B137 pack

[Michael Watterson]

Anyone got ANY of the following:
Photo
Brochure
Dimensions

It's same connector as B136, must be more than 202mm up to 340mm long, maybe same height & Depth (about 95mm to 102mm, likely not exactly square cross-section).

The B137 is a High Capacity B136, both "balanced" packs for 25mA filament valves.

AD3 is larger capacity and size, than the B103, and followed closely by the B136.

The B103 is for 50mA tubes, so older, but the Sky Emperor/BEREC Commander and possibly both versions of Sky Monarch (AM version adds 2nd DAF96, DL96 and DM70) use it though later 25mA tube sets as they have more tubes. The AD3 would also have been designed for 4 tube 50mA (250mA) radio unlike B136 and B137 designed for 4 tube 25mA (125mA). OP tubes take x2 current. There isn't much HT current difference maybe 8.5mA on later sets and 10mA to 12mA on early models.

There is an erroneous listing of AD3 as 102 x 191 x 51mm, but it's likely 143 x 283 x 70mm
The B136 is 200 x 102 x 92mm (fits properly in Sky Queen)

[Michael Watterson]

Peter88gate says
http://vintageradio.me.uk/radconnav/hom ... batts2.jpg

Also
http://vintageradio.me.uk/radconnav/hom ... batts1.jpg
http://vintageradio.me.uk/radconnav/hom ... batts3.jpg
http://vintageradio.me.uk/radconnav/hom ... batts4.jpg
are good

I think this may be from Home Radio (Mitchum UK) 1961 Catalogue

B137 dimensions 298 x 137 x 105mm
B136 dimensions about 200 x 102 x 92mm

Now even a photo would be nice to design one!

[KeithW]

I think this may be from Home Radio (Mitchum UK) 1961 Catalogue

Hi Mike, I have the 1963 edition of the Home Radio catalogue and all combined radio batteries have been deleted, only separate low and high tension available.

Keith

[Michael Watterson]

Thanks Keith.
The last Ever Ready Valve portable was 1961 "Sky Captain". Ever Ready started transistor sets in 1957 or 1958.

The bulk of valve portable sets still in use in the UK in 1960s used B126 90V and either AD35 1.5V or AD38 7.5V. The Berec Matador/Ever Ready Baronet was maybe last Ever Ready set (1958) to use a combo battery B141. They could hardly have sold in much quantity.

I think the combo packs still available till about 1965 but likely only ordered by retailers for regular customers.

[Michael Watterson]

I never found a photo or scan.

pp3_types_tiny.jpg (1.77 KiB) Viewed 2968 times

You call THAT a battery?

THIS is a battery!

120 x AA cells (two sets of 60 paralleled) and up to 8 x F cells or D cells in parallel

The original used 4 x stacks of 15 tall layer cells (probably identical to those in a PP9) in series and likely 8 x F cells in parallel.

A photo or scan would be good

The pair of 996 in red cases are in fact 8 x F cells.

[Kalee20]

You call THAT a battery?

THIS is a battery!

That just about sums it up Michael!

One thing surprises me somewhat - the B137 pack shows the newer Ever Ready logo, rather than the very early 1960's, more curvy, logo. Does anyone know what year the B137 was produced up to?

[Michael Watterson]

One thing surprises me somewhat - the B137 pack shows the newer Ever Ready logo, rather than the very early 1960's, more curvy, logo. Does anyone know what year the B137 was produced up to?

That's a fake B137 cover. It's edited from a B136 cover.

The best guess I have is that the B136 came out in 1953 as it's balanced for DK96 + DF96 + DAF96 + DL96 valves (only released 1953). The B137 is likely 1954 for the Sky Prince. Also recommended for Sky Monarch

It seems reasonable to me that the B137 would look like a B136 in style. The earlier B103 for the pre 1953 x2 current filaments (Since 1946) was used of course for the Sky Emperor as its large number of RF/IF etc to support VHF & FM made it a better choice than B137. Vidor on the AM/FM Vanguard of course solved the problem by using separate HT & LT packs, as did most if not all Mainland Europe AM/FM valve portables (most of them had mains with LT "regulated" by a NiCd cell).

There seems to be at least four style of Ever Ready Livery used on the "Radio packs" from 1939 to 1960? Anyone got the chronology?

[Refugee]

You call THAT a battery?

THIS is a battery!

http://images.cyberimg.com/iphone/2012/ ... attery.jpg

The pedants might call it a hard cell

That is a "supercell"

[Paul_RK]

Hello Michael,

Magnificent B137 replica!

Re. the production of combined HT/LT batteries, I don't remember seeing many B141s on sale circa 1970, but the number of Sky Queens etc. knocking around was enough to keep the B136 market going for a while, and the B103 also was still readily bought in the early '70s. I had an aunt with a Sky Queen which was only retired from regular use in '72-3. The B136 was available almost if not quite as late as the B126 and AD35/38, the last time I saw a B136 or B126 in a regular retail outlet would have been 1980.

Paul

[valvekits]

Nice job Mike.
I'm not sure if my memory is playing tricks but did some of the old batteries have a waxy feel to them?
My B136 is the original outer pack re-stuffed and it almost looks as though it might have been a tad waxy over fifty years ago but now dried out.


Eddie

[Paul_RK]

I get that impression from a Siemens Full O'Power version of the AD3 here, which I would guess dates from the 1940s. Can't say it applies to the Ever Ready batteries I remember from circa 1970 onwards or to the preserved examples here now (B136 and B103 in the same final livery as the replica B137).

[Michael Watterson]

The inside was certainly waxed on all card packs, presumably to minimise damage from leakage. This was on dead original AD35 & B126 I restuffed this year, and I remember it from taking apart dead batteries in 1960s.

It may have been also to keep moisture out. Cereal packet card used to be waxed.

They did have a cellophane type wrapping, which often people left on. I've experimented with clear parcel tape on B126, AD35 and AD38 replicas and it strengthens the box, makes it more durable, protects the inkjet printing and looks very like the original wrapping as I remember it.

[Michael Watterson]

More pictures

The socket is two pieces of plastic. The outer has just 4 holes. The inner has two slits beside each hole to take the coffee tin socket inserts (cut with scissors).
See viewtopic.php?f=48&t=2785

Put contact adhesive on each part and allow to dry awhile and then press together.