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B 4204 T3 07-29-2017 11:00 AM

RCA capacitance electronic discs
 
Is any one on here familiar with an obscure home video format from the 1980s called capacitance electronic disc? It is also called RCA Selectavision video discs. I am a collector of the format, and I watch the discs all the time, but I am having a problem with my RCA CED player that I need help with. Can any one on here help me out?

broadcaster 07-29-2017 11:26 AM

RCA spent a fortune on that format, all for naught. It used a needle for playing, which was inferior to the Philips systems. Service manuals for Selectavision are available on line, as are many parts. The cartridges are the biggest problem.

Findm-Keepm 07-29-2017 11:54 AM

CED format - a member here, pac.attack76 is an expert on them.

B 4204 T3 07-29-2017 01:35 PM

I recently sent my cartridge to a company in Indiana called CEDatum for an inspection, and they told me that my cartridge works fine. The problem I am having with my RCA CED player has to do with the picture on my TV screen when I am playing a disc. I do not know if it is some kind of mechanical or electronic problem, and I am interested in correctly fixing the problem so I can get perfect video when I use it.

Ed in Tx 07-29-2017 01:39 PM

Replaced the stylus assembly ("cartridge"?) on many of those to restore playback, back in the day. That was usually the problem then when the electronics in the player were still relatively new. I am amazed they still work! Theory was the lubricant on the playing surface of the disc would eventually break down. 35 years later they still play. I have laserdiscs that are unwatchable from the aluminum reflective coating failing.

Findm-Keepm 07-29-2017 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B 4204 T3 (Post 3187392)
Is any one on here familiar with an obscure home video format from the 1980s called capacitance electronic disc? It is also called RCA Selectavision video discs. I am a collector of the format, and I watch the discs all the time, but I am having a problem with my RCA CED player that I need help with. Can any one on here help me out?

Got a model number of the player? They made a few.

old_tv_nut 07-29-2017 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B 4204 T3 (Post 3187397)
I recently sent my cartridge to a company in Indiana called CEDatum for an inspection, and they told me that my cartridge works fine. The problem I am having with my RCA CED player has to do with the picture on my TV screen when I am playing a disc. I do not know if it is some kind of mechanical or electronic problem, and I am interested in correctly fixing the problem so I can get perfect video when I use it.

Can you describe the problem or post a picture?

B 4204 T3 07-30-2017 12:41 AM

My RCA Selectavision video disc player is a model SFT 100 W, serial number 129 42 6156; there is no date of manufacture anywhere on the player.



My CED player will start playing a disc normally with no problems. After it has been playing for approximately 25 to 30 minutes, sometimes longer, it will develop some kind of problem where the color in the picture will intermittently go bad. It will show a rainbow-colored image on my TV screen for a few seconds, and then go back to a normal color picture. Approximately 10 to 15 seconds later, the rainbow image will come back again for a few seconds, and then return to normal, and then go back to the bad rainbow image, alternating between a correct color picture & the distorted picture. It does the same thing throughout the remaining playback time of the disc. The audio always sounds accurate, so that is not a problem.



I think it is a problem with the player because it does the same thing on just about every disc I play; on occasion, it will play a disc perfectly with no problems, but most of the time, it plays discs with the color problem. I also know that it is not a problem with my TV because it used to do the same thing on my old CRT TV, and I now have it connected to my new flat screen LED HDTV.



This problem is very annoying, and I would really like to get my RCA CED player working properly again.

old_tv_nut 07-30-2017 09:31 AM

I don't have any direct knowledge of CED players, but this sounds like an intermittent connection in the color circuits. You might try rapping on the player when the picture is bad to see if the problem is mechanically sensitive. Beyond that, I defer to comments from those with more experience.

Findm-Keepm 07-30-2017 07:26 PM

Have the belts been replaced? The belt part numbers for the SFT100W are

RCA part number 149045 crosses to PRB part number FR2.0
RCA part number 152751 crosses to PRB part number FR21.5

Apparently, one of each in the unit.

This is from an RCA goldenrod bulletin I got at a service seminar - it seems the part numbers were harder to find than the service data. I've never opened a CED player, although I have one - not sure of the model. If your unit is running on original belts, it could be a starting point. I'll keep scouring my RCA lit for more.


And there's this from CEDmagic: http://www.cedmagic.com/tech-info/repair-solutions.html

Player Category: F/G Chassis Fault: Improper Turntable Speed
Symptom(s):
Image on TV exhibits intermittent color fade wherein it changes from being in color to being in black-and-white to being color again.
Solution(s):
The turntable in CED players must spin at exactly 450 RPM for proper playback. The chrominance portion of the recovered video signal is most susceptible to loss if the speed varies, resulting in a loss of color in the video image. The F/G players derive their turntable speed from the AC line frequency and a ring of sixteen magnetic poles around the circumference of the turntable. A turntable speed check strobe can be used to verify proper speed. If the speed is off or varies there could be a number of causes:

A worn out turntable belt (obtain a replacement belt).
Excessive friction in the turntable or drive motor bearings (re-lubricate the bearings, ideally following the procedures in the service manual).
Belt uncentered on turntable drive motor pulley (adjust the motor mount screws so the belt rides centered following the procedure in the service manual).
Improper clearance between the turntable magnetic ring and the sync plates on the turntable drive motor (this requires RCA Synchronizer Plate Gauge #153308 to measure properly).
Weak magnetic field in the turntable magnetic ring (necessitating replacement of the turntable or rejuvenation of the 16-pole magnetic field, which is theoretically possible, though I've never attempted it).

B 4204 T3 07-31-2017 10:09 AM

I really appreciate all of the help & suggestions; I can't thank you enough. Unfortunately, I played another disc yesterday with the suggestion of rapping the player when the color went bad, and it still has the problem.



A few years ago, I had my RCA CED player shipped to a technician back east who repaired them, but he has since retired & sold all of his inventory & equipment. I do not know what he did with the player, but he told me that he tested the player with several of his discs after he finished working on it, and he told me it worked perfectly. When I got the player back, hooked it up to my television, and started playing a disc, it immediately started playing the disc with the color problem.



My two guesses are that either he did not repair the player properly, or that something happened to the player in shipping & handling when he mailed it back to me.



I have never opened up a CED player either, so I am not quite sure what to do to repair it myself. I will try to find the belts & see what I can do.

pac.attack76 08-03-2017 11:37 AM

This sounds like caps going bad. I've never had color problems with any of mine. I have 5 units and over 100 discs. Only been collecting for 2 years but it's a real fun hobby. I think one of mine is the same model as yours but I'd have to check. I could probably get more details if your still having this problem.

B 4204 T3 08-03-2017 01:00 PM

Thank you for all the help; it has been very informative. I am still using my RCA CED player, and unfortunately, I am still having the color problem. My player is unpredictable; sometimes it will play a disc without the problem, and other times it will have the problem. I can never tell when it is going to do it, but once it starts, it continues throughout the rest of the disc.



I have never replaced bad caps before, so I am not sure what to do. Perhaps I will have to find someone to repair it for me, but I do not know who is skilled or even familiar with CED players & would know how to repair them.



I have been collecting CEDs for almost 10 years now. I have a fairly large collection of discs, and I only have this one CED player. My player was the first model of CED player available, and it seems to be one of the more common models of players.

pac.attack76 08-03-2017 04:48 PM

Yeah I have the first model, second model, and some newer units including one with stereo out. Caps are the easiest thing to replace. Actually, if you were close, is probably be able to resolve the issue.

Electronic M 08-07-2017 09:34 PM

I've owned two of that model of player and the Zenith badged version. 2 of the 3 had bad platter drive belts. The first was constant R G B vert stripes forming a sort of rainbow in the color signal, the other did that intermittently. Both were solved with new platter belts. I want to say all you need to do is remove the top and you can change the belt if you look carefully at how it is installed*. The platter drive motor pulley is on the front left of the unit IIRC, and the platter pulley is built into the bottom of the platter.

*I'm picturing some top structure disassembly, but that may not have been for the belt.....One of my decks had been mechanically monkeyed with. The off-play-load control mechanism (which is rather complicated) was totally out of adjustment, off did not work, and the other modes were misbehaving...It took me a few hours of fiddling to understand the mech and re-do all the adjustments to get it right.

Fine tuning tip: If at start it needs the fast forward search held to start playing on it's own, or it starts playing part way into the intro animation on side 1 (won't let you see the beginning) then the "pickup home position" adjustment is not set right. That adjustment is a screw that can be accessed by a hole on the back on the side of the back behind the off-play-load lever. If it wont start turn it clockwise slowly till it does then add 1/4 turn. If some discs still won't start pic the worst one (which does not start with a skip) and redo the adjustment.
If it starts too far in, then turn the screw CCW and load cycle till it starts but not too far in. Most discs have ~1-5 sec of black screen at start which is where ideally you want playback to start at.


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