Category Archives: Vintage

Wanted: Vintage HP 1400-Series Vertical Amplifier Plug-Ins for Oscilloscope

Posted on August 21, 2014 by jwk

I’m looking for plugins for my HP 143A Wide-Screen Mainframe Oscilloscope which I’m in the process of restoring. I’d love to run it as a 15″ high speed X-Y display, and to do so needs matched vertical amplifier plugins in … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics, Gadgets, Projects, Test Equipment, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

New Toy: HP 143 Wide-Screen Oscilloscope Mainframe Restoration – [Part 1]

Posted on August 14, 2014 by jwk

At the risk of becoming a test equipment collector, I am picking up a few pieces of vintage test equipment that need some work, but will be very useful pieces of shop gear as well as interesting pieces of history … Continue reading →

Posted in Collections, Electronics, Hardware, Projects, Test Equipment, Toys, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Close-Up of a Magic Eye

Posted on August 7, 2014 by jwk
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The Speaker Spotter – Speakers of Craigslist – April 18th, 2014

Posted on April 18, 2014 by jwk

There’s always something interesting for sale on Craigslist, especially in Seattle. Do click the titles to see the original postings with more photos and additional information if you’re interested – otherwise, enjoy the virtual window shopping! Rain City Audio is not … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Collections, Photos, Speakers, Stereo, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

1931 Westinghouse WR-8 Columaire Antique Radio Repair

Posted on April 14, 2014 by jwk

I recently got to work on another beautifully reconditioned Westinghouse WR-8 Columaire radio all the way from Bellingham. It was originally in for service with the SPARK Museum, but the repair technician reportedly suffered some health complications and was unable to … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics, Projects, Radios and Tubes, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

1946 Zenith 6-D-029 Consoltone Antique Radio Repair

Posted on April 7, 2014 by jwk

This was a very interesting Zenith tabletop radio from just after WW2, the 1946 Zenith 6-D-029 Consoltone mantle radio. This is one of the iconic “boomerang” dials Zenith produced for a couple of years after the war. A variety of … Continue reading →

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

1940 Philco 40-185XF Antique Radio Restoration

Posted on April 2, 2014 by jwk

I had the privilege of working on a very well preserved Philco 40-185XF recently. These are top performing pre-war sets featuring 8 tubes, an RF amplifier front-end and push-pull audio output into a 12″ speaker. Definitely worth fixing up! This … Continue reading →

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

1938 Zenith 5-S-220 eBay Tune-Up Special

Posted on March 26, 2014 by jwk

I’ve had the opportunity to work on several very nice Zenith radios lately and this one is especially interesting. It’s the Zenith 5-S-220 Cube. This is the first time I’ve seen one of these in person, they’re somewhat uncommon. Electrically, it’s a … Continue reading →

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The Speaker Spotter – Speakers of Craigslist – March 21st, 2014

Posted on March 21, 2014 by jwk

There’s always something interesting for sale on Craigslist, especially in Seattle. Here’s a selection of especially notable vintage speakers and other audio products for sale on the local Craigslist. I’m not affiliated with any of these sales, but if you’re interested, you … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Collections, Photos, Speakers, Stereo, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Craigslist and eBay Antique Radios – Be Careful!

Posted on March 19, 2014 by jwk

It’s not uncommon to run across antique or vintage radios on Craigslist, eBay and other sales site which are advertised as “working”, “repaired” or “restored”. Many times these are in fact professionally reconditioned items – just like you read about … Continue reading →

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