1922 Westinghouse Aeriola Sr radio getting running with a substitute 5676 for the unobtanium WD-11

[@Jeffrey314159]

24:20 Yes they greatly economized the components and construction of this set they use materials and parts that were readily available and they dispensed with the tuning condenser entirely. They relied on a variometer for tuning

[@RadioHist]

Thanks for posting... I did 3D modeling for about 8 years before retiring, we always had job shops do our printing. Have wanted to solve problems with bad pot metal in 20s radios with printed parts, but have found very few applications that will handle the loads and still be faithful to the original part proportions (i.e. replicas vs merely functional) Of course you can get metal prints now but at far, far too high a cost for planting in a vintage radio. I like your printed battery holders... I had a job shop print some replica parts in Nylon to go in a Kolster 6D. Work and look great after painting. (PLA or ABS would not be strong or stable enough) But the cost for three parts was $125. You could barely get that much selling the radio (less tubes) for $125 these days...Still it was a fun project. BTW, With a good WD-11 the set should be able to easily go into regeneration with a healthy squeal. .

[@rickolson9011]

Thanks, time to restore mine. My W D 11 glass envelope is fractured but guts are intact. Wish it was possible to repackage it!

[@jasontwynn7356]

To clean the wires on the tubes . You can put some acid in a small cap or bowl and dip the tube in and after there clean, dip it in baking powder and water to stop the acid. Then you can clamp the tube wires with the small clamp as a heatsink to soldier on your wires if you don't have a socket for them.

[@psionl0]

If you are going to make a simulated WD-11 and cover up the works with an opaque tube then it occurs to me that it might be better to use solid state components rather than a fragile tube with a short life span.

[@tomsherwood4650]

Some have subbed fets and biasing resistors into old tube bases but then it is a transistor radio. What is the fun in that?

[@psionl0]

@@tomsherwood4650 The fun is in making the substitute behave like a WD-11 and it is not just putting transistors into an old tube base.

[@Jeffrey314159]

Exactly! Am I regenerating radio receiver circuit I use an MPF102 transistor. Those are junction junction field effect transistors.

[@Jeffrey314159]

The junction field affect transistor acts very much like a vacuum tube trio amplifier so you have the same affect

[@psionl0]

@@Jeffrey314159 It will take more than just plonking a FET into a tube base - especially if you wan't the filament control to have the same effect on the characteristics as it does with the WD-11 (without the heat of course). It would make an interesting design exercise.

[@bobmarker6812]

Those subminiature tubes were used in proximity fuses during WW2.

[@Jeffrey314159]

Exactly be submitted your tubes are used for a radio proximity detonators for artillery shells and world war 2 they didn't need to have a long filament life

[@Jeffrey314159]

28:00 That's a vario-coupler, not a variometer. There's a difference me thinks

[@tomharris1457]

Works about like mine with a WD11. They weren't much of a radio, but with 1/4 the stations and a longwire, it probably was pretty exciting! I have an RA/DA that also has no selectivity.

[@greggaieck4808]

The ID of Ed your 1922 westinghouse Aeriolast st radio Receiver is cool

[@tomsherwood4650]

And it is 100 years old in 2022.

[@Ross-z1n]

Only if it was a *two* tuber (with an audio stage) would it need an audio transformer.

[@tomsherwood4650]

The early brass based tipped WD tubes are almost unobtainium, but the slightly later versions like the tipless bakelite base C-11 are out there if you don't mind the price. Maybe up to 80$ but audiophiles might pay that much for a special 12AX7 or something. Just run the tube at minimum filiment volts to get regeneration and they can last alright. Nothing wrong with a good sub tube though. Tie a string around one of the pins of the tube and let hang out of the hole the tube sets in, as there is not enough of the tube exposed to grab onto to pull it out. You can pull the string to help pull it out.

[@KennethScharf]

I would have used a glass test tube instead of the brass tube. You can cut the glass tube to size with a cutoff wheel in a dremel. A bit of silver spray paint on the inside of the tube can create the getter effect. The battery triode 5676 won't get hot at all, no worries there! BTW, you can use an inline transistor socket, or half of an 8 pin DIP IC socket for the tube instead of soldering to the tube "pins" BTW a type 30 tube (maybe with a socket adapter) or a type 1H4G (with a socket adapter) would make a good replacement, and both of those tubes are still reasonably available.

[@TheIDofED]

I did try early on the glass idea, but I could never find test tubes the right size and I tried cutting a old vacuum tube for the glass, disaster every time. The 3D print was good enough and easy

[@goofysvintageworkshop6728]

Nice work and good idea with tube 👍🐱

[@0ctopities]

thanks for the video and great information,..

[@y_x2]

The pot goes with the filament of the original tube.

[@priestblood]

Thanks for sharing a very interesting video,can I ask where did you get your mini vice from?.

[@tomsherwood4650]

PANAVISE. Probably for sale on ebay for sure. If nowhere else.

[@JasonTHutchinson]

I saw one of these at a flea market. I believe it was complete. The next time I went there it was gone. Someone got a deal.

[@tomsherwood4650]

Hopefully it was complete. Because some of the hardware like wire terminal knobs are kinda difficult to find.

[@dylanlepert232]

What type of amplifier did you use?

[@TheIDofED]

It’s just a cheep little single chip ( LM386 ? ) amplifier kit. I bought it like 20 years ago, I can’t remember were. It’s still an simple commodity kit, like at Micro Center or can get off of Amazon.

[@tomsherwood4650]

AMPLIFIER??? IF you can find the matching one tube audio amp for the Aeriola($$$) you can use that. But us hardcore guys use some sensitive Baldwin or equivalent high sensitivity headphones.

[@dylanlepert232]

@@tomsherwood4650 I use C. Brandes headphones because they are the type of headphones that the Aeriola Sr. was originaly shipped with if you bought the bundle. Baldwins were around at the time of the Aeriola Sr. and probrobly sound better but they were not ever shiped with the radio. Also the amplifier is a two tube amplifier. I was asking because I wanted my family to hear the radio too. I thought about doing this project because I have the parts. I decided to get two 864 tubes (military equivalent of WD 11) but I might still do this progect and keep the 864 tubes in my radiola 3.

[@bobbybrooks4826]

no Way... stupid tube to use.... cost reason is stupid