Looking for Info and Current Source of Antiquated Radio Battery
Michael J. Hall
like it's from the late 40's or early 50's. Anyway, the insert inside
the radio calls for a strange battery--something that appears to be an
early relative of the 9V transistor cell. I believe it would give out
about 12V and have similar terminal posts like on a 9V, except one would
be at the top of the battery, and the other would be at the bottom.
Also the terminals would be slightly larger than the modern 9v's is.
The battery might also be round instead of the rectangular 9V shape.
Anyway, RAYOVAC made one at one time, called a RAYOVAC 1600 type.
Eveready also made one, called an Eveready 226. This is how the insert
inside the radio described the replacement, by number type. I've tried
just using a modern 9V battery, but sure enough, the radio plays weak
like it needs alittle more juice. Some of the electronics in the old
radio have 12V on them, indicating a 12 volt power supply.
Anyone have any info on this battery type and where I can get one today?
I've written to RAYOVAC and Eveready and am also awaiting a reply from them
if they have records on file to help me with this. In the mean time,
any help from anyone out there in netland would be appreciated.
You may email me, if you wish. Please send to my acct at
m...@natinst.com or post here. Thanks!
Mike
Dave Turner
>Recently I have obtained an old transistor radio (Westinghouse). It looks
>like it's from the late 40's or early 50's. Anyway, the insert inside
Probably between 1956 and 1958.
>the radio calls for a strange battery--something that appears to be an
>Anyway, RAYOVAC made one at one time, called a RAYOVAC 1600 type.
>Eveready also made one, called an Eveready 226. This is how the insert
>
I once built (1956) a transistor radio that used this batttery.
It was the only small 9 volt battery I could find at the time.
A recent Newark catalog shows that Eveready still makes the 226.
It is listed as being equivalent to the NEDA No. 1600.
It is 9 volts. Dimensions are 1 inch by 1 15/16 inches.
It list for $14.30!
--
Dave Turner (510) 823-2001 {att,bellcore,sun,ames,decwrl}!pacbell!dmturne
Michael A. Covington
>Anyway, RAYOVAC made one at one time, called a RAYOVAC 1600 type.
>Eveready also made one, called an Eveready 226. This is how the insert
>inside the radio described the replacement, by number type.
According to the 1965 Allied Radio catalog, the Eveready 226 is a
9-volt battery, equivalent to NEDA 1600, RCA VS300, Burgess P6.
As of 1987, it's still available, but a modern alkaline 9-volt battery
of smaller size probably has more capacity because of improvements in
technology.
I've tried
>just using a modern 9V battery, but sure enough, the radio plays weak
>like it needs alittle more juice. Some of the electronics in the old
>radio have 12V on them, indicating a 12 volt power supply.
The voltages on capacitors are the maximum, not the normal working
voltage.
By the way, old electrolytic capacitors often turn out to have deteriorated
over the years.
--
==========================================================================
Michael A. Covington, Ph.D. | mcov...@uga.cc.uga.edu | ham radio N4TMI
Artificial Intelligence Programs | U of Georgia | Athens, GA 30602 U.S.A.
==========================================================================
Phil OKunewick
>>Anyway, RAYOVAC made one at one time, called a RAYOVAC 1600 type.
>>Eveready also made one, called an Eveready 226. This is how the insert
>
>It is listed as being equivalent to the NEDA No. 1600.
>
A small warning on odd batteries:
Some of these can sit on shelves for years before somebody buys
them. If you can obtain the correct battery, there is a possibility
that you will get one that has out-sat most of it's useful life.
Best bet is to adapt a modern battery to fit, if you can. It'll be
a lot cheaper. The low volume may indicate another problem with the
set - try wiggling all the tubes in their sockets, to make sure some
connection didn't get corroded over time.
--
#exclude <"~me/.sig">
John Turman
If I recall correctly Shockley (sp) won his Nobel Prize for discovery of
the transistor effect in 1957 so I don't think your transistor radio is
of late 40's early 50's vintage. Maybe late 50's early 60's. As for the
battery of which you speak I think it was actually a combination of B
size cells (qty 6) to give 9 volts. As to the 12V rating on capacitors
etc. it was common practice then to overbuild electronic components to
make them last longer :~) The reason the 9V battery you used caused a
low volume signal is because it does not have a sufficient current
capacity to drive the inefficient components in this radio. You need a
higher current output. I would use 6 D cells if I were you. That should
provide plenty of power for your radio.
John
--
The opinions expressed here are sole property of the author and are not
the opinions of Make Systems or any other entity. What a shame.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
John "Dolphinatic" Turman
Phil OKunewick
>m...@cs.utexas.edu (Michael J. Hall) writes:
>>Recently I have obtained an old transistor radio (Westinghouse). It looks
>>like it's from the late 40's or early 50's.
>
>the transistor effect in 1957 so I don't think your transistor radio is
>of late 40's early 50's vintage.
This would either make it a small portable radio that actually runs
on vacuum tubes, or it would place it in the 60's. But it didn't take
too long for efficient pocket transistor radios to come out. If this
is an early-model transistor radio, you may have a real classic there.
>As for the
>battery of which you speak I think it was actually a combination of B
>size cells (qty 6) to give 9 volts.
In the mid 70's, I serviced a number of older portable radios for
people on my paper route. These normally had two types of batteries
in them: A bank of four to six 1.5 volt "B" batteries to run the
vacuum tube filaments, and one or two higher voltage batteries (9 to
15 volts or so) to power the electronic signal. The higher voltage
batteries were much bigger than the modern 9-volt cell.
Modern D cells make an acceptable substitution for the B batteries.
>As to the 12V rating on capacitors
>etc. it was common practice then to overbuild electronic components to
>make them last longer :~)
It still is. When you build something, if you don't overrate
components by at least 25%, you're a bloody fool. I prefer 50% to
100% overrating.
>The reason the 9V battery you used caused a
>low volume signal is because it does not have a sufficient current
>capacity to drive the inefficient components in this radio. You need a
>higher current output. I would use 6 D cells if I were you. That should
>provide plenty of power for your radio.
If you suspect the modern 9-volt battery isn't producing enough
current, you can easily verify this with a meter. With the radio
playing, measure the voltage at the battery contacts. If it's still
at least 8 volts, this is not your problem. (Modern 9-volt
alkalines produce a pretty good whallop.)
A shorted capacitor will also cause battery voltage to drop. Old
cardboard-tube capacitors have a nasty habit of drying out and
shorting. These were used up into the '60's, when aluminum cans with
shrink-wrap plastic labels replaced them. Aluminum can capacitors can
dry out too, if the rubber plug deteriorates.
One last note: DO NOT leave the batteries in the radio. You will
likely put this radio on a shelf, forget about it, and 5 to 10 years
from now you will open it and find a corroded mess. Instead, store
the batteries in a zip-loc baggie next to the radio.
--
#exclude <"~me/.sig">
Chuck Harris - WA3UQV
>Recently I have obtained an old transistor radio (Westinghouse). It looks
>Anyway, RAYOVAC made one at one time, called a RAYOVAC 1600 type.
>Eveready also made one, called an Eveready 226. This is how the insert
The NEMA 1600 and the EVEREADY 226 are 9V transistor batteries. They are
available from ALLIED Electronics SN 729-6032. Cost is $6.20. Allied's
Phone Number is: 1-800-433-5700
Chuck Harris - WA3UQV
ch...@eng.umd.edu
Kelly Gray
>Recently I have obtained an old transistor radio (Westinghouse). It looks
>like it's from the late 40's or early 50's. Anyway, the insert inside
>the radio calls for a strange battery--something that appears to be an
>early relative of the 9V transistor cell. I believe it would give out
>about 12V and have similar terminal posts like on a 9V, except one would
>be at the top of the battery, and the other would be at the bottom.
>Also the terminals would be slightly larger than the modern 9v's is.
>The battery might also be round instead of the rectangular 9V shape.
>Anyway, RAYOVAC made one at one time, called a RAYOVAC 1600 type.
>Eveready also made one, called an Eveready 226. This is how the insert
>inside the radio described the replacement, by number type. I've tried
>just using a modern 9V battery, but sure enough, the radio plays weak
>like it needs alittle more juice. Some of the electronics in the old
>radio have 12V on them, indicating a 12 volt power supply.
>
>Anyone have any info on this battery type and where I can get one today?
>I've written to RAYOVAC and Eveready and am also awaiting a reply from them
>if they have records on file to help me with this. In the mean time,
>any help from anyone out there in netland would be appreciated.
>You may email me, if you wish. Please send to my acct at
>m...@natinst.com or post here. Thanks!
>
>Mike
>
Looking in a catalog from a local electronics supplier, I found the
Eveready 226 battery listed as still being sold. The battery puts out
9V, and is equivalent to M1600, 1600, and P6 type batteries. You should
have no great problem getting one from any electronics supply house that
carries the full line of Eveready carbon-zinc batteries.
<o_o>
Kelly Gray (Gr...@feline.uucp)
Benjamin Ketcham
>
> In article <11euqf...@cs.utexas.edu> m...@cs.utexas.edu (Michael J. Hall) writes:
> >Recently I have obtained an old transistor radio (Westinghouse). It looks
> >like it's from the late 40's or early 50's. Anyway, the insert inside
> >the radio calls for a strange battery--something that appears to be an
> >early relative of the 9V transistor cell. I believe it would give out
> >about 12V and have similar terminal posts like on a 9V, except one would
> >be at the top of the battery, and the other would be at the bottom.
> >Also the terminals would be slightly larger than the modern 9v's is.
> >The battery might also be round instead of the rectangular 9V shape.
> >Anyway, RAYOVAC made one at one time, called a RAYOVAC 1600 type.
> >Eveready also made one, called an Eveready 226. This is how the insert
> >inside the radio described the replacement, by number type. I've tried
> >just using a modern 9V battery, but sure enough, the radio plays weak
> >like it needs alittle more juice. Some of the electronics in the old
> >radio have 12V on them, indicating a 12 volt power supply.
> >
> >Anyone have any info on this battery type and where I can get one today?
> >I've written to RAYOVAC and Eveready and am also awaiting a reply from them
> >if they have records on file to help me with this. In the mean time,
> >any help from anyone out there in netland would be appreciated.
> >You may email me, if you wish. Please send to my acct at
> >m...@natinst.com or post here. Thanks!
> >
> >Mike
> >
>
Without criticizing the possibly valid reasons you might have for
wanting to restore an old transistor radio, let me warn you of two
things, hopefully before you blow the poor thing up: (a) the rating
on electrolytic caps is the MAX, not a recommended working voltage.
If the caps are rated for 12v, it's certainly not designed to run
on 12v! Probably 9v, even 6v (that's how I'd personally choose to
overrate caps to insure long life). (b) The caps in old radios tend
to be paper or other relatively short-lived types. The chances are
that any original caps in a radio of that age are dead or at least
very far from the original values. The best bet is to replace them
with modern ones, but at the very least, don't hasten their deaths
by blasting them with the absolute max voltage for which they were
rated so many years ago.
--ben
le...@levy.fnal.gov
probably didn't have enough 'juice.' I remember the batteries you spoke of,
and they had a much higer current capacity then the measly 9v batteries do.
You might try several C size batteries in series, start with 4 for 6v, and add
2 more if the sound is still weak. Don't go above 9v, the previous poster's
comments about caps is quite true!
================================================================================
[ Mark E. Levy, Fermilab | ]
[ BitNet: LEVY@FNAL | Unix is to computing ]
[ Internet: LE...@FNALD.FNAL.GOV | as an Etch-a-Sketch is to art. ]
[ HEPnet/SPAN: FNALD::LEVY (VMS!) | ]
================================================================================
John F. Woods
>> In article <11euqf...@cs.utexas.edu> m...@cs.utexas.edu (Michael J. Hall) writes:
>> >Recently I have obtained an old transistor radio (Westinghouse). It looks
>> >like it's from the late 40's or early 50's. Anyway, the insert inside
>> >the radio calls for a strange battery--something that appears to be an
>> >early relative of the 9V transistor cell. I believe it would give out
>> >about 12V and have similar terminal posts like on a 9V, except one would
>> >Anyway, RAYOVAC made one at one time, called a RAYOVAC 1600 type.
>> >Eveready also made one, called an Eveready 226.
The Eveready 226 is still (apparently) made, and is a 9V battery; 1" diam x
1 15/16" length, snap type terminals.