Hi

I replaced the Magic Eye on my 1950's Phillips radio (B5Z17A) with a Russian tube 6EIP and replaced the defective 470K transitor.

While it now works with bright central green lines that expand / decrease in line with signal strength - there are no rabbits feet to the side as I have seen in some uTube clips?

Any thoughts ??

FYI - I the resistor was best guess from other schematics online with the 6E1P as I have been unable to find a Schematic for the B5Z17A

Cheers

This is what it should look like:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk9JtEKQqxM.

You've lost me with the rabbits foot though.

The bloke there looks like he's shifting between stations though when a station is tuned the gap between the green bars should shrink and remain steady.

Update: I've just seen this type too:-

http://i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/568854357_2/6E1-EM80-EM81-magic-eye-indicator-tube-vu-meter-pcb-assemled.jpg.

Never seen one before though.

Hi Brad, thx for quick response.

The second link you provided is the same as my magic eye. When you look at your pic in the 2nd link - it is the little secondary lines on the side of the main tuning line that are the "rabbits feet"

Thats whats missing on mine that I am curous to find out why?

Also my main line doesnt fan as wide as the pick shown but that could just be a weaker signal as have been testing the radio in my man cave under the house


cheers

The target & triode plate resistor is indeed 470K. Is the Russian 6E1P (6E1П) still in current production?

Here is the Philips B5Z17A schematic.

Philips B5Z17A Service Notes.

Okay, no worries - I've never seen a magic eye in a baseless valve before so it's an education for me today as well.

I've uploaded Monochrome's service manual for you to have a look at (link in the post above this one).

Thank you very much. I am very appreciative as I never expected help like this. Even the Russian tube-store website was quick at $NZ 26 for two new valves.

Am keen to look at some of my older radios now.


Cheers, Stephen

That bloke is me Ha! It could be brighter, but it's uniform/healthy.
Look a bit further up the Youtube channel, the STC Radiophone is in service in 2014!

Hya, I'll stick my neck out & propose that you have an EM80. These are pin-compatible with the EM81 & I seem to remember swapping them over to see the difference. From memory they both worked & there was no smoke. There was smoke when I tried an EM85 though (I was in my teens if you haven't guessed).
The EM80 has a lower & upper green trace in mirror image which move towards each other & they meet at the upper side of the target.
The EM81 has only the lower green trace in mirror image they move towards each other & meet in the centre of the target.
Sorry, it's a bit hard to describe & it's really better to use a diagram. Ake Holm in Sweden has a section of his website entirely devoted to these beasties. It's here: http://www.sm5cbw.se/tubes/index.htm & click on Magic Eyes.

John.