Home Forums Show & Tell Rechargeable Battery Pack for Zenith Transoceanic Portables and Their Clones

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  • #6434
    Rhonda
    CVRS Member

    Last night at 2000h local time, I threw the switch on the Zenith portable that Bill Elmer lent me with my final prototype power supply circuit. The radio played beautifully for something that is 60+ years of age. Local stations came in great, and when I turned the fluorescent lights off in my work shed, I was able to pick up some DX (> 300 km) from Calgary and the United States on the AM broadcast band.

    So I finally got the noise issue resolved on the 9V/90V battery pack so I can now focus on getting the components onto a PCB and a complete package built up. That should be within the next 6-8 weeks.

    More information to follow.

    Regards,

    Gerry Shand
    780-910-7031

    #6460
    Rhonda
    CVRS Member

    Tonight I actually got the system to work flawlessly. I had some final issues with overheated components on test mode and some RFI on the higher end of the AM radio bands but I managed to get everything functional this evening.

    See the attached photo. All these goodies now have to migrate onto a printed circuit board.

    So I am making progress! So far the circuit works really well on the Zenith AM radio that Bill Elmer lent me. It makes some pretty sweet 9 VDC and 90 VDC.

    Cheers,

    Gerry Shand
    780-910-7031

    #6462
    rfenergy
    Forum Participant

    How about a schematic?
    Jim

    #6463
    Rhonda
    CVRS Member

    I just finished making up the PCB. So this coming week I’ll do a check of the traces and component fit before I order the prototypes. I will not be releasing the schematic as the design is proprietary; however, there will be a block diagram to accompany the article I will be submitting to the CVRS newsletter later this year. It will explain how the circuit functions and the really neat features no one else has yet to come up with.

    This supplements the presentation I made to the local CVRS chapter in Edmonton back in December of 2014. That presentation was video recorded and is available from the local chapter for a low fee.

    At a later date, I will be making kits or assembled packages available once the testing phase is over.

    Regards to all,

    Gerry Shand
    780-910-7031

    #6465
    Don
    CVRS Member

    I’ll be watching for the article, Gerry! I’ve been hearing about this power supply. Thanks for the update.

    #6466
    Rhonda
    CVRS Member

    Just finished up the PCB design and check. Now to do a mock up of the component fit. Will make the wooden case for everything this week while we still have above freezing temperatures (my saw is outside).

    #6487
    Rhonda
    CVRS Member

    The PCB design is proved out, on paper at least, so now to focus on the case and getting the PCB ordered this coming weekend.

    #6489
    Gary Albach
    Forum Participant

    Hi Gerry – sounds like you’ve made a good start, my friend. Good to hear that the radio is playing ‘noise-free’. I think you mentioned that the radio you borrowed from Bill was the TransOceanic T600 that I restored for him. I did the final circuit testing and initial alignment with a 1R5 tube in place of the original 1L6, then temporarily put the 1L6 back in for alignment on the higher shortwave bands. I put the 1R5 back in for Bill to use for broadcast band operation and it may still be in there. If so, it’s probably worth trying your PSU with the T600 in its original factory configuration with the 1L6 to see how it sounds on the higher shortwave bands. The 1L6 is noticeably more sensitive than a 1R5. I’m really looking forward to testing your circuit in a few other T/O models and its clones.
    Cheers,
    Gary

    #6490
    Rhonda
    CVRS Member

    When you see the finished product, you’ll find the box stuffed to brim with very little room for any additions. To that end I am looking at a home made clear plastic enclosure – a throwback to the kits we used to build in the 1970s that allowed everyone to look at what was inside the box without having to open it!

    If that doesn’t float your boat, you can buy spray paint that adheres really well to the plastic in a variety of colours, so you can customize the battery pack to look like anything you want.

    Cheers.

    #6491
    Gary Albach
    Forum Participant

    Or, if you want it to look like an RCA VS-047, would the plastic box fit inside the paper wrapper from the wooden box published here in the “Resources/How to Articles/ Plans for a Battery Box for a Transoceanic, Strato-World or Hallicrafters Portable. RCA VS-047 Battery”?

    #6498
    Rhonda
    CVRS Member

    The plastic box will be the same dimensions as the wooden case you designed, Gary. So yes you can also wrap it – pretend it’s a Christmas gift for the antique radio collector who has everything else!!

    🙂

    • This reply was modified 1 year, 12 months ago by Rhonda.
    #6532
    Rhonda
    CVRS Member

    Despite bad weather and long working hours (once again, life gets in the way of antique radios!), I have the printed circuit board (PCB) fully checked out on paper. The attached represents the component view of the finished product.

    Naturally I found a few glitches: clearance errors, wrong size holes, wrong component symbols used, etc. So a lot of tweaking, checking and re-checking went into this.

    So early next week, I will get two of these boards on order. Progress marches on!

    Regards,

    Gerry Shand
    780-910-7031

    #6605
    Rhonda
    CVRS Member

    So here is what the board looks like. Just got them the other day from AP Circuits in Calgary.

    Attachments:
    #6629
    Rhonda
    CVRS Member

    So here is the board stuffed with all the components. And it works!!!

    #6862
    Rhonda
    CVRS Member

    I have started work on the plastic case to hold all the goodies (life got in the way of radios, again!). Just a point to note that I will be making a presentation to our CVRS chapter on making your own plastic cases. The advantages are:

    1. What dimensions do you want? You can make a case to EXACTLY what you need for dimensions
    2. Materials are affordable and easy to find in a city the size of Edmonton
    3. Easy to finish with a variety of spray paints

    Issues:
    1. You need a specialty blade to cut this material on a table saw
    2. You do need methylene chloride as a glue to stick the pieces together
    3. Cleanliness

    You have to be careful working with this stuff – protective gear and no smoking while you’re doing this. But over time you can get really good at making these cases.

    Regards to all,

    Gerry

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