could I just cut of the plug end and theoretically wire each B labelled wire set to a battery pack?

Does anyone know the proper voltage for the A wire as there is no end on that one which indicates? Lastly what is with the range indicated on the C wires? Any help would be appreciated. I have seen plans to build one of these and I have even see a kit to build a plug in power supply for an antique radio set on Amazon.com. Might be a good way to go rather than continually buying batteries.

[philForum Participant]

odnt’ quote me without checking the schematic but yes it looks like a battery set, yes you could use some 9 volt cells at least temporarily. it might be 67 1/2 volt?
but check!

you could find that a printer powers supply could work. for example, I’m just getting rid of a Kodak one, they dont; make ink cartridges , its about 35 volts and Im unsure of the amperage, but maybe something similar could work? two of them together maybe?

you can probably download the graphics to make your own battery pack cover to make it look original , you could use rechargeable cells too. i guess it depends how often you see yourself or someone else using it. But it looks like you are on the right track. I’m sure Ive seen graphics for those battery packs around.
the connectors liike like 9V ones , but giant and if you do some searching Im sure there are some plans for building power supplies.

[Ed KrausharCVRS Member]

The old air cell batteries were about 2 volts. Your tubes are all 2 volt tubes so 2 volts for the A battery would be right. The C voltage can be experimented with, it will be low, I would guess 4 volts or lower. This is usually not critical and varying the voltage while checking performance will find the right voltage.

A LM 317 based power supply could be made, one was listed on this forum as a farm Radio Power Supply.

Ed.

[SteveForum Participant]

Thanks this is starting to make sense. One other question. There is also an alligator clip is this some sort of ground.

[philForum Participant]

if it’s an alligator clip it is probably non original ,
you might find some batteries that used these Fahnestock clips

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fahnestock_clip.png

the clips could have been on the original battery cells ( and could have been removed from the original batteries)

also some radios may have these clips on the chassis or on the back cover , used to hook up the antenna and/ or the ground wire to the radio.
You’ll have to trace where the wire goes to figure that out. I suppose they could have been on a terminal strip to connect your batteries to as well.
Im glad Ed is helping, he has much more knowledge of radio electrical than myself.

i think the alligator clip came later, but could be wrong. usually if you see those its something someone added, “I think”

Phil

[garykusterCVRS Member]

By Happenstance, I came across the same radio for sale here in Montreal that looks to be an AC model judging from the rear view. It’s a Philco 38 10T and It’s $20 bucks and 40 mins from my place. Half price! sold for $39.00 dollars in 1938 I could snag it for you if that’s easier than converting yours. It looks complete. Here’s the link…

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-oeuvre-d-art/longueuil-rive-sud/radio-antiquite/1401210513?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

Gary

• This reply was modified 6 months, 2 weeks ago by  garykuster. Reason: Added model number

[Don HenschelCVRS Member]

Hi Steve and that is not just a Philco but actually you have a Philco “Big Bullet” radio as they are commonly known as for obvious reasons which I find somewhat comical. Some are battery and some are “mains” supply
http://www.tuberadioland.com/philco38-10_main.html

You got a “Big Bullet” and I got a “big black toe” a Philco 444 from 1936

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[SteveForum Participant]

Hi Gary, That is very generous of you regarding the other radio. The price is right and I am very tempted but I am not sure how to get it here to Calgary.

[SteveForum Participant]

Hi Don, thanks for the info and link. Like the “Big toe” I have never seen one of those.

[garykusterCVRS Member]

Steve, As fate would have it, I will be in Calgary arriving on Christmas day and then driving to Duchess Alberta, returning to Montreal on Dec 28. So if you want it, I could see if it’s still for sale and pick it up for you. You could meet me at the airport on Dec 28 or somewhere en route to Calgary from Duchess if that works for you. Let me know. You can also contact me Off group if you like @ Garykuster@yahoo.com

Gary

• This reply was modified 6 months, 2 weeks ago by  garykuster.
• This reply was modified 6 months, 2 weeks ago by  garykuster.

[Don HenschelCVRS Member]

Steve they are actually quite common in some ways on eeevilPay.co.uk BUT many are rusted water damaged wrecks or incomplete including the impossible to find back cover panel. Mine is totally complete but the silk speaker cloth is impossible to locate so I opted for satin curtain material as the original has a glossy sheen appearance being silk. They are actually refered to the Philco People’s Set or Radio
http://antiqradio.com/post_philco–people-power.html
The hard to find are the 1937 527 and 537 which are brown. What is comical is these are so called table top radios but my cat is used as a comparison to show how big they are and he is a large cat. I was watching a WW2 documentary the other night and they had vintage film footage showing resistance fighters huddled around a 444 carefully listening to a coded message sent out on the broadcast stations. You are very lucky with yours regarding the power supply other than being a pain in the butt battery radio because this radio is for 200-260 volt mains common over there. To get around this I purchased a Variac with 110volts in and up to 240 volts out. The Herman sets are better as they are 110-240 volts and have taps or settings in the power supply to adjust. My my my what some collectors are Phoolish to purchase, British Philco. Enjoy the ” Big Bullet” as they are often looked for.

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[Don HenschelCVRS Member]

German not Herman above. The joys of “thumbing” out a reply on a cell phone!
That picture is a 1937 B537 capable of short wave. and nope I don’t have one as the seller was too greedy on his price so perhaps I will ” bite the bullet” and look for a bullet instead.

• This reply was modified 6 months, 2 weeks ago by  Don Henschel.

[Don HenschelCVRS Member]

Another option or source of info right here.

Battery Eliminator for Larger Tube Radios

[Author]

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