WTB: Playmaster 132

[Old Phoenix]

Does anyone have an old Playmaster 132 that they’d like to sell?  Alternatively, does anyone know where I could get one?  I don’t mind the condition (e.g., working, not working, in bits, parts missing).  I’m also happy, of course, to pay all postage costs.  Details of the amplifier were originally published in Electronics Australia (sometime around mid-1971).  I couldn’t buy the parts at the time because I didn’t have the money.  I’m now retired and I’d like to rectify the situation.

I’ve attached two photographs that may help people to identify the amplifier (unfortunately, the “132” is not indicated on the outside of the cabinet).


Thanks,

Old Phoenix

[Brumby]

I built one of those.  Not sure where it is now - or if it is even still around.

My father worked in an engineering firm at the time and I got aluminium chassis panels made up.  I was also able to get them to cut a front panel - which they made out of stainless steel!  Labels by Letraset.  My tuner scale was black on white, though.

I picked it up once by the chassis and found out what 240V across a finger tip felt like.  Lucky the rest of my hand was earthed, wrapped around the chassis.  I also had fun aligning the AM receiver - I picked up a ham operator.  Very distorted, but I was able to pick out his call sign, which I looked up.  He lived about 300m from my house.  A couple of months later, EA published an article entitled "Tri Band Beam" referring to a ham antenna ... and HE was the author!


I wouldn't even know where to start looking - but the rain at the moment makes excursions out to the garage somewhat challenging.

[Circlotron]

I couldn’t buy the parts at the time because I didn’t have the money.

Same here. I thought it was pretty cool at the time.
Do you want to build it for nostalgia purposes, or simply because you need an amp. For nostalgia, sure thing! But for an amplifier there are much better ones nowadays.

I remember it had two 2N3055s in quasi complementary. Could you post the schematic?

[Brumby]

2 x 2N3055 per channel, with BD139 and BD140 drivers.

Bass and treble controls offered +/-20dB range
Tuner was single (broadcast) band AM superhet

The things one remembers ... and that was something like 5 decades ago!

[IconicPCB]

I have the old Playmaster HiFi amp.  late seventies early eighties. I may even have the paperwork which came with it.
Have not used it in years.

[Old Phoenix]

I built one of those.  Not sure where it is now - or if it is even still around.

My father worked in an engineering firm at the time and I got aluminium chassis panels made up.  I was also able to get them to cut a front panel - which they made out of stainless steel!  Labels by Letraset.  My tuner scale was black on white, though.

I picked it up once by the chassis and found out what 240V across a finger tip felt like.  Lucky the rest of my hand was earthed, wrapped around the chassis.  I also had fun aligning the AM receiver - I picked up a ham operator.  Very distorted, but I was able to pick out his call sign, which I looked up.  He lived about 300m from my house.  A couple of months later, EA published an article entitled "Tri Band Beam" referring to a ham antenna ... and HE was the author!


I wouldn't even know where to start looking - but the rain at the moment makes excursions out to the garage somewhat challenging.

I envy your experience!  I collected Electronics Australia for many years.  When I saw the Playmaster 132 I thought “that’s what I want to build!”  Unfortunately, I didn’t have the money and I just had to let my dream go.

What prompted my search for a Playmaster 132 was a series of accidents.  I was shopping in a second-hand store just after I had retired when I came across an old International 422 Amplifier (the construction details were originally published in Electronics Today International, mid-1974).  As the owner of the store only wanted a few dollars, I thought I’d bring it home and have a closer look.  The amplifier was in a bad state (capacitors faulty, pots scratchy, pilot light blown).  I brought the old thing back to life.  I’m now restoring the amplifier to its former glory and I’m surprised at how much I’m enjoying the experience.  That’s when I remembered the Playmaster 132 and though I’d try and track one down.

If you find your old Playmaster 132 around the house or garage and are willing to sell, please let me know.

[Old Phoenix]

I couldn’t buy the parts at the time because I didn’t have the money.

Same here. I thought it was pretty cool at the time.
Do you want to build it for nostalgia purposes, or simply because you need an amp. For nostalgia, sure thing! But for an amplifier there are much better ones nowadays.

I remember it had two 2N3055s in quasi complementary. Could you post the schematic?

Yes, my reactions were much the same.  I particularly liked the look and was most impressed with the “slider” or “straight line” pots.

My interest in getting of an old Playmaster 132 is purely nostalgic.  As I said to Brumby, I’m surprised at how much I’ve enjoyed refurbishing the old International 422 Amplifier that I happened to find in a second-hand shop.  I’ve now got the time and money to dabble around in an activity that I really enjoyed in my teenage years.

I’ve attached a copy of the schematic for the amplifier.  The schematic is not from the original articles (June, July, August, Electronics Australia, 1971), but from a later article (May, Electronics Australia, 1974).  I’ve posted the later version because the authors made a number of changes that improved the performance of the amplifier.

[Old Phoenix]

2 x 2N3055 per channel, with BD139 and BD140 drivers.

Bass and treble controls offered +/-20dB range
Tuner was single (broadcast) band AM superhet

The things one remembers ... and that was something like 5 decades ago!

You’ve got a good memory!  What I remember well was the “Home Study Course” that Electronics Australia offered in 1971, 1972 and 1973.  The course gave me an excellent introduction to the fundamentals of electronics and still serves me well today.  I also enjoyed reading about the various projects, although I didn’t have the money to have a go myself.

[Old Phoenix]

I have the old Playmaster HiFi amp.  late seventies early eighties. I may even have the paperwork which came with it.
Have not used it in years.

The original articles for the Playmaster 132 came out in early 1971.  I understand that kits were offered for a few years after the original articles, but interest in the amplifier eventually waned.  If you constructed your amplifier in the late 70s or early 80s, it might be a later model.  (A quick look at the photographs that I included in the original post may help.)

If you do have a Playmaster 132 and you’re interested in selling, please let me know!  I’m not concerned about the condition or whether it works or not.

[wilfred]

If you get one in need of repair or want to roll your own the TAA840 tuner IC is still listed by Rockby electronics. Set an alert on EBAY you never know what might turn up when you least expect it. I'm not so familiar with Gumtree but they might have a similar search alert option.

[Old Phoenix]

If you get one in need of repair or want to roll your own the TAA840 tuner IC is still listed by Rockby electronics. Set an alert on EBAY you never know what might turn up when you least expect it. I'm not so familiar with Gumtree but they might have a similar search alert option.

Thanks for your suggestions.  I’ll have a go.  I’m also interested in what you say about the tuner.  I had thought of trying to build a Playmaster 132 using the parts available today, but had assumed that some of the parts would be hard (if not impossible) to get.  The IC for the tuner was one of the parts that had me concerned.

[wilfred]

Rockby are good to deal with. As far as Melbourne is concerned they are the last man standing I think out of the old school electronics shops. A few years ago BC, (Before Covid) They acquired much of the inventory from Truscotts when they closed down. I don't think they have catalogued it. Probably not the best use of time.

But if you're desperate it might be worth asking.

[IconicPCB]

Are there othr Rockby's inother capital cities?
I thought Rockby were unique on the landscape.

[austfox]

Thanks for your suggestions.  I’ll have a go.  I’m also interested in what you say about the tuner.  I had thought of trying to build a Playmaster 132 using the parts available today, but had assumed that some of the parts would be hard (if not impossible) to get.  The IC for the tuner was one of the parts that had me concerned.

Not the 132, but there are a couple of Playmasters on Gumtree at the moment, located in Victoria. An equaliser and the twin twenty-five amp. Maybe either of these have a special place in your heart also?

[Old Phoenix]

Thanks for your suggestions.  I’ll have a go.  I’m also interested in what you say about the tuner.  I had thought of trying to build a Playmaster 132 using the parts available today, but had assumed that some of the parts would be hard (if not impossible) to get.  The IC for the tuner was one of the parts that had me concerned.

Not the 132, but there are a couple of Playmasters on Gumtree at the moment, located in Victoria. An equaliser and the twin twenty-five amp. Maybe either of these have a special place in your heart also?

Thanks for having a look and giving me some feedback.  The Playmasters on Gumtree are in good condition and well-priced.  But as you guessed, the Playmaster 132 has a special place in my heart.  I’ll keep on looking.

[johnboxall]

Are there othr Rockby's inother capital cities?
I thought Rockby were unique on the landscape.

No, just the one store, a short drive from Altronics at Springvale so you can knock over both at once if you're down there.
https://www.rockby.com.au/Index2012.cfm
They have an interesting weekly email blast as well. The "uncatalogued" back area of the store was always good value.

[Old Phoenix]

I built one of those.  Not sure where it is now - or if it is even still around.

My father worked in an engineering firm at the time and I got aluminium chassis panels made up.  I was also able to get them to cut a front panel - which they made out of stainless steel!  Labels by Letraset.  My tuner scale was black on white, though.

I picked it up once by the chassis and found out what 240V across a finger tip felt like.  Lucky the rest of my hand was earthed, wrapped around the chassis.  I also had fun aligning the AM receiver - I picked up a ham operator.  Very distorted, but I was able to pick out his call sign, which I looked up.  He lived about 300m from my house.  A couple of months later, EA published an article entitled "Tri Band Beam" referring to a ham antenna ... and HE was the author!


I wouldn't even know where to start looking - but the rain at the moment makes excursions out to the garage somewhat challenging.

As you’re one of the few people I’ve come across who’ve actually built a Playmaster 132, do you think the amplifier as originally designed could be built today?

[Brumby]

In regards to the amplifier - I would think so.  I don't think there is anything particularly exotic in there.  PCB's are all single sided and it's all through-hole.  Transformer has a simple 50V 2A secondary.  The push button switches might be a challenge if you want original, but I daresay you could probably put something together that would do the same job.

Not sure about the tuner, though.

[Old Phoenix]

In regards to the amplifier - I would think so.  I don't think there is anything particularly exotic in there.  PCB's are all single sided and it's all through-hole.  Transformer has a simple 50V 2A secondary.  The push button switches might be a challenge if you want original, but I daresay you could probably put something together that would do the same job.

Not sure about the tuner, though.

Thanks for the feedback.  I agree about the tuner.  I’ve checked on Rockby’s website (as suggested by “wilford”) and the TAA840 IC is still available, but I think some of the other components would be difficult to get.

[Brumby]

Might see if I get a chance to dive into the garage this weekend.....

[Brumby]

Didn't have much time, but had a quick peek.  Will need to move some things out of the way to be able to get in to where I need to.  The younger generation seem to think that because dad hasn't accessed certain areas of the garage for a bit, that they are free to stack whatever they feel like wherever they want.  Even more fun is working around the motorbike the eldest has in there.

[Old Phoenix]

Didn't have much time, but had a quick peek.  Will need to move some things out of the way to be able to get in to where I need to.  The younger generation seem to think that because dad hasn't accessed certain areas of the garage for a bit, that they are free to stack whatever they feel like wherever they want.  Even more fun is working around the motorbike the eldest has in there.

Thanks for letting me know what’s happening.  Fingers crossed!

[Brumby]

Tried to move those things out of the way - but could only get close enough to look behind ... and ... oh, hell.   

It's taken me four days to get up the courage to write about it.  It will take me a solid day of digging to have any chance of finding anything.

I don't know when I will get the chance - but I will not forget.

[Old Phoenix]

Tried to move those things out of the way - but could only get close enough to look behind ... and ... oh, hell.   

It's taken me four days to get up the courage to write about it.  It will take me a solid day of digging to have any chance of finding anything.

I don't know when I will get the chance - but I will not forget.

Thanks for the update.  I’ll keep my fingers crossed!