Novodyne
A beautiful Novodyne superheterodyne from about 1925. This is a 3-dial superheterodyne with a tuned RF amplifier in the front end. The filter transformer is made with duo-lateral coils and it is tuned with a dial on the inside of the radio. The IF transformers are made by ACME. Other Novodayne radios I’ve seen used Remler IF transformers. The set uses a push-pull audio amplifier made with Western Electric transformers and tennis ball tubes. It looks very beautiful inside.
Believe it or not, this radio arrived at my house broken into 100 pieces by shipping.
This page was added to the site on January 26, 2023
September 5, 2023 Update:
This radio was heavily damaged in shipping. The filter coil was broken loose and its wires were broken. One of the Western Electric transformers was broken from its mounting brackets. Some of the wires were not connected, broken loose, or missing. Fortunately I had some pictures before shipping which aided me in putting things back where they belonged and trying to make a schematic. Two other Novodyne Type 9S superhets have came to my attention recently and they are wired different than this one. Both of these other Novodyne’s have serial numbers engraved on the front panel (110 and 165). At least one of these other Novodynes has a pick-up coil on the oscillator coupler. My Novodyne does not have a pick-up coil; it works on LaCaiult’s modulation method of mixing the signals. People want to know how these things are wired - this is an attempt to help that purpose.
Original photo from the seller showing most of the parts under the chassis.
The left photo shows the first and second tuned RF transformers. The right photo shows the 2nd tuned RF transformer, the oscillator coupler, and part of the filter transformer (made with two duo-lateral coils).
Another view of the oscillator coupler (with two brown windings). This oscillator coupler only has two windings, indicating that the radio works on LaCault’s modulation method for mixing the signals. One of the other Novodyne’s that I have seen has a pick-up coil comprised of a few turns of heavier green wire on each side of the oscillator coupler. At first I jumped to the conclusion that my set had been modified sometime in the past. However, my set does not have a serial number, and it is possible that my set was some kind of a prototype, and it was wired different than the others.
Another view of the filter transformer. The primary coil is a 750 turn (53 ohms) and it is the far one from the chassis. The secondary coil is a 1000 turn (56.7 ohms) and it is mounted close to the chassis. Part of the secondary coil tuning capacitor can be seen on the top side of the chassis above the secondary coil.
View of the audio transformers and the wiring of the battery terminal strip.
View of the ACME 30 KC transformers (upper left), filter transformer (lower left), and audio amplifier section of the radio.
Another view of the filter transformer, IF transformers, and audio transformers.
Two more photos of the audio section.
Rough schematic diagram of the Novodyne Type 9S superhet (not totally complete).
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