The AM Forum
March 28, 2024, 01:26:28 PM *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
 
   Home   Help Calendar Links Staff List Gallery Login Register  
Pages: [1]   Go Down
  Print  
Author Topic: W2UOL's Eldico TR-1 transmitter schematic 1949  (Read 19288 times)
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
K5UJ
Contributing
Member
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 2845



WWW
« on: July 21, 2010, 01:36:24 PM »

W2UOL, Mr. Donald Merten, located his Eldico Company in Douglaston (Queens) L.I. N.Y. in the late 1940s.  His Eldico TR1 was an open dual-chassis rig--power supply (2x866A) on one chassis; audio and RF on the other.  It was meant to be run on a table side by side out in the open  Shocked   This was shortly before TVI became a big problem for hams.  The parts are indeed of high quality from a day when nearly everything in radio was of relatively high quality, so it is nice to have the components on "display,"  such as the Raytheon filter choke in the power supply, the 866As, and the 813.  The business philosophy of Eldico seems to have been to provide hams on a limited post-WW2 budget, a means of getting on phone with a fairly powerful transmitter.   Eldico also owned another business called Surplus Radio, which may have been the source for some of the TR-1 parts such as the modulation transformer.

Modulator 2 x 811A; RF single 813 plate and screen modulated class C.   Mod iron ART13.  1.5 KV B+ modulator and RF.  This rig was sold as a kit in 1949 for $179.   Bands:  80, 40, 20, 15, 11, 10 m.   Link coupled output with B&W TVL plug-in coils and B&W butterfly air variable cap.  Eldico advertised 300 w. input on phone.   This is (to me at least) an extremely interesting design.

Copies of the manual are available from Pete WA2CWA d.b.a. manualman.com, but the manual lacks the schematic.  It turns out the schematic is a large "blueprint" style sheet measuring around 2' x 3'.

Thanks to the effort of Al W1VTP who kindly photographed his schematic and sent it as a pretty clear .jpg file, I have with his permission put this up on the web.   This is especially noteworthy since Al is in the middle of moving.  This is real AMer style support and cooperation.

John K2TQN did some contrast enhancement and sent that result to me as well.

Unfortunately the current files are difficult to print out on a regular typing paper size printer but viewing on a monitor screen is not too bad (and sure beats no schematic at all).  Al's file gives the original look which I like but in cases where higher contrast is needed John's .jpg version helps.  

I find the rig's design elegant and a possible basis for a homebrew effort if an actual TR-1 is not available.  N.B. The TR-1 is different from the 1953 TR-1TV, which used a 5-125 PA in a cabinet with a different power supply and output tank.  

This is a great supplement for the TR1 manual reproduction.  Links for the two files below:

W1VTP original:  http://home.fnal.gov/~atkinson/TR1/TR-1schematic.jpg

K2TQN contrast enhanced:  http://home.fnal.gov/~atkinson/TR1/TR-1schematic-enhanced.jpg
  
UPDATE 2011-03-11:   I have converted the schematic jpeg files to pdf:

W1VTP original:  http://home.fnal.gov/~atkinson/TR1/TR-1schematic.pdf   1.9 Mb

K2TQN contrast enhanced:  http://home.fnal.gov/~atkinson/TR1/TR-1schematic-enhanced.pdf   2.8 Mb

Photos of the rig and supply:

Rig:  http://home.fnal.gov/~atkinson/TR1/TR-1rf.jpg

        http://home.fnal.gov/~atkinson/TR1/TR-1rf2.jpg

p.s.:  http://home.fnal.gov/~atkinson/TR1/TR-1ps.jpg

Logged

"Not taking crap or giving it is a pretty good lifestyle."--Frank
Pete, WA2CWA
Moderator
Member

Offline Offline

Posts: 8154


CQ CQ CONTEST


WWW
« Reply #1 on: July 21, 2010, 04:23:01 PM »

One way of getting a reasonably good reproduction is to have the drawing scanned on a large format copier. With some minor intensity and brightness adjustment, you can generally eliminate those darkened fold lines. Also, because acetate type paper turns brown with age, you can also reverse image the entire scan. i.e. All the lines and print are a shade of white and the background is shades of black depending on the degree of paper aging. You also don't want the scan to be extremely high quality (probably no more then 200 dpi or less) because then all the paper imperfections and background will be visible.

I was able to print it on 11X17 sheet paper. A print is on the way to you since your other stuff went out yesterday.
Logged

Pete, WA2CWA - "A Cluttered Desk is a Sign of Genius"
W2PFY
Contributing
Member
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 13312



« Reply #2 on: July 21, 2010, 07:10:18 PM »

Nice transmitter. No complaints here but I tried to print the schematic  and it came out as a big smudge Cry Cry
Logged

The secrecy of my job prevents me from knowing what I am doing.
K5UJ
Contributing
Member
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 2845



WWW
« Reply #3 on: July 21, 2010, 07:22:57 PM »

Hi Terry, I think we're working on that; Al might come up with a TIFF later that I can reduce; or sections.  Not all browsers may handle the current .jpg the same way.  The ones I have used have a click-to-magnify capability that allows for a bit of on-screen zooming in.   But printing doesn't work.

Pete,  tnx vy much for the print--you da man!  Maybe I will be able to reduce it and scan it for a better image file--I don't have the original; that belongs to Al and is a near one-of-a-kind document in need of protecting.    I do not wish to impose on him any further as he is in the middle of moving.
Logged

"Not taking crap or giving it is a pretty good lifestyle."--Frank
Pete, WA2CWA
Moderator
Member

Offline Offline

Posts: 8154


CQ CQ CONTEST


WWW
« Reply #4 on: July 21, 2010, 07:46:32 PM »

Hi Terry, I think we're working on that; Al might come up with a TIFF later that I can reduce; or sections.  Not all browsers may handle the current .jpg the same way.  The ones I have used have a click-to-magnify capability that allows for a bit of on-screen zooming in.   But printing doesn't work.

Pete,  tnx vy much for the print--you da man!  Maybe I will be able to reduce it and scan it for a better image file--I don't have the original; that belongs to Al and is a near one-of-a-kind document in need of protecting.    I do not wish to impose on him any further as he is in the middle of moving.

Diddling with the existing picture probably isn't going to get you anything better. The picture image is what it is. The background and fold discolorations are there. You need to scan the original sheet and make the adjustments on the scanner. Large format scanner/printers can go this. If Al values the sheet, it should be scanned in the near term. Paper aging accelerates over time so the schematic sheet is only going to get worse.

As far as browsers, IE and Firefox read both files fine. However, to print, you need to diddle with your printer settings for scaling, size of paper, orientation, etc.

I've run into similar issues with very paper aged military manuals and a number of 50's and 60's documents that included large engineering type sheets (4S or 6S sheets) for their schematics and assembly drawings. The Clegg Zeus and Interceptor (the first one) schematics come to mind. Test equipment manufacturers also used these engineering type sheets back in the day. Even in the 70's, the Kenwood TS-600 6 meter transceiver's service manual used a schematic (roughly 36X36 in) that was done in the blueprint style. These blueprint type sheets were considered "wet" copies; took a short period for them to dry; each sheet had to be heated/baked before it came out of the machine and they had to use very acidic type paper for the process to work.
Logged

Pete, WA2CWA - "A Cluttered Desk is a Sign of Genius"
K5UJ
Contributing
Member
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 2845



WWW
« Reply #5 on: July 21, 2010, 08:33:57 PM »

<<and they had to use very acidic type paper for the process to work.>> 

Uh oh, well, maybe scanning it is a form of preservation.  After things settle down, maybe Al will do something.  I think he has some ability to scan big papers where he works.  I have seen those big blueprint type printers before.  I remember they involved using a big drum. 

I have some rigs with service manuals that include big foldout schematics.  I think the TS870S and 1000MP Mk V have them, or at least one of them does.  Being produced later, these are on regular paper and hopefully won't yellow and fall apart.   I doubt if anyone in 1949 thought someone 61 years later would be trying to use his rig.  If I had been at Eldico I would have never considered it and printed the schematic and manual on pulp paper.  Okay maybe not that bad but whatever was on hand.   The early Eldico ads headline the company as W2UOL's Eldico (I made a typo in the callsign at first), so I assume he was the founder but I know nothing else about him, or the company except where it was located in '49 and their early product line.  I don't even know who W2UOL was.
Logged

"Not taking crap or giving it is a pretty good lifestyle."--Frank
Pete, WA2CWA
Moderator
Member

Offline Offline

Posts: 8154


CQ CQ CONTEST


WWW
« Reply #6 on: July 21, 2010, 09:35:58 PM »

Uh oh, well, maybe scanning it is a form of preservation.  After things settle down, maybe Al will do something.  I think he has some ability to scan big papers where he works.  I have seen those big blueprint type printers before.  I remember they involved using a big drum.

Many used various sizes of drums and large rollers. Aroma around the machine and when the completed drawing came out, always had a vinegar-type smell. Florescent lights and sunlight will expedite the paper aging process.

Quote
I have some rigs with service manuals that include big foldout schematics.  I think the TS870S and 1000MP Mk V have them, or at least one of them does. 

These papers are non acidic. They generally are glossy smooth. But be aware, in high humidity, sheets sometimes tend to collect minute amounts of moisture and when they dry (humidity is removed), they sometimes tend to bond/stick together in spots. Prying them apart, sometimes can be a mess. I never use glossy type paper.
Logged

Pete, WA2CWA - "A Cluttered Desk is a Sign of Genius"
K5UJ
Contributing
Member
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 2845



WWW
« Reply #7 on: July 24, 2010, 10:44:17 PM »

Hi Pete,  the manual arrived yesterday.  Good job!  It rained cats and dogs and I was worried it would be a mess sitting outside in the rain half out of the mailbox but you put it in a plastic envelope so it was high and dry  Cool --excellent thinking!  I imagine you do not get very many requests for the TR-1 manual but as far as I can tell, you are the only one in the manual business who has it.  Thanks for hanging on to it! 

73

Rob
Logged

"Not taking crap or giving it is a pretty good lifestyle."--Frank
Pete, WA2CWA
Moderator
Member

Offline Offline

Posts: 8154


CQ CQ CONTEST


WWW
« Reply #8 on: July 24, 2010, 11:09:20 PM »

After seeing how the postal people deliver door to door mail in the rain years ago (umbrellas and any type of covering for the mail seem to be non-existent for them around here), I invested in a large quantity of 2 mil plastic bags. The copy of your jpeg schematic left here Thursday.
Logged

Pete, WA2CWA - "A Cluttered Desk is a Sign of Genius"
K5UJ
Contributing
Member
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 2845



WWW
« Reply #9 on: July 26, 2010, 09:51:32 PM »

After seeing how the postal people deliver door to door mail in the rain years ago (umbrellas and any type of covering for the mail seem to be non-existent for them around here), I invested in a large quantity of 2 mil plastic bags. The copy of your jpeg schematic left here Thursday.

Yes, I got the schematic today!  That was excellent service and it is fantastic to have a paper schematic now so I can see the whole thing at one time.  You didn't have to take that time, trouble and expense Pete since it was not part of the deal so I really appreciate it.  I will have to get you something next year at Dayton.
Logged

"Not taking crap or giving it is a pretty good lifestyle."--Frank
Pages: [1]   Go Up
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

AMfone - Dedicated to Amplitude Modulation on the Amateur Radio Bands
 AMfone © 2001-2015
Powered by SMF 1.1.21 | SMF © 2015, Simple Machines
Page created in 0.081 seconds with 19 queries.