Videokarma.org

Go Back   Videokarma.org TV - Video - Vintage Television & Radio Forums > Solid State CRT Televisions

We appreciate your help

in keeping this site going.
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 08-10-2018, 05:11 PM
ESigma25 ESigma25 is offline
VideoKarma Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 244
Found this old RCA at the thrift store

So for some reason the local Salvation Army, which has never had a set made before the BPC era before, has this RCA ColorTrak set for the princely sum of 10 dollars. Looking at the label on the back it seems to be from 1978, which would make it the oldest set I own if I get it.

https://i.imgur.com/CBd8Fg3.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/zmwGbNH.jpg

My main questions are...is it worth 10 dollars, for one, and also how does the channel changing work with only one knob? Any other info about this set would be appreciated as well.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 08-10-2018, 08:21 PM
Electronic M's Avatar
Electronic M Electronic M is offline
M is for Memory
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Pewaukee/Delafield Wi
Posts: 14,758
If it is a deltagun CRT set and the CRT is good then you've got $100 of CRT with a $10 price tag...If it is inline then it is worth $10 if you want it enough to spend $10 on it.

The tuner is a varactor tuner. A varactor diode is a diode the capacitance of which varies with the voltage across it. BPC sets use digital logic to drive the varactor, early varactor sets use a bunch of resistors to set the voltage for each channel and a big tuning knob shaped switch to select the right resistors...The resistors are variable to provide fine tuning for each channel...Some sets let you set each the resistor for each knob position for any channel (UHF or VHF) you desire to skip blank chanels and or make motorized UHF/VHF remote tuning easier.

I personally try to never buy any all solid state set unless it is a deltagun color that I can keep as a CRT donor, a first inline (like a GE portacolor or an early 70's sony), or something extremely special. There are so many American made vacuum tube and tube/SS hybrid sets out there that even those I can't save all that I find.
__________________
Tom C.

Zenith: The quality stays in EVEN after the name falls off!
What I want. --> http://www.videokarma.org/showpost.p...62&postcount=4
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 08-10-2018, 09:33 PM
MadMan's Avatar
MadMan MadMan is offline
The Resident Brony
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Chicago
Posts: 1,217
It's not a half bad looking set. Maybe a little on the plain side. $10 is hardly a sum worth crying about if it turns out to be a dud. Besides, you can always talk to the manager and be like, "you know you're going to throw that out in a week, what's the best you can do on it?"

It should work if you plug it in, or well, you know, attempt to work. Will they let you?
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 08-11-2018, 12:13 AM
ESigma25 ESigma25 is offline
VideoKarma Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 244
If I go back tomorrow with someone to help me load it I'm gonna shimmy it across the floor to the outlet to plug it in before I pay. I just couldn't move the thing by myself.

This is the oldest set I've found that was intact (I found the sad remains of a 60s Admiral TV/hi-fi combo once) so that makes it worth something to me.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 08-11-2018, 07:25 AM
kf4rca kf4rca is offline
VideoKarma Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 737
Those convert really well to video input with a 2 transistor circuit if your tuner is unusable. I'm assuming it has a power transformer.
__________________
Reply With Quote
Audiokarma
  #6  
Old 08-11-2018, 09:07 AM
sampson159's Avatar
sampson159 sampson159 is offline
sampson159
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: columbus,ohio
Posts: 2,170
if that has the fold down chassis with a delta gun crt,you got the deal of the day.those were built like tanks and that heavy crt will take a jolt or two and restore nicely.good score
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 08-11-2018, 12:43 PM
ESigma25 ESigma25 is offline
VideoKarma Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 244
I tested it out at the store and it worked! Brightness was a little low but the picture came right up with a good raster (I hope I used that term right, I've been trying to learn old TVs from shango66 on YouTube). Just need to find a twin lead to coax adapter and a video source so I can check the picture properly.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 08-11-2018, 01:53 PM
kf4rca kf4rca is offline
VideoKarma Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 737
What is the chassis (CTC) number?
__________________
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 08-11-2018, 03:17 PM
ESigma25 ESigma25 is offline
VideoKarma Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 244
Unfortunately I'm not gonna have a chance to take the back off today so I don't know yet.

I noticed that on the back it has two separate sets of RGB pots, one labeled "Picture" and the other labeled "Driver". Is that a common thing sets had before the 1980s?
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 08-11-2018, 09:29 PM
bgadow's Avatar
bgadow bgadow is offline
VideoKarma Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Federalsburg, MD
Posts: 5,814
Well, let's see, for a sawbuck ("that's $10 to you city slickers" as a local TV ad used to say) you could:
1) buy a fast food dinner that will give you bad indigestion
2) buy a ticket to a really lousy movie
3) buy this TV, which will teach you a lot, looks kinda neat, and you could keep for years. You could sell it for 2 or 3 times what you paid with a little patience, maybe more, and you sure couldn't do that with #1 or #2!
__________________
Bryan
Reply With Quote
Audiokarma
  #11  
Old 11-04-2018, 04:45 PM
oldtvnut oldtvnut is offline
Banned
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Oshkosh WI
Posts: 19
He just knows he wants it! AAHH..snag it anyways, there's good parts if nothing else. If it plays, all the better!
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 11-20-2018, 01:06 AM
ESigma25 ESigma25 is offline
VideoKarma Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 244
Oh I did snag it, but it's been sitting away from home for a few months now. I haven't really had time to fiddle with it.
Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:24 AM.



Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
©Copyright 2012 VideoKarma.org, All rights reserved.