We've came a long way with inverters

[dlgoff]

While looking into the early electrolytic rectifiers inspired by tiny-tims post in the "Question about polarized capacitors" thread, I got to thinking about these mechanical vibrators used in early auto radios for generating a.c.

http://www.redwoodradio.com/images/Radio_Vib_400.jpg

I bet there are a few old members here that remember them?

 

[Bobbywhy]

I have replaced many of them in car radios. I noticed that the "vibrator" pictured operates on 6 Volts! That's really an ancient relic... a museum piece!

 

[jim hardy]

"I bet there are a few old members here that remember them?"

takes me right back to my '49 Buick Roadmaster...
push-pull 6V6's and a Jensen speaker in rear deck.
WVCG was local classical music station..

 

[Averagesupernova]

They were not only used in car radios they were used in large console radios as well. Back in the day a lot of places did not have comercial power available so radios were manufactured to run on batteries. They used tubes that had a 1 volt filament or very close to this, all in series. I have one, it works other than having a bad audio output transformer. Of course this was after cleaning up the points in the vibrator. THE hardest metal I have ever run a file across.

 

[dlgoff]

I have replaced many of them in car radios. I noticed that the "vibrator" pictured operates on 6 Volts! That's really an ancient relic... a museum piece!

We both are probably museum pieces.

"I bet there are a few old members here that remember them?"

takes me right back to my '49 Buick Roadmaster...
push-pull 6V6's and a Jensen speaker in rear deck.
WVCG was local classical music station..

Ah. The 6V6. Makes me want to touch B+.

They were not only used in car radios they were used in large console radios as well. Back in the day a lot of places did not have comercial power available so radios were manufactured to run on batteries. They used tubes that had a 1 volt filament or very close to this, all in series. I have one, it works other than having a bad audio output transformer. Of course this was after cleaning up the points in the vibrator. THE hardest metal I have ever run a file across.

I guess I don't remember seeing any of these.

 

[Averagesupernova]

I guess I don't remember seeing any of these.

See? You aren't that old. Haha.

 

[jim hardy]

i have a couple battery sets in barn, they use #30 tube with a "B" battery

bad audio output transformer..

Hammond still makes a nice line of tube output transformers...
http://www.hammondmfg.com/5caud.htm

 

[dlgoff]

I remember my parents having a battery operated "portable" tube radio. If I remember correctly, it used a 96 volt battery. I was very young and don't remember hearing a vibrator.

 

[Averagesupernova]

Thanks for the link Jim. I am familiar with Hammond because of their enclosures but until now the output transformer had been low enough on the priority list so I had not really given it a thought. But it was nice to have been given a reminder.

 

[cmb]

Rotary converters still have their place in the scope of inverter technology. Benefits include buffering of input power and pure sinusoid output. These were amongst the very first AC-DC/DC-AC converter devices.

 

[jim hardy]

Rotary converters still have their place in the scope of inverter technology. Benefits include buffering of input power and pure sinusoid output. These were amongst the very first AC-DC/DC-AC converter devices.

indeed, and their overload characteristics for fault clearing are better. We used one with a half ton flywheel for "ride through"

 

[NascentOxygen]

I remember my parents having a battery operated "portable" tube radio. If I remember correctly, it used a 96 volt battery. I was very young and don't remember hearing a vibrator.

It probably used two batteries, the high voltage one and a low voltage low impedance battery for the filaments. Maybe it clipped to a car battery for a longer life?

The vibrator allowed a car battery to operate a valve radio, by chopping the DC and feeding it through a transformer. Vibrators are wasteful.

 

[turbo]

They were not only used in car radios they were used in large console radios as well. Back in the day a lot of places did not have comercial power available so radios were manufactured to run on batteries. They used tubes that had a 1 volt filament or very close to this, all in series. I have one, it works other than having a bad audio output transformer. Of course this was after cleaning up the points in the vibrator. THE hardest metal I have ever run a file across.

My father's cars (yes, starting back in the 50s) had 6v6 output tubes for a long time. DELCO made a lot of car radios. It took a while to get them warmed up, but they were quite reliable and durable. I used to try to repair and restore smaller guitar amps when I was a kid (HS-age) and I certainly wasn't above going through the local car bone-yards to scavenge tubes!