zenith: (Ch= 2046); 210-5

This is a long shot....But does anyone have a dial string diagram for this Zenith?   Thanks  AL

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Just a note on repair of this Zenith. It started smoking from the power transformer. After a couple of hours of checking and re-checking components, I found the dial light assembly grounding to chassis. Its hard to see since it is in dial drum....that was cause of smoke. If anyone has one of these can you please give a look at dial string hook-up...or better yet take pics! I am at wits end in stringing this one.  Thanks   AL 

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Dear Alfred
I looked through all Zenith pages in the original Rider volume 3 (big binders). There is no more than we show on the schematic Zenith Page 3-1.
Our Schematic Finder does also not give other sources as coould have been Beitman.

Best would be that you take a photo of the situation and put it to the model. Maybe somebody can help then. We have no idea how yor situation can be.

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Good Idea....These are pictures of top of chassis with dial drum . AND...Bottom of chassis with rod and 2 roolers which attach to dial knob.  Thanks AL

Attachments:

• digital camera pictures 082 (54 KB)
• digital camera pictures 083 (66 KB)

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Hi Al,

I haven't seen one quite like this before, but it's pretty clear from the pictures how it has to be done.  Unlike most radios, which have only a few turns around a single pulley on the shaft with the tuning knob, this one needs to have separate loops around both pulleys on the tuning shaft.

With the dial at one extreme, there will be several turns (perhaps five or so) turns on one of the pulleys on the tuning shaft, and just one turn or less on the other.  As you turn the knob, the string unwinds from the full pulley and winds up on the empty pulley.

Here's how I would do it: 

1.  Connect a nice long length of string to a spring which is short enough to fit between the two pulleys on the tuning shaft when extended.

2.  Place the spring between the two pulleys on the tuning shaft, and temporarily tape it there.

3.  Bring the string to the front pulley through the notch on the pulley, and wind about five turns around it.

4.  Continue with the free end of the string up through the chassis opening and go around the big pulley on the tuning capacitor for 1.5 turns.  Make sure the tuning capacitor is rotated fully CCW when looking at it from the pulley side when you wind the string around it.

5.  Now go down through the other opening in the chassis to the rear pulley on the tuning shaft.

6.  If the string on the front pulley on the tuning shaft exits the pulley on the left, start winding the string on the the rear pulley on the right (or vice versa), and wind in the same direction as you wound it on the front pulley.

7.  Wind one turn around the rear pulley.

8.  Feed the free end of the string through the notch on the rear pulley and connect it to the spring so that there is a little tension to keep things tight.

It may take a little trial and error, but you'll soon see which direction things need to be wound on the various pulleys to get it to work.  Key thing is that as the string unwinds from one pulley on the tuning shaft, it should wind up on the other, while turning the tuning cap at the same time.

You'll also be able to tell if five turns is enough on the pulley on the tuning shaft.  If you can't tune the full range before you run out of string, you need more turns on the pulley on the tuning shaft.

If you have trouble, report back here, and we'll try again, learning from what you tell us.

Best regards,

Tom

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Thanks Tom....It seems I have a project for this weekend!  I will let all know....AL

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Tom, Where does the spring end up? Should I clip it on stud in middle of drum? The stud seems to be missing, but I can drill small hole and put a small screw to hook spring on. Thanks   AL

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Al,

In the directions I suggested above, the final position of the spring would be parallel to the tuning knob shaft, stretched between the two pulleys, connecting the two ends of the string.

That may not be where Zenith intended it to be, and there are other choices.  One thing I could not see in your pictures was whether there is a hole in the drum (large pulley) on the tuning capacitor.  If there is, then it would make sense for the spring to be placed inside that drum.  You have a couple of options as to where the string gets tied, etc.

Option 1:  Tie both ends of the string to the spring (which is anchored to a tab inside the big drum), and have the string go continuously from one pulley to the other under the chassis (probably wrapped once around the thin shaft between the pulleys to keep it stable in the V-notches on the pulleys).

Option 2:  Tie the two ends of the string together under the chassis somewhere between the two pulleys.  In that case, the string may simply loop through the hook on the spring, if the spring is inside the big drum.

Option 3:  Tie the two ends of the string separately to each of the two pulleys under the chassis.  Same comment on spring applies.

Since we don't have the original instructions, we're free to engineer whatever will work.  Any scheme in which the spring maintains tension on the string (even if the string stretches a little in years to come) will work.

If my written directions are hard to understand, let me know and I'll draw some pictures of how to route the string and where to put the spring.

Alternatively, if someone has one of these radios with the original string still in position, it would be great to hear how Zenith did it originally.

Best regards,

Tom

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Hi.....I used the first instruction you gave, and it is working well. I have to refine it a bit, because the spring sometimes gets caught on wires under chassis. But I am very happy with the way it went! Thanks a lot for all your help!   AL

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Al,

Glad it worked for you!

You'll want to keep the wires well clear of the moving parts.  If necessary, tack them down to some solid surfaces with tape or glue dots in that area.

Something you can do to keep the spring close to the shaft is wrap the spring/string one turn around the shaft between the pulleys.  You may need to lengthen your string a little to do that, but that will help keep the spring within a compact space right around the shaft.

Best regards,

Tom

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