Is this Predicta a good deal?
 

I have a chance to bid on this Predicta TV. I think it's a Princess model with clock. It is said that it powers on, but I have to wait until Saturday to plug it in and inspect it.

I'd really like to have something like this. I THINK I can get this for less than 200 dollars. I'm new here, so I would like advice from you seasoned TV guys.

Is this worth buying? and what should I look for when I can inspect it? I'll keep you posted on whether I get it or not.

I'm also putting a photo of my newly restored '34 GE Monitor Top refrigerator and my car to show what an oldie nut I am. I just like weird and unusual things I guess.

THANKS IN ADVANCE
Chuck
(Dead Guy)

http://www.deadbodyguy.com/predicta.jpg


http://www.deadbodyguy.com/monitor1.jpg

http://www.deadbodyguy.com/images/marlin2_BIG.jpg

The Princess with a clock is called the Siesta I think.
$200 isn't a bad deal if the CRT is good and nothing is missing or damaged.
I see the antenna is taped up but usually they are missing altogether.

When I can get close enough to check it, how can I tell if the CTR (I'm guessing that's what I would call the picture tube?) is any good?

Just look for a picture or snow?

thanks
Chuck

well for starters, I would not plug it in to test it. I will need to be recapped to work, plugging it in with out a way to monitor whats going on may end up doing damage. This is not an easy TV to work on.

If you can you should check the CRT with a CRT tester, note it has an odd ball voltage, 2.68 IIRC so if you have a tester make sure you use the correct voltage, no fun smoking the filament testing the CRT.

The other part that is hard to come by is the flyback. Unless someone has an alternate that will sub, they are very hard to find.

200$ is a bit high if you dont know the condition of those two parts.

that term "Powers On" is very vague. can mean the filaments light up or you can hear sound or it has a raster etc...

Since it has already been "powered on" I guess any damage that would have been done either was done or did not happen.

So I guess you have nothing to lose, if the guy is willing to "power on" one more time so you can see exactly what that means. If you get a raster I would turn it off right away until you have time to chagne out the paper caps.

if a raster then 200$ is not too bad as these do seem to have a following, but frankly they are only marginal performers. I have the princess as well and it is fun, but I would not want to run it for extended times.

the plastic CRT cover is problematic, tends to be scratched and can crack, if its good then all the better.

Thanks man for the knowledge. Can I bug you one more time?

What's a raster?

Sorry about being such a newb. I was hoping to snag this ata good price and then send it out to be redone on the chassis. i have seen people charging around $245 for a chassis rebuild from here on the forum.

thanks

CRT lights up with snow. that would show that the hard parts are ok.

Any guy who owns a Rambler Marlin can't be all bad.....:thmbsp:

Predictas are a little challenging to work on. I have a Princess which is the same thing without the clock. I'm saving it for another day while I work on some of my other sets.

Thanks man..... Love my Marlin...

Like I said. Now that I have a bit of knowledge on what to look for, if I can get it cheap enough I'll probably just send it out to the guy that charges $245 and let him do a rebuild on the chassis.

I can do the cosmetics myself. I'll go Saturday before the auction and see if the CRT is good and look for raster and sound. It's an online auction here in my hometown. I'm HOPING to get it for 50 bucks! Right now the bid is only $6. Then I'll unplug it and wait on the experts.

If this one doesn't pan out I'll keep looking around.
No big hurry

buds
chuck

This predicta is a "seventeener", these had a power transformer and most likely a 6.3v CRT with a really short neck. X2 on NOT trying to power it up, that can cause damage to the set, become a shock hazard, or start a fire.

HOWEVER, if it's your first vintage TV you will want to practice on a dozen or so lesser sets before tackling this one! The circuit board is a total bastard to work on.

PS that is a nice Marlin!!!

Thanks Terry, as I said above I'm not handy enough to do it myself. I was going to do paint and body and farm out the brain stuff.

I did my refrigerator the same way. It already ran perfect. All we had to do was polish chrome, sand, paint and clean it all up. I got it for crazy cheap and just restored it like a car.

buds
chuck

hope you get it, they are cool when working.

:thmbsp:

Although a power transformer is used, it has a special tap to provide 2.68 volts to the 17DRP4 CRT... Please do not apply 6.3 volts to this tube ! That can ruin your whole day... I know! :tears:
jr

Ditto on the Marlin:thmbsp:

The Marlin has 47,000 actual but had been sitting for many years when I bought it. So we did a full engine rebuild on the 232, sandblasted engine bay and did a new paint job. I'll probably sell it late this summer as i have a '40 Dodge Street Rod that I drive more on nice days.

You can probably tell why I like weird things just by my hobby.

Check out http://www.DeadBodyGuy.com and you'll see what I do for fun.Heck, if you like hokey horror movies you might have seen one of my latest movies called ThanksKilling. It's a top watched horror flick on Netflix.

buds

:yikes: There is a movie star in our midst! Way Cool!

Now I gotta pull up Netfilx and see your movie....

Cheers,

I certainly wouldn't pay more than $200 for it. There are lots of Predictas around, and these tabletops are the most common. They also have the most dependable parts, so that is a good thing.

Try to get a look at the set in person. The Picture tube is surrounded by a fragile piece of clear plastic. If that has deep scratches are bad cracks, you're kinda stuck as that would be a tough part to replace/repair.

If you have access to the back of the set, and can see all the guts inside, try to open the hinged door on the steel box you see in the center of the chassis (guts). That is where the flyback transformer is located. If that looks all burned up, it is probably gone. The flyback is used to generate the many thousands of volts the picture tube needs to operate. Replacements are very tough to find.

Your set is missing the tiny knobs needed to set the clock, as well as the on/off button. The tiny knobs can be had as repros, but they are on the order of 8-10 bucks each. A BIG plus-the antenna is still there, and those are always ripped off.

Good luck at the auction. I've found that most local auctions tend to sell things cheaper than what you see on ebay. Looking at some past ebay auctions, I do see a similar set just sold for $550 (it is more complete than this one) so you may have to deal with some guy who will bid this thing to the max just so they can flip it later, based on ebay prices.