Power Supply DIY Kit for Antique Radios, Amplifiers, Etc

If you grew up during the halcyon days of Heathkit, EICO, and the like, you are going to be disappointed with the Power Supply DIY Kit For Antique Radios, Amplifiers, Etc. by AES Kits.Like its predecessors, AES offers the builder an electronics kit. All the components are included, as are the instructions—lacking though they may be. Like Heathkit and the others, the assembly instructions include a schematic, a drawing of the final build and a description of how the circuitry works.Unlike Heathkit and the others, there are no step-by-step assembly instructions. This is very unfortunate. AES says, “Easy to follow instructions for assembly.” Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, if you are not familiar with reading schematic diagrams and do not have a knowledge of electronics, it is unlikely that you will be able to, or even should build the kit.The parts are poorly identified or not identified at all. Heathkit separated their component parts into logical bags. AES tosses them all the parts together in three plastic bags. You need to be able read the resistor color code because AES doesn’t bother to describe each resistor and give its color banding. The Zener diodes are even worse. There are two different types and they are marked on the part, but you will need a microscope to read them. The transistors and the IC are not marked as to which type they are and their leads are unidentified. Again, AES leaves the builder out on a limb to figure out what is the input lead, the adjustment lead and the output lead. Heaven help you if you mix them up.My biggest concern above all is that the Power Supply DIY Kit For Antique Radios, Amplifiers, Etc. is built on a white pine board with all the components and wiring fully exposed. We are talking about a kit that puts out 135 and 90 volts DC and has a 117-volt AC input. These are high enough voltages to present a serious shock hazard. Plus the AC is unswitched and not even fused.AES states that they used the pine board because the old time radios that the kit powers were often built on wooden boards themselves. While this is somewhat true, those old time radios had a cabinet or a case to protect the user from accidentally touching the wiring and the components. The Power Supply DIY Kit For Antique Radios, Amplifiers, Etc. has no case whatsoever. This is a recipe for disaster. To guard against this very thing, I built my kit in a RadioShack Project Enclosure Box (8 x 6 x 3 inches) so as to house the electronics safely.So, what positive things can I say about the Power Supply DIY Kit For Antique Radios, Amplifiers, Etc.? I can say that if the builder has enough knowledge of electronics and electronic kit building and provides a safe way to house the kit, this can be a useful power supply. I can say that the design itself is solid and the price is reasonable. I can say that the power supply is able to provide all the voltages and than some that virtually any battery operated farm radio from the 1920s and 1930s might need. It is the obvious misses and oversights that make this kit to a questionable product.

Great kit. I didn't use the wood plank but soldered the components on a prototyping board and mounted the whole thing in a case with front panel pots and panel meters for the "C" and "A" battery circuits. But this kit would work as well with the supplied wood board.

Very vintage. The motherboard is a slab of wood, though they give you a template for where to drill holes for the screw terminals. Lots of exposed fairly high power bare metal bits, but that's the charm of a kit like this!

Easy to assemble,great instructions,another special offering from this great company, provides fine adjustment of the 3 voltages encountered in most early battery sets, and the dc is well filtered, not a hum.....currently its powering my 1923 FADA radio ...very pleased to endorse

I really enjoyed this project, it was very interesting. The kit is built on a piece of lumber, and one simply has to follow the schematic carefully to build the circuits. The instructions were pretty basic but if you can read a schematic then you wont have any issues. The piece works as advertised. I hooked it up to a 1940's RCA tube portable radio that required 67.5v and it worked perfectly.

Super little product..Have bought three of them and all have worked perfectly. Ideal for restoration of Anitque Farm Radios. Kit easy to build..Comes with clear instructions. Highly recommed.

absolutely great for the 1920-30's radios. Goes together easily, you need a good 750 degree soldering iron, lots of soldering, very good pricing.

OK, but a bit underpowered for my use.