My new Meersburg W2

      Hi,
      I'm new here. I just bought a Saba Meersburg W2. I plan on recapping it soon.
      If anyone can give me some tips, this will be my first restoration project. To remove the chassis, is there anything special I need to know? I assume the string for the frequency pointer is all part of the chassis?
      Also, I know about ramping up the ac voltage to break it in. Would setting the voltage selector to 240 vac, but only using 110 vac, have the same effect as using a variac transformer? Is there an instruction manual available that explains the function of the controls?
      Here are some pictures.
      Thanks,
      Steve


      http://s5.postimg.org/7xbgp10vb/DSC05682.jpg


      http://s5.postimg.org/a0qhafq1z/DSC05683.jpg



      http://s5.postimg.org/mx8eqm753/DSC05684.jpg



      http://s5.postimg.org/ckm44jdlz/DSC05685.jpg



      http://s5.postimg.org/9mtqokvc7/DSC05688.jpg



      http://s5.postimg.org/eo14py2sn/DSC05689.jpg



      http://s5.postimg.org/71jknbgkn/DSC05690.jpg



      http://s5.postimg.org/6l2yemi7b/DSC05692.jpg



      http://s5.postimg.org/g4cn835pj/DSC05693.jpg


      http://s5.postimg.org/whwmr8luv/DSC05699.jpg

      Hello Steve,

      first of all: welcome to the Saba Forum!

      And a first tip: Setting teh voltage to 250V and connecting it to 110V will not replace a variable transformer. The variac transformers used for radio-repairs have 2 purposes: first to supply a variable voltage and second (and more important!) to make a galvanic separation from the mains supply. It's a crucial aspect for your own security!
      If you only want to know, if the radio would be working at all, you can set it to 110 (or 120) volts and put a 100 watts bulb in series in one supply cable. The bulb may go bright for some seconds, and when the radio has no short or other great damage, it will only shine very dim.

      The string for the pointer is only connected to the chassis, so after removing the knobs and the screws on the bottom you can remove the chassis. But be careful, and desolder the loudspeaker cables first.
      Gruß, Gunnar

      Thank you Gunnar,
      I removed the chassis today. I am learning what all the controls do. How do you turn it on and off? The left knobs is volume and tone, the right knobs
      are frequency. The 3 left buttons (Aus,Schmal,Breit)are bandwidth? The right buttons (L,M,K,UK) are band.
      Not sure what the center "Q" like button is.

      I have been cleaning out the thick layer of dust, and getting rid of the spiders and there webs.

      I am looking for a isolation transformer/variac combination. I may try the light bulb idea if feel the need to try it out soon. I also bought a Ground Fault Interrupter and a fused power strip to plug it in to.


      The speaker wires have a plug hat goes to a tube like socket. So that was no problem.

      I took the glass off the dial and cleaned. Next I need to replace the felt that supports the glass, before installing the glass.

      Thanks for the help in English. Mein Deutsch ist nicht so gut.
      Steve

      Hi, Steve!

      As for the controls you guessed not bad :daumen:
      The 3 left buttons are: "Aus" - means to switch off the set; Schmal / Breit - you guessed perfectly right the bandwidth. You switch on the set by pressing one of the band-buttons, and turn it off by pressing the "Aus" button. This releases the band button.
      The button in center marked with this kind of "Q" is for the phono input. You can connect a turntable with ceramic pickup at the back of the set.

      The hint with the bulb is not for security reasons, but to learn if the set at least is in a state of working order, and so to prevent from further damage if there is for example a defective output transformer. So you can at least save the power transformer.
      If you want to do measuring in the running set i strongly recommand the isolation transformer.

      And no problem if you are not so good in german, many members here are able to speak english, and some aer much better than myself in the restoration of tube radios. You'll find a lot of help here!

      What do you want to restore in your first job? I think at least you have to replace some of the old capacitors. There are some certain types that are dead after the years. Perhaps you can make a picture of the bottom view so we can see the parts under the chassis.
      Gruß, Gunnar

      Gunnar,
      I tried it today, and it works on UK. :bier:The tuning eye is hard to see, but works. On Breit, there is some crackling noise. Schmal sounds good, no crackling. The other bands just have noise. I will take some pictures of the under side of the chassis later today.
      I need to identify the capacitors that I need to replace, and may be clean some switch contacts.
      Thanks for the help.
      Steve

      Steve,

      it's always good to clean the contacts, they can cause a lot of trouble. If you can read german quite good, try the search in the forum and look for "Kontakte reinigen" - sorry i forgot the thread in that was a lot of discussion and good tips for cleaning.
      But please do not clean with some contact-spray and then turn on the set at once. If you clean, try mechanically, with wood toothpics and very fine sanding paper on parts you can reach. And if you use any contact spray, then wash out very good after use with isopropyl alcohol and let dry for at least 24 hours. The liquids go into the pertinax insulator and must dry completely.
      Maybe there is a bad tube in the radio too. If UK (FM) is working, some are still good. Please post the pictures when you can take them and we'll see what to do.
      Gruß, Gunnar

      I have been working on replacing the capacitors. I have been replacing a couple at a time, then testing. I have gotten rid of the crackling by replacing 2 capacitors in the key switch in the band width area.
      I also cleaned the contacts in the key switch assembly with dental tools and fine sand paper. I bought some Deoxit spray, but have not used it yet.

      The only band that is working is still FM(UK).

      I want the top of the chassis to look ordinal, so I disconnected the 50/50uf filter cap, and mounted the new cap under the chassis where the big .5 uf cap was. The new .5uf is small, and doesn't need to be clamped down.

      Before


      After


      The only new parts on top of the chassis are the 5000pf filter caps from line voltage to ground. They have been replaced with modern safety caps.

      Some of the new caps are larger than the originals. I did not know the voltage rating, so I made sure all were over 400 v.


      I still have about 10 more to change out.
      Steve

      Hi Steve,

      you seem to get on with the job quite good :)

      If you still have trouble on all AM bands, there are first to check: Is the ECH 81 working properly? Please check the voltages according to the scheme (+/- 10% doesn't matter a lot). If switched to any AM band the voltages should be nearly as described in the scheme. If you have another ECH 81, please try to change it. Maybe it's dead.
      Another reason for defects can be torn wires of the filter coils. They have hair-fine wires, and sometimes you overlook some torn connections. After that check all the ferrite cores of the coils - does any look like someone had been screwing around a lot on them? You can see that mostly by the wax, that was used to fix them. But do not turn them, if you don't really know what to do. (I, myself am not very good in high-frequency repairs...).
      Can you test the IF frequency? That would be a lot of help, if the system does not oscillate, there will be no reception!
      Gruß, Gunnar

      Tapeworm664 postete
      Hi Steve,

      you seem to get on with the job quite good :)

      If you still have trouble on all AM bands, there are first to check: Is the ECH 81 working properly? Please check the voltages according to the scheme (+/- 10% doesn't matter a lot). If switched to any AM band the voltages should be nearly as described in the scheme. If you have another ECH 81, please try to change it. Maybe it's dead.
      Another reason for defects can be torn wires of the filter coils. They have hair-fine wires, and sometimes you overlook some torn connections. After that check all the ferrite cores of the coils - does any look like someone had been screwing around a lot on them? You can see that mostly by the wax, that was used to fix them. But do not turn them, if you don't really know what to do. (I, myself am not very good in high-frequency repairs...).
      Can you test the IF frequency? That would be a lot of help, if the system does not oscillate, there will be no reception!


      Hi Gunnar,
      I have replaced the ECH81, no improvement. I will replace the 500 pf capacitor connected to the antenna. It has been ordered. I will try and clean the contacts better. I have measured the voltage at the rectifier out put, and it is low. Around 230v, when it should be 287v. I have the tap set to 125v. My line voltage is 120v. I will work on the other things you recommend. I Don't have a way measure the IF frequency at the moment. I do have an old Hewlet Packard tube filled oscilloscope. But it has been in storage for 15 years, and I don't know if it works. Do you know where to measure the IF oscillator?
      Thank you for the help,
      Steve

      Very nice work Steve!

      The Idea of fitting a block-rectifier into the Siemens-housing is in interesting work. Most members in the forum use single diodes, as the 1N4007 - but you have enough space spared to fit in the capacitors to filter out spikes. But i have a little point... is the insulating with the shrink-tube really fit for the high tension? At last you have 250 Volts or more here. In similar cases i use two layers of the tube. But i dont want to criticise too much, just a little thing to think, OK?

      Please check the values after the rectifier, if you have more than the voltage in the scheme, fit in a resistor after the rectifier (11watts or more and 60-120 ohms) to reduce the tension in order to take stress from the tubes. There is a lot written about that in the forum. But perhaps you don't have that problem, after running the set with some 5% under-voltage.

      Have a lot of fun with the nice radio!
      Gruß, Gunnar

      Tapeworm664 postete
      Very nice work Steve!

      The Idea of fitting a block-rectifier into the Siemens-housing is in interesting work. Most members in the forum use single diodes, as the 1N4007 - but you have enough space spared to fit in the capacitors to filter out spikes. But i have a little point... is the insulating with the shrink-tube really fit for the high tension? At last you have 250 Volts or more here. In similar cases i use two layers of the tube. But i dont want to criticise too much, just a little thing to think, OK?

      Please check the values after the rectifier, if you have more than the voltage in the scheme, fit in a resistor after the rectifier (11watts or more and 60-120 ohms) to reduce the tension in order to take stress from the tubes. There is a lot written about that in the forum. But perhaps you don't have that problem, after running the set with some 5% under-voltage.

      Have a lot of fun with the nice radio!

      I put a 100 ohm 13 watt resistor under the chassis, between the rectifier and filter cap. The voltage is within 2 volts of spec. The voltage at the EL34 tube is 2 volts high. I'm not sure if that will be a problem.

      As for the heat shrink, I will need to check on the voltage rating. The black shrink tube I have used in the past was good for 600 volts. This orange tubing does not have the voltage rating on it. I do have the original plastic or phenolic insulator sheets in the rectifier. Also the shrink tubing is doubled up where wires intersect. I have a hard time thinking of 300 volts as high voltage, I work with 100kv at my job.

      Gunnar, you have been very helpful, thank you.
      Steve

      Tapeworm664 postete
      Very nice work Steve!

      The Idea of fitting a block-rectifier into the Siemens-housing is in interesting work. Most members in the forum use single diodes, as the 1N4007 - but you have enough space spared to fit in the capacitors to filter out spikes.


      One more thing,
      The original rectifier was a full wave bridge, so I replaced it with a full wave bridge.
      Steve

      Hi Steve,

      sounds good. So there should be no danger of shorts. And for the rectifier... of course, if use of 1N4007 you have to build up a full way rectifier of 4 pieces. But your method seems more "elegant".
      And you hit the voltage in the spec nearly perfectly, that should be no problem for a lot of years listening to fine music with your SABA :D
      Gruß, Gunnar

      I made my own blend of wax. I'm happy with it. It is a mix of 1 part Carnauba wax, 2 parts bee's wax, and enough of a good quality turpentine to make it soft enough to work with, at least 3 parts. The it hardens in 2 days to a durable finish. I am adding more turpentine. It seems to be easer to work with as a thick liquid, rather than a paste like shoe polish.

      Steve