Ann Arbor VLT-51W

[William]

Stay in touch "jkipp" and we are glad we could help. Be sure to check out everything offered on the forum as there is a lot of interesting posts with photos.

Bill

[hermitcrab]

Go to a Hobby lobby or a crafts store, buy a sheet of that thin white or diffused plastic used in the model railroad hobby. cut it to fit the holder with a little bulge in the center so it does not burn against the light bulb .

[William]

That's a good idea, Elton, and one I have not thought of. Thanks for sharing.

Bill

[Motorola minion]

I had two of these VLT-51s through my shop, several things come to mind:

1- The lamp cover is diffusing white plastic sheet that is slipped into the bracket, never saw an original one.
2 - Lamp is a 159, 6.3 volts, RCA gave up using the bi-pin 12 lamps a year before this 1969 model.
3 - Power supply chassis usually needs several 1000 or 500 mf 50 v caps, especially if the dreaded orange firecracker has not been replaced.
4- Cabinet lid latch usually is broken, solutions are varied. A mortise into the lid with adjacent cabinet top relieved seems to be obvious solution. This cabinet has minimal metal exposed, so a handle would be tacky.
5- 9x17? oval speakers have the loose terminal boards due to failing rivets, I use an alligator clip to keep them from coming loose
6- Fear not, it's rare to have a transistor issue on an RCA
7- I have a spare chassis, speakers and most cabinet parts

[Motorola minion]

The bulb would go into that black socket, then it looks like it clips to the black piece. I don't see holes for a cover, but it may have had one. The thing in the white bracket looks like a 45 rpm adapter. The pilot light (the green light) is typically red or orange. Never saw a green one. The light in the changer compartment comes on with the radio, then?

Almost all RCA consoles used green indicators, most others amber-Z, orange -Mot/Mag or red. Almost nothing older uses blue

[electra225]

I'd never seen a green pilot light, but then, I've never had an RCA record player/stereo. Oddly enough, when I started collecting radios, I was going to do RCA only.