New fun project - Sun 504

[Lassen Forge]

Just got turned on to a Sun Distributor Tester, a friend had it and had to make room in the shop, ... it spins up, I *think* the vacuum pump is working, the leads are good and not cracked, not sure about the strobe light yet (I need to hook up a dizzy to it and check out all the geegaws), but it looks like it's in pretty good shape, so I figured it was worth a $50 gamble (I hope)... I know they're kind of archaic (unless you're into ancient stuff), but the real question is if there are issues with it, how hard is it to repair or find parts for... just in case?

 

[Provincial]

You can do a rough test of the strobe light by tapping the primary leads that go to the distributor together. This simulates the points opening and closing. All you need to do this is have the machine powered up.

 

[mikegt4]

Definitely worth $50. Here is some inspiration for you.
http://paramountd.com/index.html

 

[Lassen Forge]

Damn... I guess he likes me or something!

Appreciate the info... it's going to need a little work, but I think it's all there and in really decent shape.

Thanks, and merry !

 

[txvwnut]

There’s a member on here, Bronco2, that makes an led strobe conversion for the Sun distributor machine.

 

[Mintgrun]

I have a Sun 404 that had a very dim flash tube when I got it, so I contacted Paramount (link above) and purchased a capacitor kit. It flashes as it should now.

Your machine also has a condenser tester, which is a nice feature.

I've had a lot of fun with mine.

Be careful... they can be hobby forming.

Tom

 

[Provincial]

The condenser tester uses tubes, too. Vintage radio repair shops have testers for these.

 

[Mintgrun]

The capacitor kit that Paramount sells also comes with a couple of transistors, to replace the vacuum tube. The instructions say to solder the wires into the pin holes, but I just added copper sleeves to the wires,

so they can be removed easily, in case I decide to try the tube.

I just used some double-sticky tape to store it inside the machine.


Tom