Troubleshoot And Repair Electronics - 1950's Radio Receiver!

Let's fix this rare vintage receiver from the 50's. See the radio come to life!
To learn electronics in a very different and effective way, and gain access to Mr Carlson's personal designs and inventions, visit the Mr Carlson's Lab Patreon page here: / mrcarlsonslab
Weston Tube Tester Video: • Weston 981 Type 3 TUBE...
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#troubleshoot #electronics #repair

[@MrCarlsonsLab]

To learn electronics in a very different and effective way, and gain access to Mr Carlson's personal designs and inventions, visit the Mr Carlson's Lab Patreon page here: www.patreon.com/MrCarlsonsLab

[@steveennever9905]

Just a professional filming point. Your earlier videos (previous location) were always well lit with a warm look & very little shadow problems. Very pleasing/comforting to watch. This new location has a cold, almost lonely look with a lot of shadows. Is it something you're working on, or not something that bothers you?

[@W1RMD]

Well worth the 1/3 price of a StarBuck's coffee!

[@MrBonez208]

I love the vids and he has excellent videos with further details and even some schematics on patron!

[@bryancunningham1095]

Great videos, yes deserves a restoration.

[@aryonllewellyn]

Hi Paul. Please perform a full restoration on the radio. I'd love to see how well it works afterwards.

[@andrewketchum960]

Yes, I agree, please do fully restore this radio. An educational gem!

[@soulrobotics]

Yes!

[@Txepsiyu]

Seconded!

[@Watchyn_Yarwood]

Yes, please

[@danmyers7827]

Please do a full restoration.🙂

[@kevingalat4720]

I would love to see a restoration

[@Alexelectricalengineering]

Me too!

[@Watchyn_Yarwood]

Yes

[@bradnelson3595]

Yes, sir. I would love to see a complete restoration. That old thing deserves a little TLC. Really nice job so far.

[@jnorthrup1020]

Paul, you explain the radio circuitry so effortlessly a lay person can understand. Please perform a full restore.

[@strummergr]

A great shout-out to RCC, Paul! I took one of their courses in (about) 1964, but that radio was not included! I would very much like it to have been, as I took Electronics for three years in High School (Burnaby Central Senior Secondary) and was much into tube radios, TV maintenance and ham-radio-lite all through h.s. and my first three years at college. During the h.s. course (all three years) we studied DC, AC and tube circuits in each of the years, and built an all-american five as a display with each major circuit on its own 12x18 hardboard card, which slid into a horizontal frame and were connected by banana-plug leads. It worked fine! All my classmates went on to get Masters and PhD's, but I didn't! Still, very much enjoying electronics mainly as a hobby, along with music and astronomy, and had a side job for many years fixing the electronics in electronic accordions (I don't play!) from all tube through the years to very modern, if 2010 is 'modern'! Thanks for the video!

[@MrCarlsonsLab]

Thanks for sharing your story!

[@5cloudwalker]

repairing the long past electronics is my favourite 😊👍

[@briankays2635]

Thanks for this video. I'm guessing it's old hat for you by now but for me (having restored a few tube radios) it's still valuable to watch the process. That radio is a very cool find and, like any other tube radio, I think it pays homage to past builders and engineers to do a proper restoration. Maybe it's not worth a bunch of money but these old radios are a statement to the ingenuity of mankind and I feel like they should be treated with as much respect as we can muster. Your whole channel is a testament to that! Thanks again for spreading the knowledge!

[@caseyjones166]

Definitely a full restoration! I've been screaming at you all through the video to replace that coupling capacitor before you lose another audio transformer! It would be great to hear your observations on the design as well.

[@andygozzo72]

it'll be ok for a short test run, but definitely replace before operating it any real length of time !

[@jimdavis6833]

It's an old junk Xformer Paul's using to test the radio. It's not even an actual audio Xformer. Don't get your panties in a wad.

[@Go4Corvette]

Excellent job. Pay attention kids and take his classes if you want to be the best. Mr. Carlson is a highly qualified teacher. Take care, Mike, in the USA.

[@pierremartel3552]

This is a piece of history for the Canadian College of Radio. It should be restored and well publicised into KZbin for the prosperity. If you dont do it, who would? Yes, it is a small radio, that have no real special thing for itself BUT from being built by a tech. It shows what electronic people needed to do and learn to be accepted into the radio field way back when. This need to be known. Please, restore it ;-)

[@ThomasATorr]

I agree, wouldn't it be nice if the student could see this!

[@W1RMD]

When going through the "short" tests with my tube tester, I like to tap on the glass to see if there is anything intermittent while switching through each test. I have found bad tubes this way that otherwise tested good. Also, thanks again for including a nixie tube piece of gear in every video. Have a great day!

[@terrym1065]

Let this radio have a new lease on life Mr C. It does work as designed 70yrs ago and as you said the builder did a good job so... restoration time. Tubes/valves amaze me at how they were visualized and invented. This was a great video showing the troubleshooting and diagnosis, thanks for another invaluable episode. See ya next time.

[@leonardpeters3266]

When I went to tech school we had to build a Heathkit VTVM and a black and white television. It was plenty of work and I enjoyed it. I remember seeing the box and bags full of parts for the TV and thinking, this will never work. I used it for years after building it. The Heathkit VTVM served me for years but got destroyed in a magnitude 7 earthquake. That's right, it took an earthquake!

[@gregbarth9617]

I built a Heathkit AM radio around 1959-60 it was still working on 1995 when I retired from the ARMY. Have no idea where it is now

[@georgejohnson1498]

Dear Paul, From what sounds you managed, I was impressed. Please do restore it. It is a sweet thing, seemingly made with great care and attention. The maker will never thank you unless he is a centenarian, but I will! Best wishes from George in Herefordshire.

[@williamdefeline1800]

There is just something satisfying when you've worked on an old radio or amp and those first sounds start coming through the speaker.

[@TheBoxfitter]

I just wanted to say that I enjoy your videos tremendously. I also agree, whoever built this did a fine job just on creating the metal chassis alone.

[@sometimesleela5947]

Do you think it was scratch-built, or some (partial?) kit that the school designed. The fit and finish seemed awfully good for a class project.

[@inspector1794]

I don't think the chassis was scratch built as some of the brackets and tube sockets are held in with semi-tubular rivets that appear machine set. The angle bracket to the front panel is spot welded in place and a couple of the solder tabs formed in the chassis sure look like they were die cut and formed. I'm thinking it's a kit similar to the all american 5 kits we built in high school back in the 60's@@sometimesleela5947

[@tedmoss]

Although I have made my own chassis,that looks like a factory made one, nicely done.

[@drtidrow]

Probably built from a kit, and just needed a case to complete it.

[@donl1846]

Thank you Professor Carlson and what a nice build whoever did this. When you think of the 50's you also think of a lot of "art-deco" look of the 20s-30s. Except the 50's was all about tons of chrome on the cars and creative looks for some of the radios. This radio is a well-built, old school, plain jane radio that works (after repaired by you). Thank you for sharing !!!!! PS, yes, restore it !

[@brucewinningham4959]

@don1846 -- I "think" it was probably LOTS OF CHROME that them that "Art Deco" look.

[@donl1846]

@@brucewinningham4959 Oh definitely and fins!! To me when I think of the 50's style I automatically also think of the art-deco period of the 20s-30s. Very creative periods for just about everything.

[@brucewinningham4959]

@don1846 -- I cannot Voutch for the accuracy of this Statement but it has been said "The innovation of the Dagmars, usually located on the Front Bumpers (some cars had them on the Back Bumpers as well) and the Tail Fins were thought up by the US Automakers as a means of Celebrating the US and it's Allies for the Success of the Atomic Bomb for ending WWII. The Dagmars on the Front and the Tail Fins on the Back were both emblematical of the Atomic Bomb. You may do a Google Search for DAGMAR for more info. I think it may have been sometime between the Early to Mid 1960s that Cadillac last used them.

[@brucewinningham4959]

PS: The last word of my last response, THEM, was referring to the TAIL FINS. Sorry about that. Now, back to Electronics. LOL

[@techobaz55]

A full restoration would be great to see Paul, love to see it's final performance.Very neat little radio ! Cheers from Oz Baz

[@waltschannel7465]

Very clean example of an instructional kit radio from a source that US subscribers like me never heard of.

[@chrisrichard298]

It definitely deserves to live. Someone put a lot of effort into building this radio and it's earned it's spot on the bench. Make 'r sing again!

[@arcburn3364]

Thanks for the video. Watching this is nostalgic for me. In the early 70s I took a Bell and Howell home study electronics coarse in which I built a multimeter and an oscilloscope that involved utilizing vacuum tubes and transistors. I ended up welding as a career, but was always able to repair my own welding machines as well as a few for other people. Now being retired, I find myself helping others with automotive electrical and recently fixed a mig welder for my grandson. So the coarse has served me well. I have always been fascinated with radio theory. I subscribed to your channel today.

[@MrCarlsonsLab]

Welcome aboard!

[@coreyprocyk9078]

If I’d were you I’d would restore the radio, it’s always nice to see made in Canada electronics being restored instead of going to the dump or being recycled, love your ideas and videos on electronic repair and keep up the good work, thanks again, Mr. Carlson. I’ve been in electronics since 1980.

[@solarbirdyz]

I love the idea of restoring someone's old class project just in general, so I vote yes, absolutely. And it's obviously hard to tell across youtube, but it sounded to me like it had pretty good tone, so I'd kind of like to hear how good a job they did at that part, too! Also it reminds me of one of the old computers I built which had a rather similar if larger plywood outer case so that's pleasing to me. It's like "hey! I recognise this style of construction! I _did_ it!" xD

[@DavidTipton101]

That was a good job by the builder. He would have been proud to present it as his assignment. Put it back together and move on 👍🙂

[@romancharak3675]

Nice to see Roberson screws holding the back panel in place. A great Canadian invention.

[@thefirstcalled]

Thank you so very kindly for sharing anything you choose. My Uncle John of Blessed Memory used to make all kinds of Chrystal Radio sets from round cylindrical Oatmeal containers, and other things. He was born in the 1910's. Listening to short wave radio from all around the world during cold winter nights was a favourite pastime.

[@genestatler2514]

Yes Paul, please repair this home made radio. I can't get enough of watching you bring these old tube type radios back to life. Thanks, Gene from Tennessee.

[@JimmytheCow2000]

Lets restore that thing! I love the hand made look, and classic feel of someones hard work. Thank you for bringing it back to life.

[@Forensic1Man]

Hi Paul! Again, you presented a very nice video. And yes, let's do a complete restoration and alignment of the radio! Concerning this trouble-shooting part of the video, when at first there is absolutely no sound to be heard, I have found that the very first thing to check is the reliability of the speakers. How many times do we find a broken speaker wire in the cone? You never mentioned the integrity of the speaker first. Then, secondly, one should check the continuity of the audio transformer. If there is an open winding, sometimes we can unwrap the paper and reattach the transformer windings. When fixable, one does not have to fish around in the junk box or buy a new transformer, thus, saving a little time and money. I hope this gives you some more ideas for your approach to trouble-shooting older radios.

[@Turtle_1976]

I personally think it would be amazing to see that unique radio fully restored back to the original creator’s finished product. It’s so rustic yet polished! Great video!

[@erin19030]

I attended RETS RadioElectronics Television Schools in Upper Darby back in 1961. Part one of the course was basic electricity, basic electronics, Radio and TV. We built an all American 5 AM radio as the final requirement phase 1.

[@bigbadwolf1966]

Always good to see another restoration and to see how far out of specifications each component has drifted with age.

[@andygozzo72]

in many cases doesnt matter as much as you may think valves/tubes arent that fussy, unlike solid state (especially some tv colour decoder chips, they can be very picky)

[@hestheMaster]

I'd imagine whomever built this receiver did it as a final in a " build your own AM radio " with parts given by the instructor at RCC and you had to build the cabinet and be proficient in the soldering and electronics design with a given schematic also given out by the school's instructor. Think the student probably got an A for it if it indeed worked! Or maybe it was used in the classroom as a "find the fault " radio. You had to do what Paul did and investigate the problem and fix it. It 's so old we know after Paul's going over it that time had not be kind to it's electronic parts.That Radio College of Canada intact dial face is worth $$$ alone to a collector BTW. Aside from any backstory this was indeed a great video to watch and I hope it gets a full restoration one day. Instructor quality repair on your lab work on it Paul!

[@colinstuart5226]

All Paul's videos demonstrate the benefits of having a properly prepared work area, with the necessary test gear in the right place and room on and around the bench to manoeuvre safely, with minimum risk of injury or damage. Says the bloke who's just been rebuilding a Racal on the kitchen table!

[@pauldavis6356]

Also appreciate your attention to detail conserning safety .

[@pauldavis6356]

OMG ! all of that test equipment in your opening shot - amazing.

[@michaelmiller641]

Yes please, complete the restoration, it was interesting so far, Thankyou!

[@wesnormant5621]

A piece of history needs a full restoration! Would love to have one like it, but my 100+ radios are taking up a lot of space already! Good Job Mr.C and enjoyed the vid; tnx

[@christaylor9112]

As others have said, would love to see a full restoration. Particularly interested in hearing the before and after audio quality.

[@vicmiller7191]

Yes restore it. And if possible maybe find it a home in a museum for others to enjoy also. What a wonderful kit radio.

[@albertocarballomontenegro9686]

Go to a full restoration, Paul. I Love the Way It comes to life

[@4nk8r]

I'd like to see it restored . Looks like a straight forward and somewhat easy one .

[@Ronl53]

I would like to see a restoration because this radio seems more simple to understand with your explanation. Thanks for the video.

[@robertcalkjr.8325]

Thanks, Paul. I wouldn't mind hearing how well the radio could sound.

[@00Skyfox]

Thumbs up for the full restoration idea!

[@jukingeo]

Yes, please do the full restoration on this. It is a good example of an old 5 tuber radio and it has a nice cabinet too. Finally, that big speaker should produce some really nice sound.

[@m0b13us]

Good ole RCC. Graduated from there myself 20 years ago. In the Computer Network Engineering program though. Still have and use my RCC issue multimeter all the time.

[@Movieman1965]

A full restoration would be great! 👍

[@angelogmassolin5056]

This brings back memories ... I went to RCC and had to build one of these ... 5 tube superhetrodine AM radio ... WOW ...

[@MrCarlsonsLab]

How about the RCC "EICO" signal generator?

[@ChristopherPike-bm5np]

It seems like a great little radio receiver that deserves a complete restoration.

[@davidkatona7485]

I love your videos. You are like the Einstein of electronics. Thanks for all your teaching and information.

[@lst1194]

Been waiting for another one of these. It all goes over my head, but it fascinates me. Awesome.

[@docsav1331]

Yes please do a full restoration. Thank you!

[@MichaelLloyd]

I'm always going to be in favor of full restoration. Nice work troubleshooting the problem.

[@dhpbear2]

2:05 - It DOES have a very 'home-brew' look to it. especially the off-center dial!

[@TomzTrainzandAccessories]

Hello Paul. Like you said, you don’t see too many of these radios anymore. I think this would make a great restoration, and to bring this radio back to life.

[@kilcar]

Love to see a restore, and your analysis of the construction

[@delmarbish3926]

That is a very unique radio, looks neater then a lot of factory radios for sure!

[@piynubbunyip]

@MrCarlsonsLab I would love a repair of an early RCA Theremin. Primarily due to the elegance of the minimal design and a lovely look at how it works. Thanks.

[@johnopalko5223]

Léon Theremin, himself, customized an RCA instrument for his friend and protégée, Clara Rockmore. Robert Moog delved into Rockmore's instrument and published the schematic diagram with all of Theremin's modifications. At one time I wanted to build a copy but Moog did not include the values of the inductors, alas. If Mr. Carlson can get hold of one of these gems, I'd love to see a restoration. Maybe restored to factory specs and then with applying Theremin's changes, just to see how the sound and playability are improved.

[@intotheblue50]

It would be really great to see it restored please go ahead paul.

[@davido.hamilton3254]

Hello Paul...what I liked about this video is the use of 'basic' troubleshooting methodology, (remember your 'old time' bench you were going to set up)? Plus you didn't even use a schematic. I agree with others about a 'full restoration'...time consuming for you...but so beneficial for us.

[@radiorexandy]

Paul: Definitely restore! If it's working this well now, think how well it will work when fully restored and aligned :-)

[@MAURICIOFALCAOPY5MZ]

Yes, Paul. You must perform a full restoration. I love your videos. 73 de PY5MM from Brazil

[@rádiosantigos1958]

Well, since you already had began with it... Just go all the way. Thanks for this very didactic video.

[@bradleyleben7785]

From what I heard coming out of the radio, I think it would be an excellent candidate for restoration.

[@blitzroehre1807]

Excellent Shango style resurrection, Prof Carlson👍 Yes, pls restore, it is such a rare set.

[@brucewinningham4959]

Mr. Carlson, where did you obtain so much Excellent Electronics Knowledge Please? From a RCC School maybe? I am in the USA and NOT Familiar with RCC.

[@towerman75]

Because of its simplicity, I would say put it back on the shelf, but when I use to do repairs, once I got into something, I couldn't do that. Once I started, I had to finish it. But that's just me. Great video.

[@paulcilluffo]

Paul please restore that beutiful piece of history

[@kyoudaiken]

I'd love to see a full restoration of this thing!

[@timothymilam732]

AS all things worth building, are worth maintaining, and yes Sir this fits into that category most definitely.

[@davidportch8837]

another great vid Paul. Such a lovely course build, I think it deserves a restoration to a working example...

[@LTeyler]

You should look into using a “split video screen”, i.e. one small section showing the measured signal (adjustable to maybe 10 to 20 %) and the balance to show node(s) under the test.

[@leetucker9938]

another awesome all American five adventure . Mr C is the best

[@ThomasATorr]

What a good teacher! Thanks to KZbin!

[@coastalcruiser4317]

I'd like to see it restored to working order. Having such few tubes, it would be interesting to hear the sound quality that comes out of a Radio of that design. It reminds me of a 1935 Detrola Radio I have that only has I think 3 tubes and a rectifier that I had restored once, but it fell out of the car seat onto the floorboard and has had a loud hum since. A friend looked up the design and said it was a Grid leakage detector type receiver.

[@christophergetchell6490]

Love your new setup, I just built a new studio/shop last year! I'd love to see this restored!

[@fredhand6019]

Yes I would love to hear this one restored

[@Selkirk5934]

I built a pair of large speaker boxes in the late 50's and used what looks like the very same grill cloth.

[@josephsawicki9335]

Please restore the poor thing and bring it back to life Mr Carlson Thank you.

[@rscottrylowicz2824]

Yes, would love to hear it!

[@kristyskirt9015]

Good morning Mr. Carlson; This RCC Radio electronic course kit radio, soo cool. Be a showpiece in any living room dining room. The simple yet fine grain wood ply cabinet is very pretty. A KEEPER Radio for shure. Nice sound from that big speaker too. For sure The "Carlson" Treatment all New caps, and check for noisy resistors. So new polarized AC power cord and The SAFETY CAP be added ? Are you going to retube also ? Great find Paul. Really SHARP lookin AM Radio with HI FI Sound !! Cheers Kristy

[@LtKernelPanic]

+1 to restoring it. Obviously the original builder put a lot of care into its construction and it would great if you gave it another 60-70 of life.

[@dnealuk]

The great thing about this one is that has no pretentions - it's a good straightforward superheterodyne receiver. I'm sure the less experienced of us would learn a lot from seeing you restore such a generic circuit.

[@rossthompson1635]

I'd say restore. In addition to the historical interest, it is a unique and well built project, the simple case design looks good, and the sound quality from that larger speaker seems to be excellent.

[@rremington3983]

I see these old radios as patients lying on an operating table…so my suggestion is yes, of course, always go for a full restoration and save its life! Rob

[@terencehorka731]

I would like you to do a full restoration on this radio. I love vintage radio technology brought back to life.

[@NotMarkKnopfler]

I'd say restore it, and maybe convert the phono input to a line input so that the set could be used as a general purpose amplifier - the audio quality sounded very good. I wonder how much work it would be to add a Bluetooth audio receiver to it? Best wishes from Aberdeen, Scotland.

[@tedmoss]

Restorations are always interesting. Most of mine have been 5 tube without a transformer but I do have a 1938 export model made in NYC I am fixing for a friend.

[@peterpipkin9329]

Always a pleasure watching your videos. My vote is to do a restore and a before/after show and tell. Cheers.

[@derekloudon8731]

Every old radio deserves a face lift. Please restore it so that it can go back on the shelf with a smile on its face.

[@saarike]

My humble thanks for great vid!!!! Make full restoration. Of course it's up to you Mr Carlsson 😉

[@hsnh]

Yes, this is a nice radio and good for a full restoration and sounds not bad.

[@davidk7des76]

I would love to see a restoration of this radio-Thanks!

[@jackbarnard7632]

A full restoration is always Good !!

[@davidgierke7582]

I would like to see the total restoration. Great presentation (as always) on your behalf!

[@McTroyd]

Cool find Mr. Carlson! I think you've mentioned before that you've converted the Phono input on another radio to a line-level auxiliary. Have any of your videos covered that? After seeing your stock of parts, I'm stunned you'll have to order anything! 😱😉👍

[@PA5PHO]

Yes please, it is a nice little radio, with not so many parts and it is allready pulled out of the case. Also a nice history. So it would be good to have it restored

[@sincerelyyours7538]

Thanks, Paul. By all means restore it. I have a similar no frills wooden radio built in Japan in about 1951. Probably built by a radio shop to sell to customers who couldn't afford the high tax that was levied on the name brand radios at the time. Those no-name radios were among the first heterodynes available to the public after the war and they became quite popular as the country rebuilt itself. That's what I thought yours was when I first saw it. Unfortunately, all I have is a schematic so I'll probably just end up rewiring mine like the kit it once was.