Phonoland

I have always played around with older electronics, and have some knowledge about them. I picked up an old westinghouse radio but can not figure out why i am not getting any power? I have Checked the power cord and taken it apart but can find no reason why I am not getting any power AT ALL? Not even a glow from a single tube? Any Ideas?

Note that if the set does not have a power transformer (only one transformer - the output transformer - on the chassis), it means that THE METAL CHASSIS IS CONNECTED TO ONE SIDE OF THE POWER CORD. Contract with the chassis can cause electrocution if you are grounded. This is called a hot chassis set.

How to tell a hot chassis set:

- Hot-chassis sets have some tubes with high first numbers, such as 50C5, 35C5, 35W4. The tube voltages add up to near 120 volts, with the series dropping resistor abs=orbing the rest..

- All tubes in transformer-supply radios begin with low numbers, such as 6L6, 12J6, 6U5. The tubes all have the same filament voltage. 6 and 12 volt tubes are sometimes mixed, because many 12 volt tubes have center-tapped filaments that can use 6 volts.

Check the following:

- EVERY tube in a hot chassis set. The tube filaments are connected in series. It takes only one burned out tube filament to keep the rest of the tubes from lighting (just like the cheap Christmas light strings).

- Power switch (on volume control). Those do fail after a while. Some sets have it on the tone control.

- Fuse.

- Safety interlock. This shuts off power if the case is open.

- Series dropping resistor (in hot-chassis set). Some of these were made to also fail as a fuse if the current got too high. Caution: Gets very HOT when running.

- Power transformer (in transformer supply set)