PHILIPS MODEL 647 (1947)

The Philips model 647 was manufactured by Philips Electrical Industries of N.Z. Ltd in 1947.

Other radios based on the same chassis:

5-valve broadcast band radio.

Little brother of the dual-wave model 648

No specific service information held for the broadcast band model, however the dual-wave version should be similar except for the band switching.

Technical Information

Valves (5): ECH35, EF39, EBC33, 6V6GT, 6X5GT

Intermediate Frequency: 455kc/s

Frequency Bands: 2

Chassis Notes(most schematics can be clicked to download a full size version)

NOTE: The side knobs are not, as they appear at first glance, slide-on.  There are holes underneath that allow you to access the screw that runs right through the shaft and knob (not just a grub screw, they need to be fully extracted).  Once both knobs are removed there are also two screws (one each side) near the top of the chassis dial which need to be uncrewed as well.  See photos below for clarification.

1947 Philips model 648

1947 Philips model 648

1947 Philips  model 648

1947 Philips 648V

1947 Philips 648V

General Construction Notes for Philips Electrical Industries of N.Z. Ltd:

Philips early-mid century were probably the Google of their time - they had branches in many countries and a global brand that everyone knew - and were apparently happy to let engineers come up with new ideas and implement them.  Construction is often overly complex but very well engineered - although repairs can also take a complex path.  They used time-in-motion studies to find the most cost effective way to asemble sets and sometimes this means repairs can be nightmarish (if you've ever worked on a V7A Theaterette this will be all too aparent).  U suffix model numbers are transformerless (hot chassis) sets and great care should be taken, or the sets avoided altogether.

Philips model codes are complex - they are explained in-depth on the Philips brand page. 

Mullard codes: The model codes from Mullard sets (unlike their Philips counterparts) appear to contain valve count and date information.  For example, the model 525 is a 5-valve 1945 design.  The 2 appears to just be an identifier (most likely in case there were two models in 1945 with 5 valves, which there was - the 515 is the small 'Meteor' mantle set).

Fleetwood codes are often just a rearranged version of the Philips code.  For example, the FL374T transistor radio is a rearrangement of the Philips model L3Z74T.  Early Fleetwood codes were numeric with F on the end.  From about 1959 onwards the codes were much more like their Philips counterparts.  They start with F or FL (or sometimes FZ for larger consoles)...  These later codes also tend to end in a Philips-style identifier for the power source (A for mains, B for battery, T for transistor battery, etc - see the Philips brand page for more info on that).

Other documented models using this chassis (4 in total)

YEARMODEL NAME
1947 Philips model 648
1947 Mullard model 537
1947 Philips model 648V