Zenith Top Tuning dial light....?
 

Recently (re)acquired this Zenith 17A20 that I had for years. Still going strong :) but somewhere along the way the pilot light for the channel window in the knob came unplugged, and search as I might I can't figure out where the sucker plugs in!!! It's a single spade terminal.

Any ideas? :)

There is a terminal strip on the tuner bracket that connects the leads from the chassis to the tuner. the dial light connects to the terminal for the tube filaments. the lead is brown. you may have to pull the tuner assembly from the cabinet to get to that connection, which would be a easy job.

I'd have assumed the same.....but here's a pic.

I had this set in my possession years ago and I know it worked before. Take a look at the terminal strip. Someone labeled "PILOT" in pencil, but the wires going in to the terminal strip are sealed with some sort of goo....and I can't identify anywhere to plug in said wire.

Does the top end of the terminal strip appear to be broken off?

jr

The top end of the tuner half of the strip does look broken off. I can't recall ever seeing a Zenith tuner like that where there are two terminal strips that connect together like that. Usually each wire has it's own spade connector and they can be swapped by mistake. I'd imagine some one changed the terminal strips to make pulling the tuner a 2 connector job (If lead and power wires).

It is probably the brown wire on the bottom you want, but it is not hard to check. There should be 6.3VAC on the right lead....All you have to do is take a DMM set to measure AC connect black probe to tuner chassis (Heater and B+ usually return to ground through the IF cable shield* which usually connects to the tuner chassis), and touch the red leads to the wires going to thagt strip. Since the heaterlug appears to be gone, cut the spade end off the dial light wire and solder it to the correct terminal.

*If the tuner ever becomes dead and electrically hot assume IF cable ground continuity between tuner and chassis has failed.

Tested voltage and got 6.3VAC at the center terminal, so I shoved the spade terminal in there and it worked. Weird.....I would've thought that there would have been an obvious connector in there. Probably was at one point.....

Tim
Didn't that set come from new jersey ? Lol

Nice set, Tim. I like the design, and, cabinet.. I'll take it!
It's a beauty.
Bill Cahill

Cant speak for the oldest ones but Zenith tube sets used
Red B+
Yellow AGC
Brown filament
White /Blue AFC
Green coax UHF IF
Black coax IF output
The main chassis also uses some coding.

73 Zeno
LFOD !

But, what was orange used for? Not sure if I saw them on Zenith, but, have seen them on several others. Watch out. Black was universal chassis, but, I've seen some black wires on one side of the switch. Especially on series string sets. RCA used two black on switch.

Yep! :)

It's now in the possession of a good friend in Bethlehem PA. I traded it for a Portacolor, that I traded for a bakelite '49 Admiral 12" mini console, that I restored and donated to the InfoAge Museum in Wall NJ.....

Chicago to new jersey to buffalo new York to Bethlehem Pennsylvania , this set has been around lol .
Does the person in Bethlehem go to kutztown ?