[triggh04]

I have a philco 41-280. I'm getting a parts list together and I have a few questions about tubes, caps, and wire.

Tubes: Is there a certain brand that is recommended?
Should I buy new or used?

Caps: Brand preference?

Wire: Brand preference?
Gauge of wire?
Is there a extra type of shielding that y'all apply to the wires?

What are the metal towers on the top of the chassis and do they need to be replaced?

[jontz]

Good morning! I hope I can tackle a few of your questions for you.

Tubes: From a purely collectable standpoint Philco tubes are desirable, however any brand tube that meets the electrical requirement of the circuit will work just fine. Buying new or used is up to you, however if you don't have a tube checker buying new is the safer bet. There are even differing schools of thoughts on checking tubes. Some prefer to use a dedicated tester, some just plug the tube in and if it performs, then it's good.

Caps: Avoid Chinese junk. Other than that, again, the choice is yours. I've been buying mine from http://www.justradios.com as he has pre-WWII values available, they are good quality, and the price is pretty good.

Wire: I don't know that anyone has a brand preference here, I'm sure someone will speak up if they do. The choice, once again, is mostly yours. I've been using cloth covered wire from http://www.radiodaze.com because I like the way it looks in an old radio. It's "period" for most of them. As for gauge 18 or 20 gauge is sufficient. The bigger concern is to make sure that it has a 600V insulation rating. Some wire is only rated to 300V and many of theses old sets have voltages that exceed 300V. No extra shielding is necessary, however when replacing wire keep the length and routing the same. Changing either of these can lead to poor performance, howling, or other reception issues.

The metal towers on top of the chassis are either IF transformers (square with a hole in the top for adjustment) or filter capacitors (cylinders). The filter caps absolutely need to be replaced. Do a search on the forum, there are many methods for either "re-stuffing" or bypassing these capacitors.

Good luck on your project!

[Steve Davis]

I do not recommend the 600 volt rated cloth covered wire. It is too large and bulky and looks nothing like the original. The unrated wire is a much better choice, looks more like the original. If the truth were known, the Radio Daze unrated wire is probably better than the unrated wire that Philco used.

Steve

[triggh04]

I appreciate the advice. I have the square towers those are IF Transformers?

[jontz]

Yes indeed. I found a picture of your chassis online and I don't see any caps mounted topside.

[codefox1]

Tubes: generally be not brand choosy unless you are restoring for a musuem. Few New ones available, and strange as it may seem they are they are the most reliable parts of an ancient set unless deprived of their vacuum or assisinated by other faulty components.

Wiring: standard hookup wire with 400 volt rating should be fine.

Capacitors: See Tubes and Parts section of this forum for many fine suppliers. Nobody stays on this list if not reputible. Suggest you make a list of all electrolytic and paper capacitors, and for the few pennies more, the carbon resistors, and make an order, and go from there.