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Re: 2-B Lights

 

On 2023-05-06 19:09, n4buq wrote:
Because the factory lighting for the 2-B's dial leaves a bit to be
desired - particularly in the center portions of the dial, I tried
something a little different and mounted a few SMD LEDs
[...]
soldering work. Those 0805 chips are pretty small...
*** There are SMD LEDs out there with pre-soldered leads. People use
them for dollhouses.



I used them to restore the backlight on an Alinco DR-1200T 2-meter
transceiver. The original backlights were grain-of-wheat bulbs,
and they were all burned out. I was able to put two or three of those
tiny LEDs in place of each burned out incandescent.

And yes, they have blue ones.

- Jerry


Re: TR7 Filters and Knobs

 

They do have set screws. At least all of mine do.

73

-Jim
NU0C

On Sat, 06 May 2023 19:06:51 -0700
"jerry-KF6VB" <jerry@...> wrote:

Except for the Mode switch and the Aux Program switch. Those don't seem
to have setscrews. How do they come off?


white line on 7 line knobs

 


Jerry,

Sounds like you are making good progress.

As to the knobs, one of the antique radio vendors sells a white "putty stick" which one can rub onto/into the indicator lines on the knobs. ?After rubbing in, the excess can be wiped off with a cloth. ?For the perfectionist, white paint can be used to repaint the pointers. ?Sometimes just soaking in soap water and light brushing can restore the brightness but rubbing too hard can remove the paint.

73,

Evan, K9SQG

-----Original Message-----
From: jerry-KF6VB <jerry@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Sat, May 6, 2023 10:06 pm
Subject: [DRAKE-RADIO] TR7 Filters and Knobs

So today a care package arrived from Noble Radio.? A 450Hz CW filter.? A
true work of art.? I did not delay in installing it.? Had to do some
cleanup on the filter card; somebody had done a messy remove of its
original filters - all except the standard 2.3kHz SSB filter.? Possibly
my Ebay seller.? After all, why sell an INOP rig full of expensive
separately-saleable filters?

? It works great.? Single-signal CW reception.

? While I was in there, I did the mod that lets the carrier control work
with SSB.? It's just one wire tacked to two
terminals on the mode switch.

? I also fixed the loose coax terminal I mentioned earlier.? It turned
out that the "clip" part had come undone.? Now
it's nice & tight.

? Then I did something purely cosmetic:? pulled off all the knobs and
treated them to an ultrasonic cleaner bath.
Except for the Mode switch and the Aux Program switch.? Those don't seem
to have setscrews.? How do they come off?

? ? The white paint inside some of the pointer knobs - white paint inside
a groove - is a bit discolored and perished.
I may want to redo it.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? - Jerry, KF6VB














Re: 2-B Lights

 

Oh, and, the blue tape is just to hold the PCB to the piece of wood. I may cyanoacrylate them together but, for now, it's just a dirty prototype project.

Thanks,
Barry - N4BUQ

----- Original Message -----
From: "n4buq" <n4buq@...>
To: "DRAKE-RADIO" <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, May 6, 2023 9:09:11 PM
Subject: [DRAKE-RADIO] 2-B Lights
Because the factory lighting for the 2-B's dial leaves a bit to be desired -
particularly in the center portions of the dial, I tried something a little
different and mounted a few SMD LEDs and dropping resistors on a small piece of
prototyping circuit board. The LEDs point straight up from underneath the dial
window.

The 2-B-1 picture shows them illuminated (without the rig powered off so as not
to include the side lighting). The 2-B-2 picture shows the crude board (with
masking tape to hold it to ad small piece of wood that elevates the board just
above the top of the slide switch bodies). If you zoom in on the board, please
excuse the very sloppy soldering work. Those 0805 chips are pretty small...

As you can see, this creates just a bit of a shadow of the needle against the
white backing plate so I'm not sure how much I like this but at least it is
more uniformly lighted across the dial. I may pursue a formal PCB with several
more LEDs that might help eliminate some of that shadowing.

Anyway, just thought I'd share.

Thanks,
Barry - N4BUQ



2-B Lights

 

Because the factory lighting for the 2-B's dial leaves a bit to be desired - particularly in the center portions of the dial, I tried something a little different and mounted a few SMD LEDs and dropping resistors on a small piece of prototyping circuit board. The LEDs point straight up from underneath the dial window.

The 2-B-1 picture shows them illuminated (without the rig powered off so as not to include the side lighting). The 2-B-2 picture shows the crude board (with masking tape to hold it to ad small piece of wood that elevates the board just above the top of the slide switch bodies). If you zoom in on the board, please excuse the very sloppy soldering work. Those 0805 chips are pretty small...

As you can see, this creates just a bit of a shadow of the needle against the white backing plate so I'm not sure how much I like this but at least it is more uniformly lighted across the dial. I may pursue a formal PCB with several more LEDs that might help eliminate some of that shadowing.

Anyway, just thought I'd share.

Thanks,
Barry - N4BUQ


TR7 Filters and Knobs

 

So today a care package arrived from Noble Radio. A 450Hz CW filter. A true work of art. I did not delay in installing it. Had to do some cleanup on the filter card; somebody had done a messy remove of its original filters - all except the standard 2.3kHz SSB filter. Possibly my Ebay seller. After all, why sell an INOP rig full of expensive separately-saleable filters?

It works great. Single-signal CW reception.

While I was in there, I did the mod that lets the carrier control work with SSB. It's just one wire tacked to two
terminals on the mode switch.

I also fixed the loose coax terminal I mentioned earlier. It turned out that the "clip" part had come undone. Now
it's nice & tight.

Then I did something purely cosmetic: pulled off all the knobs and treated them to an ultrasonic cleaner bath.
Except for the Mode switch and the Aux Program switch. Those don't seem to have setscrews. How do they come off?

The white paint inside some of the pointer knobs - white paint inside a groove - is a bit discolored and perished.
I may want to redo it.

- Jerry, KF6VB


Re: 2-A S-Meter Reading

 

4 Line. The 2’s ?are not the same.?

Steve Wedge, W1ES/4

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.


Sent from Proton Mail for iOS


On Sat, May 6, 2023 at 19:46, Richard Knoppow <1oldlens1@...> wrote:
A little low S-9 on a Drake should be 30 uV.





-------- Original message --------
From: Clark WU4B <clark.macaulay@...>
Date: 5/6/23 2:46 PM (GMT-08:00)
Subject: [DRAKE-RADIO] 2-A S-Meter Reading

I have a very clean (for a 60 year old radio) 2-A that I'm checking out for selling. It has been my bench receiver for years and seems to work fine.? All voltages check out fine.? for a 50 uV signal on 40m, what should the S reading be? I'm getting S7.? All caps are the original and I've peaked the 455 KC transformer.??


Re: 2-A S-Meter Reading

 

开云体育

A little low S-9 on a Drake should be 30 uV.





-------- Original message --------
From: Clark WU4B <clark.macaulay@...>
Date: 5/6/23 2:46 PM (GMT-08:00)
Subject: [DRAKE-RADIO] 2-A S-Meter Reading

I have a very clean (for a 60 year old radio) 2-A that I'm checking out for selling. It has been my bench receiver for years and seems to work fine.? All voltages check out fine.? for a 50 uV signal on 40m, what should the S reading be? I'm getting S7.? All caps are the original and I've peaked the 455 KC transformer.??


Re: 2-A S-Meter Reading

 

I am fairly sure that during the 2 series, S9 is 50 uV. The others here will correct me if I’m wrong. I can’t remember if the 2-A had any paper capacitors (the 2-B has film capacitors that look similar to paper ones). If the can cap isn’t leaky, keep it. I haven’t seen a 2-B with a bad one, for some reason.?

73,

Steve Wedge, W1ES/4

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.


Sent from Proton Mail for iOS


On Sat, May 6, 2023 at 12:54, Clark WU4B <clark.macaulay@...> wrote:
I have a very clean (for a 60 year old radio) 2-A that I'm checking out for selling. It has been my bench receiver for years and seems to work fine.? All voltages check out fine.? for a 50 uV signal on 40m, what should the S reading be? I'm getting S7.? All caps are the original and I've peaked the 455 KC transformer.??


2-A S-Meter Reading

 

I have a very clean (for a 60 year old radio) 2-A that I'm checking out for selling. It has been my bench receiver for years and seems to work fine.? All voltages check out fine.? for a 50 uV signal on 40m, what should the S reading be? I'm getting S7.? All caps are the original and I've peaked the 455 KC transformer.??


Re: Using a resistor with 6BN8 filament

Rick WA6III
 

On Sat, May 6, 2023 at 01:33 PM, william stevens wrote:
Rick
My 2 B is SN. 9200 and it uses 8BN8’s
BILL

?
?
Bill,

You are absolutely right!?? I screwed up! (That never happens does it?)

I see what I did now!!? Late last night I had both schematics on my desktop....? the 2-B? was a DJVU file and the 2-A has both.?? My browser will directly open the PDF but not the DJVU.? I have to save it first! (and I "saved-as" the 2-B as? 2A.djvu!!)

The 2-A of course, uses a 6AV6 driving the 6AQ5 audio amp and the 2-B uses the 6BN8 (triode section) to drive the 6AQ5.

Drake was clearly trying to save pennies and keep the tube count down and used the tri-section 8BN8 and/or 6BN8

Then they really reduced it in the 2-C

That 2A schematic from Bama was particularly bad resolution.....



--

73/Rick

WA6III
*
Every post is created using Linux


Re: Using a resistor with 6BN8 filament

 

My 2B is s/n 2974 and it uses an 8BN8. May 1961 is printed on the S-meter rear cover.

Food for thought: if all of the filaments were floating, instead of being grounded on one side, would this 'rectified' hum problem manifest itself?
Maybe not, but production would be a bit more labour intensive. Drake employed bean counters too.73.

Ken, VE3FIT


Re: Using a resistor with 6BN8 filament

 

开云体育

Rick
Check it out
Bill
WB2UFC?


On May 6, 2023, at 4:50 PM, william stevens via groups.io <197174stevens@...> wrote:

?Rick?
The 8bn8 is used for 3 things bias rect,noise Lim, audio amp see attachedimage0.jpegimage1.jpegimage2.jpegimage3.jpegimage4.jpeg


On May 6, 2023, at 3:35 PM, Rick WA6III <myr748@...> wrote:

?On Sat, May 6, 2023 at 11:53 AM, william stevens wrote:
Folks
Surplus sales of Nebraska has 8BN8’s for $ 2.50 but he requires a min buy on most of his stock and they could be very old stock
Bill
WB2UFC
Indeed!

I have bought several tubes from them!? They have so much "good stuff" that even if I want only 1 tube I usually get 2 or 3 and I always need other tubes and stuff too!?

I am a little late to this Drake 2B party? but when I looked at the BAMA manual for the 2B, it didn't show an 8BN8 in the schematic.

The 2A does.? Does the (very) early 2B's use it too? and if they do, whom ever has one, could you scan your manual and put it on BAMA?? It would sure help someone else that has an early one with no manual.....
?
--

73/Rick

WA6III
*
Every post is created using Linux


Re: Using a resistor with 6BN8 filament

 

开云体育

Rick?
The 8bn8 is used for 3 things bias rect,noise Lim, audio amp see attachedimage0.jpegimage1.jpegimage2.jpegimage3.jpegimage4.jpeg


On May 6, 2023, at 3:35 PM, Rick WA6III <myr748@...> wrote:

?On Sat, May 6, 2023 at 11:53 AM, william stevens wrote:
Folks
Surplus sales of Nebraska has 8BN8’s for $ 2.50 but he requires a min buy on most of his stock and they could be very old stock
Bill
WB2UFC
Indeed!

I have bought several tubes from them!? They have so much "good stuff" that even if I want only 1 tube I usually get 2 or 3 and I always need other tubes and stuff too!?

I am a little late to this Drake 2B party? but when I looked at the BAMA manual for the 2B, it didn't show an 8BN8 in the schematic.

The 2A does.? Does the (very) early 2B's use it too? and if they do, whom ever has one, could you scan your manual and put it on BAMA?? It would sure help someone else that has an early one with no manual.....
?
--

73/Rick

WA6III
*
Every post is created using Linux


Re: Using a resistor with 6BN8 filament

 

开云体育

Rick
My 2 B is SN. 9200 and it uses 8BN8’s
BILL


On May 6, 2023, at 3:35 PM, Rick WA6III <myr748@...> wrote:

?On Sat, May 6, 2023 at 11:53 AM, william stevens wrote:
Folks
Surplus sales of Nebraska has 8BN8’s for $ 2.50 but he requires a min buy on most of his stock and they could be very old stock
Bill
WB2UFC
Indeed!

I have bought several tubes from them!? They have so much "good stuff" that even if I want only 1 tube I usually get 2 or 3 and I always need other tubes and stuff too!?

I am a little late to this Drake 2B party? but when I looked at the BAMA manual for the 2B, it didn't show an 8BN8 in the schematic.

The 2A does.? Does the (very) early 2B's use it too? and if they do, whom ever has one, could you scan your manual and put it on BAMA?? It would sure help someone else that has an early one with no manual.....
?
--

73/Rick

WA6III
*
Every post is created using Linux


Re: Using a resistor with 6BN8 filament

Rick WA6III
 

On Sat, May 6, 2023 at 11:53 AM, william stevens wrote:
Folks
Surplus sales of Nebraska has 8BN8’s for $ 2.50 but he requires a min buy on most of his stock and they could be very old stock
Bill
WB2UFC
Indeed!

I have bought several tubes from them!? They have so much "good stuff" that even if I want only 1 tube I usually get 2 or 3 and I always need other tubes and stuff too!?

I am a little late to this Drake 2B party? but when I looked at the BAMA manual for the 2B, it didn't show an 8BN8 in the schematic.

The 2A does.? Does the (very) early 2B's use it too? and if they do, whom ever has one, could you scan your manual and put it on BAMA?? It would sure help someone else that has an early one with no manual.....
?
--

73/Rick

WA6III
*
Every post is created using Linux


Re: Using a resistor with 6BN8 filament

 

Folks
Surplus sales of Nebraska has 8BN8’s for $ 2.50 but he requires a min buy on most of his stock and they could be very old stock
Bill
WB2UFC


Re: TR7 Screws

 

On Fri, 05 May 2023 15:39:40 -0700
"jerry-KF6VB" <jerry@...> wrote:

Mine is missing some. Looks like the screws that hold the top on,
are UNC 4-40 - look like about 1/4 inch long. But what sort of head?
There is an impossible variety of screw heads out there.
They are 4-40. I've seen both slotted and Phillips used depending on the age of the gear. Could be round or pan head I suppose, I never gave it much thought. Use what suits you. Don't over think it, it is just a screw.


Also missing a few internal screws - the ones that hold the bottom
cover. Those seem to be self-tapping sheetmetal
screws. One of the holes has graduated to the next size :(.
Correct. ISTM that they are #4 sheet metal screws. On one of my rigs the upper card cage cover rear screws long ago graduated to the next size up. With the thin sheet metal some of the threads are delicate. Especially the screws for card cage covers. Tighten them snug but do not over tighten them! All of the cage cover screws need to be there and snug for RF tightness.

73

-Jim
NU0C


Re: Using a resistor with 6BN8 filament

 

开云体育

I have a Kenwood TS-820S that received fine but would not transmit. The AGC voltage was way off. I looked at it on and off for months, hobbled by the fact that Kenwood did not provide a table of voltages with the schematic diagram. I finally found a disc ceramic cap that measured 35,000 ohms that was dragging down the high impedance AGC line. First time in many decades of repairing radios to find a bad disc ceramic cap, and this one only had 4 volts of stress on it.

73,
Graham, N6GH




On May 5, 2023, at 5:10 PM, Steve Wedge, W1ES/4 via groups.io <w1es@...> wrote:

?

I’ve been looking more closely at the schematic and there’s something around V6 that isn’t right.?

I know that ceramic caps don’t commonly leak but I’ll need to check them all around the supply.?

I tried removing all tubes except the ones involved in the bias supply, with no luck. Negative voltages everywhere are off from spec.?

73,

Steve Wedge, W1ES/4

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.


Sent from Proton Mail for iOS


On Fri, May 5, 2023 at 19:22, Richard Knoppow <1oldlens1@...> wrote:
Should read 5 ohms.?





-------- Original message --------
From: Richard Knoppow <1oldlens1@...>
Date: 5/5/23 4:07 PM (GMT-08:00)
Subject: Re: [DRAKE-RADIO] Using a resistor with 6BN8 filament

Along about 1945 (very approximately) it became common to run 6H6 tubes used as series noise limiters with reduced filament voltage. Typically any Ohm resistor in series with the filament.? Thisbwas.toneliminate hum.? I have never seen it discussed in any text. I can't remember the correct term but think it was to reduce a space charge virtual cathode.? ?Not seen it used for detectors. I also don't remember if it's applied to 6AL5 tubes.? It's possible a series resistor on a 6BN8 might work in place of the other tube.





-------- Original message --------
From: ve3fit@...
Date: 5/5/23 2:45 PM (GMT-08:00)
Subject: Re: [DRAKE-RADIO] Using a resistor with 6BN8 filament

Has anybody actually tried a 6BN8 in a 2B to check for "rectified hum" ? How bad is it?

The 8BN8 filament spec is actually 8.4V and .45A. So, Drake runs them at 3/4 of their rated voltage to eliminate
the hum. Would running a 6.3V tube at 3/4 of it's rated filament voltage have the same effect?

My calculations show that a suitable dropping resistor to do this would be dissipating almost a watt.
I guess that using an 8BN8 was a cost-effective solution at the time.

Ken, VE3FIT


Re: TR7 Screws

 

Cabinet screws are flat heads.??


On Fri, May 5, 2023, 18:39 jerry-KF6VB <jerry@...> wrote:
All,

? ? Mine is missing some.? Looks like the screws that hold the top on,
are UNC 4-40 - look like about 1/4 inch long.? But what sort of head??
There is an impossible variety of screw heads out there.

? ? Also missing a few internal screws - the ones that hold the bottom
cover.? Those seem to be self-tapping sheetmetal
screws.? One of the holes has graduated to the next size :(.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?- Jerry, KF6VB