Stromberg Carlson TC-19-L2 scored :)

[bandersen]

I spied this set in a nearby junk/resale shop a few weeks ago and, thanks to a good friend, it's now in my garage The proprietor seemed happy that anyone was actually interested in it and took $20 for it.

Really not much to look at from the outside which I think was their intent - minimalist design. Odd that is has a UHF tuner badge on it being from 1949/50.

Note that I do had that broken off bit in the lower right.


Heavy bugger even with a metal 19AP4 CRT and aluminum chassis.


It has continuous tuning with a band switch like the smaller TC-10




Closest thing I could find to it online is the "Emperor" http://www.tvhistory.tv/1950-Stromberg-Carlson-Ad.JPG

[bandersen]

Eeked out some emissions after an hour at 8 volts. Auto restore and rejuvination functions had no effect
045

Chassis came out easily once I disconnected the flexible control cables.


Love the aluminum chassis with "roll bars"




Looks like fun

[tvdude1]

Hey Bob if you decide to keep it I may have a spare crt for you.

[kvflyer]

Looks like a fun project especially if you can secure another CRT. You have lots of room to work under that chassis, always a plus! Please, keep us posted.

[Kamakiri]

I've got a 19AP4, and I'm headed to ETF.

[decojoe67]

Interesting set Bob! In the '30's and '40's the higher-end sets were often less ornate than the lower priced sets. That will be a great player when restored. Don't discount the CRT until you try it on a restored chassis. I know repairman that found CRT's that tested poor to actually give a very acceptable picture.
Good luck with it.

[Electronic M]

Interesting how it appears to use a version of one of their table model chassis.

[Kevin Kuehn]

Did you try the magnet test on that chassis? It sure looks like cadmium or zinc platted steel.

[bandersen]

I just did and you are correct - it's steel The lack of any corrosion and it's light weight tricked me.

[Kevin Kuehn]

It looks very similar to my TC-125 chassis, only the HV circuitry is laid out on the opposite side. On my TC-125, the power transformer sets where your HV cage is.

[bandersen]

I tested a CRT I know is good last night with the CR-70 and got no emissions until I wiggled the cable. That got me thinking I'd better retest the 19AP4.

This time I used my recently refurbished RCA WT-590A. Bingo! Tests like new I retested with the CR-70 and got similar excellent results. Rock solid life test too!

I'll definitely attempt to restore this beast now

[rca2000]

Similar thing has happened to ME On my 70. A color tube will test very low--even at 8.5 volts or so.. on ONLY one gun... THEN...I discover than one pin on the socket to the plug is being SHOVED OVER to the side and NOT making contact with the plug !! After this-usually ALL guns test good...Except for a few tubes that ARE bad on one gun...like the one in my 29JC20.

[NoPegs]

Originally Posted by bandersen

I tested a CRT I know is good last night with the CR-70 and got no emissions until I wiggled the cable. That got me thinking I'd better retest the 19AP4.

This time I used my recently refurbished RCA WT-590A. Bingo! Tests like new I retested with the CR-70 and got similar excellent results. Rock solid life test too!

I'll definitely attempt to restore this beast now

When I first watched the video, I went: "Bob! You've got THREE functioning CRT testers now, why the hell aren't you getting a second opinion from one of them? Especially after the whole no pulses then no-flash thing happened."


Have you apologized sufficiently for it to forgive you for the elevated filament current abuse?

[bandersen]

LOL I didn't go above 8 volts so I think it'll be alright

[NoPegs]

Originally Posted by bandersen

LOL I didn't go above 8 volts so I think it'll be alright

Has anyone measured the volts/current it pushes through the filament during the auto restore and auto rejuvenate cycles? I'm wondering if it just adds X volts to the currently selected filament voltage, jumps to a predetermined value, or if it goes into a constant current mode of some sort. I can't recall if you ever performed either cycle on a weirdo 2.xx volt predicta tube or not. I'm imagining it does the opposite of the life test button.

Speaking of constant current, in sets that have had the diode, or diode+resistor mod done to the filament string, since the filaments are now only seeing a DC voltage, why not chuck in an LM317 in current limit configuration using a 2.1 ohm 1 or 2 watt resistor to hard clamp the cold inrush current to a max of 595ma, slightly faster warmup than a thermistor, with the added benefit of auto compensating for higher than planned line voltages. (Might want to use an LM350 or an LM338, I'll admit to not yet having crunched the full numbers in terms of TDP, etc but if your diode mod gets it to 10v or less over target, at ideal 117v, the regs are unlikely to fry even if you plugged it into a 130v source.)