New to the Group.

[Brittex]

Hello My name is Martin, and have been the proud owner of this Cape Hart model 35P7 for 33 years, now I'm retired, I'm looking to renovate it, but cannot find any information, manuals or such about this model , can any of you enthusiasts help me out please?

Look forward to speaking with you soon.

Best Regards
Martin

[electra225]

Welcome to the forum, Martin! We are glad you found us and joined. Thanks for the pictures. We all like pictures. We have lots of helpful folks on here, always willing to share your projects and share their considerable knowledge. We hope you will feel at home and will join us on the forum often.

[Hi-Fi-Mogul]

Welcome on board CHFC, Martin.

I have a 1954 Capehart Farnsworth also with PP 6V6
type circuit.

It sounds great, and so will yours !

[TC Chris]

The tube complement for the device is available here:

http://www.nostalgiaair.org/PagesByMode ... 005802.pdf

But you've already got that on your label.

Does the record changer have a magnetic cartridge, or is it one of the Zenith Radionic systems?

Chris Campbell

[TC Chris]

Found a schematic and alignment info here :

https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archi ... 49-DEF.pdf

Scroll down just past halfway, looking for the "P7" chassis info.

Earlier in the link there's a discussion of modification of an older version to allow use of a preamp and variable-reluctance cartridge with the P-71 changer, which yours seems to have. The VR cart. is the GE device that was famous in its time, when most phonos used crummy crystal cartridges.

Chris Campbell

[William]

Welcome, Martin, and that is a good looking Capehart. it is hard to tell from the photo, is the changer only 78? Like Chris discovered, most Capeharts of that Era used the GE VR cartridge which us good. The earlier crystal cartridges would belong gone by now.

Bill

[William]

Martin. Here's a link that I stumbled upon years ago that talks about Capehart history. You may have already seen this, but I thought I would share just in case you had not seen it. You "P" series Capehart appears to be from 1948-1950.

http://myvintagetv.com/updatepages1/cap ... pehart.htm

Bill

[Brittex]

Thank you so much Chris, with regard to your earlier question, i do not know how to answer that for you, as I'm just starting on the journey of getting to know more about the Capehart, I have kept her safe and enjoyed looking at her for the years, knowing that i would eventually start a renovation, the record player is completely inoperative, and will need to be inspected, the Radio did work when i got her 33 years ago, but have not plugged it in, or switched on since then, need to make inspections and tests etc before I ever do that again.
I do appreciate the link, thank you so much!!

Found a schematic and alignment info here :

https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archi ... 49-DEF.pdf

Scroll down just past halfway, looking for the "P7" chassis info.

Earlier in the link there's a discussion of modification of an older version to allow use of a preamp and variable-reluctance cartridge with the P-71 changer, which yours seems to have. The VR cart. is the GE device that was famous in its time, when most phonos used crummy crystal cartridges.

Chris Campbell

[Brittex]

Hi Bill

The record player will only play 78's, it dos not work...but im looking to change that when i can get some manuals on it.

Regards

Martin

Welcome, Martin, and that is a good looking Capehart. it is hard to tell from the photo, is the changer only 78? Like Chris discovered, most Capeharts of that Era used the GE VR cartridge which us good. The earlier crystal cartridges would belong gone by now.

Bill

[Brittex]

Hello HI-Fi-Mogul

When I 1st got her, I swithed her on, and the Deep Rich amazing sound it made from the radio was just stunning, and cannot wait to hear it again.
I just want you to know that Im unable to respond to your PV message, as it tells me I'm to new to the group to do that, but would love to find another way to speak with you.

Welcome on board CHFC, Martin.

I have a 1954 Capehart Farnsworth also with PP 6V6
type circuit.

It sounds great, and so will yours !

[electra225]

You should be able to use the Private Message feature when you have posted three moderator-approved posts, which you have. If you continue to have trouble with PM's, let me know.

[Brittex]

Thank you!

You should be able to use the Private Message feature when you have posted three moderator-approved posts, which you have. If you continue to have trouble with PM's, let me know.

[stbasil]

Welcome, Martin!
Well hopefully you don't have a crystal cartridge like I had in my Olympic; switching to a ceramic and having to make so many changes to reduce the tone arm tracking pressure and make the trip mechanism work with it was a real challenge! That's a unique changer, it'll be fun to see it in action!

[Brittex]

Welcome, Martin!
Well hopefully you don't have a crystal cartridge like I had in my Olympic; switching to a ceramic and having to make so many changes to reduce the tone arm tracking pressure and make the trip mechanism work with it was a real challenge! That's a unique changer, it'll be fun to see it in action!

Stbasil
Thank you for the Note, I'm not sure what I have at this moment, but based on your experience with your turntable, I'm hoping for the best too. I'm searching for manuals at the moment, so I can begin the renovation process.

[William]

I am looking forward to seeing bottom side of the changer, curious to see how Capehart did the mechanic's on their changer.

Bill

[TC Chris]

You haven't told us how much electronics experience you have, in general or with old electronics, so I'll add a caution that might not be necessary for you, just in case.

The most important replacement item before powering up is the power supply filter capacitors. On yours, it looks like they are all in one can at the right front corner of the chassis. These are most prone to age-related degradation, and if they short-circuit, they will burn up the power transformer, which is very expensive to replace. Sometimes they don't fail and will still function, but then the question is how long. Modern replacements are so cheap relative to the risk that most people just replace them right away.

The there are the various paper-dielectric tubular capacitors, usually tubular yellow-tan devices, and especially the coupling capacitors for the audio output tubes. As these fail they can affect the grid bias on the tubes and they can over-conduct, causing the plates of the tubes to glow red and eventually self-destruct. Again, these are cheap and modern versions are durable, so why not avoid the risk of disaster and at the same time improve the performance of your cool radio?

Maybe you know all this,and if so, ignore it. If not, remember that the only dumb question is the one you were afraid to ask. I'm an old guy and have finally stopped worrying about sounding stupid, having done it so often.

Chris Campbell

[Brittex]

I am looking forward to seeing bottom side of the changer, curious to see how Capehart did the mechanic's on their changer.

Bill

Hi Bill

As soon as i get started on 35P7 ill be sure too get you detailed pictures....I might need your help!

[Brittex]

You haven't told us how much electronics experience you have, in general or with old electronics, so I'll add a caution that might not be necessary for you, just in case.

The most important replacement item before powering up is the power supply filter capacitors. On yours, it looks like they are all in one can at the right front corner of the chassis. These are most prone to age-related degradation, and if they short-circuit, they will burn up the power transformer, which is very expensive to replace. Sometimes they don't fail and will still function, but then the question is how long. Modern replacements are so cheap relative to the risk that most people just replace them right away.

The there are the various paper-dielectric tubular capacitors, usually tubular yellow-tan devices, and especially the coupling capacitors for the audio output tubes. As these fail they can affect the grid bias on the tubes and they can over-conduct, causing the plates of the tubes to glow red and eventually self-destruct. Again, these are cheap and modern versions are durable, so why not avoid the risk of disaster and at the same time improve the performance of your cool radio?

Maybe you know all this,and if so, ignore it. If not, remember that the only dumb question is the one you were afraid to ask. I'm an old guy and have finally stopped worrying about sounding stupid, having done it so often.

Chris

You are correct, I have limited knowledge on electronics, my back ground as a Mechanical Engineer did not get me into this field much, and always had experts at hand too rely on.
So the information you have shared with me, is the most valuable knowledge i have learned so far about 35P7 , Thank you!
PS I see you are in traverse city, we have family living there.

Chris Campbell

[TC Chris]

You are correct, I have limited knowledge on electronics, my back ground as a Mechanical Engineer did not get me into this field much, and always had experts at hand too rely on.

As an engineer, you're starting a number ahead of steps ahead of me (history major). You'll be able to manipulate Ohm's Law easily while people like me have the pencil and paper out and worry about where the decimal point goes. But my advice was aimed at what's suggested by the medical mantra, "First, do no harm." I've been collecting old radios since I was a kid and my practice back then was to plug in the new acquisition to see if it worked. But back then both I and the old radios were a lot younger and the capacitors were much less likely to fail in spectacular fashion.

So most of us in this group make a big deal about not plugging in without using a dim-bulb tester or a "Kill-A-Watt" device. A dim-bulb tester is nothing more than an incandescent light bulb wired in series with the device under test. By varying the wattage of the bulb, you can vary the series resistance and the voltage drop. The device under test sees a lower voltage. When I'm nervous, I start with a low-wattage bulb (higher resistance when lighted) and then move upward in wattage, allowing higher voltages to the radio. With luck, by the time the series bulb is 100 watts, the radio is seeing enough voltage for the tubes to conduct and some sound to emerge. The bulb will start bright for just a moment (filter capacitors charge up and tube filaments start cold at low resistance) then go dim--if all is well. If it stays bright, there's a short in the radio.

Chris Campbell

[Brittex]

You are correct, I have limited knowledge on electronics, my back ground as a Mechanical Engineer did not get me into this field much, and always had experts at hand too rely on.

As an engineer, you're starting a number ahead of steps ahead of me (history major). You'll be able to manipulate Ohm's Law easily while people like me have the pencil and paper out and worry about where the decimal point goes. But my advice was aimed at what's suggested by the medical mantra, "First, do no harm." I've been collecting old radios since I was a kid and my practice back then was to plug in the new acquisition to see if it worked. But back then both I and the old radios were a lot younger and the capacitors were much less likely to fail in spectacular fashion.

So most of us in this group make a big deal about not plugging in without using a dim-bulb tester or a "Kill-A-Watt" device. A dim-bulb tester is nothing more than an incandescent light bulb wired in series with the device under test. By varying the wattage of the bulb, you can vary the series resistance and the voltage drop. The device under test sees a lower voltage. When I'm nervous, I start with a low-wattage bulb (higher resistance when lighted) and then move upward in wattage, allowing higher voltages to the radio. With luck, by the time the series bulb is 100 watts, the radio is seeing enough voltage for the tubes to conduct and some sound to emerge. The bulb will start bright for just a moment (filter capacitors charge up and tube filaments start cold at low resistance) then go dim--if all is well. If it stays bright, there's a short in the radio.

Chris Campbell

Thank you Chris! More excellent information shared..I will need to find more information on this technique so i can understand it more, then replicate as you described.

Regards

Martin