Author Archives: retrovoltage

Project Idea: Digital Vacuum Tube Tester

Posted on February 15, 2011 by retrovoltage

Update: I did pursue this project for a good while, and bought some parts and sockets, but ultimately decided that if I wanted to go this route I’d use a uTracer, but since I wasn’t going to be selling curve tracer … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics, Projects, Radios and Tubes | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Antique Radio in “Firefly” Episode 2

Posted on February 7, 2011 by retrovoltage

I was watching Firefly the other day, and noticed something interesting. Firefly is set in the year 2517 centered around a small smuggling ship named Serenity manned by a crew of mercenaries, former freedom fighters, a pair of escaped convicts, … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Radios and Tubes, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Found: His Master’s Voice (HMV) 444 Radio

Posted on February 3, 2011 by retrovoltage

I’ve added a new radio to my collection, and I think I have a new favorite. This 1934 His Master’s Voice model 444 is a small 5-tube console with Medium-Wave (MW, also known as AM Broadcast) and Long-Wave bands in … Continue reading →

Posted in Radios and Tubes, Vintage | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Refurbishing a Capacitance Tester

Posted on January 20, 2011 by retrovoltage

Parts Express sent me an advertisement for a $45 capacitance meter today. This actually a pretty good deal, and it’s a useful thing to have around if you’re doing electronics work. I’d probably have bought one myself, if I didn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics, Radios and Tubes, Vintage | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Cost Engineering in 2011

Posted on January 18, 2011 by retrovoltage

Cost engineering to pick the exact right time of failure has gotten considerably more precise since then. The warranty on the array controller in my enterprise backup server expired on Jan. 2, 2011 – just over two weeks ago. Today, … Continue reading →

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Cost Engineering in the 1930s

Posted on January 15, 2011 by retrovoltage

It looks like cost engineering was already happening back in the 1930s: In the foreground, the destroyed original power transformer from the 1939 Zenith 7-S-363 radio; the rear, an equivalently rated replacement built in October 2010 by Edcor Transformer. In order … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Radios and Tubes, Vintage | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Repairing a Vintage Radio (Coronado 907)

Posted on January 13, 2011 by retrovoltage

This is my first project, a 1940 Coronado model 907. This was originally a “high end low end” receiver: it only receives the AM broadcast band, but has three tone settings and mechanical push-button presets. It also uses 7 tubes … Continue reading →

Posted in Projects, Radios and Tubes, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Meter Clock Roundup

Posted on December 7, 2010 by retrovoltage

Meter clocks are interesting works of geeky art that display the time using analog panel meters driven by a microcontroller. They can be strikingly artistic – and are getting to be very popular. There are a lot of homebrew designs … Continue reading →

Posted in Collections, Electronics | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment