Motorola 23CL336BW scored

[bandersen]

I recently picked up this early rectangular color 23" Motorola set from 1967. Got it from Doug H who found it a local estate sale.



The original infamous 23EGP22 CRT is gone.
The current CRT was installed for Mr Copy in 1978. The warranty card kinda looks like 23ECP22, but I think they meant 23EGP22.
Who gets a new CRT for an 11 year old set ?



Anyway it tests very good and produced a bright B&W image. No color.


Here it is with the back off.


I imagine it had a yoke cover at some point, but there is little left of it.



The top is a little rough and overall there is some veneer separation and the finish has deteriorated. However, no chips, dings or deep scratches.

[bandersen]

It looks similar to a set in the lower right of this 1967 Moto brochure, but they list it as a CL883D ?
They also show the 1967 model years as having cabinet made by Drexler, but I found no label on mine.

That being said it is well made with solid walnut wood and veneers.

[oldtvman]

Back in the day, Motorola advertised this series as the first rectangular tube. From the servicer standpoint these sets were never very good, but people did like the soft picture.

[Tom9589]

A co-worker gave me the same model of TV back in the mid 80s. I repaired it (tubes only) and gave it to my mother-in-law who used it for almost 10 years without needing any servicing. You are right, she did like the soft, warm picture as well as the cabinet styling. It had the original CRT.

Bandersen, is your CRT free of cataracts? I couldn't see anything in your pictures.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by oldtvman

Back in the day, Motorola advertised this series as the first rectangular tube. From the servicer standpoint these sets were never very good, but people did like the soft picture.

The 23EG was used by practically every manufacturer but RCA, Zenith and Sylvania.
National Video kept the prime for Motorola sets and sold off the rest. The Prime tubes stood up real well.
Some of the Zenith and RCA tubes were no treat either!
Admiral CRT's were probably the worst of the worst.

[bandersen]

Originally Posted by Tom9589

...
Bandersen, is your CRT free of cataracts? I couldn't see anything in your pictures.

There is a bit of discoloration and separation in the upper left. This is a rebuild from 1979

[DavGoodlin]

That CRT looks pretty good and if it were mine, I would not risk any removal.

My Admiral (3G13) combo has a '75 Channel Master rebuilt 23EGP22 with a significant cataract just like an RCA would.

As a Motorola nut who has a soft spot for these despite the comparisons, that is a fantastic set Bob!

[reeferman]

After seeing the pictures I’ll probably have nightmares.
I wish you nothing but the best with this set

I have worked on more of these than I’ll ever admit. I always thought the boss was trying to get me to quit when I had to work on one. We had a large Motorola population thanks to an EJ Korvette department store.

Motorola had a problem toasting the demod tube sockets to a crisp in their hand wired chassis. Changing a tube socket in a Moto was memorable experience. Changing one/both demod sockets was unforgettable. No room!

I would solder leads on the replacement socket’s pins. I would then snake leads through the existing socket pin holes and solder to the socket tabs. NOT a pretty picture! If the socket was so bad that only the metal pin holes/tabs remained, end of story. I wasn’t proud of the repair, but it was revenue for the shop and the customer was happy. Fortunately, customers having these Motorolas repaired weren’t picky about picture quality.

I’ll withhold comments on the 23EGP.

Phil

[Electronic M]

Great score in the cabinet department. If it has both the SODPIL color demodulator and the 23EGP22 color probably isn't ever going to look completely right on normal programming.
I've got a tincan 23V" table set with the SODPIL and a 25somethingP22 and the control layout of the ad posted above. With only the SODPIL it's color is always a little off.

[Tom9589]

When bonded screen CRTs are rebuilt, is the safety glass removed for the rebuilding and re-attached after the rebuild is complete or is the safety glass left on for the entire rebuilding process?

[bandersen]

I'm not sure about the rebuild process. I'll try to get a good photo of the discolored area.

This bad 6DX8 could be why there is no color. The base is cracked and it went to air.
Can't believe I don't have any replacements in my stash Ordered up a few NOS.


Also haven't been able to get this tube out. Think I'll need to unsolder the top part of the shield. What were they thinking


Meanwhile, I glued down all the loose veneer and sanded the top. All the scratches were very light and came right out.

I think I can salvage the rest of the finish.

Say what you will about the chassis and CRT, but the cabinet is very well made

[Eric H]

Originally Posted by bandersen

Who gets a new CRT for an 11 year old set ?

Back in 78-79 a new color set was hundreds of dollars.
I worked in a shop around then and we used to install rebuilt tubes in roundies and rectangular sets that we dragged in from yard sales or were left by the customer.

Spend $50 on a rebuilt tube and a few other small tubes and flip it for $200 or more.

[nasadowsk]

"Who gets a new CRT for an 11 year old set ?"

Mr.Copy apparently did

[bandersen]

Ha. Here's a front view where you can see that the CRT is a bit low in the bezel.


Here's the corner that's bad. Some sort of sticky plastic stuff is on the surface and it's discolored.
I think if I raised the CRT up a little the worst of it would be hidden.

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by bandersen

Ha. Here's a front view where you can see that the CRT is a bit low in the bezel.


Here's the corner that's bad. Some sort of sticky plastic stuff is on the surface and it's discolored.
I think if I raised the CRT up a little the worst of it would be hidden.

Looks like the green Zenith style cataracts forming. Those are pretty easy to fix, but it looks like it is early enough into its degradation to ignore.

When you have the chassis out you can adjust CRT mounting.