Battery Pack for Farm Radios

Here is a look at the battery pack I built for use with vintage battery operated tube radios commonly known as Farm Radios. The battery pack produces 1.5 volts for the tube filaments and 75 volts for B+ tube power. The pack should provide 30 hours of radio operation before the 9V cells weaken. The video ends with a surprise visit from a good friend who then steals the show.

[@berniken6511]

Nice battery pack Jim and Peanut well he is lovely too.................................Berni

[@sinewave4236]

Nice battery box - thanks for posting. I would respectfully suggest that there is no way that you would get 300 hours' worth of use out of 2 D cells. The question is not so much the total battery mAh but how long will it take before the battery voltage drops below 1.4 V typically needed by the tubes, and that is probably 10 - 20 hours, depending on use and battery quality. Much below that and the oscillator probably won't do its thing. So I think you were totally right to use 2 in parallel. The B batteries are less critical.

[@fuzzwack1]

Hey Jim,Im glad you did this Video on the battery Supply Box,I just Bought a 1920s Foote 2 circut,2 tube radio.I only Know what one tube is,Its a UV 199 tube,the other tube is unmarked.I was lucky Enough to get the original schematic with the radio.It just shows the 2nd tube as a 4 pin Amplifier tube,so I dont Know if any 1920s Amp.tube will work,If mine was bad..But both tubes do light up.I do get voltage all thru the radio,but no sound as of yet.One COOL thing is the Tunning Condenser opens up like a butterfly wings!This is my 1rst Battery radio project. Best thing is I only paid 20.00 for the set!

[@tommybewick]

He is a very unusually friendly cat, my cats would never stay in my arms if I held them like that, much more finicky.

[@glasstronic]

Heheheh... :-D Good choice fuse ratings; same I use. Like the 8 x 9V, too; they come packaged (retail) in 1,2,4 packs, not 5 or 10...(one of the dumbest buys I've made was a 3-cell flashlight...) Yep, a single 45V alkaline pack will usually work a looong time. 72V even longer. Those old dry batteries were *horrible* regarding individual cell reliability; the radio manufacturers were well aware of that...so...have the radio still play if *half* of the cells in the battery were not much more than resistors. Nice to meet Peanut! ;-)

[@seantonnesen1636]

thanks fo the demo. I will be building one just like it.

[@daleburrell6273]

17:40...I miss my kitties.

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

I suppose if you live in the UK you can get replace vacuum tube radio batteries if you live in the US or CANADA then why not build a mains operated inverter supply to give 1.5v and 90v, would be fun to rebuild one of those radios using the KORG Noritake Nutubes I.E vacuum tubes that look like integrated circuits with windows which glow with a green light and are Single Inline pin connector and will run of a 12v car battery, There is a package from JAPAN that is Meowlingual Cat Translator

[@Darryl603]

I came up with 79.8 volts

[@dennisqwertyuiop]

why not fuse the 90 volt supply inside pack with small amp fuse ?

[@seantonnesen1636]

Jim, What are the dimensions of the enclosure?

[@1964corvan]

@15:50......no....kitty doesnt want in or out.... that fat "@@@" wants to be fed! i would know! my cow of a cat (which he should have been named pig) does that all the time! even when he doesnt need it!....which is why he fat! XD