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Grundig Majestic SO190Ua1

Theartemis

Theartemis

New Member
Hello, I hope I’m in the right place. I have been on the search for a few years for a Grundig Majestic (SO190Ua1) and finally found one at a decent price. I love her! However, she doesn’t seem to be getting power. I’ve tested the power in and power out and both have power, I don’t really know where to go next. I’m a nurse by day but interested and happy to learn. Thank you in advance for any help! It is greatly appreciated!
 

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Theartemis said:
Hello, I hope I’m in the right place. I have been on the search for a few years for a Grundig Majestic (SO190Ua1) and finally found one at a decent price. I love her! However, she doesn’t seem to be getting power. I’ve tested the power in and power out and both have power, I don’t really know where to go next. I’m a nurse by day but interested and happy to learn. Thank you in advance for any help! It is greatly appreciated!
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Hi, and welcome to AK!

That's a beautiful console! I remember my grandparents had one when I was a kid.

Do you have any experience with electronics, or own a digital multimeter? These tube circuits do contain lethal voltages, so care must be taken when working on them.

Where are you located?
 
Ray Gianelli said:
Hi, and welcome to AK!

That's a beautiful console! I remember my grandparents had one when I was a kid.

Do you have any experience with electronics, or own a digital multimeter? These tube circuits do contain lethal voltages, so care must be taken when working on them.

Where are you located?
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Thank you! I’m over the moon with it.

Yes I do own one, I have some experience but not a professional by any means. I checked the power in and out of the transformer and both have power but wasn’t sure where to go from there.

I’m in West Virginia.
 
Theartemis said:
Thank you! I’m over the moon with it.

Yes I do own one, I have some experience but not a professional by any means. I checked the power in and out of the transformer and both have power but wasn’t sure where to go from there.

I’m in West Virginia.
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I wasn't able to locate a schematic by the console model number. Is there a tag on the amplifier that has a chassis number?
 
I've been unable to find a schematic for this. You might want to ask a mod here to move your post to the tube audio subforum here. Probably have better luck getting help there.
 
Holy Moley, that thing is gorgeous!

By not getting power, do you mean it won't turn on when it's plugged in? And I agree with Ray....be careful poking around in there. Tube circuits can give you a nasty shock.
 
The last Grundig I worked on with no power had the main fuse deteriorated internally so it looked ok but was open. Check that first with a VOM. Also, make sure the voltage selector is in the correct spot.
I'd consider building and bringing it up on a DBT when you get the power issue sorted. Mine had a shorted main filter which would have killed the new fuse in short order. Also, basically every paper cap inside was physically cracked and electrically leaky. I replaced the main filters and powered it up on the DBT just to confirm operation and you could hear some snap, crackle, pop from the coupling caps shorting internally.
Good news is they are well laid out and pretty sparsely populated under the chassis so repair is pretty straightforward. The 2 section main filter cap was replaced with a tag strip and two new caps, everything else should be replacement of like for like. All of the resistors measured spot on.
Take lots and lots of pics before you start! I'm a solid state guy and figured this simple tube set would be a breeze. I only took a few pics but, yeah, hubris and all that. I got it working but did something wrong as the volume doesn't go all the way down and I haven't had time to chase the issue yet.
 
Radiomuseum has a schematic - https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/grundig_so190uaso_190_u.html#c (non-members can download a limited number of pages per month)

It has provision for 110 or 220V operation, but doesn't show how that's selected - some have alternate fuseholders or a switch, some require changing a wire to the transformer and re-soldering.

Assuming it's set for US 110V use, the fuse would be the first place to look - however, fuses usually have a reason for blowing, such as a failed rectifer or capacitor. This is 42 years old, after all.

There's a Sams folder for 190U, no "A1" - 8 tubes, yours has 12.
 
Tom Bavis said:
Radiomuseum has a schematic - https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/grundig_so190uaso_190_u.html#c (non-members can download a limited number of pages per month)

It has provision for 110 or 220V operation, but doesn't show how that's selected - some have alternate fuseholders or a switch, some require changing a wire to the transformer and re-soldering.

Assuming it's set for US 110V use, the fuse would be the first place to look - however, fuses usually have a reason for blowing, such as a failed rectifer or capacitor. This is 42 years old, after all.

There's a Sams folder for 190U, no "A1" - 8 tubes, yours has 12.
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Tom, I did find that, but after my request was approved I downloaded what turned out to be a partial of the schematic. It says you must request individual pages, but nothing indicated there was more than one. Am I missing something?
 
Two page schematic - there are five pages in total, and this one's in English. Scroll the the schematic window to see the rest. I think non-members can get 3 pages per day, don't recall.
 
Tom Bavis said:
Two page schematic - there are five pages in total, and this one's in English. Scroll the the schematic window to see the rest. I think non-members can get 3 pages per day, don't recall.
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Thanks Tom. I was unfamiliar with Radio Museum's site. Now I understand how it works!

You're correct, non members get a max of 3 pages/day.
 
Check if the first power resistor has gone open. I happen to have an SO190 sitting on my bench right now for a recap and the resistor is super toasty looking. There are also a lot of interconnects on the AC line, there's one from the cord to the console and one from the console to the amp chassis. Also, the selector switches (including the "off" switch) are all mechanically linked and it's possible the linkage that toggles the power switch is sticking (or the switch itself is bad).
 
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