Philips electronic kits. - Page 2 - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

Valvepower · 11th Jul 2023, 10:02 am

Wow there’s a blast from the past!

I was given the EE8 kit for my birthday 1966. I built the single transistor radio and I clearly remember ‘secretly’ listening in my bed to the Ten O’clock news on what would have been the Home service.

I remember going to the Radio Constructor Centre in Westcliff, to buy a replacement AF116 as I broke a leg off the one, I had in the set…

I remember seeing the organ, but couldn’t make it as I only had the EE8 kit at the time…

A few years later I got a Radionic set No3 and built the Radionic Organ E/507 which was available as an ‘E’ project… Crikey, heading down a rabbit hole…

Terry.

Sideband · 11th Jul 2023, 2:00 pm

Thoroughly enjoyed my EE8 as a 12 year old. Christmas 1965, first thing I built was the two transistor radio and hearing Christmas songs on the Light Program. There was another experiment suggested by winding a different coil on the ferrite rod for trawler band reception using some of the hook-up wire supplied (bright red as I recall). It worked but needed an aerial to boost reception. By playing around with the turns on the coil, I suddenly found Top Band and heard my first radio hams (lots of AM on Top Band then) so then started my road to SWL later on and building mains valve sets about a year later...... I wonder how many people started their interest and profession with those kits?

Junk Box Nick · 11th Jul 2023, 3:42 pm

My kit EE8 plus A20 arrived in 1966. I had hours and hours of fun with it. I too made the ‘trawler band’ coil but not many trawlers to hear in the middle of England. Dad strung an aerial from my bedroom window to a broom stale on the end of the shed. “Humber Radio! Humber Radio! Humber Radio!”

I still have the kits rescued from my late parents’ loft.

I raided the kits for components in later years but some years ago I picked up some incomplete sets in an attempt to make mine complete once more. All currently stored away so I can’t remember what might be over but I’m likely to have some spares.

paulsherwin · 11th Jul 2023, 4:06 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Radio Wrangler

Speakers could be salvaged from small transistor portables otherwise destined for the dump.

The original speakers had an unusually high impedance - 80 or 120 ohms, I can't remember which - so that they could be used in a simple transformerless class A output stages or as mics. I'm sure mine had an AC128 for the speaker projects, but it's a long time ago now.

TonyDuell · 11th Jul 2023, 4:11 pm

I think the speakers were actuallly a nominal 150 ohms.

Later on, certainly on the Continent where there were many later series of such kits, Philips supplied a 15 ohm (I think) speaker and a matching transformer. There's a note about it on the .no site mentioned earlier.

Cobaltblue · 11th Jul 2023, 4:38 pm

This is one of the accessories that I which I could have got as a kid.

The long wave conversion kit, the coil is alongside the standard ferrite rod and MW coil.

Cheers

Mike T

mole42uk · 11th Jul 2023, 5:15 pm

I had the EE8 as a Christmas gift, long since gone, and more recently bought another one and the upgrade kit. The only problem with both is that the springs and wire loops are in short supply and those that I do have tend to be rather discoloured and don't help make good electrical contact :-(

Cobaltblue · 11th Jul 2023, 5:27 pm

You can get new springs

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/304810002482

Jez1234 · 11th Jul 2023, 5:37 pm

Wow that brings back some memories! I had a later one around 1972-3 ish I guess. It had Lockfit transistors on little squares of PCB. I had a Philips book on electronics which I have always assumed came with it but not sure... being very young at the time etc. Something like "Philips world of electronics" or something on those lines. I remember this book seeming rather grown up and high brow to me at that age, probably more like gcse 16 year olds and over level. The main thing I remember about the book was it had a schematic for a hi fi power amp of maybe 20W as an example of "modern" circuitry which had say 7 transistors in it and as a 7 year old this seemed incredibly complex and mind blowing! When relatives started giving me the odd dead radio etc to play with and take apart I tried to build this amplifier... but at that tender age I was no doubt trying to use an OC71 as a substitute for a 2N3055 etc etc so no it didn't work. I've no idea what happened to that book would love to see one again now! I do still have my Josty electronics book which a bought a few years later around '75 and that's a nostalgia trip to look at now

Junk Box Nick · 11th Jul 2023, 11:26 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cobaltblue

This is one of the accessories that I which I could have got as a kid.

The long wave conversion kit, the coil is alongside the standard ferrite rod and MW coil.

Cheers

Mike T

Someone got me the long wave kit for a birthday present. I still have it complete with box and instructions. I was really pleased to be given it as up to that point I had been lumbered with the Home and Third Programme so I could then enjoy a bit of music on the Light. To get Caroline I had to borrow my parents' table portable! The Third was okay if there was a test match and there was also sport on Saturday afternoons - I think it was actually called 'Network 3' for the non-highbrow output.

ISTR the speakers being 50 ohms. The transistors were AF116 AC126 AC126. Sometimes the AC126s required fitting with a basic heat sink.

I had great fun with the intercom and also the organ - there were enough keys to be able to knock out a passable version of the national anthem.

mole42uk · 12th Jul 2023, 5:25 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cobaltblue

You can get new springs

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/304810002482

Yes, I've seen those but I need the little wire loops as well.

Cobaltblue · 12th Jul 2023, 8:14 pm

I have made up all of the projects of the EE20 a couple of years back with corroded loops and springs and they worked fine. (as well as they ever did anyway).
The trick is the component wires need to be clean and shiny and make sure they touch (crossing is better if there are only 2 wires) under the spring the spring and hoop only provide the tension not the connection that way.

If you have clean springs I doubt the hoop will have much effect, but of course it will look much nicer

Incidentally when these were new I had issues with poor connections until I adopted this approach.

Cheers

Mike T

11th Jul 2023, 10:02 am	#21
Valvepower Octode Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Rayleigh near Southend-On-Sea, Essex, UK. Posts: 1,886	Re: Philips electronic kits. Wow there’s a blast from the past! I was given the EE8 kit for my birthday 1966. I built the single transistor radio and I clearly remember ‘secretly’ listening in my bed to the Ten O’clock news on what would have been the Home service. I remember going to the Radio Constructor Centre in Westcliff, to buy a replacement AF116 as I broke a leg off the one, I had in the set… I remember seeing the organ, but couldn’t make it as I only had the EE8 kit at the time… A few years later I got a Radionic set No3 and built the Radionic Organ E/507 which was available as an ‘E’ project… Crikey, heading down a rabbit hole… Terry.

11th Jul 2023, 2:00 pm	#22
Sideband Dekatron Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Croydon, Surrey, UK. Posts: 7,584	Re: Philips electronic kits. Thoroughly enjoyed my EE8 as a 12 year old. Christmas 1965, first thing I built was the two transistor radio and hearing Christmas songs on the Light Program. There was another experiment suggested by winding a different coil on the ferrite rod for trawler band reception using some of the hook-up wire supplied (bright red as I recall). It worked but needed an aerial to boost reception. By playing around with the turns on the coil, I suddenly found Top Band and heard my first radio hams (lots of AM on Top Band then) so then started my road to SWL later on and building mains valve sets about a year later...... I wonder how many people started their interest and profession with those kits? __________________ There are lots of brilliant keyboard players and then there is Rick Wakeman.....

11th Jul 2023, 3:42 pm	#23
Junk Box Nick Octode Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: West Midlands, UK. Posts: 1,571	Re: Philips electronic kits. My kit EE8 plus A20 arrived in 1966. I had hours and hours of fun with it. I too made the ‘trawler band’ coil but not many trawlers to hear in the middle of England. Dad strung an aerial from my bedroom window to a broom stale on the end of the shed. “Humber Radio! Humber Radio! Humber Radio!” I still have the kits rescued from my late parents’ loft. I raided the kits for components in later years but some years ago I picked up some incomplete sets in an attempt to make mine complete once more. All currently stored away so I can’t remember what might be over but I’m likely to have some spares.

11th Jul 2023, 4:11 pm	#25
TonyDuell Dekatron Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Biggin Hill, London, UK. Posts: 5,228	Re: Philips electronic kits. I think the speakers were actuallly a nominal 150 ohms. Later on, certainly on the Continent where there were many later series of such kits, Philips supplied a 15 ohm (I think) speaker and a matching transformer. There's a note about it on the .no site mentioned earlier.

11th Jul 2023, 4:38 pm	#26
Cobaltblue Moderator Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Exeter, Devon and Poole, Dorset UK. Posts: 6,880	Re: Philips electronic kits. This is one of the accessories that I which I could have got as a kid. The long wave conversion kit, the coil is alongside the standard ferrite rod and MW coil. Cheers Mike T Attached Thumbnails __________________ Invisible airwaves crackle with life or at least they used to Mike T BVWS member. www.cossor.co.uk

11th Jul 2023, 5:15 pm	#27
mole42uk Nonode Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Resolven, Wales; and Bristol, England Posts: 2,615	Re: Philips electronic kits. I had the EE8 as a Christmas gift, long since gone, and more recently bought another one and the upgrade kit. The only problem with both is that the springs and wire loops are in short supply and those that I do have tend to be rather discoloured and don't help make good electrical contact :-( __________________ Richard Index: recursive loop: see recursive loop

11th Jul 2023, 5:27 pm	#28
Cobaltblue Moderator Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Exeter, Devon and Poole, Dorset UK. Posts: 6,880	Re: Philips electronic kits. You can get new springs https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/304810002482 __________________ Invisible airwaves crackle with life or at least they used to Mike T BVWS member. www.cossor.co.uk

11th Jul 2023, 5:37 pm	#29
Jez1234 Banned Join Date: Mar 2021 Location: Morpeth, Northumberland, UK. Posts: 936	Re: Philips electronic kits. Wow that brings back some memories! I had a later one around 1972-3 ish I guess. It had Lockfit transistors on little squares of PCB. I had a Philips book on electronics which I have always assumed came with it but not sure... being very young at the time etc. Something like "Philips world of electronics" or something on those lines. I remember this book seeming rather grown up and high brow to me at that age, probably more like gcse 16 year olds and over level. The main thing I remember about the book was it had a schematic for a hi fi power amp of maybe 20W as an example of "modern" circuitry which had say 7 transistors in it and as a 7 year old this seemed incredibly complex and mind blowing! When relatives started giving me the odd dead radio etc to play with and take apart I tried to build this amplifier... but at that tender age I was no doubt trying to use an OC71 as a substitute for a 2N3055 etc etc so no it didn't work. I've no idea what happened to that book would love to see one again now! I do still have my Josty electronics book which a bought a few years later around '75 and that's a nostalgia trip to look at now

12th Jul 2023, 8:14 pm	#32
Cobaltblue Moderator Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Exeter, Devon and Poole, Dorset UK. Posts: 6,880	Re: Philips electronic kits. I have made up all of the projects of the EE20 a couple of years back with corroded loops and springs and they worked fine. (as well as they ever did anyway). The trick is the component wires need to be clean and shiny and make sure they touch (crossing is better if there are only 2 wires) under the spring the spring and hoop only provide the tension not the connection that way. If you have clean springs I doubt the hoop will have much effect, but of course it will look much nicer Incidentally when these were new I had issues with poor connections until I adopted this approach. Cheers Mike T __________________ Invisible airwaves crackle with life or at least they used to Mike T BVWS member. www.cossor.co.uk