It seems very unusual to me that this TV does not have a button or a switch on the front panel to activate the power tuning. Most TVs with this feature will have either a button or a rocker bar which would activate the motor drive; the rocker bar would activate the motor for either channel up or channel down, while the button arrangement almost always operates the tuner only in one direction, usually clockwise. (Zenith's SC100 remote TVs have this one-way remote setup, with the added feature of automatic shutoff of the TV when the tuner reaches a certain user-selected channel; this feature had to be set up when the set was initially installed.)

If the tuner has been set to skip unused channels, stopping only on active channels in the user's area, it will stop on only those selected channels, skipping the others. For example, if your area has channels 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13, the tuner can be programmed to stop only on those channels, skipping past channels 3, 6, 10 and 12. If the tuner has not been set up this way, it will stop on every channel from 2 to 13, stopping and shutting the TV off when the tuner reaches the channel (if any) which has been set up to automatically shut off the set.

It would seem to me as well that the "UHF" position on the VHF tuner in Zenith TVs without the factory-installed UHF tuner could be programmed to shut off the set when the VHF tuner reached the UHF position; in fact, many VHF-only Zenith TVs (in areas with no local UHF TV stations, of course) were probably set up this way by default, especially sets made for use in hotels or motels.


This would not be practical, let alone usable, however, if the TV had a factory-installed UHF tuner, since every time the tuner reached the UHF position, the TV would immediately shut off. I would think, however, if a Zenith TV had the UHF tuner and was set by default to shut off when the VHF tuner stopped on the UHF position, this feature could be disabled so that the set would remain on when the tuner reached the latter position.

OK, so I figured out how the Motorized tuning works, there a pushbutton in the middle of the lower knob (below the Power/volume control knob) that when you push it, it activates the motorized tuning.

Unfortunately I'm not getting anything on the screen (no raster, or anything) which is weird because the vertical and horizontal oscillators are running, and I tested all of the tubes and they all tested like brand new yet, and the picture tube is glowing in the back, I wonder if its something to do with the setting of the ion trap? The reason why I'm suspecting the ion trap setting is because the deteriorated yoke seems to of affected the ion trap adjustment rings on the back of the picture tube. I'm definitely getting audio and IF noise.

If you're referring to the newer set, those rings on the back of the yoke cover, is the centering device. That CRT doesn't use an ion trap.

Yes, I'm referring to the newer Set. So the if what you said is true, then why would this TV be prodoucing no picture/raster even though all of the tubes test like brand new in the set?

Also I've been working on the Bugeye set and I think I've figured out why there was no horizontal or vertical deflection on it, its because the Damper tube, the Horizontal Output and Horizontal Oscillator/AFC tube, and the Vetical output/Oscillator tube and the Sync/AGC tubes were all shorted.

Got HV? Got correct CRT grid-cathode voltage? Are the fuses all good?

Tubes being good doesn't mean squat if there's significant issues in other components. And something tiny and easy to change can prevent raster from existing.

No, there doesn't seem to be HV which is kind of confusing because the HV rectifier is in really good shape and the Flyback is in really shape (no melted wax etc.)

The picture tube is glowing in the back and the Picture tube looks to be low hours as the cathode material inside is a shiny silvery color yet and not a dark gray color like a high hours tube would be.

I could pull the chassis and check some of the components underneath but in all honesty except for a bunch of dirt inside the chassis (its literally dirt, not dust, like it may of been in a garage or barn for many years) the set seems to be a low hour set.

from what I could see of the underside of the chassis from the topside I did see one Bumblebee cap (no idea of the value on it though as I couldn't make out the color code on it.)

As for the Bugeye TV I replaced all of the Deflection tubes on the TV and tried to temporarily hook up an 8 ohm bookshelf speaker to the output transformer, and turned on the TV and all I got out of the TV was a loud hum from the speaker which at first I thought maybe it was related to bad filter caps but then when I turned down the volume the hum went away.

Is it possible for an impedance mismatch in a tube audio circuit to cause a hum that can be adjusted by the volume control?

EDIT: Definitely failed filter caps, and I checked the date code on the picture tube on this TV and it does seem to be the original picture tube (or else a NOS tube because the picture tube is a GE branded Picture tube with a Date Code of 58-17 or 17th Week of 1958 which is right around the time period this TV was made, also I think the Selenium Rectifiers are going bad because when I powered on the TV I smelled a burning surfury smell coming from the TV that seemed to be coming from the Selenium Rectifiers.

So how do you remove the chassis out of the Zenith Bugeye TV? I'm asking because I don't see any obvious ways to get the Chassis out (marked screws or anything), also when I was trying to take the socket off the back of the CRT on the Zenith Bugeye TV I accidentally pulled the picture tube's base off (the plastic part with the pins on it that the socket plugs into) thankfully the wires are still intact but trying to feed the wires back into the pins in the base for resoldering is going to be tricky, also trying to figure out how to reglue the base back onto the CRT so it doesn't break off again.

OK, so I downloaded the Sam's Photofact for the big Zenith, which is a 15L22U Chassis, and according to the Sam's my TV was supposed to be Remote Controled Model (they don't give any other arrangements of that particular chassis) and the fact that my TV clearly has a spot in it for a remote control receiver sub-chassis, but there's nothing there clearly shows that more than likely this was indeed a remote controlled model originally but then possibly the original owners of the TV were having issues with the remote control functions so they decided to have the repairman remove the remote control receiver subchassis from the TV so they didn't have to worry about it anymore so then they just operated it "manually" (using the push-button in the front of the TV) and just called it good enough.

Also according to the Sam's that auto/ manual switch on the back of the TV was indeed a remote control receiver defeat switch just like I said it was, and the fact that the hole was actually punched out on the back cover of my TV rather than just being a "blank" (unpunched) hole is another reason why I suspect this TV originally was a remote controlled set.

AFAIK, the remote unit has to be in there to operate the motor driven tuner.
I has relays and other parts for the motor drive. The metal cabinet sets generally used the same back for all the models of the same size. It's more cost effective.

Hmm, I'm surprised, because RCA and Philco for their remote control TVs (and non-remote control sets) used different backs for example I had a 19" Philco Townhouse TV from 1962 (same time period as this TV) and they were available as remote control and non-remote control models, and the non-remote control models had the remote control defeat switch cutouts molded into the back cover but they weren't cutout (plastic rear covers) same goes for my 17" RCA TV (also from abt. 1962) which also came with or without the option for a remote, and the back cover on my RCA has the remote control defeat switch hole molded into the back cover but its not cut out the units that originally came with a remote had the hole cutout for it, and the units that didn't didn't have the hole cutout for it. Now of course that might be the difference between a plastic cover vs. a metal cover but that still shouldn't make a difference I wouldn't think.

Anyways Why would a remote control model vs. a non-remote model make a difference in whether or not the front push-button would work or not, in a motorized tuner set? Shouldn't the Motorized tuning still work on these TVs even if the remote was out of the picture on a remote controlled unit?

I have seen factory non-remote power tuning Zenith's a few times before and they do work without the remote chassis. Based on what I have seen of the SC600 combo set I own I believe the tuner motor can operate without the remote chassis (as long as you connect it to a source of 120VAC). I'm planning to try it out soon without the SC chassis to test the motor.

You may want to decide the letter suffixes on the model number. My 1959 Zenith wasn't optioned with a remote, but the cabinet and chassis had provisions for one such that I could add one easily.
IIRC in 59 they had a U model suffix for the cabinet and an R suffix for remote. (There would also have been a suffix for non-remote power tuning). Note I may not be remembering the exact letter used to designate the option.
Basically the model number for example cabinet with base options of manual VHF only tuning would be something like B2506 (B being the year) and if you liked the cabinet but wanted it with UHF and remote you would order a model B2506UR. Some TV only sets also offered "HI-FI sound" which was a set of tone controls...IIRC those also had a suffix.

If the set was remote the chassis number would end with the letter "Q".

Do you see an opening in the front of the cabinet where the microphone for the remote had been ?

OK, that makes more sense explained that way, I'm familiar with Zenith products but mostly their tube radios and record players, and their later Solid State TVs and their VCRs (which were rebadged JVC and Goldstar VCRs) but I'm not as familiar with their TVs from the 1950s and 1960s and how they worked and how they were or weren't equipped.

My bigger Zenith TV, the Model number is L2717U3 and the Chassis is 15L22 (at least according to the back cover).

So According to your explanation the "U" Suffix meant "UHF" so the what did the "3" Suffix after the "U" suffix refer to?

Also you said the the Letter Prefix at the beginning of the model number referred to the year the TV was made, so then what year does the letter "L" represent? Also My TV does have a tone control on the front of the cabinet in the "pencil box" compartment does that make it a "hi-fi" model or does it have to have both a bass and treble controls for that and not just a single tone control pot?

Also can the yoke still work properly without the plastic cover over it and without the centering ring?

I'm asking because the plastic cover that goes over the yoke on the big Zenith had more or less crumbled in several spots resulting in the centering ring falling off.

I'm not sure, because wouldn't of the mic of been hidden behind the speaker grille?

OK So I'm curious, the big Zenith TV of mine, has all of its original Zenith branded tubes in it and they are all sourced from different companies including Sylvania (Zenith's primary tube source), GE, RCA and several tubes in the IF and Audio section that were sourced oddly enough from Philips-Miniwatt in Holland, I say "oddly enough" for the Philips-Miniwatt sourced tubes in this set because I didn't think Zenith sourced OEM Parts such as tubes from Philips-Miniwatt during that time period in their history, and the reason why I know they are all original tubes and not replacements is because all of the tubes have matching date codes from between late 1963 to early 1964 which was about the time period we had thought this TV dated to possibly.

First off lets get your terminology correct, the silver coating in a tube is the "getter". It is a deposit of a metal that will grab any trace of oxygen in the tube. Sometimes it is silver, sometimes it is grey, it depends on how quickly it was deposited. When the getter starts to turn white it means there is too much gas in the tube for it to handle. The cathode is a very small cylindrical metal "can" shape with a small spot of white cathode material on the end. It is all but completely impossible to see from the outside.
An impedance mis-match would not cause hum.
Pulling the CRT base off is a rookie mistake. I'm sure you know how hard it is to find good CRTs today. Always hold the base with one hand and the socket in the other when separating the two. I think that at least one person on this forum has posted about re-connecting the base. I'm sure Phil Nelson of Phil's Old Radios had to repair one that was already loose. Generally you remove most of the old cement, clean the glass and base well, solder on extension wires to the one still on the tube, and remove all the solder inside the base pins. With the longer wires it is much easier to feed them into the socket. The original cement used a mixture of things like water glass, marble dust, shellac, etc. which is hard to find. Many people use "electronic safe" silicon sealant, (it does not smell like vinegar).
In fact Phil has a restoration article about a similar set.
https://www.antiqueradio.org/zen28.htm

L would have been the 1964 model year introduced in late 1963 (like car model years are).

The option code leters I don't actually remember which letter goes with which option. My 1959 Zenith had notation on the tube chart that made it obvious what letter was used for UHF and what was used for remote sets, but it's been over a decade since I looked at it and that set is covered in a mountain of junk presently.

The High Fidelity sets always had bass and treble knobs, sets without that option often had a single tone control.

Ok, I apologize for using the wrong terms for the parts inside the Picture tube, I was going by what I was loosely remembering Shango066 say about how he could tell if a picture tube was low or high hours which I guess I remembered the terms he used wrong.

As for the picture tube repair there's a lots of wire left so I should be able to fish the wire through (the wire leads didn't break off they just more or less slid cleanly through the holes in the tube base pins because there apparently wasn't much solder on the tube base pins.

Ok, thanks, I apologize for all these questions I'm trying to familiarize myself with how these old Zenith's work because while my dad's side of the family (specifically his grandparents) were big into Zenith products and thus my dad was as well I'm more familiar with the more modern Zenith sets from the 1980s and 1990s and the Zenith Radios from the 1930s-1960s, but this is my first time working on Zenith TVs from the 1950s and 1960s.

Aside from the old Meck and RCA TVs I've worked on and resurrected successfully I don't have as much experience with Vacuum Tube based TVs as I do Solid State TVs.

OK, so I know that in the early days of FM Stereo Multiplex that often times manufacturers, like Zenith, Magnavox, Motorola etc. would design a radio that was "FM Stereo Compatible" meaning that it had a provision on the radio for an FM Stereo Multiplex Adaptor to be installed by a factory trained serviceman if one so choose to do so later on (specifically the old console stereos from the late 1950s and early 1960s).

I was wondering if that was also the case with the remote controlled TVs from that time period, that they made the TVs with a remote control sub-chassis installed from the factory if one chose to do so (the same was done with FM Stereo Multiplex early on) but then one could also get a TV that was "remote control capable" where the TV was provisioned from the factory so that a remote control sub-chassis could be installed later on by a factory trained serviceman?

If so I wonder if that was the case with my TV? :scratch2:

I haven't heard of aftermarket remote on Zenith sets (it certainly was possible on some models).
Packard Bell on the other hand did not build a single set with factory remote (despite most of their TVs being remote ready) instead the remote was a dealer installed option...I believe they kept the interface standard for several years so you could ask for remote from new or save up for it after you've enjoyed your TV for some time.

OK, I was just wondering.

The good news is that the Zenith Bugeye TV should be a pretty simple resurrection/restoration, because its mostly ceramic disc caps I only counted 13 paper caps in the whole set, and the good news is that it seems like the main filter cap is still good yet (possibly a later replacement) but the rest of the electrolytic cans are either shorted or open according to my ESR meter, (one's a 3 section and one is a 4 section) which means that the hum I was hearing through the speaker may have been from one of the other electrolytic cans that had failed, in fact I might possibly be able to get the set to "work" ("resurrected" to borrow Shango's terms) by just replacing the failed electrolytic cans with new individual electrolytics. :thmbsp:

I wouldn't put much stock in what Shango says.
He is an outlier as far as I'm concerned.

Did you figure out how to work on the bugeye? The cabinet slides off the chassis by removing the top knobs and the two screws on the top and bottom rear edge of the cabinet wraparound. Probably, easier to lay set on it's face and it slides off.

Yes I did, I finally got it apart, and it looks pretty straight forward and simple to recap and also it has a very small amount of paper caps to replace as the majority of the caps in the unit are ceramic disc and mylar type.

I hope you are counting Bumble Bee caps and those tubular white ceramic bodied Elmenco caps as paper caps because they are paper dielectric and despite looks are just as prone to failure.

Also Shango himself on many of his 'resurection' videos comments to the effect of "this is just to see it run. If you plan to use it you want to change all these caps."

When you loose a power transformer, flyback, etc doing a quick resurrection you'll learn that's not the way to go.
I'll do a resurrection when I want to confirm key unobtainium works, but as soon as I know it works I progress into a full recap... Atleast if I plan to use something or sell it as working.

Yes, I counted bumblebee and the ceramic tubular caps, as for the "Shango resurrection" comment I made I was meaning the same thing he meant as far as just to see how well it's working in its current condition without a full recap and then proceed with a recap from there, and that's because there were several service dates penciled in on the back cover of this TV which leads me to think that this TV lead a hard life and might be a high hours set, so I want to see how much work has been done to it and if (like you said) parts like the yoke, vertical, or horizontal output transformers or flyback are still functional. That's because as you saw in my initial post the picture of the Zenith Bugeye TV powered on it showed little to no Vertical and Horizontal Deflection on the screen (a horizontal line going across the screen with a small square underneath it) which I want to make sure that its not a yoke issue (as was suggested was a possible issue) or a failed H or V output transformer issue.

Also As far as the big Zenith goes what type of bulbs were used in the tuner for the backlights? I was thinking possibly a type 44 or type 47 (a 6.3V bulb) but I'm not sure and the only number stamped on the base of the bulbs that came out of the TV was the leter "W" (which I could only guess stands for Westinghouse) and the number "240" underneath.

That lamp is a #240!
I don't remember what the difference is between the 240 and the #47. I always used the proper lamp. Possibly, the #240 doesn't get as hot. A lamp that runs too hot can ruin to plastic parts.

Use either a number 239, or 240. Other number lamps may not focus.

OK So here's a picture of the base of the picture tube showing the wires that went into the pins of the base weren't broken off. Also there wasn't much glue on the base to hold it into place to begin with, which makes me wonder if someone replaced this base before, and didn't use enough glue when they installed the base which is why it came off so easily (and yes I was grasping onto the base with one hand while pulling on the socket with the other hand and the base still came off, as the socket was on there really tight.)

Unfortunately I can't get the wires to line up with their respective pins on the base so I can repair it, and I tried soldering some "extensions" onto the existing wire leads and I couldn't get the solder to stick.

Try holding the end of a lead between a couple pieces of 600 grit sand paper and rubbing then try soldering.

You might have to break away part of the base to locate the leads. If the piece you break away is in one piece, you can glue it back in.
I hated that when it happened. I generally wrapped the base with black plastic tape. It was a hack job, but the sets were for resale anyway.

I've also cleaned wires by gently scraping them with a knife (X-acto).
Use extra flux also.

Would the stuff pictured below work to reglue the picture tube base back onto my Zenith "Bugeye" TV's Picture Tube?

NO NO NO!!!!!!!!

It does not have the words "sensor safe" ... this means that it contains acetic
which exudes out on curing and will corrode the wires. If it smells like vinegar or
other acid, don't use it!

Ok, well I'll return it then. Where would I get the "sensor safe" stuff then? Would they have it at the Auto Parts store? I'm asking because I didn't see anything like that at the hardware store, and the only other place I saw that was online and I'd prefer not to buy it online if I don't have to.

As for the 23" Zenith TV, I finally got it out of the cabinet, and looked underneath the chassis, and it appears that there are only 7 paper caps in the whole TV Chassis (2 Bumblebee caps, 1 ceramic tubular cap, and 4 brown plastic tubular caps), the rest are either Brown or Yellow Ceramic Disc Caps or Mylar "Brown Drops" and "Orange Drops".

As for the Electrolytic Can Caps, one was a single section cap for the main AC Line Filter (that one tested bad with my ESR Meter), the second was a 4 section electrolytic can that had only one section that tested bad, and the last one was also a 4 section electrolytic can cap that had 2 sections that tested bad.

So as far as the electrolytic cans go, could I get away with just unwiring the bad sections and installing a terminal strip nearby that I could install the necessary replacement caps onto and wire the leads from the dead sections of the aforementioned can caps and then just continue to use the good sections of the original can caps, or should I just replace all of the electrolytics including the ones that still tested good yet in the original cans?

I've had good luck with Permatex Red from the Advance Auto parts on picture tube bases that have seen use. Be careful, there's 2 different reds and only one is sensor safe.
http://videokarma.org/attachment.php...4&d=1635218073

OK, I think I may have seen something like that at the local Ace Hardware (which is where I picked up the stuff that apparently wasn't sensor safe) and I didn't realize what it was because I didn't know I was looking for "sensor safe" at the time (I thought I was looking for something else with a similar sounding name.)

I'm not sure a "gasket maker" product will have the best adhesive properties.
I think a little better choice is this black adhesive. I've used it on other things and it states that it can be used on wires.
https://www.permatex.com/products/ad...esive-sealant/