hacking old valve/tube radio into guitar amp,question's,

[GARAGE HERMIT]

just bought this 1950's radio, EVEREADY SKY QUEEN, with the intention of turning it into a guitar amp, being a newbie at this i need all the help i can get, where do i start, dont even know if it can be done with this set,
valve's in it are= DK96, DF96, DAF96, DL96,
it also has a mains transformer fitted, 240 volts,
any help appreciated,

[tubeswell]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=converting+a+tu...o+a+guitar+amp

[jefrs]

Some old wireless receivers can be a death trap with things like live chassis.
Be careful.

Does it work? If so then you might break into the circuit after the radio receiver stage to use it as an amp, some radios had a pair of sockets provided for this intended for a record player.

Most of the capacitors will have blown by now. Is there the usual paper in oil mess everywhere under the chassis?

Test the electrolytics, these can be replaced.

You can probably recover the case, chassis, some of the bottles and maybe the transformers.

Unfortunately the valves are in the 1969 Mullard book as "earlier types not in common use" The "D" prefix means 0.5 to 1.5V heaters, this means the transformer might not support "normal" 6.3V heaters. The 2nd letter, "K" is octode or heptode, the "L" is an output tetrode or pentode, the 3rd "9" is B7G base, the final numbers particular to design/type.

[Robster]

I think you have a cool case and workable chassis but I dont think much else will be of any value in a guitar amp...

[motwang]

Originally Posted by Robster

I think you have a cool case and workable chassis but I dont think much else will be of any value in a guitar amp...

What would it look like with a tweed cover?

[printer2]

Transformers, tube sockets, chassis, pots and switch and case. About all I would bother with.

[GARAGE HERMIT]

ooop's,, listed the wrong valve's, these are the one's in the radio ,

6516ND
6AT6
6064NJ
6AM6KJ
and one with no marking's,

sorry about that,

[GARAGE HERMIT]

Originally Posted by tubeswell

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=converting+a+tu...o+a+guitar+amp

thank you,

[jefrs]

Originally Posted by GARAGE HERMIT

ooop's,, listed the wrong valve's, these are the one's in the radio ,

6516ND
6AT6
6064NJ
6AM6KJ
and one with no marking's,

sorry about that,

Good grief. I have no idea what they are.
Let's ask Frank
http://www.mif.pg.gda.pl/homepages/frank/vs.html
from http://frank.pocnet.net/

Silly question - is this a battery powered radio?
Ever Ready made batteries, still do in fact.
They even made some mains/portable sets.
I note the way the back opens on a hinge as if it is intended to open regularly to replace the HT accumulator (oh yes, nasty primitive rechargeable jobbie) and heater cells.
In which case you may well have really weird heater voltages and HT (B+) from the transformer.
Which will leave you with just a nice box and chassis.
Unless it still works, in which case you should be able to find the audio amp section and add an input, if it doesn't have one already - look for a pair of "banana plug" sockets, which might look like an olde aerial connectoid.

[GARAGE HERMIT]

this set did start out as HT battery powered but has been severley hacked in the past, in the pic you can see the mains transformer, plus it has one more valve than standard, plus there seem's to be a lot going on around the mains transformer, diode's etc, no banana skts, i'll try and find out what the valve's are,

[printer2]

6516ND - 6AM5 = EL91, The 6AM5 is a miniature audio output pentode. In single ended configuration it will produce 1.4 Watts
http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aaa1132.htm

6AT6 - Double Diode-Triode, 6AT6 is about like a 5751, a single triode 6V lower gain 12AX7
http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aaa0358.htm

6064NJ - The 6064 is a special quality version of the EF91. The special quality valve has a more rugged build than the commercial EF91. US designation 6AM6.
http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aam0047.htm

6AM6KJ - EF91 is also known as 6AM6, and it is a nice RF pentode also usable for audio - and it also makes a very nice liner triode, with a mu of about 70 and gm at about 7mA/V, which makes it eminently usable for a variety of applications in audio.
Datasheet here: http://www.mif.pg.gda.pl/homepages/f...154/e/EF91.pdf
Triode curves here: http://www.tubes.mynetcologne.de/roe..._as_triode.pdf

[onenotetom]

What size is the speaker? How big is the cabinet? I think the case/controls/speaker look cool. Could you fit a 5e1 inside the box and use the radio controls? That is what I would try to do.

[GARAGE HERMIT]

printer2,, thank's for the information,,

[GARAGE HERMIT]

Originally Posted by onenotetom

What size is the speaker? How big is the cabinet? I think the case/controls/speaker look cool. Could you fit a 5e1 inside the box and use the radio controls? That is what I would try to do.

it's about 12" x 12" x 6", no idea what a 5e1 is though,

[hackworth1]

Check out my 5F1 Kit in the Vendor Section. A 5E1 is the precursor to the 5F1. These old model numbers are often casually tossed around here even as some are unfamiliar with them.

Google 5E1 and click on images to see a layout and schematic for it specifically.

With some fabrication skills, either small amp could be made to fit inside your box and inside your existing chassis as it were.

The essential components are Power Transformer, Output Transformer, Three tubes. 12 resistors 7 capacitors. Volume Pot, Switch, fuse holder, jacks,

A tone control can be easily added.

[onenotetom]

Sorry, I meant 5f1 and was specifically thinking about one of Hackworth1's kit.

[motor_city_tele]

***it's about 12" x 12" x 6", no idea what a 5e1 is though,***

5 = 1950's
e = this letter refers to which circuit version
1 = this is the model

1 = champ model
2 = princeton model
3 = deluxe model

and so on . .

[GARAGE HERMIT]

stripped the chassis down,,





here's pic's of the power transformer, what are all the associated part's hanging off it,





this is a pic of the valve with no marking's on it, written on the chassis is EL90 where it was fitted, how do i find out what it is,



what's the metal shield for on this valve, (i am new to all this)

[hackworth1]

Metal shield serves as electromagnetic shielding to prevent interference. Some tubes are more prone to picking up unwanted signals from outside sources than others. These tubes get a cover shield.

You might need to discern at some point the voltages produced by that Power Transformer. Wall Voltage is introduced by two primary wires. The transformer produces secondary voltages via its electromagnetic coils. Atempting to read these voltages with a mulitmeter must be undertaken with some background of study and then due care because you could potentially electrocute yourself.

It appears that you have a rather esoteric assortment of parts that are not well suited for guitar amplification, but I could be wrong.

A 5F1 could fit in that Chassis however.

[GARAGE HERMIT]

i've this old 1950's record player, just wondering if it would be an easier project for me as there's no radio circuit etc involved, the valves are,
6AT6
EL84
6X4