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1961 Andrea Console

artsybob

artsybob

Active Member
I wanted to post up some pictures of my next restoration project, a 1961 stereo console built by Andrea Radio Co., a more obscure brand that was more known for their high-end TV sets. The tube complement in the amp is a 5U4GB rectifier, four EL84 power tubes, and two 7199 preamp tubes. Not only for the obscurity factor, I think it looks like a nifty little amp. All the tubes look original and the EL84's are German! (still trying to figure out who made them).
 

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Here's a picture of one of the EL84's up close. Maybe someone out there can identify who made them!
 

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artsybob said:
I wanted to post up some pictures of my next restoration project, a 1961 stereo console built by Andrea Radio Co., a more obscure brand that was more known for their high-end TV sets. The tube complement in the amp is a 5U4GB rectifier, four EL84 power tubes, and two 7199 preamp tubes. Not only for the obscurity factor, I think it looks like a nifty little amp. All the tubes look original and the EL84's are German! (still trying to figure out who made them).
Click to expand...

If you go up to Inbox and send me a message with your regular email I can sent you the Sams schematic for this. It's too large to attach here.
 
Are there any codes etched on the tubes near the bottom? That will translate who made them.

Interesting that it looks like the amp chassis could have been fitted out like an integrated amp as well.

Andrea is kind of an old name in radio, but more under the original FADA brand. I have a Fada from the mid 20s. After Fada went out of business, the founder, Frank A. DeAndrea founded Andrea and made radios and TV sets.
 
gadget73 said:
Are there any codes etched on the tubes near the bottom? That will translate who made them.

Interesting that it looks like the amp chassis could have been fitted out like an integrated amp as well.

Andrea is kind of an old name in radio, but more under the original FADA brand. I have a Fada from the mid 20s. After Fada went out of business, the founder, Frank A. DeAndrea founded Andrea and made radios and TV sets.
Click to expand...

It took a couple of times looking at the tube to write down the codes, but I think I got it. First row: rX5 Second row: m9A
 
heh, figures. "m" is the factory code, but according to this
http://www.audiotubes.com/mullcode.htm

the "m" code is listed as "?"

I believe they were made in January of 1959 at this mysterious location though.
rX is the EL84 code type
5 means revision or run 5

so you have some flavor of Phillips tube in there. If its marked W Germany it could be Seimens or Valvo.
 
s-petersen said:
If there is a diamond on the bottom, Telefunken.
Click to expand...
No diamond pattern, but there are numbers on the bottom of the tubes (two say "5", the other two say "7"). Batch numbers maybe? Don't know if that could help identify the tubes. Unless I get more info I'm going by gadget73's guess and assume they were either made by Valvo or Siemens.
 
Installed a new terminal strip and a couple new capacitors underneath the chassis to replace the first can capacitor in the amp! On to the second can!andrea_console.jpg
 
gadget73 said:
Those look awful small for high voltage caps. Unless that can is low voltage? Looks like no more than a 50v capacitor.
Click to expand...
That particular can was two 40uf 25V caps (kind of a big can for such two low voltage caps) so I replaced it with two 47uf 25V caps. I guess Andrea in some move to be space efficient stuffed all the capacitors in the amp into two cans.
 
Ah. yeah sometimes they had one low voltage section in with the HV caps, not ascommon to have a dedicated multisection low voltage can cap.
 
I'd watch the input voltage to those 2 caps. You could easily exceed normal working voltage, with today's higher wall votage. Take a reading at 110V and another at 115V. If either voltage reading is within 5v, then bump the voltage up to at least 35, with a cap at 50V. 47uf is fine tho.
 
Thanks everyone for the advice. I examined the schematic and I think those caps should be good, but I'll do more testing. If I need beefier caps than so be it, these caps were cheap! I feel like I've come a long way in my tube gear restoration skills since I posted way back when about my '61 Westinghouse HM-1411 console (http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/early-60s-westinghouse-console.312103/). I have another question, what's the best way to get rust off the amp chassis and power transformer? I want to be gentle enough where I don't do any harm to the amp.
 
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