Tag Archives: vacuum tube

Watch a McIntosh Tube Amp Come to Life

Posted on December 27, 2014 by jwk

Discovery’s How It’s Made shows us how a McIntosh vacuum tube audio amplifier comes to life: Definitely worth watching!

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Modern Hand Made Vacuum Tubes

Posted on October 7, 2014 by jwk

Enterprising French amateur Claude Paillard , F2FO, creates beautiful modern vacuum tubes by hand in his shop. These would be effective as an 01A replacement or similar in an early radio. It’s a real work of art. Check it out!

Posted in Collections, DIY, Electronics, Radios and Tubes, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Steampunk USB Vacuum Tube Flash Drives

Posted on September 26, 2014 by jwk

I ran across these very cool steampunk-inspired USB flash drives drives built around a vacuum tube while looking for some tube shields. They look like they’re really well built and are a clever use of an old vacuum tube. I … Continue reading →

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1936 Zenith 5-S-29 Electrical Restoration and Alignment

Posted on June 20, 2014 by jwk

This 1936 Zenith 5-S-29 was in the shop for a complete overhaul with all new resistors and capacitors, a new dial lamp socket, tube testing and alignment. After all that service, it looks and sounds fantastic and is going to last for a long time to come in a local collection.

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Check it out at Rain City Audio Continue reading →

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1937 Detrola 139E Vintage Radio Repair

Posted on May 30, 2014 by jwk

I just finished a new project over at Rain City Audio – 1937 Detrola 139E Vintage Radio Repair

This Detrola 139E chassis was on my bench recently while the cabinet was being refinished. It’s a striking 1937 radio with an art deco stationized dial with a very large tuning area, and even though it only has 5 radio tubes, it’s a great performer. I replaced the rectifier tube and rebuilt the electronics of the radio followed by testing and an alignment; now it’s very selective and will be a safe and reliable appliance for someone’s home.

Check it out at http://www.raincityaudio.us/blog/1937-detrola-139e-vintage-radio-repair! Continue reading →

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Oregon Electronic Model A3 Variable Voltage Regulated Power Supply

Posted on April 20, 2014 by jwk

Here’s another project I just finished at Rain City Audio:

This vacuum tube power supply from an engineer’s test bench can replace a radio or test circuit’s power supply to help with troubleshooting or experiments, with up to 400V for B+ and 6.3V 5A for the heaters. It needed some new capacitors, then fired right up and works perfectly! Continue reading →

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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 →

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1946 Zenith 6-D-029 Consoltone Antique Radio Repair

Posted on April 7, 2014 by jwk

A local client just brought in 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 … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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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