Bakelite DAB Radio
I am converting an old Bush DAC10 Bakelite radio to DAB for my father, to suit the vintage aesthetic of one of his sheds.
The DAB is a cheapo radio from Tesco, and will probably require replacing in the future. The drivers are the dash speakers from my old Toyota Yaris as they matched and were of a suitable size. And free. A Rees-Mace extension speaker is being used to allow stereo sound.
The original buttons interface with the DAB radio, this required the latching mechanism to be disabled, as the DAB unit only expects momentary button presses. The volume knob is connected to the radio's rotary encoder by a small sleeve turned to suit. The encoder is attached to a bracket to prevent it spinning freely.
The LCD is attached to the front of the main PCB, along with the surface mounted buttons; the entire PCB was placed at the bottom of the unit, where the original makers plate was inserted. The original buttons have flying leads running to the DAB unit; with the maker's plate removed you can access all the buttons - there are more on the DAB than the Bush had, and also see the screen. The LCD's backlight has a switch inserted in-line to prevent blue underglow.
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| Bush Radio | Radio Nameplate | Radio Chassis | Original Tubes | PCB Switch Interface | DAB PCB | Hardwired Bluetooth | Yaris Speaker | Extension Speaker | Face Plate |
The glass tuning 'dial' on the top of the unit was originally illuminated by a pair of small bulbs, but the holders were corroded, and the bulbs would flicker. the assembly was replaced by a strip of vero-board and a pair of warm white 10mm LEDs, with the surface sanded to diffuse the light. The result is indistinguishable from the original, but now doesn't flicker.
The DAB unit has an aux-in, which was hardwired to a cheap USB Bluetooth module. For the brief period this functioned, it worked fairly well. The DAB unit and the Bluetooth module are powered by a small Meanwell 5V PSU. this meant the radio could have a regular power cord rather than a wall wart which would have given the game away. The Bush logo on the front has at some point been replaced with a printed piece of paper, and will need replacing.
The radio has been in use for over six months at this point, and has proved to be a success. At some point, the DAB unit will probably be replaced with something from a larger radio, as the sound is quite flat, and lacking in bass. As an intermediate alternative, I might try adding a speaker level amplifier, to reduce the load on the built in class D amp, and hopefully improving the sound.
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| The Finished Project |
