Vintage Electronics

Mike Szadaj · May 3, 2020

"The quality goes in before the name goes on".
My across the street childhood friend's dad owned a Zenith dealership/TV-Radio repair shop in Detroit. My friend went to RETS to learn the trade and worked at the shop until low priced piece of junk electronics made broken TVs and radios throw aways and ended the business. Toward the end the shop was stacked almost up to the ceiling with TVs and radios that were brought in for estimates and then just left when the estimates were deemed too high by the owner.

Billccm · May 3, 2020

I lived the last days of TV and Radio repair. I was the last graduating class of Ahrens Tech Vocational Center for TV repair. This was 1981 and the writing was on the wall that TV repair (and just about any repair business besides cars) was ending.
I was fortunate I worked for 4 years for a RCA dealer. We also dabbled in Sansui and had a few dealership contracts for radio service. I enjoyed every single minute of it and would go back to it if I could make a living at it.

YY1 · May 3, 2020

Two words-

Vintage audio.

YY1 · May 3, 2020

Non working mid line 1970's receiver- $20

Fully functional- $300

Photon440 · May 3, 2020

YY1 said:
Non working mid line 1970's receiver- $20

Fully functional- $300

That 9090 that was mentioned earlier, take a look on eBay. There are at least four of them close to $2,000 at the moment. Agreed, it wasn't 'mid line' at the time.

idrivemopar · May 3, 2020

Thanks for the props on the turntable thread! LOL good stuff. Here is my vintage electronics project!!!

This is a 1931 Fada Model 48 Flash-O-Graph Radio. I got it for 5 bucks. The legs were broken, and had a busted speaker, the top was pretty scratched up and it needed some help. Has the original electronics but needs new wiring and most likely the capacitors replaced. So, not sure if I will adapt the cabinet to use modern electronics or if I will rebuild the chassis, and if I do try to rebuild the chassis, will be almost impossible to find the neon flash-o-graph tube. Anyway, here is the cabinet restored, except I haven't put in new grille cloth yet. A picture of the old and original replacement speaker I was able to find.

Billccm · May 3, 2020

idrivemopar said:
Thanks for the props on the turntable thread! LOL good stuff. Here is my vintage electronics project!!!

This is a 1931 Fada Model 48 Flash-O-Graph Radio. I got it for 5 bucks. The legs were broken, and had a busted speaker, the top was pretty scratched up and it needed some help. Has the original electronics but needs new wiring and most likely the capacitors replaced. So, not sure if I will adapt the cabinet to use modern electronics or if I will rebuild the chassis, and if I do try to rebuild the chassis, will be almost impossible to find the neon flash-o-graph tube. Anyway, here is the cabinet restored, except I haven't put in new grille cloth yet. A picture of the old and original replacement speaker I was able to find.
View attachment 945466
View attachment 945467
View attachment 945468
View attachment 945465
View attachment 945460
View attachment 945461
View attachment 945462
View attachment 945463
View attachment 945464
View attachment 945473

That's a TRF radio. It's like a powerful crystal radio. Made well before the superhetrodyne. Very simple to troubleshoot, but those western electric triodes are $$$$$$$$ used as no new made since the 1940s.

idrivemopar · May 3, 2020

Billccm said:
That's a TRF radio. It's like a powerful crystal radio. Made well before the superhetrodyne. Very simple to troubleshoot, but those western electric triodes are $$$$$$$$ used as no new made since the 1940s.

I am assuming you are referring to the capacitors? Im not a radio expert!

Billccm · May 3, 2020

idrivemopar said:
I am assuming you are referring to the capacitors? Im not a radio expert!

Sorry. Triode is a tube.
BTW those radios are a fire waiting to happen. Please fuse the primary and secondary when you restore.

idrivemopar · May 3, 2020

Cost and safety, are two reasons why I might just find a new set of electronics to put into it.

chtampa · May 3, 2020

I have a SlendaVogue. It is a Weight loss machine that I have found absolutely zero about. It has wires that attach to muscles and fires electrical current through them like modern Physical Therapy equipment.

Photon440 · May 4, 2020

idrivemopar said:
Thanks for the props on the turntable thread! LOL good stuff. Here is my vintage electronics project!!!

This is a 1931 Fada Model 48 Flash-O-Graph Radio. I got it for 5 bucks. The legs were broken, and had a busted speaker, the top was pretty scratched up and it needed some help. Has the original electronics but needs new wiring and most likely the capacitors replaced. So, not sure if I will adapt the cabinet to use modern electronics or if I will rebuild the chassis, and if I do try to rebuild the chassis, will be almost impossible to find the neon flash-o-graph tube. Anyway, here is the cabinet restored, except I haven't put in new grille cloth yet. A picture of the old and original replacement speaker I was able to find.
View attachment 945466
View attachment 945467
View attachment 945468
View attachment 945465
View attachment 945460
View attachment 945461
View attachment 945462
View attachment 945463
View attachment 945464
View attachment 945473

There's a whole museum of Fada radios... https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/fada_74ra.html

Mike Szadaj · May 4, 2020

idrivemopar said:
So, not sure if I will adapt the cabinet to use modern electronics or if I will rebuild the chassis

If you decide not to fix the radio electronics, don't toss the chassis. I am sure you can sell it.

Mike Szadaj · May 4, 2020

chtampa said:
I have a SlendaVogue

Here is my piece of medical quackery. A Renulife Violet Ray Health Generator. The operating manual doesn't seem to explain exactly what it does, but it does offer these helpful instructions. Never use on the scalp after using a hair tonic containing more than 40% alcohol - the machine may start your head on fire. Before an electrode is inserted into the vagina or rectum, coat it with Vaseline first. (No I have not tested it on myself)
The second picture is the machine operating, taken with no flash in the dark.

Mike Szadaj · May 4, 2020

Here is a picture of the scalp igniter lit up.

The handle looks just like an elongated ignition coil. I think it takes line current, ramps it up, and then excites a gas in the tube, similar to neon lights.

soupguy · May 4, 2020

A few things from my basement stash, I love Technics equipment and reel to reel tape machine. The Barco projectors were trade ins I got from a previous employer. I also have a couple Midwest tube radios from the 30's that need restored. All projects probably for when I retire

soupguy · May 4, 2020

The Midwest consoles

Mike Szadaj · May 4, 2020

soupguy said:
A few things from my basement stash

Nice stuff, even though I don't know what everything is. I'm drooling over the 4 channel Teac RR. It sure would go great with my Marantz 4400 quad receiver.

Mike Szadaj · May 4, 2020

soupguy said:
A few things from my basement stash

Nice stuff. I am drooling over the Teac 4 channel RR. It would look fantastic next to my Marantz 4400 quad receiver.

YY1 · May 4, 2020

Ooh, silver face Technics with FL meters.

NICE.

What exactly does the "flash o graph" tube do?

While I was searching for an online pic of my old freq counter, I came across what looks like modern builds of these-

94078d4cdf713291ffc8d45b55a9fb38_original.jpg?ixlib=rb-2.1.jpg

Nixie tube spectrum analyzer.

Vintage Electronics

Well-Known Member

FBBO Gold Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

FBBO Gold Member

Well-Known Member

FBBO Gold Member

Well-Known Member

FBBO Gold Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

FBBO Gold Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Active Member

Active Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Similar threads