Reworking a Pilot 602

[specialidiot]

Thanks for the advice and encouragement Ron. I'd still be cursing it without your help.

Here's a "night shot". I need a tripod...

 

[WhiteSE]

thats a beaut!!! your has more brightness than mine...what bulbs did you use?

 

[specialidiot]

thats a beaut!!! your has more brightness than mine...what bulbs did you use?

The bulbs are a Chinese made 1847 that I got from ebay. I had to buy a box of 10 so if you need a couple let me know.

I'm thinking it will be too bright in my office so I may dip the bulbs in some craft paint. Maybe blue......

 

[WhiteSE]

The bulbs are a Chinese made 1847 that I got from ebay. I had to buy a box of 10 so if you need a couple let me know.

I'm thinking it will be too bright in my office so I may dip the bulbs in some craft paint. Maybe blue......

do orange...to complement the green tuning tube....

I still cant get the pilot light in my SP-210 to work and is annoying me to no end!!!

 

[westend]

Update - I cleaned out the tube sockets with a DeOxit soaked pipe cleaner and scuffed up the tube pins with sand paper.

The 602 now sings. AM is amazing, FM needs an antenna, and a CD player sounds great at the tape inputs.

Phono inputs have a LOT of hum. I'm thinking I need to install phono plugs - or just not go there.

The bottom is back on, and I'm in the process of figuring out how to put a cage across the top.

Nice work! If you need to make a cage, Home Depot sells some types of decorative expanded metal in a variety of perforations. I used a piece to cage a Sansui tube receiver. Turned out rather well, IMO.

BTW, RCA connectors came in yesterday. Expect a call soon.

 

[doucanoe]

Thanks for the advice and encouragement Ron. I'd still be cursing it without your help.

Your welcome!

It's looking great :thmbsp:

RC

 

[Redboy]

Yeah, it is! Thanks for putting the work into that Pilot, Jeff. I'm not sure I ever would have gotten around to it here.

 

[specialidiot]

Lance give me a call any time. Note I'm not in Bloomington on Friday, but I can meet up anywhere.

Nate I was split between shelving it for an extended period and selling it off. If an un-named AKer would have sent payment it would be on the truck right now.

It certainly does need to be put into service....

 

[john29302]

i have a 602 i put in new filter caps and 2 in the preamp stage. i left the two ouput caps on top in...sounds great. really good phono section. oh and i reconfigured 4 12ax7 for 6n2p. 2 phono and 2 of the output pre drivers. actually thats the splitter stage. about the tunomatic click buttons.....its dc balnce and you can put a meter on the 1 and 2 terminals and then 1 the 2 for one channel 3 and 4 for other channel and adjust for 0 volts. or you can make it click. problem is it wont click on 0 volts. lol.

 

[john29302]

this recievr is very warm and is very robust. some 6bq5 or el84 amps can sound thin....not the case. due to the output tubes are driven to max bias. it does get very hot though. by the way i have cheap russian tubes as outputs as well. 6p14s. this heat will have to be addressed. remove top and get a perforated material or leave open. in summer this thing is to hot to touch, i mean all the trannies etc. the output caps are on top beside the output tubes and are subjected to at least 140 degrees. with the cover on. anyways it sounds like tube nirvana is achieved thru this unit. plus th phono section can be used for other amps. of course that means no volume for them.

 

[john29302]

one more note...there is a reason for the new teflon and gold plated tube sockets. thats a nasty chore. even after taking dental picks and reworking them the cheap metal oxides and causes a loose connection. of course the cure is rotate the tube while in the socket...grap the glass tip and act as if you were drawin a half inch circle...seems to occur most after moved, shipped or left off. thats what comes with all vintage tube amps. of course sanding the tube pins and deoxit works best to cut down on this occurance. or replace tube sockets...thats a job.