DSCS

A Double Slider Crystal Set

This set came about when I was looking for something to build as an entry in a local crystal set contest. Since I always wanted to build a double slider set, I thought this would be a good time to put some of the parts I was collecting to use.

The hardest parts to find for this set are the slider assemblies. These came from Gary Schneider at Play Things of Past. They fit standard 1/4 inch square brass stock. All of the metal parts are made of brass which I nickel plated.

The crystal detector is a CARCO style that I use in other sets.

The coil is wound with about 125 turns of # 24 dark enameled wire on a 2 1/4 inch diameter by 5 1/2 inch long phenolic form.

The end blocks are paper and epoxy laminate.

The .002 mfd. capacitor is mounted inside the coil form on the back of the front panel block. In my version, the anode and cathode of the detector is reversed as compared to the diagram. This allowed me to better locate the detector parts. I wanted to end up with the crystal holder in the exact center. Reversing the polarity has no effect on the performance.

View of the crystal detector and vintage binding posts. The two on the bottom are the ground and headphone return connections. The middle left is the antenna and the middle right is the other headphone connection.

This is a very simple crystal set and the performance is rather poor as expected. However, I still like this set. I think it has a simple elegance about it that represents the crystal sets of the 1920's very well.