tims roundscreens

[jstout66]

you got that right Bryan! I suspect that Zenith & RCA charge that much for their crap (oooppss TV's) because they probably sell so few of those and consoles are for a select "specialty" market. I don't know when consoles became so out of fashion, but they are hated and I suspect that only "older" people still try and buy them. At one of the last estate sales I went to, there was a new 27" RCA console. The estate sale people must have thought it was old because they had it priced at $40.00 and someone snagged it for $20.00 on "half-off day" I would have snagged it for $20.00! RCA is by far the lesser of the two evils. I wouldn't touch anything with the Zenith logo now with a 10 foot pole.

[Chad Hauris]

I saw a very late model Zenith console in an estate sale recently, priced at $95...still on sale at the half price sale on sunday. These zeniths must be better than the awful bad crt sets of the early 90's though?
Also saw some brand new Zenith consoles at the appliance store on the square in Denton, Tx. This store appears to have been there since the 40's.
They were priced around $795.
And, I got a 1993 RCA console at the Texas Recycles day last year. It works almost perfectly...great crt, just a slight amount of misconvergence. Someone just wanted to get rid of it. I do think the RCA 1990's 27" consoles generally have good CRT life and good performance.

[Steve D.]

Google search "Zenith console TV" and you'll come up with current models B27A74 27" $749. & B25A74R 25" $599. The traditional wood style complete with brass hardware is like viewing a 70 or 80's era set. I can't post the pix but maybe someone might.

[bgadow]

Here is a pic of the B25A74R from the aforementioned sales flyer.

[Jeffhs]

Bryan,

RCA (Thomson) has (or had) at least two traditional console color TVs about two or three years ago, and two other models in more contemporary console cabinets, so Zenith was not the only manufacturer still making console color sets (albeit with unreliable GoldStar guts and CRTs [!]) in the late 1990s. I googled "RCA Console TV" a few minutes ago and came up with pics of several of these sets. Tried to upload them here but they won't go.

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by jstout66

RCA is by far the lesser of the two evils. I wouldn't touch anything with the Zenith logo now with a 10 foot pole.

The GS-built "Zeniths", granted, are not good sets at all, from what I've read about them in message boards (sci.electronics.repair for one), and, like yourself, I wouldn't buy another one. However, I have a 1995 Zenith Sentry 2 table model 19" set in my bedroom that works almost as well today as it did when it was new. That was my main set the first four years I had it; it worked well, never a bit of trouble with the chassis or CRT, and none today. I don't use that TV much anymore, as I bought a new RCA XL-100 just about five years ago, but I keep the Zenith as a backup. Works well enough on cable that it will probably be my main watcher again when my RCA set eventually goes bad and either can no longer be repaired, or the repairs would cost more than a new set. However, the RCA still makes an excellent picture on cable here, through a cable box and with the cable connected directly to the set, so my Zenith might be sitting in the bedroom for quite a while.

[roundscreen]

That new zenith is good looking. uh goldstar. I worked on goldstar tvs in the 80s. Fixed them under warranty. Also repaired alot of them when I had my store in the 90s.They were a good tv for the price. Most of the repairs were simple. The zenith goldstar problems were rauland. A63ADGP22 and the 27 inch crts . power supplys in the chassis could not take current draw when the crt would short. I see alot of rauland tubes in video game monitors. Replaced alot of them.
Here are some pictures of more wood. This is the philco I got fromTim.
This is one cool set. solid state tuner and If. Also a tuining eye. {needs tube}.6KD6 horz out tube. No hv regulator tube. I ran it about 10 min and flyback transformer started tor get warm. oh oh. This set has a horz bias control.{ Bias the horz output and it will control the hv}. The control was up all the way. I turned down the horz bias and silicone the fly. Now it takes a hr before it gets warm. The red gun was weak so i hit it with my b-k on low setting. Also replaced caps in the vert out, Resolder bds, Cleaned the controls and tuner.I think it Works good for an old bag.

[roundscreen]

Here is a picture of the chassis.

[Sandy G]

Man, those are GREAT pictures ! I have simply GOT to get my Zenith roundie workin'...-Sandy G.

[nasadowsk]

I don't know WHO buys consoles anymore, though I suspect it's old people. I think a lot of poor people have them too, and that's not surprising. Granny dies, kids don't want console, it goes to the Salavation Army, ends up going into its 2nd home....

I've seen roundies still in service in depressed areas. They work, they're 'good enough', and they last. Well, until a flat panel screen became a "must have" status symbol...

On that old Philco - was that another badge engineered RCA design, or did they have any origional ideas in it?

Oh yeah, anyone ever make a roundie with automagic fine tunning? That was always a neat feature that seems to have taken forever to catch on, though IIRC, it's just a few parts and a varactor diode. Ditto for automatic chroma gain, which RCA didn't have even in the CTC-16s.

[Charlie]

Man that philco set rocks! I love that cabinet. I have a similar Philco roundie, but I think is from 68. Unfortunately, it has the cheesy pressed board laminted cabinet.

Picture on yours is really great. I suppose that set saw JR back in his prime-time slot on Friday nights.

[Sandy G]

Yeah, wasn't Philco the last to market a roundie, as a "loss-leader" in '68-69 ? Some poor purchasing agent musta goofed-it's ALWAYS purchasing's fault-& they had a bunch of roundie tubes to eat up. -Sandy G.

[roundscreen]

Thanks guys. Sandy G do you have a picture of your zenith on ak? Also I would like to see charlies philco .This set looks like a philco design. Cool chassis is the name philco put on it. Although the basic circuits are close to the rca design. 6BL8,6KD6, 6LU8 tubes were in motorola sets and other brands. Someone on ak must have a roundie with AFT. Sets had AFT in 65 Please correct me if I am wrong. Yup, old people like wood cabinets and I own alot of them. But I do want a flat monitor for my computer. 35 inch would work.

[Sandy G]

Naww, man, I don't have a pic of my roundie. It's a '65 Zenith, in a fake-wood metal cabinet. I'm missing the VHF tuning knob-have the fine tuning knob, missing the channel-changer. Also, I took the back off, & the 1V2 tube was broken, took it out, & the socket crumbled when I did. Those puppies musta got some kind of hot ! As I really know little about working on these things, I figured the best thing to do was put the back on & leave it alone, which I did. -Sandy G.

[Charlie]

Roundscreen,

My Philco is about halfway down this page...

http://65.219.61.150/forums/showthread.php?t=13524