Tag Archives: vintage

Marantz 2270 Stereophonic Receiver Overhaul

Posted on October 26, 2014 by jwk

I just had a great stereo receiver through the shop for repairs, the Marantz 2270. It’s the big brother to the Marantz 2245 I had through the shop a little while ago – mostly the same front-end circuitry, but with … Continue reading →

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1958 Zenith HF1284 (Chassis 12Z20) Hi-Fi Console Repair

Posted on September 5, 2014 by jwk

This 1958 Zenith Hi-Fi came into my shop for a full overhaul including an electrical repair, dial re-stringing, and some work on the turntable. These vintage hi-fi consoles are some of the best sounding pieces of vintage gear around, and this one’s no exception with a pair of 12″ woofers and a pair of electrostatic tweeters. Read more for details!

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1930s Vintage Detrola 335 Radio Repair

Posted on August 18, 2014 by jwk

Repairing this Detrola 335 was a major detective project with only a partial schematic after it was hacked on was a major project, but this radio cleaned up nicely and came back to life after tracking down all the faults, including replaced components, undocumented modifications, and a failed thermal switch. After adding an eye tube per the owner’s request, this fantastic art deco style tabletop radio is going to play beautiful music for many years to come. Click through for many more photos and schematic snips of the repair process!

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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

1937 Westinghouse WR 226 Vintage Radio Repair

Posted on July 27, 2014 by jwk

This 1937 Westinghouse radio was the second highest in their tabletop line-up for ’37 and featured 7 tubes and a large, eye-catching dial for easy tuning. After a full overhaul including capacitors, resistors, an eye tube socket rebuild, new power cord, dial cord re-string, line input addition, and a full alignment it sounds great and pulls in stations across the dial. This model had the alignment trimmers all on the underside which was annoying, but peaked up nicely nonetheless. Read more for photos of the rebuild!

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Bose 901 Series II Active Equalizer #103549

Posted on July 10, 2014 by jwk

This Bose® 901 Series II Active Equalizer is a part of Rain City Audio’s parts stock and got a full rebuild with upgraded parts and complete and comprehensive testing. All transistors, resistors, film and electrolytic capacitors were replaced, a new neon bulb added, and the controls cleaned and lubricated. This very detailed repair walkthrough has photos showing the drifted carbon composition resistors which can throw off the equalizer’s curve even if all the capacitors have been replaced. Click through for many more photos!

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1959 Magnavox AM-80 Companion Transistor Radio

Posted on July 5, 2014 by jwk

This little 1959 companion transistor radio came through the shop for a tune-up. It, like most of the others, was in good shape except for the capacitors being dried out and no longer performing their functions. One was badly cracked, even, but the radio still worked after a fashion. With new parts installed it’s good as new. Keep reading for detailed photos of the tear-down and replacement parts.

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1958 Zenith Royal 500 Portable Transistor Radio Repair

Posted on June 29, 2014 by jwk

This 1958 Zenith Royal 500, an early 8-transistor portable AM radio, came into my shop for a complete overhaul. I replaced several badly out of spec capacitors, added some insulation to correct a short circuit in two of the batteries and gave it an alignment. This is a perfect radio to take to the beach or the park while listening to a ball game, just like they’d have done back then. Many tear-down photos inside!

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Bose 901 Series II Active Equalizer #114743 Repair

Posted on June 26, 2014 by jwk

This Bose 901 Series II Active Equalizer got a full overhaul in the shop with all new capacitors, resistors, transistors and silicon diodes. After a thorough control cleaning, it sounds absolutely fantastic once again and should last for a long time to come.

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1962 Coronet 6 Transistor Shirt-Pocket Radio TRN-6

Posted on June 23, 2014 by jwk

This rare early shirt-pocket transistor radio, the Coronet TRN-6, needed a few new capacitors to sound its best. It delivers surprising performance from such a small package! Plenty of tear-down photos in this article.

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