Pye fv1c
 

Guys,
I acquired this TV at one of our auctions. Don't know much about them at all. The cabinet is fairly solid and will need refinishing. The chassis has some rust and might be missing a few tube shields. The speaker looks to be in great shape. I'd like to test the CRT but can't find any info on it. It looks to be 12" roundie. Much like a 12LP4. Any comments and suggestions are welcomed.

https://tvrestorerguy.com/wp-content...1470998_1a.jpg

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Pretty sure that is a Brittish market 405 line AM sound TV set...Wonder what it is doing in the USA? :headscrat

Looks like it is an AC/DC set. Easiest way to power it is to set it up for 240, and either connect it to one of the stove/dryer/airconditioner outlets you may have in your house, or get a 120V to 240V step-up transformer.

It should be possible for it to sync to 525 line signals.

Hi,
Pye were a very well known UK
manufacturer based in Cambridge.
Taken over by Philips in the mid 1960s.
I don't have that model but have the
later vt4 from 1954.

The CRT you have in there is a
regunned one for sure.Original CRT
would have a Mullard sticker on it.
Google Pye FV1,lots of info
on it,dates from around 1951/52.
To run it properly on 405 lines you'll
need a converter.
Regards,
Hugh

You can download the service manual
here.
https://www.nodevice.com/service-man...pye/fv1/440613
The label on your CRT states 6.3v 200mA
which is strange as the original would have
been 300mA to match the series string current
unless I'm misreading the label.

Dah-yum, dude, talk about a SCORE... Looks EMINENTALLY restorable, & I'd LOVE to hear its "Backstory", if you know any of it... Ya Done GREAT !!

I wonder how that set found its way across The Pond. It dates from 1951 and the original CRT would have been a Mullard MW31-16. Data here: http://www.mif.pg.gda.pl/homepages/f.../m/MW31-16.pdf The repalcement seems to be a MW31-74: http://www.mif.pg.gda.pl/homepages/f.../m/MW31-74.pdf The 200mA heater is almost certainly a mistake on the label. But please run the heater up carefully from a bench supply and measure what it takes at 6.3V. If it really is 200mA you'll need a bypass resistor, nominally 63R, to take the remaining 100mA.

You can download the original Pye service data from Jon's invaluable site. The download process is a bit clunky but not difficult. The quality of the scan is excellent. Pye manuals are good, probably rather better than the 3rd party one linked in a previous post.

http://www.thevalvepage.com/tvmanu/pye/body_pye.htm

The valve (tube) line-up is pretty common for a UK set but will be unfamiliar in the USA.

It won't easily sync to 525 signals. Field scan will be OK but persuading the line scan to go up from 10125Hz to 15734Hz is a big ask. Also the vision modualtion is +ve, sound is AM, spaced 3.5MHz from vision.

Once you have got the CRT to light up, the easiest way to get a picture is to buy an Aurora converter.
http://www.tech-retro.com/Aurora_Des...Converter.html

The most vulnerable component is the line output transformer ("flyback" in American usage). Before applying power, it's worth running some DC through the EHT winding for a few days to dry it out thoroughly. A few 10s of milliamps is about right. Enough to make the overwind feel gently warm.

PS: This set is live chassis. The metalwork is conencted to one side of the mains (line). When working on the set the chassis should be conencted to neutral (cold). Don't trust the set's power switch to break both poles of the mains. Been there, got the shock from a set that was "off". If you're using a US 240V supply I think that both sides are live (hot). Not recommended while working on the set. If you're connecting testgear such as a 'scope then you must use an isolating transformer, not an autotransformer. If you're running direct from 240V or using an autotransformer to step up the voltage an RCD (GFI) is a very wise precaution.

Great Britain was in a heluva shape after the War. They'd won, defeated the Jerrys, their empire(Commonwealth) was largely intact & thriving, they had a new Queen who was universally adored, they built the world's 1st jet transport, their electronics industry was 2nd to none, the future looked bright, indeed. So, What Happened ? America happened. The tale comes down that in 1951-52, the DeHavilland folks found out/knew that Boeing was developing a jet transport plane, too. They asked to see it, & as they were allies, & I THINK there had been low-level technical correspondence back & forth, a group came to either Wichita or Renton. They went back to their hotel rooms, the lead guy, a Lord Somebody- told the group-You have just seen the end of British civil aviation. Either one of Boeing's plants they visited had more stuff next to the men's room than DeHavilland could muster in their entire plant, plus Boeing had facilities they had never even thought about. I can only imagine the scenario would have been similar if Pye or HMV or one of those guys had gotten to see an RCA or Zenith plant at the start of the TV era.. You gotta kinda feel sorry for these guys, in a way... Plus, they-And us-had the Japanese waiting in the wings, ready to eat us alive...Still, having one of these is a score almost beyond belief, & I would treasure it totally...

You'd be interested in this book
(Insane price) on the history of
UK radio and TV manufacturing
up to 1990.It has a lot of technical
information,including the Thorn(EMI)
fully transistorised 25" colour TV from
1967.(Thorn 2000 chassis).
https://www.amazon.com/Setmakers-His...y&sr=8-1-spell

It was listed recently on Amazon UK
at a "normal" price.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Setmakers-H...y&sr=8-1-spell

"The Setmakers" is a sad story of the decline of the UK radio and TV industry. It's an important reference book for anyone interested in the UK industry. Copies readily available at fair prices in the UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Setmakers-H.../dp/0951704206

The unique 405 line standard kept foreign competition out of the UK market for many years.

Coming back to Pye and their post WW2 TVs. The B16T/D16T was the first new TV made in the UK after WW2 in 1946. Mains EHT, nice compact chassis. Capable of very good pictures. The BBC modified them to use as low cost video monitors. They were followed by the B18T/D18T in 1949 which was the first UK design to use flyback EHT.

The FV1 was a couple of generations later by which time better valves were available and designs were starting to look more standard.

The V4 etc which followed the FV1 was quite a complex set, designed for quality. Its LOPT (flyback) is problematic.

http://www.thevalvepage.com/tvmanu/pye/body_pye.htm

The Thorn 2000 series (nothing to do with EMI at that time) was their first colour set sold under various brand names. It was the world's first fully solid state colour TV. Launched for the start of colour TV in the UK. I'm restoring one at the moment.

Intresting book. I will try to get my hands on it.
Also, that site with old tvs is intresting.

Wow, guys thanks for the info. Much to think about.

I did manage to check the CRT with my BK 467 CRT tester. I used adapter #10. After slowly raising the heater voltage and cooking it for a bit at 6.3V I ran the test. Cutoff was very good. Emissions was at 1.55 and life test was 1.3. A very good CRT!

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I think the sticker says EM=200. EM is for emissions?

Thanks for all this good info.
The converter is $225! Yikes.
Good idea on running the flyback a little warm to dry it out.
I DL the manuals. Interesting reading for us Yanks.

Mr Hoover,
Thanks for those links.

Darryl has sold over 800 Auroras to UK enthusiasts. The price we pay is increased by carriage and import taxes. We still think it's good value. It's an instant and guaranteed solution to running 405 line TVs.

There are other solutions. Frank Cuffe's "Hedghog" [sic] is an open source design that you can build yourself. I reckon you'd spend over $100 to put one together. Some of the parts are now difficult to source, notably the modulator chips where a large percentage of those on the market are faulty.

There are also tricks for making a PC output 405 line video. You still need to build a modulator. I've written several articles on standards conversion: http://www.borinsky.plus.com/publications.html

I'd still recommend you buy an Aurora. But postpone the purchase until you've got a decent blank raster on the screen.

I believe the 405 line aurora requires 625/50 video input and won't accept 525/60 video though you'll get a test pattern and tone if there's no input video
present.
DVD players often had an NTSC/PAL video output option and video output cards intended for older PC's certainly did.
I would be tempted to get the set basically running first and decide what to do from there.

You're right about the 405 version of the Aurora needing 625/50 input. AFAIK it would be possible, in theory, to make a version that takes 525/60 in and gives 405/60 out. Just about any 405 line set will lock to 60Hz field rate.

I'll ask Darryl if he has contemplated doing this.

I have decided to sell the TV. Too many projects. See Classifieds.

This TV is sold. Thank you.