You’ve already shown great respect to the builder - continue with minimum maintenance to test the operation of the as-found condition. Document any repairs necessary to make it work but keep these sympathetic to the thinking of the time and intent of the builder. You might consider a parallel build to illustrate how some of it works or to test repair methods
Mike... This is history your working with. It's all the more vital to preserve what you have here because it's home build. Please treat this thing as an artifact that deserve presavation
Fire it up as is. That keeps it original, besides, you got other radios to play with. After you initially test it's limits it will probably just go back into long term storage on a display shelf. As a kid in the 60's I didn't realize people used battery powered tube radios. My grandfather had a few in an old garage but to a kid they just looked like big wooden radios with poor wiring coming out of them. In his modern garage he had a 67 volt dry cell battery with the familiar cat on the outside. The terminals on top resembled those on a 9 volt portable radio battery but were further apart. I never put two and two together to realize this battery was for the radios in his old garage. My cousin and me realized you could get a pretty good shock off this battery just by putting two fingers on the terminals. That stood out as amazing to us. I remember touching those terminals 15 years later and realized that battery still had juice in it! Amazing.
"Old pieces that are recovered from the dump, scraps and parts from discarded..........". Mike, that's how I build radios😂. I was gutted the other week, when a friend told me he'd dumped some ATX power supplies☹. Steve M0KOV
Since it's all there, I'd love to see the thing come alive as is. A suitable testament to the original builder. Tidy up the crumbling wires, of course, and neaten that up, but make some batteries and see what happens. Unless a coil has opened, or a winding in the transformer, there's not much to fail but the tubes. THEN maybe make a 2023 edition in a more convenient enclosure. Fun stuff! Thanks Mike!
It's amazing to me that you have the time and energy to put all of these amazing projects and videos together along with answering all of the questions too. Always a pleasure to watch your videos. I say to do the bare minimal, at least at first, to get it going and then if you want to re-do the workmanship, you'll have a better idea of exactly what you want to do and any changes you want to make. Thanks again Mike!
W1RMD I've a friend who's a vet and when I asked him if he's considering retirement, his main concern seemed to be how he would occupy his mind, after all you can't operate on animals as a hobby. Electrical engineers on the other hand can just keep messing with electronics until they drop. Steve M0KOV
An interesting project Mike! You If you can do a thorough visual inspection of the aged and cracked wiring, it would be good to go as is... but your safety comes first. I know, I sound like your mother! 🤣
It's a piece of history... keep it as original as possible, only doing what's necessary or desirable. Document it photographically for before *as-built* and after state.
Touch up and fire up as is, no sense troubleshooting your own work as well as the builder's. Then rewire. Nothing sacred about ephemera like crumbling insulation and corroded wire -- get it out of there and replace tastefully. The radio was built to be used, and the builder's knowledge and intent are being preserved here.
Mike, I would suggest making sure the original connections are ok, clean up and lub moveable parts, then fire it up to see if it functions, before doing any major rework to it. Putting in new wiring/parts would come later, if you find it's not working with the original parts. Yes, rubber covered wires with brittle insulation, I would eventually replace in final restoration.
I would personally tidy it up a bit and replace any wiring that you feel would possibly help operation to be more reliable or stable. Modern cloth covered wiring is available so you could stay period correct. Really it's up to you Mike.
Restoration: To guarantee a full and useful second life of this radio, I would recommend a proper and full rewiring. Keep to the colour scheme and try to source time period relevant wire. The wiring and soldering looks messy and actually do a neat restoration, the best compliment one can give with respect. So, full disassembly, cleaning, sanding, lubricate, lacquering, restoration where needed , rewiring and assembly. Of course, keeping the original parts.
Minimal cleanup/service job is usually my vote. 9 volts do make handy B supplies, you can even just snap them together into chains, getting to be a rarer model though, shop around for best prices, a lot of places price these things as smoke alarm batteries now, not the less than 6 AAAs (6 AAAAs in a can in the case of alkaline) worth of stuff they are. Don't be afraid of the carbon zinc/heavy duty batteries if you can get them cheap enough. Something else I've seen recently are nixie power supply boards on eBay in the usual cheap from China style, you get a small boost converter good for something like 150-200V, one I saw claimed 5-170V@30mA, would probably need additional filtering and shielding (mint/candy tin?) for radio use, but they do look like an interesting building block.
I would leave the original wiring as much as possible because of it's historic value. I would consider using rechargeable NiMH cells. They have a flatter discharge curve than Alkaline batteries, a higher power capacity, and weigh less. Because of the lower NiMH cell voltage (1.37-1.2) you might need seven "9V" instead of six Alkaline cells.
Depends upon what you are trying to achieve here Mike. If it is to try to and restore and get operational but to keep as original as possible... then clearly minimum work is required. There are those out there who would not even want to touch it all and keep it 100% original as a museum piece. The other view is that if you want this to remain operational for as long as possible, then a rewire might be best because of the old rubber etc... they are my thoughts...
Yes it’s cool to have in all original but I believe even the original builder would like to have at least the wires upgraded and neatly run. It really doesn’t take away from the originality considering the components are kept original or at least period. Cause really, where do you draw the line on keeping it original? Components, wires, solder, cabinet material being period, techniques used finishing materials etc. The man took the time to build what was a very good looking radio in the 30’s and to function relatively well. I think cleaning it up with new wiring and rerouting wires where needed would only showcase the original build to its full potential!
Hi Mike -- Mostly just do what is needed to make it work I think -- until you try it out. I would try to end up with something usable on Ham Bands -- if possible without a lot of work. You mentioned the SW-3. I think the SW-3 schematic on the internet, which I think came from National, originally, has some of the dropping resistor values swapped around. Mine works better with 2 resistors flipped around.
Just clean it up and make it functional and safe. It's a collectors piece, an example of early home-brew radios, not your primary station rig. If you rewire it and such it's no longer an antique home-brew rig. It becomes a not very good radio you built with old parts, so you're allowed to just do the minimum to make it functional and safe, and keep it as a collectors piece.
I lean the way many of the others do: First do no harm. The OM scrounged for that wire. If the rubber covering is intact, go with it... for now. I'd go through and test components and solder joints, then build some new battery 'equivalents' and start trying to get it working. Think of that! The OM was building that together just about 90 years ago! He read an article in a magazine, talked with other ham friends, gathered the components, and built it. de KM5Z
fire it up! then change the wires out for period correct cloth insulated wire. nobody would ever see it, but you would know everything is period correct. and we can all go OOH and Ahh to it.
My suggestion is to rewire. Rewiring force you to closer examination of the parts and might show you something easy to overlock. As a bonus the future life of this "pride of anyone's collection" will be enhanced. Other than that check parts that, if sub par, might kill transformer and tube-stuff. Washing knobs is optional but would invite use. We do want to use what is on our shelfs don't we? de SA3BOW
Clean up and fire up. There's not much that can be damaged here and you'll never know if it worked as is if it's completely re-done. If it fails to work, a re-do may be better than a lengthy shango style troubleshooting. Unless you enjoy that kind of puzzle.
My criteria is whether I use it daily or not. I mean if you plan to use that frequently I suggest to restore completely, otherwise I suggest minimum maintenance.
I'll vote for the rewire if you can use period style wire if possible. Do you want to display it as a antique, use it with minimal consideration to display, or both? Any plans for the cabinet itself? If so rewiring I think is a must, why risk the tubes with a potential old wire failure. Anyway, just my $0.23 ($0.02 adjusted for inflation!). 73 - Dino KLØS
I think minimum intervention is best. We are realy only the custodians of artifacts like this, so we should conserve for future generations to experiance. Great work as usual Mike.73 de G8NYZ
I would rewire it - this radio is too ugly for a museum piece (and probably that's why it ended up at the ham swap meet for the price of two Starbucks beverages) but would be great to see a 100 years old radio working again, in its full glory, just as the original builder envisioned it (brittle rubber wires are not his fault). There's no doubt it would work as it is, as long as the parts are OK. This is a very simple circuit.
IMHO Fire it up to see if it works. Then note whether or not it does anything strange. If, so do what might be required to correct it. Put the idea of "restoration" in a tiny box on a shelf where it can be easily forgotten. If it works fine just the way it is not much is to be gained by "improving" it. However, if it is in need of fixing then fix it if you can. There is no shame in cleaning up the wiring. After all, other than the design it is a one off creation and "restoration" becomes an opinion. I do get tired of purist opinion. Let them feel the guilt - it is your radio not theirs. Thanks for reading.
Id encourage you to leave as much original as possible. Only do what is needed to make it functional again. Original is best, and doing what is only necessary for the historic value of this wonderful piece.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 73 วันนี้!! คู่เอก "วรพล vs พันฤทธิ์"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/rrOljlqse3A/mqdefault.jpg)
I would go minimum restoration to out of respect for this guy's work. Thanks for sharing this rare opportunity!
"If it works, don't fix it."
It’s an artifact. There only original once.
You’ve already shown great respect to the builder - continue with minimum maintenance to test the operation of the as-found condition. Document any repairs necessary to make it work but keep these sympathetic to the thinking of the time and intent of the builder.
You might consider a parallel build to illustrate how some of it works or to test repair methods
Mike... This is history your working with. It's all the more vital to preserve what you have here because it's home build. Please treat this thing as an artifact that deserve presavation
Fire it up as is. That keeps it original, besides, you got other radios to play with. After you initially test it's limits it will probably just go back into long term storage on a display shelf.
As a kid in the 60's I didn't realize people used battery powered tube radios. My grandfather had a few in an old garage but to a kid they just looked like big wooden radios with poor wiring coming out of them.
In his modern garage he had a 67 volt dry cell battery with the familiar cat on the outside. The terminals on top resembled those on a 9 volt portable radio battery but were further apart.
I never put two and two together to realize this battery was for the radios in his old garage.
My cousin and me realized you could get a pretty good shock off this battery just by putting two fingers on the terminals. That stood out as amazing to us.
I remember touching those terminals 15 years later and realized that battery still had juice in it! Amazing.
"Old pieces that are recovered from the dump, scraps and parts from discarded..........". Mike, that's how I build radios😂. I was gutted the other week, when a friend told me he'd dumped some ATX power supplies☹.
Steve M0KOV
Since it's all there, I'd love to see the thing come alive as is. A suitable testament to the original builder. Tidy up the crumbling wires, of course, and neaten that up, but make some batteries and see what happens. Unless a coil has opened, or a winding in the transformer, there's not much to fail but the tubes. THEN maybe make a 2023 edition in a more convenient enclosure. Fun stuff! Thanks Mike!
Wow, amazing 📻📻📻
Mike ... you are a curator in this case, preserve the steampunk in this exhibit please!
73 - KF6IF
Great project, I would tidy up the wiring and connections, try it out 😊
It's amazing to me that you have the time and energy to put all of these amazing projects and videos together along with answering all of the questions too. Always a pleasure to watch your videos. I say to do the bare minimal, at least at first, to get it going and then if you want to re-do the workmanship, you'll have a better idea of exactly what you want to do and any changes you want to make. Thanks again Mike!
W1RMD
I've a friend who's a vet and when I asked him if he's considering retirement, his main concern seemed to be how he would occupy his mind, after all you can't operate on animals as a hobby. Electrical engineers on the other hand can just keep messing with electronics until they drop.
Steve M0KOV
An interesting project Mike! You If you can do a thorough visual inspection of the aged and cracked wiring, it would be good to go as is... but your safety comes first.
I know, I sound like your mother! 🤣
Keep it as original as possible. Make it a repair and make it work as it is. bring it back to life!
It's a piece of history... keep it as original as possible, only doing what's necessary or desirable. Document it photographically for before *as-built* and after state.
I enjoy every one of your videos. Thank you . Ali From Iran
Touch up and fire up as is, no sense troubleshooting your own work as well as the builder's. Then rewire. Nothing sacred about ephemera like crumbling insulation and corroded wire -- get it out of there and replace tastefully. The radio was built to be used, and the builder's knowledge and intent are being preserved here.
Great Information and Video !
👍Thank you sir.
Mike, I would suggest making sure the original connections are ok, clean up and lub moveable parts, then fire it up to see if it functions, before doing any major rework to it. Putting in new wiring/parts would come later, if you find it's not working with the original parts. Yes, rubber covered wires with brittle insulation, I would eventually replace in final restoration.
Just clean it up. Leave the spirit of the original builder intact. Looking forward to the next one!
Jim W7RY
I would personally tidy it up a bit and replace any wiring that you feel would possibly help operation to be more reliable or stable. Modern cloth covered wiring is available so you could stay period correct. Really it's up to you Mike.
Restoration: To guarantee a full and useful second life of this radio, I would recommend a proper and full rewiring. Keep to the colour scheme and try to source time period relevant wire. The wiring and soldering looks messy and actually do a neat restoration, the best compliment one can give with respect. So, full disassembly, cleaning, sanding, lubricate, lacquering, restoration where needed , rewiring and assembly. Of course, keeping the original parts.
Minimal cleanup/service job is usually my vote. 9 volts do make handy B supplies, you can even just snap them together into chains, getting to be a rarer model though, shop around for best prices, a lot of places price these things as smoke alarm batteries now, not the less than 6 AAAs (6 AAAAs in a can in the case of alkaline) worth of stuff they are. Don't be afraid of the carbon zinc/heavy duty batteries if you can get them cheap enough. Something else I've seen recently are nixie power supply boards on eBay in the usual cheap from China style, you get a small boost converter good for something like 150-200V, one I saw claimed 5-170V@30mA, would probably need additional filtering and shielding (mint/candy tin?) for radio use, but they do look like an interesting building block.
1.) Test as is 2.) see if it works 3.)If not rebuild rewire and clean up 4.)If it works tightly it up clean it up and mod it(maybe?).
I would leave the original wiring as much as possible because of it's historic value.
I would consider using rechargeable NiMH cells. They have a flatter discharge curve than Alkaline batteries, a higher power capacity, and weigh less. Because of the lower NiMH cell voltage (1.37-1.2) you might need seven "9V" instead of six Alkaline cells.
Leave the wiring as it is, but maybe rework some of the solder joints. It is a museum piece! Great video btw
Depends upon what you are trying to achieve here Mike. If it is to try to and restore and get operational but to keep as original as possible... then clearly minimum work is required. There are those out there who would not even want to touch it all and keep it 100% original as a museum piece. The other view is that if you want this to remain operational for as long as possible, then a rewire might be best because of the old rubber etc... they are my thoughts...
Yes it’s cool to have in all original but I believe even the original builder would like to have at least the wires upgraded and neatly run. It really doesn’t take away from the originality considering the components are kept original or at least period. Cause really, where do you draw the line on keeping it original? Components, wires, solder, cabinet material being period, techniques used finishing materials etc. The man took the time to build what was a very good looking radio in the 30’s and to function relatively well. I think cleaning it up with new wiring and rerouting wires where needed would only showcase the original build to its full potential!
Hi Mike -- Mostly just do what is needed to make it work I think -- until you try it out. I would try to end up with something usable on Ham Bands -- if possible without a lot of work.
You mentioned the SW-3. I think the SW-3 schematic on the internet, which I think came from National, originally, has some of the dropping resistor values swapped around. Mine works better with 2 resistors flipped around.
Just clean it up and make it functional and safe. It's a collectors piece, an example of early home-brew radios, not your primary station rig. If you rewire it and such it's no longer an antique home-brew rig. It becomes a not very good radio you built with old parts, so you're allowed to just do the minimum to make it functional and safe, and keep it as a collectors piece.
I lean the way many of the others do: First do no harm.
The OM scrounged for that wire. If the rubber covering is intact, go with it... for now.
I'd go through and test components and solder joints, then build some new battery 'equivalents' and start trying to get it working.
Think of that! The OM was building that together just about 90 years ago!
He read an article in a magazine, talked with other ham friends, gathered the components, and built it.
de KM5Z
fire it up! then change the wires out for period correct cloth insulated wire. nobody would ever see it, but you would know everything is period correct. and we can all go OOH and Ahh to it.
My suggestion is to rewire. Rewiring force you to closer examination of the parts and might show you something easy to overlock.
As a bonus the future life of this "pride of anyone's collection" will be enhanced. Other than that check parts that, if sub par, might
kill transformer and tube-stuff. Washing knobs is optional but would invite use. We do want to use what is on our shelfs don't we?
de SA3BOW
Clean up and fire up. There's not much that can be damaged here and you'll never know if it worked as is if it's completely re-done. If it fails to work, a re-do may be better than a lengthy shango style troubleshooting. Unless you enjoy that kind of puzzle.
I'm no restoration purist. But I would try to get to get it going as is to see how well the circuit works; maybe even modify with throttle capacitor.
My criteria is whether I use it daily or not. I mean if you plan to use that frequently I suggest to restore completely, otherwise I suggest minimum maintenance.
tighty it up a lil.. work from there. then down road do a full rewire. ya know just to confirm it works and worth the time ..
Just fire it up! This is a time machine to the 1930's!! DE K1TB🙂
I'll vote for the rewire if you can use period style wire if possible. Do you want to display it as a antique, use it with minimal consideration to display, or both? Any plans for the cabinet itself? If so rewiring I think is a must, why risk the tubes with a potential old wire failure. Anyway, just my $0.23 ($0.02 adjusted for inflation!). 73 - Dino KLØS
Just leave the wiring as they are, Secure them where necessary 😊
Definitely leave as much original as is practical. Bending the wires around to "clean up" the layout is OK but stripping it would be a travesty!
I think minimum intervention is best. We are realy only the custodians of artifacts like this, so we should conserve for future generations to experiance.
Great work as usual Mike.73 de G8NYZ
I would rewire it - this radio is too ugly for a museum piece (and probably that's why it ended up at the ham swap meet for the price of two Starbucks beverages) but would be great to see a 100 years old radio working again, in its full glory, just as the original builder envisioned it (brittle rubber wires are not his fault).
There's no doubt it would work as it is, as long as the parts are OK. This is a very simple circuit.
I would go with a re-wire, BUT!!!! Only if you use Cloth Covered wire.. Will look a hundred times better with cloth covered wire...
Robert WA6PHN
IMHO Fire it up to see if it works. Then note whether or not it does anything strange. If, so do what might be required to correct it. Put the idea of "restoration" in a tiny box on a shelf where it can be easily forgotten. If it works fine just the way it is not much is to be gained by "improving" it. However, if it is in need of fixing then fix it if you can. There is no shame in cleaning up the wiring. After all, other than the design it is a one off creation and "restoration" becomes an opinion. I do get tired of purist opinion. Let them feel the guilt - it is your radio not theirs. Thanks for reading.
Id encourage you to leave as much original as possible. Only do what is needed to make it functional again. Original is best, and doing what is only necessary for the historic value of this wonderful piece.