I converted a Marconi 1930s radio to take USB / blue tooth app for my collection so that it could work and play a continuous stream of 30s, 40s 50s tunes.. The valve circuit is off and a separate amp unit kicks in but the lighting on the dial et retains the overall appearance of that unit to perfection. The solid teak cabinet is a piece of art. I praise those who save these old radios. A bit of ingenuity, patience and you can end up with an amazing project that gives hours of endless pleasure whilst reliving memories.. . 😊
Great job I'm so glad he still used the factory tube electronics I've seen many change it all out why when you already have the most musical sounding amplifier
So cool to save something that would've probably went to the dump! I love what you're doing by using the old cabinets. I have an old no name tube guitar amp with a crappy cabinet. It's gonna be yardsale season here soon, and I'm gonna be lookin for an old wornout radio to repurpose the cabinet. Thanks for the great ideas!
Terry that’s cool!!! You’ve inspired me to get back into working on stuff. I have several service monitors, spectrum analyzers, dual trace scopes, freq counters and until today I haven’t been able to get near my bench because of all the stuff piled up. I have a B-52 AT212 that needs attention and it’s time I attack it to restore it to operational status.. thank you for all your years of work and tutorials. I got rid of my Viking-II, HRO-60 sorry I did now. Still have TR-4C, VFO, TX4C, R4C, R4B, L4B and several other stations.. I do a lot but got away from the bench which you have inspired me to get back to it. Thank you!! de WA6HYQ
I have a 1931 Crosley Merry maker that the chassis was not worth restoring because of a previous hack job. So I had a 50 watt Bluetooth amplifier put in, a l.e.d light for the dial. I built in a speaker box used a 8 inch stereo ceiling speakers with a 10inch passive radiator on the back. I then put a tube pre/head phone amp in front of the digital amplifier. Looks great sounds great. (Forgot bought a 1969 Sony st-80 Am FM turner to complete the Make over.)
Easy enough to have it work as a radio and add an input for the player. Not too long ago I found an old GenRad box some idiot gutted out and decided to build into a Champ style guitar amp. Some clown had paid good money for it, it was broke, and being a stoner he traded it for something at a local guitar shop. I got hold of it for $20 and it sits on my bench now. I stripped it of useful parts and it's getting filled with Tannerite and we're going to see what a 6.5 Creedmoor will do to it at 300 yards tomorrow.
I don't know how loud the owners want to play this MP3 player but for anything more than chair side listening, a small amount of negative feedback around the 6V6 would cut the distortion (10 db was common in that era). A bypass cap on the cathode of the first stage would restore the sensitivity if needed.
Some people really have a heart attack when you re-purpose anything like this. I had one dude that screamed murder over me re-working a Cordovox (accordion amp) into a guitar amp. I was going to do something like this to a Philco radio, but the damn thing worked as a radio.... so I sold it to a radio restore hobbyist.
Awesome job there! I assume the AM tuner was beyond help? You were only inches away from just lobbing some class D amp board on the old chassis and calling it a day! I'm sure the customer wanted that "tube" sound. I have a bunch of old Zenith tube radios that have the "phono" input and a switch on the back. No mod needed! I hope you can keep holding you grand-kids interest in that super vintage era. I live only like 30 miles from Kazoo town myself and may check it out this summer. I never knew of that show till I ran across your videos. I know only of the Antique Television Museum in Ohio. Been there once or twice. Keep it up!
I have been wanting to add a phono input in my 1931 Apex 10BUS radio to be able to hook up my bluetooth to or Mp3 player since I got it and would have to add a switch and a phono jack to the inside of the wood case and not drill any holes in chassis. I would never gut it and do that with this set since it plays beautifully, has almost all of its globe tubes. I was also thinking on building or buying a AM transmitter and not modify this beautiful set at all.
Thats put me on an interesting path. Have a 1930s ekco bakelite radio and although it'd be nice to restore it, I think I'll fit a new valve amp, radio module, and mp3 input. Looks/sounds the same, but way more useful.
i have a westinghouse console radio, everything is original and works, the phonograph and radio still works, but i unplugged the audio cord that goes to the phonograph, and i plugged in a rca to aux cable and i can play anything off my iPod on it, and it keeps it all original
I have 1941 General Electric console which uses two 6V6's for it's output and it has a aux input from the factory that I use either my mp3 player or blue tooth receiver
D lab you are sn awesome technicion I think I have watched anout 50 videos so far wow Didnt know you are a ham 6TLU ?? VA6RDR here My dream is to build/operate a home made ham transmitter I have tons of parts new and old including Yaesu 897 857 etc etc I have my morse code but am soooo rusty, scared to go on the air. I stay up half tbe night watching all your videos I do have an electrical electronic background but I feel like a yotsl dummie compsred to you Keep them coming!! 73's
I have a '46 Philco console with 78 player. The radio crapped out when I capped it, me thinks itsa crappy loctal socket. I don't care about the radio, made it a geetar amp with 78 rekee player. I think it has a 10 or 12 field coil driver. I might get 50$ cuz the radio doesn't work. lol BUT umathunkin 'bout really desecrating it. I got a Yamaha spinning baffle speaker from epay. Notice I didn't call it a Leslie. No amp or cabinet, justa speaker. I think it will fit nicely inside the Philco. Don't know if the voice coil output of the Philco is 8 or 16 ohms, or higher? Easy to find out, but may use another amp to it anyhow. Lotsa room in there iffin I scrap the rekee player, FC speaker and antenna in there. I can get more for parts. Don
Great video! Can you explain how you chose 32uF filter caps. Was 350v the goal. What did you figure the 6v6 plate V. would be? Did it end up being close to the (315v..?) max. after the OT?
I have one question, Terry: It looks like that MP3 Input connected to the volume control has a direct line to the grid of the 6SN7, and I'm wondering if that is a shock hazard? If so, I was thinking that you could add a small transformer at the input jack, such as a 600-to-600 transformer from an old radio to isolate the DC on the 6SN7. You could use a cap to couple things, but if it ever shorts closed, you'd have the same problem. Be careful out there messing with this stuff, folks!
Hey you made the comment it's a no name radio not a zenith black dial. I have a radio I would like to do this with. When I googled zenith black dial. The fist pic looked just like mine is there a reason I shouldn't do this to my zenith?
WAIT! 6V6 and not the 6L6? Why not a pair of 6V6’s? Or even a pair of 6L6’s?? Also they have Bluetooth devices you could add as a input so they can connect without plugging in, some phones only have Bluetooth
Terry as usual great project. I think i want to do this to an old family radio nobody wants, but i want to put in Bluetooth instead of MP3 so I could wirelessly play music from my phone thru the radio tubes and speaker. What do you think is that possible?
Gregory Malchuk -replacing the original power cord with a polarized cord and making sure the bypass caps are new would have addressed the safety issues. That being said, this is the first console set that I have seen that is transformerless plus It appears to be AM band only. “Plymouth “ was a brand used by Meck of Plymouth, Indiana , a maker. of “ jobber “ radios but they were not known to have built radio sets prior to WWII . The gold and red patent tag might have been “Plant A Chicago “, aka Clinton. They would have built a transformerless console set..
This is great. Curious, could you just double what you did tube wise and use a stereo volume pot for a stereo mp3 player conversion or is there more to it in the underside?
Hey Terry, who is the band you have playing? That is a great version of that tune! Pretty sure the original version of that track was performed by Jeff Bridges on a soundtrack?
MONO? LOL Something to explain for future vids Tmeister, INPUT impedence matching, how to make the input for low imp mics, guitars, line in, or even speaker source input to the preamp? A four position rotary impedence selector switch could make for a universal amplifier. I'd simply use an old mixer. Better yet, replace the chassis with an old tube Bogen mixer amp. Add the mics, and it's karaokie dokie time. Don
Eh man. Good job!! I do stuff like this every now and then. Never mind the so called purists....this is great and a hella better than that beautiful old heap going to the landfill. I have a 6 volt stewart warner that I will be doing next...it was a freebie and all you can really hear through the speaker is the hv vibrator anyways......I'll likely make it bluetooth.
Thank you Kurt, I'd rather run my dream tube amp shop than join the political club. Plan to retire in abt 10 yrs, so taking the steps to make that happen. Stick with me man. TD
HOLY COW... I just spotted one extremely hazardous flaw to a great project..... And frankly I'm shocked!!!!!! NO WINE !!!! 🎸
I converted a Marconi 1930s radio to take USB / blue tooth app for my collection so that it could work and play a continuous stream of 30s, 40s 50s tunes.. The valve circuit is off and a separate amp unit kicks in but the lighting on the dial et retains the overall appearance of that unit to perfection. The solid teak cabinet is a piece of art. I praise those who save these old radios. A bit of ingenuity, patience and you can end up with an amazing project that gives hours of endless pleasure whilst reliving memories.. . 😊
Has anyone ever told you that you have excellent presentation skills? D-Lab videos are the best!
Thank you my friend, I do my best
This is the most sympathetic mp3 conversion i have ever seen. Well done!
There is an entire generation of people who have only heard music through .99 cent ear phones
You have a great foundation in tube restoration, I've seen your web-site Great Job on this one !
Great job I'm so glad he still used the factory tube electronics I've seen many change it all out why when you already have the most musical sounding amplifier
Nice, idea. Love your schematic. Your video are and will be Historical in nature as in the future know one will know about tubes and such.
I like that you considered all the safety aspects using a power transformer, safety first!
So cool to save something that would've probably went to the dump! I love what you're doing by using the old cabinets. I have an old no name tube guitar amp with a crappy cabinet. It's gonna be yardsale season here soon, and I'm gonna be lookin for an old wornout radio to repurpose the cabinet. Thanks for the great ideas!
Terry that’s cool!!! You’ve inspired me to get back into working on stuff. I have several service monitors, spectrum analyzers, dual trace scopes, freq counters and until today I haven’t been able to get near my bench because of all the stuff piled up. I have a B-52 AT212 that needs attention and it’s time I attack it to restore it to operational status.. thank you for all your years of work and tutorials. I got rid of my Viking-II, HRO-60 sorry I did now. Still have TR-4C, VFO, TX4C, R4C, R4B, L4B and several other stations.. I do a lot but got away from the bench which you have inspired me to get back to it. Thank you!! de WA6HYQ
Cool deal man, Glad to hear it. Its a very rewarding hobby. Have fun (again!)
I have a 1931 Crosley Merry maker that the chassis was not worth restoring because of a previous hack job. So I had a 50 watt Bluetooth amplifier put in, a l.e.d light for the dial. I built in a speaker box used a 8 inch stereo ceiling speakers with a 10inch passive radiator on the back. I then put a tube pre/head phone amp in front of the digital amplifier. Looks great sounds great. (Forgot bought a 1969 Sony st-80 Am FM turner to complete the Make over.)
Did you remember to install a SNOZZERAMUS?
OUTSTANDING video, and conversion.
Easy enough to have it work as a radio and add an input for the player.
Not too long ago I found an old GenRad box some idiot gutted out and decided to build into a
Champ style guitar amp. Some clown had paid good money for it, it was broke, and being a stoner he traded it for something at a local guitar shop. I got hold of it for $20 and it sits on my bench now. I stripped it of useful parts and it's getting filled with Tannerite and we're going to see what a 6.5 Creedmoor will do to it at 300 yards tomorrow.
Great job D-Lab and Tube Amp Girl
I don't know how loud the owners want to play this MP3 player but for anything more than chair side listening, a small amount of negative feedback around the 6V6 would cut the distortion (10 db was common in that era). A bypass cap on the cathode of the first stage would restore the sensitivity if needed.
Some people really have a heart attack when you re-purpose anything like this. I had one dude that screamed murder over me re-working a Cordovox (accordion amp) into a guitar amp. I was going to do something like this to a Philco radio, but the damn thing worked as a radio.... so I sold it to a radio restore hobbyist.
This deserves a big glass of wine! 🤩
Nice work, brother. I enjoy your videos very much.
I like it. I have a stack of old tube radios in line for repair but some just aren't worth the effort. I like your plan :o)
Awesome job there! I assume the AM tuner was beyond help? You were only inches away from just lobbing some class D amp board on the old chassis and calling it a day! I'm sure the customer wanted that "tube" sound. I have a bunch of old Zenith tube radios that have the "phono" input and a switch on the back. No mod needed! I hope you can keep holding you grand-kids interest in that super vintage era. I live only like 30 miles from Kazoo town myself and may check it out this summer. I never knew of that show till I ran across your videos. I know only of the Antique Television Museum in Ohio. Been there once or twice. Keep it up!
Curt Chase I haven’t seen any class D amplifier in this video
Awesome Conversion. Thanks for sharing.
I have been wanting to add a phono input in my 1931 Apex 10BUS radio to be able to hook up my bluetooth to or Mp3 player since I got it and would have to add a switch and a phono jack to the inside of the wood case and not drill any holes in chassis. I would never gut it and do that with this set since it plays beautifully, has almost all of its globe tubes. I was also thinking on building or buying a AM transmitter and not modify this beautiful set at all.
Very impressive all considered.
....very impressive!!...it pays to know your "stuff".........
Thats put me on an interesting path. Have a 1930s ekco bakelite radio and although it'd be nice to restore it, I think I'll fit a new valve amp, radio module, and mp3 input. Looks/sounds the same, but way more useful.
That's a very cool Idea! Congrats
i have a westinghouse console radio, everything is original and works, the phonograph and radio still works, but i unplugged the audio cord that goes to the phonograph, and i plugged in a rca to aux cable and i can play anything off my iPod on it, and it keeps it all original
Sound is great
good choice of music for the test
I have 1941 General Electric console which uses two 6V6's for it's output and it has a aux input from the factory that I use either my mp3 player or blue tooth receiver
No negative feedback circuit? Do you not like negative feedback? What is your philosophy on it?
Great video good production
I bought a beat up TrueTone d2626 just for this. Just need a 6SN7 and a 4H choke.
D lab you are sn awesome technicion
I think I have watched anout 50 videos so far wow
Didnt know you are a ham
6TLU ??
VA6RDR here
My dream is to build/operate a home made ham transmitter
I have tons of parts new and old including Yaesu 897 857 etc etc
I have my morse code but am soooo rusty, scared to go on the air.
I stay up half tbe night watching all your videos
I do have an electrical electronic background but I feel like a yotsl dummie compsred to you
Keep them coming!!
73's
great sound!
Love it! Great idea.
Do you know how to take out a battery for a Star Wars Bluetooth tie fighter from i homeI have no idea where the opening is at
I have a '46 Philco console with 78 player. The radio crapped out when I capped it, me thinks itsa crappy loctal socket. I don't care about the radio, made it a geetar amp with 78 rekee player. I think it has a 10 or 12 field coil driver. I might get 50$ cuz the radio doesn't work. lol
BUT umathunkin 'bout really desecrating it. I got a Yamaha spinning baffle speaker from epay. Notice I didn't call it a Leslie. No amp or cabinet, justa speaker. I think it will fit nicely inside the Philco. Don't know if the voice coil output of the Philco is 8 or 16 ohms, or higher? Easy to find out, but may use another amp to it anyhow. Lotsa room in there iffin I scrap the rekee player, FC speaker and antenna in there. I can get more for parts. Don
Too cool! Great job! A D-Lab digiliterizer. (bet you can't say it) ....LOL
I wonder how likely it is to build something like that with only say soldering iron and without all the measurement tools as oscilloscopes and such?
How would you add a Bluetooth Circuit board and blown tubes How do you add it to a radio for the 1930s and it needs a new plug
Great video! Can you explain how you chose 32uF filter caps. Was 350v the goal. What did you figure the 6v6 plate V. would be? Did it end up being close to the (315v..?) max. after the OT?
What if you just want to take the original shell but make the internals a solely a Bluetooth MP3?
I have one question, Terry: It looks like that MP3 Input connected to the volume control has a direct line to the grid of the 6SN7, and I'm wondering if that is a shock hazard? If so, I was thinking that you could add a small transformer at the input jack, such as a 600-to-600 transformer from an old radio to isolate the DC on the 6SN7. You could use a cap to couple things, but if it ever shorts closed, you'd have the same problem. Be careful out there messing with this stuff, folks!
I own a zenith black dial.trying to find some tubes 6b6, 6f6, and a 6"speaker and a wiring schematic
wouldn't be cool to keep the old am /shortwave radio with the cool new amp mod!
Hey you made the comment it's a no name radio not a zenith black dial. I have a radio I would like to do this with. When I googled zenith black dial. The fist pic looked just like mine is there a reason I shouldn't do this to my zenith?
Very cool.
Very cool!!!
I have a 1941 delco worth anything??
nice job!
Maravilloso !
A great solution to TH-cam-blocking: using your own recordings! (10:07)
WAIT! 6V6 and not the 6L6? Why not a pair of 6V6’s? Or even a pair of 6L6’s?? Also they have Bluetooth devices you could add as a input so they can connect without plugging in, some phones only have Bluetooth
Terry as usual great project. I think i want to do this to an old family radio nobody wants, but i want to put in Bluetooth instead of MP3 so I could wirelessly play music from my phone thru the radio tubes and speaker. What do you think is that possible?
All you have to do is add an audio input to the back of the volume control. And then have a radio and mp3 player.
Gregory Malchuk -replacing the original power cord with a polarized cord and making sure the bypass caps are new would have addressed the safety issues. That being said, this is the first console set that I have seen that is transformerless plus It appears to be AM band only. “Plymouth “ was a brand used by Meck of Plymouth, Indiana , a maker. of “ jobber “ radios but they were not known to have built radio sets prior to WWII . The gold and red patent tag might have been “Plant A Chicago “, aka Clinton. They would have built a transformerless console set..
This is great. Curious, could you just double what you did tube wise and use a stereo volume pot for a stereo mp3 player conversion or is there more to it in the underside?
OUCH!!!!!!!!!
But you did what the customer wanted... good job
I drink winr watching your vids lol
Wow 😮
That's a good project, what should the amp rating be on the power transformer? Thanks, Chris
Approx 600vac CT, 75ma plus the 6VAC for heaters
About 2A for the 6v secondary?
Hey Terry, who is the band you have playing? That is a great version of that tune! Pretty sure the original version of that track was performed by Jeff Bridges on a soundtrack?
I'd scrap out a Zeneth black dial for a guitar amp without even giving it a second thought.
can you restore a zenith 6-s-152 chassis and add the mp3 player input for me?
If this stuff was recorded in Chinese I would literally understand it at the same level lol
Wow, where r u located???
Battle Creek, MI
MONO? LOL
Something to explain for future vids Tmeister,
INPUT impedence matching, how to make the input for low imp mics, guitars, line in, or even speaker source input to the preamp? A four position rotary impedence selector switch could make for a universal amplifier. I'd simply use an old mixer. Better yet, replace the chassis with an old tube Bogen mixer amp. Add the mics, and it's karaokie dokie time.
Don
Ah, wiring schematics. It's all Greek to me.
all that work,and you didnt make in stereo?!?!
Only has 1 speaker. Owner wanted it to remain that way
This dude is crazy..haha..see how she Boooms..lol..
Eh man. Good job!! I do stuff like this every now and then. Never mind the so called purists....this is great and a hella better than that beautiful old heap going to the landfill. I have a 6 volt stewart warner that I will be doing next...it was a freebie and all you can really hear through the speaker is the hv vibrator anyways......I'll likely make it bluetooth.
Ready to be offended? steelman 4ar7 radio/record player into a tube amp for guitar. I posted videos but the title is jacked...
I have a rcu-208 sanora radio
I’d just make it a Bluetooth receiver done.
The old/New
I'm going to vote for you to replace Trump. Cool fix
Thank you Kurt, I'd rather run my dream tube amp shop than join the political club. Plan to retire in abt 10 yrs, so taking the steps to make that happen. Stick with me man. TD