GE 12t3 - Videokarma.org TV - Video

JasonH · #1 07-29-2014, 10:39 AM

Recently bought a B&W tv at an estate sale and I have found next to no information on it. I know who produced it, how old it is, and that it is rather heavy. Could anyone give me information on this thing?

Also with the CRT taken out

pallophotophone · #2 07-29-2014, 11:16 AM

If the CRT is still good, recap it, replace the likely bad selenium rectifiers, adding an appropriate B plus dropping resistor, and you'll have a good performer. But be careful as it has a hot chassis.(no power transformer). The capacitors are in close quarters on those phenolic boards , so work carefully.

I worked on lots of this and their variations - a long time ago. Only once did I find a defective component- a deflection yoke with a shorted horizontal turn.

Bob Hodge

Tom Albrecht · #3 07-29-2014, 11:31 AM

That chassis is roughly the same as the "Locomotive" series of sets from GE. Look up information on "GE Locomotive TV" and modelsw 800, 805, and 10T1, and you'll find a wealth of information.

You may find this information useful: http://www.radiomuseum.org/forum/gen...tion_tips.html

JasonH · #4 07-29-2014, 12:09 PM

Any idea how much one of these with a good CRT would go for? This set is repairable but I do not have to parts to restore it.

Tom Albrecht · #5 07-29-2014, 01:53 PM

With a known good 12" CRT, I would suspect something like $75 - $150. With unknown CRT, more like $25 - $75.

Electronic M · #6 07-29-2014, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JasonH

Any idea how much one of these with a good CRT would go for? This set is repairable but I do not have to parts to restore it.

Replacement capacitors can be purchased online from a variety of retailers for not too much, as can tubes. With ordering caps two things need to be kept in mind to keep costs down and searching/filtering returning results. The replacement can have a higher voltage rating then the original, and the standard capacitance values of manufactured product changed in the time since it was made so original values like 50 and 20 would be replaced with the next nearest standard modern values (47 and 22 respectively).

Try suppliers like Allied, Digikey, Mouser, Antique Electronic Supply, etc.

Username1 · #7 07-29-2014, 02:56 PM

I've had one of them "on the bench" for a few winters now. It's my brothers set,
It needs a recapping and a few resistors leads have corroded so they need replacing
too..... I stuffed a few caps already. Looks like it will be a nice set. His has a 12" speaker
to match the 12" screen.... Imagine if they did that today.......
55" Speakers...... I Want My M-TV ! ! ! (1980's version though)

JasonH · #8 07-30-2014, 01:33 AM

Thanks for your help everyone, didn't think I would get anymore info on this TV.

JasonH · #9 07-30-2014, 01:45 PM

Would restoring it to working order increase its value? I am considering it now and if I do restore it I may or may not sell it.

init4fun · #10 07-30-2014, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JasonH

Would restoring it to working order increase its value? I am considering it now and if I do restore it I may or may not sell it.

If you are going to sell it , then I'd suggest not restoring it for two very important reasons . #1 being , that you'll never get back the $$$ you'll spend in capacitors and other parts , and #2 being that most folks would rather buy a "virgin" set and restore it "their" way rather than buy someone else's work .

With most of our beloved old TVs it's not about monetary value as much as it's about some nice old relic being brought back to life , cost be damned ..

Phil Nelson · #11 07-30-2014, 02:49 PM

Before doing anything, I would test that CRT. If it's a dud, a replacement could cost $100 or more.

If you don't have a CRT tester, this article describes how to do a simple dud/not-dud test on the filament with an ohmmeter:

http://antiqueradio.org/FirstStepsInRestoration.htm

If the CRT passes the dud test, it may still have weak emission, but you need a CRT tester to evaluate that. Chances are decent that it would work well enough to complete the restoration, even if the picture is dim.

I'd sell it as-is, or else restore it and plan to keep it forever, as init4fun suggested. This is not a particularly easy TV to work on, and restoration will mean a lot of work, even if you're experienced with old tube TVs. The market for restored TVs is very limited. It is risky and extremely expensive to ship one, which may limit you to local buyers. And if you sell a "restored" TV to someone who knows nothing about vintage TVs, they may have unreal expectations about how well it will work compared to a new flat screen.

Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html

Username1 · #12 07-30-2014, 05:09 PM

Where are you? Maybe someone local would be interested.....

JasonH · #13 08-01-2014, 09:12 PM

Erie, PA is where I am. I cant think of anyone off the top of my head who would want to purchase and restore a B&W TV.

JasonH · #14 09-04-2014, 08:49 AM

Necro'd, but here are all around pictures of it now

Edit: Pictures were massive, Imgur link instead http://imgur.com/a/DKPDB

I have also decided to post it for sale on Craigslist.

DaveWM · #15 09-04-2014, 09:19 AM

its all about location, IF you have a collector nearby, then you have a much better chance of getting in the ball park of the figures already mentioned. These do not ship well because they are both heavy and fragile making shipping risky and expensive.

agree with the others, if you do not want to keep it and fix it, then do not plug it in, do not begin any restoration, do not take apart. All that will diminish the value to someone that wants to restore it.