Variphone help needed!

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jmendoza
Posts: 167
Joined: 18 Feb 2018, 23:07

Variphone help needed!

Post by jmendoza »

Hello everyone,
I have a guy who wants me to restore his Variphone system. There is little or no information on these radios here in the USA, as they were not popular here and also expensive. Any schematics and documentation would be helpful. The channel modules in my experience have issues with the sealed reed relay going bad, and I have not been able to find replacement motors for the Bellamatics. If anyone has one of these systems and extra parts they are interested in selling, please let me know.

Thanks in advance,
Jay
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tiptipflyer
Posts: 393
Joined: 16 Feb 2018, 22:49
Location: Germany

Re: Variphone help needed!

Post by tiptipflyer »

Hi Jay,
here you find some scematics:
First is the basic receiver
Varioton Pendler.jpg
next is the superheterodyne receiver
Varioton Superhet.jpg
then come the channel modules
Varioton Schaltstufe.jpg
If you need transmitter scematics, just tell me which one, I have almost all of them.

Cheers
Frank
Tobe
Posts: 665
Joined: 16 Feb 2018, 06:19
Location: Varberg or Stockholm, Sweden

Re: Variphone help needed!

Post by Tobe »

The Bellamatic motors can be re-magnetized, I had it done some years ago but not sure about the process itself unfortunately
Cheers,

Tobe
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tiptipflyer
Posts: 393
Joined: 16 Feb 2018, 22:49
Location: Germany

Re: Variphone help needed!

Post by tiptipflyer »

Most of the documentation I have only in German language, but a few I have in english like this ones:
Bellamatic_II English.jpg
SERVOautoMATIC_II_inst.jpg
SERVOautoMATIC inst.jpg
SERVOautoMatic_mit_Bellamatic.jpg
If you need something special, let me know.

Frank
Pchristy
Posts: 413
Joined: 16 Feb 2018, 13:57
Location: South Devon, UK

Re: Variphone help needed!

Post by Pchristy »

Jay,

A few hints: In the superhet receiver, there are a number of very fine wires connecting the two boards (its a double-deck design). If these fracture, the receiver stops working - not surprisingly! They can be a pig to replace due to the proximity of adjacent lands when soldering. (Guess how I found out! Luckily without doing any permanent damage!)

Yes, the relays can be an issue and are very difficult to clean. But before jumping to conclusions that the relays are faulty, clean the connections between the plug-in modules. I spent ages cleaning the relay contacts only to discover the culprit was one of the module inter-connects.....!

Here's the schematics I have.....

Best of luck!

P.S. You'll probably find that they weren't popular in the US because they didn't comply with FCC requirements! The range of audio frequencies used are much wider than in a traditional "reed" set, and don't fit inside a 10KHz channel spacing.....

P.P.S. I have a feeling that the IF frequency isn't 455 KHz. I'm not sure, but I have this nagging suspicion that it is 470KHz. It probably won't work with "industry standard" 27 MHz crystals.

--
Pete
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Variophon & Varioton 10 chan schematics.pdf
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tiptipflyer
Posts: 393
Joined: 16 Feb 2018, 22:49
Location: Germany

Re: Variphone help needed!

Post by tiptipflyer »

The Variophon S IF frequency is 460 kHz. Keep that in mind when choosing your crystals for the superhet-receiver Varioton S.
So if you have a transmitter with the popular 27.120MHz crystal, the receiver crystal needs to be at 26.660MHz.

Frank
Pchristy
Posts: 413
Joined: 16 Feb 2018, 13:57
Location: South Devon, UK

Re: Variphone help needed!

Post by Pchristy »

Thanks Frank! I knew there was something odd about it, but I couldn't remember what - and its too late in the evening to pull my crystal out and measure it! ;)

--
Pete
alexandervdr
Posts: 4
Joined: 31 Mar 2018, 19:27

Re: Variphone help needed!

Post by alexandervdr »

I did get a variphone working recently . The receiver module was ok, but the tone modules (in the TX) did not work out well. I replaced the condensors (according to schematics above, checking frequency with an oscilloscope), cleaned the stick and push button contacts from oxidation , in the tone modules I had to clean the contacts of the relays with very fine sandpaper. The bellamatics are plenty available on ebay, and I built two good ones out of a bunch of not so good ones. Variphone is now working great and did tens of flights in a foamy to test it out on reliability, and to get used to the 'morse' style of control inputs. Never had a glitch. Two weeks ago I did a maiden flight with the radio built into an (era built, silk cover etc) Bergfalke from SchucoHegi. The only compromise was an electric motor on a pylon with an esc timer module. Flight was fabulous. This was my first rc plane almost 50 years ago, it flew 50 meters and then crashed due to radio failure. This is my revenge ;-)

iWhsTw%MR5OkP49o1zjMNg.jpg
4HfAtc9fSA6aRbU5dte6xw.jpg
P4085039.JPG
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tiptipflyer
Posts: 393
Joined: 16 Feb 2018, 22:49
Location: Germany

Re: Variphone help needed!

Post by tiptipflyer »

Great post, I am glad, that you got the Variophon working. Most of the time it´s only a matter of contact problems (relais and/or connectors) and old capacitors. The Variophon is a very reliable old radio, I have them all from the 4channel to the 10channel unit and all are working great.
Yesterday I was flying the original Amigo with the small 4 channel transmitter, however converted to 35MHz.
The Hegi Bergfalke is a fantastic vintage glider, I have a worn out 50 year old one in my basement waiting for restauration.
Cheers
Frank
jmendoza
Posts: 167
Joined: 18 Feb 2018, 23:07

Re: Variphone help needed!

Post by jmendoza »

Thanks everyone.
After looking at all the info posted, I'm going to pass on repairing Variphones. Too many issues to deal with: electro-mechanical connections that are all oxidized, odd ball crystals, not FCC compliant here in the USA. Maybe if it was my radio I would tinker with it, but to try and restore it for someone and guarantee it is flyable would be more than I'm willing to deal with. If anyone here wants to take this project on, contact me as the guy has several systems.

Jay
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