21" RCA solid state AccuColor TV from '72 - Videokarma.org TV - Video

radiotvnut · #1 03-06-2014, 10:07 PM

Today, I had the opportunity to raid the "junk floor" at the local TV station. Among some of the things I picked up, I got this 21" solid state RCA AccuColor TV from '72 in a metal cabinet with the tilt-out speaker. I haven't turned it on or removed the back; but, I can tell it uses the upright modular XL100 style chassis. From what I remember, these sets made great pictures when they worked.

john f · #2 03-06-2014, 11:30 PM

my grandparents had that exact same set in their family room well into the 90's. i used to watch football with my grandpa on it. Picture eventually looked like it lost luminance and they showed it the curb.

sampson159 · #3 03-07-2014, 08:25 AM

these sets are great.the xl100 was on par with zenith chromacolor sets.some of the finest produced and they made a fine picture

Jon A. · #4 03-07-2014, 10:44 AM

Pretty sweet set, good catch.

Robb · #5 03-07-2014, 12:37 PM

Nice. Looks to be in average cosmetic shape. Clean it up ! Too bad some silk screening is rubbed off

Jeffhs · #6 03-07-2014, 01:59 PM

That's a fine TV. Should make a good picture once the set is restored. That the set has lasted over 40 years and probably still works speaks volumes for the quality of the true RCA televisions. If you do try to test the set before beginning to restore it, I'd bring it up slowly on a Variac so any chassis problems can be seen (and corrected) before any damage occurs. This set deserves to be restored, as it again very likely has a lot of life in it yet. The only thing I'd wonder about would be the condition of the CRT. After four decades plus of use, the tube is probably weak and the gray scale tracking may be off. It wouldn't hurt to check the convergence as well.

I have an RCA "XL-100" Commercial Skip CTC185A7 TV that still works great, 14 years after I bought it new. I put the XL-100 in quotes because, according to an RCA representative I spoke with on the phone some years ago, this is simply a model name that meant nothing then (by the '90s) and still means nothing today. XL-100 was used with RCA's first all-solid-state televisions and formerly meant "extended life 100-percent solid state", but RCA held on to the designation even after the company became Thomson. I don't see "XL-100" on today's "RCA"-branded flat screens, so the model name has probably, even likely, been retired. It's just as well, since the term has outlived its usefulness and former meaning.

radiotvnut · #7 03-07-2014, 02:13 PM

Yeah, the condition of the CRT is a concern of mine and since it's a 21" tube, finding a replacement won't be easy. Fortunately, these older RCA tubes will usually take a good hit from a rejuvenator and if it comes down to that, I hope rejuvenation will last long enough until I find a good tube. My friend started working at the station in '94 and he said he does not remember this TV ever being used. Judging by the location of the room it was sitting in, it probably has been up there for at least 20 years.

radiotvnut · #8 03-07-2014, 04:45 PM

I fired it up and it has an HV issue. I get no HV, with a very low level high pitched squealing sound. This is a CTC46A1 chassis with an April, '71 date on the delay line. The CRT tested very tired; but, came back up after I rejuvenated it and it stays in the green at 5V. Hopefully, it will stay up long enough for me to find a suitable replacement. As far as the HV, this set uses SCR's in the horizontal output stage and I suspect the trouble is either the SCR's, the tripler, and/or an open filter capacitor.

sampson159 · #9 03-07-2014, 06:34 PM

triplers were a common issue on these sets.that crt will take a hit over and over.you can hit those a bazillion times,i love these era rcas and as i said before,they are right up there with the chromacolors as far as dependability and picture quality.

dieseljeep · #10 03-07-2014, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robb

Nice. Looks to be in average cosmetic shape. Clean it up ! Too bad some silk screening is rubbed off

Seems like every set, the OP gets, is grungy and needs a lot of detailing.
I did enough of that years ago, when used sets were bringing a decent buck. Now, forget about it, unless I need a part from it.

Robb · #11 03-07-2014, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dieseljeep

Seems like every set, the OP gets, is grungy and needs a lot of detailing.
I did enough of that years ago, when used sets were bringing a decent buck. Now, forget about it, unless I need a part from it.

It doesnt take much effort to clean the sets.
First some compressed air, some soap and water and a paintbrush or a horsehair detail brush,
and maybe some car spraywax for the plastics.

Jon A. · #12 03-07-2014, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sampson159

triplers were a common issue on these sets.that crt will take a hit over and over.you can hit those a bazillion times,i love these era rcas and as i said before,they are right up there with the chromacolors as far as dependability and picture quality.

In that case I ought to be set for life with my Chromacolor and my 19" XL-100, assuming the '78s were just as good. Not stopping there though.

dieseljeep · #13 03-08-2014, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robb

It doesnt take much effort to clean the sets.
First some compressed air, some soap and water and a paintbrush or a horsehair detail brush,
and maybe some car spraywax for the plastics.

Not the sets you get, but the ones he gets.
When the sets are that far gone, even after a lot of work, they just look good enough. They just don't bring top dollar.
I have a ultra-sonic cleaner that does a great job on cruddy knobs.

radiotvnut · #14 03-08-2014, 11:26 AM

Well, I'd love to find pristine looking sets like you guys find; but, the sad truth is that rarely happens around here. In my area, TV's and such don't simply sit in an unused den for 50 years with a total of 50 hours use being put on them since they were new. Around here, TV's and other A/V entertainment devices are usually well used and abused. Stuff the age of this RCA is getting impossible to find around here; so, I was happy to get this one, dirt and all. I don't buy most of this stuff to resell; so, it's really not a big deal if I can't get it looking like showroom condition (I just have to clean them as best I can and be happy). Hell, around here, I couldn't give this RCA away if it looked brand new and worked just as well (it's not flat enough).

zenith2134 · #15 03-08-2014, 11:47 AM

Around here, these early 70s RCA color TVs are some of the rarest to find in the wild. Even when old TVs were turning up everywhere on the curbs, I never found one like the one you have. Closest would be the '76-'77 RCA XL100s and then the colortraks of 1980 or so.
I once found a G.E. tube color from about '71 which had a control panel just like this. I don't think G.E. had any color clones of RCA this late however.