Newbie with an 800B

[Day Radebaugh]

Hello:

I'm Day Radebaugh from El Dorado, Kansas, and was happy to find this site.  30 years ago, when I was a starving student, I lived in a house in Baltimore that was in the process of being sold.  They had an old Scott console (with a phonograph, as i recall) which i bought for $5.  I couldn't keep the cabinet, but kept all but the phonograph.  It's been stored inside ever since.

So now I'd like to have it restored, and I would build a new console to contain it.  Do you have any suggestions about how to proceed?  Anyone you know of who could tackle a functional restoration of this unit?

Thanks for your help.

Day Radebaugh

[David C. Poland]

Are you sure? How did you determine the power transformer is shorted?

Just scanned this thread. Did not see what kind of electrical restoration was done ... Filter caps? any other caps in higher voltage circuits? are the rectifier tubes OK? Are the speaker and set plugs tight?  (AC goes through the speaker plug and to the tuner and back to the amp.) A number of faults can cause the fuse to blow besides a shorted power transformer.

[Kent King]

I'm with Dave, I very much doubt it is the transformer...those things are beasts, way over-rated. If you are just seeing the fuse go, there are <many> other potential issues. Also, earlier in the thread you indicated it had been powered and lit up tubes, etc. That means it was ok earlier, I doubt you've done anything along the way to hurt it. Make a number of checks and tests before replacing that monster. 

Kent

[Day Radebaugh]

Thanks for the advice.  I have the unit at a repair shop, and this is what they told me, so I will check it out. 

Could you tell me how you would test such a transformer for shorts?

[Kent King]

If it was me...I would remove all the tubes from the amp and connect AC line to the primary through a load lamp setup. If you apply power and the load lamp lights brightly, it's probably shorted. If it doesn't glow brightly, I'd hook it up to a variac and check all voltage outputs. 

Kent

[Thomas Day]

Have you been able to do any more checks on your 800B?  While power transformers rarely go bad, it can happen.

I had to have a new transformer built for my Allwave 23 several years ago. Heyboer Transformer co. in Grand Haven Mi. Took a couple of months but it was worth the wait. 

Thom

[Day Radebaugh]

Thanks for asking.  Was just about to go out and check on it today, but something came up.  Appreciate the reference, and believe I'll use them.  Immediate concern is to check to see whether it's really shorted, and to that end I read https://www.antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=145876

Hope to get out to the repair shop soon, and I'll let you know.

[Day Radebaugh]

Anyone know a source for the dark red triange indicators on the 800B knobs?  I can imagine two solutions: a) paint; b) some sort of gluey paper such as you put on shelves.

Thanks

[Robert Feenstra]

I think mine are painted on both my 800 and 16b.

[Day Radebaugh]

I believe the remaining ones on my 800B are some sort of decal or sticky paper.  I suspect that if I'm careful I can paint them back on with modelers paint.

Thanks

[Day Radebaugh]

800B Fans:

There is a remote control up on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/114324204532?ul_noapp=true

[David C. Poland]

Note - the remote keyboard is of limited use unless the receiver has the electric motor drive and associated gear set installed for the volume control.

[Day Radebaugh]

Fully agree. Looked up the information from archive on this gadget and decided it would amount to a colossal headache. What was even more amazing were the instructions about cabling a bunch of these together from different rooms with in-wall cabling. No thank you. Would be curious to know whether this was ever successfully done.