Philco Seventeener III

[Adam]

I ordered some tube sockets. I've now got everything done on this set except replacing that tube socket, and fixing that broken corner on the back of the cabinet.

Added pic of the fluffy cat helping me look for more 9AU7s...

[Adam]

I stayed up all night and made some progress fixing that broken corner on the back of the cabinet in addition to fixing that weird piece of rca remote control test equipment. But I still need to repaint that gold stripe around the edge.

[bandersen]

Nice job on that corner repair. I hope fluffy cat found some 9AU7s

[DavGoodlin]

Nice work on the Philco sets. Keep kitty away from the grill cloth, I put window screen under any new cloth I install.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Adam

The weird problem with this tv was the socket for the 9AU7 horiz osc tube. One of the pins for one of the filaments was not making contact, and all the current was flowing just through 1 of the 2 filaments in the tube, so after I started the set up a few times, that one side of the 9AU7 would burn out. I burned out 2 new 9AU7s before I figured this out. I bent the contacts in the socket back in a way that it worked (only after burning out another 9AU7 testing it out). But tonight I turned it on and the same problem reoccured and took out my 4th 9AU7. This time I kind of screwed up the socket worse trying to bend it again so it would make a tighter fit. I finally jammed a bit of wire in the socket along with the pin of the tube not making contact to make a tighter fit, and this seems to work. But I'd like to come up with a better solution? But for now I'm not moving that tube until I get more, it being my last 9AU7.

Pic shows my messy looking sweep board where I had to replace one of those "component combination" units.

Your set is the earliest model of that series. I only saw one that used the 2EN5, horizontal AFC tube. The rest, all seemed to use dual selenium diodes.
It's been ages, since I worked on one of those dogs.

[Adam]

I replaced that tube socket today, it took me all day. But it worked after I put it back together first time I tried it.

The bad news is I knocked that same plastic piece on the floor two nights ago breaking the other corner. (But I have it mostly repaired already.) I'll have this set all fixed by either tonight or tomorrow, except for repainting that gold trim around those plastic pieces. I don't think the paint will go on too well in this cold, so I'm going to wait to do that.

[Adam]

I am finally getting this set back together. I painted that gold trim on the front and back piece, but put another coat on the front piece today, so won't take the tape off that until tomorrow.

I saw a picture of a newer 19" model and saw that that unit on the sweep board I replaced was instead made up of discrete caps and resistors mounted on a piece of circuit board sitting perpendicular to the main sweep board. (I wonder if these units were a common problem - for philco to quit using them) It looked much neater than what I did, and if I ever have to take that board up again, I might redo it like that. But these boards are such a pain in the butt to take up and down, I'm not doing it unless I have to because something else breaks.

[Adam]

Well, I'm finally done with this set. There's some scratches in the clear plastic over the tube I couldn't get out, but otherwise it looks pretty good...

This month I also hope to fix three other b/w sets: that 1961 19" Zenith with the SC300 I was posting about last night, my 1961 RCA 19" b/w with the mechanical remote (which also is getting a new CRT), and a '59 or so Admiral 17" b/w with a remote I just bought which hasn't arrived yet.

[Eric H]

Looks good!
Did you triy sanding the scratches first then buffing them out?

I use a headlight buffing kit on Predictas and have removed some fairly deep scratches.
The kit starts with a 3000 grit disc (wet sanding) then works down to a softer disc then to rubbing compound then polish. Have also used it on the plastic tube surrounds and they look like new afterwards.

If it's too deep of course you can wind up with distortions but surface scratches usually aren't a problem.

[Adam]

There were a lot of minor surface scratches I already took off first sanding with 600 wet paper, then using some polish. But I was hesitant to really start removing material from the lens to get to the deeper scratches. Now that I know it can work, I might try starting with some 400 or 320 wet sandpaper or discs.

[Eric H]

It can work for sure but just be careful you don't remove so much you create an optical distortion.

I had an entire cabinet identical to that one but i gave it to the thrift store, I don't remember what shape the screen was in though, might have been better or worse. Wish I'd kept it now so I could offer it to you.

[decojoe67]

Great job on that set! The all-red cabinet is striking. They display such a great picture. I always hate to turn mine off!