Archive for April, 2008

From Resistive Line Cords To Ballast Tubes

If you have been following this recent set of articles, you certainly know the dangers presented by AC/DC radios. What is an AC/DC radio, you may ask? Well quite simply: it was an early (and long-lived) attempt to produce inexpensive tabletop radios for the masses. These radios omitted the voltage-dropping power transformer due to its […]

Replacing Resistive Line-Cords In AC/DC Antique Tube Radios

Caution: Antique tube radios carry potentially lethal current levels at very high voltages.

Method 1 - Using An In-Line Replacement Power Resistor

Older radios that do not have an input transformer sometimes utilize a line-cord resistor. These radios are easily identified by their two-prong power plug with a three-wire line cord. One wire acts as the standard […]