Nick Gorham wrote:
David Looser wrote:

"Nick Gorham" wrote in message
...

I can't help but smile at this, one of the strongest memories I had
as a kid was the TV repair man coming to fix the ailing set, and he
always reminded me of a doctor, with a large leather case full of
exotic secret things. The family would await the result of a few
minutes delving into the back of the box with trepidation, hoping the
problem would not mean "it needs to go back to the shop".



I missed that, as my Dad (a radio engineer with the GPO) fixed our
pre-war Murphy A56V, and my grandmother's Pye V4, himself. The Pye I
still have, the Murphy, unfortunately, was scrapped sometime around
1960 (though I still have the service manual)

And Pratical Television at about that time had a wonderfull (or so it
seemed) regular spot about a repair man and his young apprentice,
each month solving some electrical problem, and imparting a bit more
theory. Sort of a electronic "Mr Crabtree".


When was that?, I have most issues of PT from about 1964 onwards (and
some from 1959 on) and I don't recognise that. OTOH "Radio
Constructor" magazine had an occasional spot for "Smithy" the
serviceman and "Dick", his apprentice in the mid to late 1950s.

David.



It must have been late 60's early 70's, maybe they rerun the articles
from radio constructor? Or maybe my memory is playing tricks. I
certainly wouldn't have read them in the late 50's

I am sure looking at this it was the same thing

http://vintageradio.me.uk/radconnav/iywindex.htm

I am starting to doubt myself now, maybe I had the wrong mag...

As far as I remember, the series ran in a slightly modified form right
up until Practical Television closed down after it turned into
Television. I remember reading some not too long ago, but the format was
of the guru handing the problem to the novice, giving him enough clues,
with the answer on page xxx. "Of course, what Novice missed was....."

Now Television's morphed again & been relaunched as Television &
Consumer Electronics. I've not seen a copy of the new one yet.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

On Fri, 30 May 2008 17:22:04 +0100, "David Looser"
wrote:


Depending on when it was made your RGD may very well not have had series
heaters. The first set with no mains transformer and series heaters was the
Pye B18T of 1948, but other manufacturers, particularly up-market brands
like RGD, continued to fit mains transformers for several years after that;
though that didn't necessarily mean that the chassis was isolated from the
mains. Quite a few sets made in the early 1950s had a heater transformer,
and parallel fed heaters, but obtained the HT by direct rectification of the
mains. Sometimes the primary of the heater transformer acted as an
autotransformer for the HT thus avoiding the use of the tapped dropper
resistor otherwise necessary to cope with different mains voltages.

Some sets were really weird, with valves designed for series use, and thus
with non-standard heater voltages, fed from special windings on the
transformer. Sometimes individually, sometimes in short chains.

David.

Indeed. Our radiogram was made c1949 by the Seymour Radio Company,
Arbroath, Angus. It had a mains transformer. I re-cased it when I
was 15, and discovered (the hard way!) that even so the chassis could
be live depending on how it was plugged in. First thing I did was fit
a new colour coded flex.

The record deck, btw, was made by Plessey, was 78 rpm only, and used
needles.

John J Armstrong

"John Williamson" wrote in message
...

As far as I remember, the series ran in a slightly modified form right up
until Practical Television closed down after it turned into Television. I
remember reading some not too long ago, but the format was of the guru
handing the problem to the novice, giving him enough clues, with the
answer on page xxx. "Of course, what Novice missed was....."


I think you must be talking about the long running "Test Case" feature,
where the symptoms of a fault were given, together with the results of some
tests, after which the reader was challenged to diagnose the fault.
Originally the answer was given in the next issue, but that was later
changed to being on another page in the same issue. This feature ran for
many years long after the change of name.

These cases were introduced as being real cases in a repair workshop
populated by a cast of characters with names like "Television Ted" and "Real
Technician". Whilst the reader was led to understand that some of these
people were more experienced at diagnosis than others, it wasn't the case
that these problems were given to a particular "novice" to solve. It was
quite different to the "Smithy and Dick" feature in Radio Constructor.

Now Television's morphed again & been relaunched as Television & Consumer
Electronics. I've not seen a copy of the new one yet.

Nor me. Having subscribed to "Practical Television" and then "Television"
for decades I stopped just before it's recent re-incarnation, as the
magazine had lost it's way and no longer had anything in it to interest me.

David.

"John J Armstrong"

Our radiogram was made c1949 by the Seymour Radio Company,
Arbroath, Angus. It had a mains transformer. I re-cased it when I
was 15, and discovered (the hard way!) that even so the chassis could
be live depending on how it was plugged in.

** Huh ????????


First thing I did was fit a new colour coded flex.


** So who effed up the AC wiring ?

You ??



....... Phil

David Looser wrote:
"John Williamson" wrote in message
...
As far as I remember, the series ran in a slightly modified form right up
until Practical Television closed down after it turned into Television. I
remember reading some not too long ago, but the format was of the guru
handing the problem to the novice, giving him enough clues, with the
answer on page xxx. "Of course, what Novice missed was....."


I think you must be talking about the long running "Test Case" feature,
where the symptoms of a fault were given, together with the results of some
tests, after which the reader was challenged to diagnose the fault.
Originally the answer was given in the next issue, but that was later
changed to being on another page in the same issue. This feature ran for
many years long after the change of name.

These cases were introduced as being real cases in a repair workshop
populated by a cast of characters with names like "Television Ted" and "Real
Technician". Whilst the reader was led to understand that some of these
people were more experienced at diagnosis than others, it wasn't the case
that these problems were given to a particular "novice" to solve. It was
quite different to the "Smithy and Dick" feature in Radio Constructor.

That's the one. Quite entertaining in it's way. :-)

Now Television's morphed again & been relaunched as Television & Consumer
Electronics. I've not seen a copy of the new one yet.

Nor me. Having subscribed to "Practical Television" and then "Television"
for decades I stopped just before it's recent re-incarnation, as the
magazine had lost it's way and no longer had anything in it to interest me.

I may buy a copy if I accidentally see one, but, likewise there wasn't
much of interest in iot to me towards the end.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

In article ,
John J Armstrong wrote:
Indeed. Our radiogram was made c1949 by the Seymour Radio Company,
Arbroath, Angus. It had a mains transformer. I re-cased it when I
was 15, and discovered (the hard way!) that even so the chassis could
be live depending on how it was plugged in. First thing I did was fit
a new colour coded flex.

You mean it used a transformer for the heaters but mains derived HT? That
was pretty unusual with radios, IMHO. Meant it was AC only too. Most
cheaper radios were universal - and some used the mains lead as a dropper
too. Nasty things. ;-)

--
*If your feet smell and your nose runs, you're built upside down.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Fleetie wrote:

Thanks, guys.

I'm gonna do a valve swap on the output valves now,
and see what happens.

I'll try a bit of "valve wiggling", too.

My guess would be that it's from an internal insulation
breakdown, or a failing cap...coupling or cathode bypass.

Ian

On Sat, 31 May 2008 18:12:17 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
John J Armstrong wrote:
Indeed. Our radiogram was made c1949 by the Seymour Radio Company,
Arbroath, Angus. It had a mains transformer. I re-cased it when I
was 15, and discovered (the hard way!) that even so the chassis could
be live depending on how it was plugged in. First thing I did was fit
a new colour coded flex.

You mean it used a transformer for the heaters but mains derived HT? That
was pretty unusual with radios, IMHO. Meant it was AC only too. Most
cheaper radios were universal - and some used the mains lead as a dropper
too. Nasty things. ;-)


Yes, that was it.

And no, Phil, I did not eff up the AC wiring!

John Armstrong

"John J Armstrong"
"Dave Plowman (News)"

Indeed. Our radiogram was made c1949 by the Seymour Radio Company,
Arbroath, Angus. It had a mains transformer. I re-cased it when I
was 15, and discovered (the hard way!) that even so the chassis could
be live depending on how it was plugged in. First thing I did was fit
a new colour coded flex.

You mean it used a transformer for the heaters but mains derived HT? That
was pretty unusual with radios, IMHO. Meant it was AC only too. Most
cheaper radios were universal - and some used the mains lead as a dropper
too. Nasty things. ;-)


Yes, that was it.

And no, Phil, I did not eff up the AC wiring!


** Try getting your story straight in future.



...... Phil