1929 Majestic Model 90-B.....How?

[Cruiseomatic]

Is there something like a sams for these like Televisions?
This thing has blocks of tar in it and I'd really like to restore it. It still works like it is, Matter of fact its running now and just going right along. But IT is 80 years old, The caps and so forth were not built to last this long. Only thing that bugs me is the constant static in the audio when its on a station. If its not on a station it is dead quiet. At full volume she does Oscillate. Found that one out by accident.
Anyone have some Ideas? I also have a '59 Buick radio I'd love to get going again.

Thanks.

BTW,I'm shooting for a day next week I will get the Hoffman back....But don't know if it can still be fired up. We do know that it will not have a picture for a while. (Bad pic tube).

[Adam]

For the older stuff there's the Riders manuals and the Beitmans manuals. The Riders has pretty much every radio (and even a few of the pre-war tvs) like the Sams, but doesn't give nearly the same amount of extra info along with the schematics like parts lists, voltage tables, pictures of the chassis, etc... The Beitmans doesn't have every set, but tends to give more of those extras like the Sams does. The Riders come in large black binders (never seen them in separate folders), Beitmans are bound paper-back books.

I have an Atwater Kent with those tar filled boxes, I had made up my mind to clean them out and restuff them, but the chassis just keeps sitting in the corner. I thinking I should just pull them off and put terminal strips down there if I ever want to get it working, otherwise I'll probably keep putting it off.

I have a 57 Buick radio with the power tuning sitting in a box up in the attic...

Majestic 90B is in the first Beitmans (1926-38), it's just one page, if you want I'll scan it. I don't have the very early Riders so I don't know if they have it or not.

[jeyurkon]

The Riders for it is posted at
http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/018/M0040018.htm

I have the factory service manual for the 90. If you want I can scan it. Send me a PM with your email address if you do want it. I probably won't be able to get to it until sometime next week.

John

[jeyurkon]

Well, my plans changed so I had time to scan it tonight. I used too high a resolution though so it ended up at 30megs. It can be downloaded from:

https://www.msu.edu/~yurkon/Documents/Majestic90.pdf

I'm not going to leave it there indefinitely so if anyone wants it they should copy it soon. I'll delete it sometime after Cruiseomatic downloads it.

John

[Cruiseomatic]

Thanks John. I got it. Looks great,I like how they added repair notes in it.

[7"estatdef]

Seems like I remember that the power resistors in the p/s are often bad in those sets
Terry

[Reece]

Those old paper filter caps in late '20's early '30's radios are often OK. Cheap electrolytics came along just a bit later. If it works without hum you can leave them in. I think maybe I'd put a fuse in the centertap lead from the HV winding of the transformer. If you decide to go electrolytic, just cut the wires to the old caps and install the new little caps under the chassis. You can go a bit larger on the new caps: for example if the old ones are 4 or 5 or 8 mfd you can go 10.

Not sure if on this radio or is it Spartons, where the power supply chassis and maybe the speaker and main chassis are NOT screwed into the cabinet and just slide around inside so have to be careful moving them?

[jeyurkon]

At least on my Majestic 71 the power-supply isn't fastened in place. Everything else is.

Also, the design of its power supply is similar to the model 90 and other models of the same period. When I purchsed mine, the capacitor block had been tossed out and replaced with electrolytics. I've created a new one with PP caps that I will install when I rewire the set. They used THHN 16 gauge wire to replace the harness. It doesn't look too bad, but it's stiff as a crowbar.

The set also smells like burning tar and is stained where tar had spilled into it. The transformer had been cut open to repair it. It looks like the capacitor block had probably shorted causing the transformer to overheat.

If you don't rebuild the capacitor block, I would definitely fuse the transformer.

John

[Cruiseomatic]

On the lower freqs it sounds like a new radio, The higher you go however more noise is introduced. I do plan on a complete re-cap and restore.

[jeyurkon]

Originally Posted by Cruiseomatic

On the lower freqs it sounds like a new radio, The higher you go however more noise is introduced. I do plan on a complete re-cap and restore.

That might not improve with recapping. What are you using for an antenna? Did you adjust the selectivity control as you tuned? Reece is probably right about this vintage of paper caps. I've never tested mine. The power supplies for the Majestics though seem to be harder to find than the chassis. I'd want to protect it as best I could.

John

[Cruiseomatic]

Using a copper wire strung along the cabinet. I've adjusted the selectivity control to its highest. The power supply and chassis is all one piece. Just the chassis and speaker is bolted to the cabinet.

[jeyurkon]

Originally Posted by Cruiseomatic

Using a copper wire strung along the cabinet. I've adjusted the selectivity control to its highest. The power supply and chassis is all one piece. Just the chassis and speaker is bolted to the cabinet.

Did I give you the wrong manual? It shows the power supply as a seperate unit.

They usually require a longwire antenna and a good ground. But having said that, I've been using a bedspring until I route my antenna to my 71.

John

[Reece]

John's right, radios of that era were intended for outdoor long wire antennas and a ground connection. That being said, twenty feet of any insulated wire draped around the room (not bunched up at the radio) should work pretty well.