Perhaps after too much Christmas spirits, my bro-in-law and I decided that I'd have a stab at restoring his old Philips radio. The model number is B6X63A. It's actually a receiver I suppose - it has inputs for a tape and turntable. I had a brief look inside, and most of the valves seem to be more or less available - there are EL 84s in there for example. The exterior is not too difficult, so no issues there - he has found a similar fabric for the speaker grill somewhere online. I haven't been able to find this model on the internet yet.
Looking at the photos of the inside, there are two things that jump out. The first is the broken ferrite core in the RF section - can anyone conversant with the RF "dark arts" tell me if there is a way of sticking it back together, or does it need to be replaced? That could be a problem. Also, there may or may not be a missing valve next to the failed rectifier tube, so i need to find a circuit diagram, but I think the mounting bracket is a part used in other models too, so intentionally left blank.
I will also check all the valves (I'll ask a forum friend that has a tester), and if any are irreplaceable/not interchangeable then I won't go any further - maybe just do the cosmetics. If the valves are ok or can be replaced without too much trouble, then I guess I'll go ahead - starting with replacing all the caps and just checking all other components. It obviously needs a massive cleanup.
There are some quite cool features on this unit. In the "shield" type decoration in the fascia is some sort of indicator device - it can also be seen from the back between the two speakers. It is i think more than just an indicator light because it is packaged in a valve body and has more than two pins. Also, there is a sort of small mechanical EQ display showing the frequency response - when you turn up the bass for example the red line goes up on the left.
Any opinions on how doable this is? I've never tried anything this old. Note that I reserve the right to ignore any sensible advice.
Looking at the photos of the inside, there are two things that jump out. The first is the broken ferrite core in the RF section - can anyone conversant with the RF "dark arts" tell me if there is a way of sticking it back together, or does it need to be replaced? That could be a problem. Also, there may or may not be a missing valve next to the failed rectifier tube, so i need to find a circuit diagram, but I think the mounting bracket is a part used in other models too, so intentionally left blank.
I will also check all the valves (I'll ask a forum friend that has a tester), and if any are irreplaceable/not interchangeable then I won't go any further - maybe just do the cosmetics. If the valves are ok or can be replaced without too much trouble, then I guess I'll go ahead - starting with replacing all the caps and just checking all other components. It obviously needs a massive cleanup.
There are some quite cool features on this unit. In the "shield" type decoration in the fascia is some sort of indicator device - it can also be seen from the back between the two speakers. It is i think more than just an indicator light because it is packaged in a valve body and has more than two pins. Also, there is a sort of small mechanical EQ display showing the frequency response - when you turn up the bass for example the red line goes up on the left.
Any opinions on how doable this is? I've never tried anything this old. Note that I reserve the right to ignore any sensible advice.
