Anybody here fix up an old radio and convert it to a guitar amp?
- Thread starter Leonardocoate
- Start date
I am guessing the information is on the missing back but I should ask anyway. Is there a maker and model number on your radio? Or if not, could you tell us the tube numbers? You have a 80, which is the tube the 5Y3 was patterned off of. The tube in the back without a connection on top and the tube under the metal shroud might be a good thing to check. You have a power transformer which means you will not have to worry about being accidentally zapped across the line (but we can zap you in other ways).
The tubes used are some of the original made, they predate the octal (8-pin) tubes that we are familiar with. You could use the tubes that came in the radio or convert it to the newer styled tubes. The good thing about the current tubes is you do not have to drill out the sockets and install new ones. You can try the tubes you have and they may work. The tubes of this type are not that expensive as very few people are using them.
My conversion. Used the strip of wood along the bottom which the volume and tuning dial were on either side of the tuning display. I have my input jack in where the volume was and the tuning display for the controls. Kind of a nod to TV of the day.
The SUPCO amps went with that look also...is that a form of Art Deco?
I'm thinking I am going to make a simple amp for the shell...Is building from scratch easier than repair/conversion? I'm a total beginnerI am guessing the information is on the missing back but I should ask anyway. Is there a maker and model number on your radio? Or if not, could you tell us the tube numbers? You have a 80, which is the tube the 5Y3 was patterned off of. The tube in the back without a connection on top and the tube under the metal shroud might be a good thing to check. You have a power transformer which means you will not have to worry about being accidentally zapped across the line (but we can zap you in other ways).
The tubes used are some of the original made, they predate the octal (8-pin) tubes that we are familiar with. You could use the tubes that came in the radio or convert it to the newer styled tubes. The good thing about the current tubes is you do not have to drill out the sockets and install new ones. You can try the tubes you have and they may work. The tubes of this type are not that expensive as very few people are using them.
My conversion. Used the strip of wood along the bottom which the volume and tuning dial were on either side of the tuning display. I have my input jack in where the volume was and the tuning display for the controls. Kind of a nod to TV of the day.
"Build a Champ" that has popped a couple of times in this thread...that sounds like a good direction..thx
Depends how handy you are. Do you have tools to do some metal working? You need to fit the chassis in the cabinet and have the volume and tone control (I am assuming an on-off switch on the volume control.) line up with the holes in the cabinet. You can always use the existing chassis as a pattern if you go the new chassis route. Do you have a soldering iron or gun? Back to the tubes, knowing which output tube used will give an idea what the output transformer can deal with.
I have not began to take this apart....it's pretty rusty and grungy I think the chassis is reusable with some clean up. I can solder and have basic electrical skills...circuit building is new......also good with sheet metal
Jimclarke100
Friend of Leo's
i converted an old Lissen wartime radio to a 5C1. Read I ripped all th radio electronics out and used the box and chassis to build the amp. The radio had no power transformer and a really tiny output to - maybe 1\4w.
I did keep the radio dial - it’s tied to the volume control so the dial moves as the volume goes up.
I did keep the radio dial - it’s tied to the volume control so the dial moves as the volume goes up.
So you can crank it all the way to 700
Jimclarke100
Friend of Leo's
I can crank it all the way up to Radio Luxembourgh
"Society for Visual Education." What a poignantly hopeful, constructive company name. Can you imagine that name for a company in these cynical times? The product badges and company names are often as classy as the gizmos themselves.
58Bassman
Tele-Holic
I am guessing the information is on the missing back but I should ask anyway. Is there a maker and model number on your radio? Or if not, could you tell us the tube numbers? You have a 80, which is the tube the 5Y3 was patterned off of. The tube in the back without a connection on top and the tube under the metal shroud might be a good thing to check. You have a power transformer which means you will not have to worry about being accidentally zapped across the line (but we can zap you in other ways).
The tubes used are some of the original made, they predate the octal (8-pin) tubes that we are familiar with. You could use the tubes that came in the radio or convert it to the newer styled tubes. The good thing about the current tubes is you do not have to drill out the sockets and install new ones. You can try the tubes you have and they may work. The tubes of this type are not that expensive as very few people are using them.
My conversion. Used the strip of wood along the bottom which the volume and tuning dial were on either side of the tuning display. I have my input jack in where the volume was and the tuning display for the controls. Kind of a nod to TV of the day.
Funny thing about many of the old tubes- they're easy to find. In the Oahu I showed, the 80 rectifier was bad and it took about two minutes to find a lot of them. The resat are easy to find, too.
A lot of old electronics switched the neutral because in design, that's where the electrons come from but it creates a hot chassis-
58Bassman
Tele-Holic
I saw a comment about 'build a Champ'- my first guitar amp was a no-name practice amp with an EL84 for the output- when that became "It's not enough", I took the amplifier from our RCA Orthophonic HiFi Phonograph, sent the practice amp's output into the phono input and stuffed a Jensen C12R into the little cabinet. OMG! It was still pretty young, so it didn't need to be recapped, but with that combination, I had Vol/Tone at the front end and Vol/Bass/Treble at the back. I went from that to a '55 Bassman, added a '58 Bassman and a few other vintage amps, but the Bassman amps were always the ones I used. I'm now looking for another RCA amplifier, to replicate that first one because it sounded so good. It was a push-pull 6V6 design, which makes it closer to a Deluxe and it wouldn't be difficult to make some changes to get closer.
Which side is the hot when you can stick the plug into the socket either way? I really doubt the switch was placed there due to electron flow.
58Bassman
Tele-Holic
You would need to see which wire to the power transformer connects to the chassis or circuit ground. Electric theory includes 'posts and holes'- it refers to electrons and the direction of flow.
These were designed in the early days- there probably wasn't any discussion about electron flow, other than what the designers learned in school or from people who had been there at the VERY beginning. Also, when these were made available, most homes weren't filled with electrical devices, so the "don't touch the metal on the radio AND the vacuum cleaner or electric drill" discussion wasn't happening. The radio cabinets were wood, so moving it wasn't likely going to be a problem.
Now, with all of the electronics in most homes, it's pretty easy to be zapped.
Another problem with people who design based on electron flow- my parents's garage is a good example. Their friend, who was an EE, wired it and when it came time to handle the three-way light switch, he didn't seem to consider the Aluminum Jalousie window or siding when he mounted the metal junction box. My dad had told me several times that the lawn care guys wouldn't use the outlet on the garage because they always received a shock and every time I checked it, I found no problem. Turns out, he was switching the neutral and if the switches were in one position, it WAS a problem, as I found out when I went out to shut the blinds with bare feet, on the concrete floor. When we sold the house, I found the correct switch position, removed the switch in the garage, capped the wires and put a blank plate on the box.
The power transformer primary coil would not be directly connected to the chassis. If it was, it would be with what we call the Death Capacitor. Radios with no transformer would have the chassis hooked up to one side of the plug but they got away with it by having the radio enclosed in wood or plastic with wood or plastic knobs.
We need to bring back cool badges...I think drum companies still use them
I'm starting to wonder if I'm up for making a tube amp. I can buy a mono price 5w for $150 and retro fit it in my old radio housing...will this group take away my man card?
