Hi guys this console was given to me by a friend. It is complete and would be a shame not to fix it. To cut a story short I showed pictures of it to the aprentices at a local furniture restorer and one of the young blokes was very interested in it. To which I said that if he wants it then I can fix it up for him provided he works on the cabinet. He asked me how much I wanted for it and I said nothing its free as I like working on them and want to encourage the younger generation to be interested in them.
You will see from the photos that he has done a magnificent job of the cabinet and I am over the moon to get it going for him. I will adapt it to play mp3s and bluetooth as this doesnt change the circuit or the authenticity of the set. There is a control that turns what looks like a miniature tuning capacitor and it just continues to turn ( there is no stop ) what is it and is it normal.
The good news is the audio section is fine but no radio. I havent recapped it two valves I have identified are 6F6 and 5Y3GT.

There is a control that turns what looks like a miniature tuning capacitor and it just continues to turn

If it has just a few plates, then it's possibly an antenna fine tuner. These were also used on old car radios.

We wait photos; Eclipse was a manufacturer & we may be able to find a circuit?

The butterfly could be antenna, or oscillator? Bit like finding a dead fish in the Piano. Do not remove it: Its probably the Tuna?

5Y3 & 6F6 suggest around 1935 era?

Lo and behold this radio works. It's not been got at, I will replace all the caps and put in a new on/off switch and give it a good tidy up. I will change the dial light sockets for new ones as these are a uncommon size.
I am looking forward to the recap as it is just so amazing to hear the difference in performance.
I can't identify the two metal valves ( I believe they are both 6A7s ) as the id has been scratched off but the other is a 6B6.

Photos on their way

Can' be 6A7 its a 7 Pin; Metal would be 8 pin and its rare to find two Pentagrids more likely 6A8 or 6K8 & 6K7 if its metal & a Philips red or gold if its actually metalisation?

Pin 1 will be grounded on most of the metal tubes. 6K7 was not that common as an IF tube it was more commonly 6U7 with a "Goat" shield to stop it destabilising the whole show.

Classic are not listed in AORSM prior to 1948, but it was never unusual to have a valve change from sixes & sevens to 8 pin but the circuit remain basically the same.

Later in Peter Pan & SW they used 6J8 & 6U7 up front, so there may be clues there.

Marc

Photos uploaded.

Marc I did notice that they use the larger dial globes that Peter Pan used in their consoles. I will however be changing this to the smaller more universal bulbs as the existing ones aren't working due to corrosion I believe. I can wire them in properly

Valve line up appears to have been written in Sharpie on the underside of the chassis.

The young fellow did a great job of the cabinet.

It actually pretty much lines up with my original thoughts, albeit 6K7 is unusual in Australian sets including later Eclipse ones. 6A8 was superseded by 6J8 in Shortwave sets after it was introduced in 1938: 6K7 1935

My comment re circuit is based on previous valves being re-incarnated with different heaters, bases & numbers.

6A8 is the same as 2A7 and 6A8 with base & heater changes.
6K7 is a 78 with a base change.

Some had both Glass ("G") & Metal envelopes as Octal's. This is why there are sets where the principal elements of the circuit did not change, only the socket, or the heater voltages.

I do not like the aerial cable the way it is; Its likely to pick up radiation from the 6K7 & whist a bit of regeneration may be beneficial, It could destabilise.

525SV caps tend to lead me to 600V new. All electrolytic's should go. Looks like an easy wet afternoon job. Don't like the dial light wire, looks a bit tatty in the photo.

Re the aerial cable; I don't like that a lead coming from the transformer goes under the aerial trimmer variable capacitor. This lead contact on the transformer is adjacent a 240V mains lead contact on the transformer, the lead coming from the mains socket. Maybe 240V could somehow get onto the aerial lead through the aerial trimmer. Maybe some spaghetti over the lead under the trimmer, or tie it down somehow.

Just have to eliminate any chance of high voltage getting onto the aerial lead.

I like the way your furniture restorer has managed to bring out the timber grain which probably wasn't as visible when it originally left the factory.
Very nice.
Must have taken many hours to carefully remove all the shellac without damaging the very thin ply.

The object is to keep lead dress tidy & keep wired close to the chassis. Frayed cloth can be trimmed & tamped down circuit laquer & acrylic binder will stop fraying. A sleeve of shrink tubing especially on fly leads also stops it.

I cannot easily see the tell tale stray wire of a shielded transformer however, being a console that hole next to the speaker plug may facilitate the use of a grommet and the fitting of an earthed cable if it has none. Just leave and disconnect the existing arrangement. if it has no provision for earthing.

I wonder what 835 means? Its not consistent with later numbering but who built the chassis... was it badge engineered? There are inconsistencies.

Marc