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1997 Zenith Z27X76R CRT longevity?

Well, this Zenith Z27X76R seems to fit this space, since it's a 1997 model. It was given to me yesterday by my brother after he cleaned out a vacant apartment where he is maintenance supervisor, and he says "it works". Can't get it out of the car yet due to heavy rain this morning. Would this one's CRT fall into Zenith's "bad period"? I already put a flashlight to the back and saw the Zenith decal on the CRT. I sort of like the style of these vertical consoles where a DVD or VCR can be tucked away on the shelf underneath the screen. RCA and Mitsubishi also marketed these. Unsure of late 90s quality on any of these brands, but I think this has a handsome design and would be great for watching vintage movies & TV shows on. I put this set up in a FB group and was told if it has an 1101 code on the CRT it is one of the bad Rauland tubes made after the LG merger. I won't know that til I get it out of the Vibe and into the garage. But if it's a baddie, what CRTs would be electrically compatible with this set? I believe Radiotvnut once said that Zenith later used RCA & Philips CRTs in the late 90s because of the bad CRT runs. I also have a 1999 Philips 27" set from the recycle storage as well, plain grey cabinet. If that one has a good CRT maybe I could do a swap?

Quote:

Originally Posted by andy (Post 3196628)

1993-1995 were the worst years, but they weren't all that great after that. It might be fine, and is worth a try. If you try to replace it, the most likely problem will be convergence. If the yoke isn't matched to the gun, the dynamic convergence will be way off. I don't know of a sure way to tell if a CRT will converge without trying it.

Agree with that 1993-1995 date range. You might get lucky...it seems like if you got a bad one, it died quick like well before the 5 year mark. If you got a good one, it would last.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dishdude (Post 3196661)

Agree with that 1993-1995 date range. You might get lucky...it seems like if you got a bad one, it died quick like well before the 5 year mark. If you got a good one, it would last.

My 1995 Zenith Sentry 2 19" table model, model SMS1917SG, still has its original CRT. The last time I tried it, it made a good picture with a bright raster. I may have gotten a set with a good tube. :yes:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeffhs (Post 3196668)

The 13's and 19's at the time, the CRT's stood up real well. Not true with the 25 and 27" CRT's.
I had a 32" 1994 model that had a Japanese CRT, that seemed to last very well.
I got a freebee 2002 model Zenith that has a Sylvania or Phillips CRT, EIA312. It doesn't work and I didn't try to troubleshoot it. :scratch2:

I was a Zenith dealer in 1997, and I will say that from about 1993 until I closed up shop in 1998, I replaced a bunch of Zenith CRT's (in and out of warranty). I had great luck with the electronics, but the 25" and 27" picture tubes were really "iffy".

i have a spare 25 and 27 inch zenith crt.both are excellent.lucked out because the majority are bad.