07-29-2015, 10:57 PM
The early production runs of this series of radios had the type of dial lights as are in your 41-285 chassis. There was a dial light for each the 3 bands that illuminated the names of the bands on the right side of the dial. I think there was a fourth bulb behind the push button station labels that would shine through the labels when you were in push button mode. There were (I think) 5 bulbs in all, counting the central bulb for the whole dial.
In later runs Philco eliminated the 3 bulbs on the right side of the dial and the station label bulb, and substituted a single bulb in a swiveling holder that moved up and down to illuminate the name of the selected band. That way they saved the cost of 3 bulbs and holders and a more complicated band switch in exchange for the presumably lesser cost of the mechanical swiveling assembly. The dial changed to include the words "Push But", which were illuminated by the swivel bulb when you were in that mode.
I just ordered the service information from Chuck Schwark for a 41-255 I'm working on. There is a note in tiny print describing the production change beginning with run 5 for the 41-255. Maybe different run numbers for different models.
My 41-280 has the early system, but my 41-250 and two 41-255s have the later type.
If you haven't already, you might want to order the service information from Chuck Schwark. It is very complete with a blow-up of the schematic and usually the under-chassis diagram to 11 X 17, so everything is clearer and easier to read. You can order from his web site. You send a check and get the clear copies in the mail. http://www.philcorepairbench.com/schematics.htm
By the way, the wine-colored buttons were from the 1940 model year (and maybe '39, too). I have a 40-150 and a 40-190. Neither of those has the extra bulb behind the push buttons. They suffer from uneven illumination by the single bulb, but they still look good. I imagine some clever person could rig up an LED strip to get even illumination through the red bulbs.
P.S. It might be a good idea to make a clear a diagram of the run of the dial cord that operates the swivel mount. If it ever breaks, it's easier to fix if you've diagrammed it carefully beforehand. The Philco schematic was drawn up for the earlier multi-bulb system, and the dial string diagram doesn't show how to string the swivel mounted bulb.
In later runs Philco eliminated the 3 bulbs on the right side of the dial and the station label bulb, and substituted a single bulb in a swiveling holder that moved up and down to illuminate the name of the selected band. That way they saved the cost of 3 bulbs and holders and a more complicated band switch in exchange for the presumably lesser cost of the mechanical swiveling assembly. The dial changed to include the words "Push But", which were illuminated by the swivel bulb when you were in that mode.
I just ordered the service information from Chuck Schwark for a 41-255 I'm working on. There is a note in tiny print describing the production change beginning with run 5 for the 41-255. Maybe different run numbers for different models.
My 41-280 has the early system, but my 41-250 and two 41-255s have the later type.
If you haven't already, you might want to order the service information from Chuck Schwark. It is very complete with a blow-up of the schematic and usually the under-chassis diagram to 11 X 17, so everything is clearer and easier to read. You can order from his web site. You send a check and get the clear copies in the mail. http://www.philcorepairbench.com/schematics.htm
By the way, the wine-colored buttons were from the 1940 model year (and maybe '39, too). I have a 40-150 and a 40-190. Neither of those has the extra bulb behind the push buttons. They suffer from uneven illumination by the single bulb, but they still look good. I imagine some clever person could rig up an LED strip to get even illumination through the red bulbs.
P.S. It might be a good idea to make a clear a diagram of the run of the dial cord that operates the swivel mount. If it ever breaks, it's easier to fix if you've diagrammed it carefully beforehand. The Philco schematic was drawn up for the earlier multi-bulb system, and the dial string diagram doesn't show how to string the swivel mounted bulb.
John Honeycutt
