We've came a long way with inverters

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the historical use and technology of vibrators in early car radios and battery-operated tube radios. Participants share personal anecdotes, technical details, and reflections on the evolution of inverter technology, particularly in relation to rotary converters and their applications.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants reminisce about the use of mechanical vibrators in early car radios, noting their operation on 6 volts and their status as relics of the past.
  • Others share personal memories of using or repairing these devices, highlighting their experiences with specific models and components, such as the 6V6 tubes and audio output transformers.
  • A participant mentions the use of rotary converters in inverter technology, discussing their benefits, including input power buffering and pure sinusoid output.
  • There are mentions of the inefficiency of vibrators, with one participant noting that they are wasteful in operation.
  • Some participants express uncertainty about the specifics of battery configurations used in older radios, suggesting that multiple batteries may have been employed for different voltage requirements.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally share a nostalgic view of the technology discussed, but there are varying levels of familiarity and experience with specific devices. The discussion includes both agreement on the historical significance of vibrators and differing opinions on their efficiency and application in modern contexts.

Contextual Notes

Some claims about the operation and efficiency of vibrators remain unresolved, with participants expressing differing levels of knowledge and experience. The discussion does not reach a consensus on the best practices for using or replacing these components.

dlgoff
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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?
 
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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!
 
"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..
 
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.
 
Bobbywhy said:
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. :devil:

jim hardy said:
"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+.

Averagesupernova said:
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. :cool:
 
dlgoff said:
I guess I don't remember seeing any of these. :cool:

See? You aren't that old. Haha.
 
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
 
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.
 
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.
 
  • #10
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.
 
  • #11
cmb said:
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"
 
  • #12
dlgoff said:
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.
 
  • #13
Averagesupernova said:
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!
 

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