The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay The Radio Bench Need help, I have a 6 volt radio w/12 volt system?

I am very green on converting electrical systems. So any help for this dummy is appreciated.

I have a newly refurbished 6 volt radio for my 50 chevy truck. The truck has been converted to 12 volt. What would I have to do to use the original radio?

I have been thinking about selling the one I have and buying one of the original looking ones that have modern internals. But I like the idea of using the original one if its not too big of deal.

thx for any advice.

There are two choices that come to mind, to run your six volt radio on your twelve volt system.

One choice would be to use a resistor in line with the power feed to the radio. This resistor is sold by the major old truck vendors and is meant to run one large accessory such as the radio or heater fan. The resistor gets very hot and needs to be mounted on sheet metal to dissipate the heat.

The second and probably better choice is a Runtz voltage supply module. It will give you a constant six volts all the time. You can do a serch here or on the internet for places that sell the Runtz.

Thank you very much!!

In cases like this, the radio's B+ supply can be converted to run on 12v without hurting 'functional originality'. I seldom recommend a BAR (big [censored] resistor) for a 6v radio just because if it's limited current regulating capabilities which causes a harsh 'inrush' of 12v to the radio the moment it's turned on.

Best bet is the standalone power inverter that truckernix suggests.