Does anyone recognise this valve power supply?

[retailer]

I picked up two valve power supplies from a local but now sadly closed electronics aladdin's cave called Robbies, I'm looking to repurpose them as valve amp power supplies and it occurred to me they may be from a well known amp maker of the past - just wondering if anyone recognises them - the 6V6 is just there as a size reference, the socket is wired for GZ32 - the transformer and choke are both marked Gardeners Radio Ltd.
The Jones style connector has 3 connections - 6.3V ac, HT and both share a common ground, the twin electrolytic is marked Nov. 51 I'm assuming this is November 1951.
Doing some internet searching revealed little except that it appears Gardeners is/was a UK based concern.

[G8UWM-MildMartin]

I have one. Bought late 1970s from NW Electrics in Levenshulme. It doesn't have the fuseholder. The electrolytic blew up when left unloaded once.
I would also be interested to know about its origins.

[Paul_RK]

Looks as though Gardners (without the first "e") has folded but their technical information is in the hands of Avon Magnetics, still in the same town of Christchurch, Dorset, who offer a transformer building service:

https://www.avonmagnetics.com/news.php

They say data sheets are available for some products: I don't expect that would be likely to include the transformer and choke here, but an enquiry might possibly be worthwhile.

Paul

[GrimJosef]

Interesting design ! 2-pin mains inlet, so no earth (at least not that way) and the mains inlet connector facing upwards, so bound to 'collect' whatever falls onto it. If that's a long enough bit of metal debris then you've successfully connected mains live to the unearthed chassis ...

If you were going to modify it very much then you might want to consider what a matching pair of Gardners mains transformers and chokes is worth now. You may find that you could sell them, buy less prestigious replacements and have funds left over to go towards the rest of the valve amp.

Cheers,

GJ

[usradcoll1]

Originally Posted by retailer

I picked up two valve power supplies from a local but now sadly closed electronics aladdin's cave called Robbies, I'm looking to repurpose them as valve amp power supplies and it occurred to me they may be from a well known amp maker of the past - just wondering if anyone recognises them - the 6V6 is just there as a size reference, the socket is wired for GZ32 - the transformer and choke are both marked Gardeners Radio Ltd.
The Jones style connector has 3 connections - 6.3V ac, HT and both share a common ground, the twin electrolytic is marked Nov. 51 I'm assuming this is November 1951.
Doing some internet searching revealed little except that it appears Gardeners is/was a UK based concern.

You don't see items built with that much attention to detail!
Dave, USradcoll1

[TowerRadio]

Something brings to mind Vortexion but made for the military/naval use.Les

[barretter]

Originally Posted by Paul_RK

Looks as though Gardners (without the first "e") has folded but their technical information is in the hands of Avon Magnetics, still in the same town of Christchurch, Dorset, who offer a transformer building service:

https://www.avonmagnetics.com/news.php

They say data sheets are available for some products: I don't expect that would be likely to include the transformer and choke here, but an enquiry might possibly be worthwhile.

Paul

Gardners Radio, which made transformers and chokes, was based in a town called Somerford which is near Christchurch but is in Hampshire not Dorset. There is a 26 page list of their products on Electrojumble. Presumably the power supplies were made by somebody using their products rather than by Gardners themselves.

[Cobaltblue]

Historically Christchurch and Bournemouth were part of Hampshire until 1974.

This has little bearing on the parts in question but makes sense why "Christchurch" address would make sense when these transformers were made.

Anyone who knows the area can clearly see where old Hampshire ended and Old Dorset started, think communications

Poole had a lot of Manufacturing including Company's Like Cyldon and of Course Plessey it could be manufactured for such a concern

Cheers

Mike T

[Marconi_MPT4]

For anyone interested in a potted history of Cecil Gardner and how his business expanded in Somerford Road, it can be found on Wikipedia. Scroll down to the section entitled 'Ministry of Defence and the electronics industry' then last paragraph.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histor...church,_Dorset

Rich

[retailer]

Thanks for all the replies, I checked out the Christchurch Wiki page thanks for the link it was interesting reading and downloaded the Gardners catalog from Electrojumble, the names of the various transformers reminded me of browsing through an Ikea catalog - Gardners transformers look to have been quality gear, the ones I have look to be part of the Hengist series.

[barrymagrec]

Originally Posted by TowerRadio

Something brings to mind Vortexion but made for the military/naval use.Les

Vortexion always wound their own transformers, as far as I know.