Mystery AM Radio 6 Volt, tube type from Automatic Radio Mfg company

idrivemopar · Mar 12, 2019

I have this AM radio made by Automatic Mfg model pp-2658, 265B, or something like that, but I am not sure what car it came from. I know some 40's and 50's era Plymouths came with radios from Automatic Mfg, but I think this one might be from the late 50's. Anyone know more?

Billccm · Mar 12, 2019

Automatic radio made mostly Delco lookalike units. See if Howard W Sams has a schematic reference. That may tell you what car the radio fits.

Billccm · Mar 12, 2019

Looks like it has a vibrator, so 1950s is correct. The vibrator capacitors dry out, the contacts arc, and the radio dies.

DeltaV · Mar 12, 2019

Real radios glow in the dark :thumbsup:

Billccm · Mar 12, 2019

PP-265 Automatic 1955 Plymouth AM PB radio
Howard W Sams and Riders show no schematic information

Billccm · Mar 12, 2019

Looks like it's a simple 'all American five' AM Radio. Five tubes (one is missing on yours). Probably a 35W4 rectifier, 50C5 audio amplifier, and 3x 12xx6 tubes.

MarPar · Mar 12, 2019

Billccm said:
Looks like it has a vibrator

idrivemopar · Mar 12, 2019

Billccm said:
Looks like it's a simple 'all American five' AM Radio. Five tubes (one is missing on yours). Probably a 35W4 rectifier, 50C5 audio amplifier, and 3x 12xx6 tubes.

Interesting, not sure how you come up with 5 unless you are not counting the missing one, it should have 6, 4 internal 2 external. The big capacitor on the back, it rattles, so I am guessing the internals are dried out. The tube that is missing is broken, and I couldn't read any numbers on it.

idrivemopar · Mar 12, 2019

The tube on the rear is a 6x4, and the broken one looks similar, but could be something different. The 4 on the inside are 6ba6 three of them, and one 6ca6. all the tubes have the Automatic Mfg Stamp on them, which surprised me, I thought they would be RCA or Tung-SOL

Billccm · Mar 12, 2019

I stand corrected. It's obviously a 6 tube once I saw the pictures on my PC.
6X4 is probably the rectifier. I've got a tube manual somewhere I can look it up.

RJRENTON · Mar 12, 2019

My guess..
The vibrator is the large cylindrical can with the clips. The vibrator chops the +6 volt DC power (to simulate AC power) and runs ir thru the trsnsformer to step it up to approximately 150 volt AC (APPROXIMATELY) which is rectified by the 6X4 tube to DC to operate the rest of the radio circuits. I'm guessing the rest of the tubes are: 6BE6 converter, s 6BA6 amplifier followed by a 6AV6 audio amplifier and detector and a 6AQ5 audio output . Later there were 12 volt tubes developed to operate on 12 volts without having to raise the operting voltage to 150 VDC. The older 6 volt radios used a vibrator and a cold cathode rectifier tube, an 0Z4G and other 6 volt tubes. In another lifetime, I used to fix TUBE TYPE RADIO AND TV SETS, and had all the testers and equipment. AM radios are easy to fix.
Cheers,
Bob Renton

Billccm · Mar 12, 2019

RJRENTON said:
My guess..
The vibrator is the large cylindrical can with the clips. The vibrator chops the +6 volt DC power (to simulate AC power) and runs ir thru the trsnsformer to step it up to approximately 150 volt AC (APPROXIMATELY) which is rectified by the 6X4 tube to DC to operate the rest of the radio circuits. I'm guessing the rest of the tubes are: 6BE6 converter, s 6BA6 amplifier followed by a 6AV6 audio amplifier and detector and a 6AQ5 audio output . Later there were 12 volt tubes developed to operate on 12 volts without having to raise the operting voltage to 150 VDC. The older 6 volt radios used a vibrator and a cold cathode rectifier tube, an 0Z4G and other 6 volt tubes. In another lifetime, I used to fix TUBE TYPE RADIO AND TV SETS, and had all the testers and equipment. AM radios are easy to fix.
Cheers,
Bob Renton

The 0Z4; you brought back some memories! That was the gas filled regulator tube that ionized for regulation. I think I might even have a few.
I designed a solid state vibrator back in the day before they made solid state replacements and the mechanical points vibrators were becoming expensive. Two Motorola Darlington transistors (Type A16) and a 555 timer. Some customers (like in the NASH Metropolitan club) complained that solid state vibrators did not HUM before the tubes warmed up with audio output. They insisted on the real thing at whatever it cost. Those were the days!
This radio here is probably not worth saving as vibrators (even solid state) cost big bucks today. It is an unfortunate candidate for a chinesium conversion if anyone wanted to put it in a 1955 Plymouth.

oldbee · Mar 12, 2019

So ‘idrive’, didn’t think you were going to get all that did you? Luv it.

idrivemopar · Mar 12, 2019

oldbee said:
So ‘idrive’, didn’t think you were going to get all that did you? Luv it.

Nope, but that's awesome. I decided to save this radio in the hopes that someone may need it for their car, and since the chance it came out of a Plymouth, I thought I would hang on to it before someone else got it and took it apart. Its probably not extremely valuable, but to the right person, I would like to see it go back into a car.

RJRENTON · Mar 13, 2019

Billccm said:
The 0Z4; you brought back some memories! That was the gas filled regulator tube that ionized for regulation. I think I might even have a few.
I designed a solid state vibrator back in the day before they made solid state replacements and the mechanical points vibrators were becoming expensive. Two Motorola Darlington transistors (Type A16) and a 555 timer. Some customers (like in the NASH Metropolitan club) complained that solid state vibrators did not HUM before the tubes warmed up with audio output. They insisted on the real thing at whatever it cost. Those were the days!
This radio here is probably not worth saving as vibrators (even solid state) cost big bucks today. It is an unfortunate candidate for a chinesium conversion if anyone wanted to put it in a 1955 Plymouth.

BILLCCM,
Thanks for your input. The vibrator was a crucial compound but with mechanical issues...arcing contact points which eventually fail. Power Darlington transistors (and now IGBT MOSFET types) switch faster and cleaner (without switching transients like a mechanical vibrator). Just look at a HID ballast used on today's cars....compact, with high current and voltage capabilities and relatively inexpensive. New electronics are great but are based on their predecessors.....but aren't we all....
Cheers,
Bob Renton

Mystery AM Radio 6 Volt, tube type from Automatic Radio Mfg company

idrivemopar

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