Welcome Guest! Be sure you know and follow the Phorum Rules before posting. Thank you and Enjoy! (January 12) x

Thread Closed
Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

RCA 128 back amongst the living!
#1

Hi to all,
I'm very pleased to announce that, after a lot of work, my RCA 128 is back to the land of the living! I've always loved the look of this model RCA and waited years to get one, but after working on this chassis, I'm not sure how much I like RCA's Icon_confused ! Or at least working on them Icon_crazy .
This was my first time working on a RCA radio.I don't know if this was just RCA's way of doing things or if they just had a total lack of regard for the poor service guy in the field! Recapping this set was a job!! none of the old caps, apart from a part number, had any value or working voltage marked on it! You had to check the schematic for everything, and in my Riders manual the printing was so small I had to use a magnifying glass to read it Icon_crazy !! Also, there are caps buried everywhere in this set, and getting to some was a pain in the you know what! Normally, when I do a recap I try to gut the old caps and put the new part inside the old case so it looks original, but after a couple of these I gave up and just put in the new caps as is. It was much easier to mount the smaller units in the space left by the old ones.
I will say that after all that, the set did reward me by playing beautifully pretty much right off the bat. After a long warm up on the Variac. I got some weak local stations which disappointed me a little, until I realized that I had forgotten to connect the antenna and ground wires Icon_redface ! After making the necessary hook ups the set pulls in stations loud and clear all over the dial, so I guess it was worth the effort.
So, all that's left is to align it and finish restoring the case. After this I'm going back to Philco! A model 90 to be exact Icon_thumbup !
Kevin
#2

Always feels good to get one working again.
#3

The 128 is a beautiful set. Glad you got yours going Icon_smile




Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)
[-]
Recent Posts
Gloritone 27 Radio
I have a model 27 that someone painted the cabinet brown. I've been trying to sell it for awhile but the cabinet paint m...Jim Dutridge — 02:30 PM
Restoring Philco 96
Joseph Yeah. The situaction is complicated by me living with my family in NJ while mom is in FL. Were it not for my ...morzh — 10:55 AM
Restoring Philco 96
Best of wishes for your mother. I hope she recovers well. My mother struggles with sciatic pain as well, so I am familia...jrblasde — 10:41 AM
Restoring Philco 96
Well, because I am away, I cannot check it. Hope mom becomes better enough for me to get back. I think I will be here f...morzh — 10:27 AM
Restoring Philco 96
Nice find! I hope it completes your console.jrblasde — 08:45 AM
Gloritone 27 Radio
Hello john, That, is the first time I have have seen or heard of that brand and model. Welcome to the party !! Sincer...radiorich — 08:08 AM
370 Norman Bel Geddes trim pieces
Thank you! I’ll probably use the half-round molding and tone it to match the original. Thanks for the replies!Max T — 06:34 AM
Gloritone 27 Radio
I'm kind of late to this thread, but Buzz1151 has a 3 part restore series on the model 27: A little bit of extra t...Eliot Ness — 05:48 AM
370 Norman Bel Geddes trim pieces
You can get half-round moulding in various diameters at any home improvement store. That way the flat edge is uniform. ...GarySP — 12:03 AM
42-345 Resistors
Great comments. I have a tinkering bench at my office, and that's where Little Phil is right now. I will have to comb ...proftrussell — 11:12 PM

[-]
Who's Online
There are currently 1531 online users. [Complete List]
» 2 Member(s) | 1529 Guest(s)
AvatarAvatar

>