Need a battery for a Zenith Transoceanic portable, or one of its
clones? Here are the plans for an RCA VS-047 battery, delivering 9
volts A and 90 volts B. The plans consist of a drawing for
construction of a wooden battery box, and the artwork for a paper
outside label. The battery box is designed to hold six 1.5 volt D
cells, and ten 9 volt transistor batteries.
The 4-prong plug attached to the inside of the box can be
fabricated from individual tube pins, embedded in epoxy using the
cap of a pill bottle as a mold. Push the pins into the radio socket to
locate their positions, then bring the base of the pins, with wires
attached, through 4 holes drilled in the pill-bottle cap. Seal the
holes with a drop of glue, hang the whole thing from the socket
wires with the pins facing up, and fill the cap with epoxy. Discard
the cap when the epoxy sets.
Alternatively, push the bases of the pins through holes drilled in a
perforated circuit board and solder them to the copper pads. Attach
the wires and screw the board to the inside of the wooden battery
box. This method saves the mess of having liquid epoxy
accidentally leak through the holes in a pill-bottle cap.
The two sections of the paper label are designed to be printed fullsize
on 11” x 17”, 80-pound glossy paper. Glue them together along
the top seam using an adhesive glue stick, wrap the label tightly
around the box, creasing it at the corners, and glue the bottom
seam. Fold and glue the flaps on one end. Leave the other end
open and secure the flaps with small strips of Velcro. Cut open the
flap covering the plug. To change the batteries, open the Velcro
tabs and slide the wooden box out of the paper sleeve.
CVRS Members login to access to the following plans:
External view of Battery box before labels.
Internal view of Battery Box.
Completed battery box ready for installation.
Construction plans for wooden box.
RCA VS-047 label replica part 1.
RCA VS-047 label replica part 2.
Article and plans contributed by Gary Albach.
