Quote:
Originally Posted by Yamamaya42
"Whoot! I'm upgrading from greenhorn : D Ive been trying really hard not to get knocked on my ass. I only wish I could be half as good as y'all ; )
I am getting better though and may get there someday "
Well, I got started very VERY young, being born with an innate ability to take things apart, and put them back together again... and have them STILL WORK! 
Always had an strong aptitude for electronics, had my first soldering iron at age 10, was playing with old amps ( tube and SS ) in my teens, watched my dad fixing TVs growing up, surpassed his abilities at 15ish.
In my sophomore and Jr years of HS, I took the Electronics course they had ( which I terrorized :p )
It was there that they had all sorts of fun donated old electron goodies, and where I learned a lot of the stuff I still use today, ( and got zapped quite a few times ) AND... found out the hard way, that a picture tube really CAN implode when you least expect it.
It was from this class that I found and kept ( saved ) my CTC-16XL, along with other rare items like, a Zenith transoceanic royal 1000 , A Sansui 9090 & 1000, 2 dynakit mark iii amps. uher 22 hi fi special.
NOOO, I'm not a electronic pack-rat.. |
Oh wow! that's amazing! what's crazy is I sorta had a similar start in my young years. I got my first soldering gun at 12 though and I would often fix things like vcr's of my parents friends and such.
Then I sadly took a different path, my 10th grade art teacher thrown me up to a locker and said I was a worthless pos and I should drop out of school. Sadly I took his advice and I've always regretted that, ive felt like I have always had more potential. I have never had any kind of schooling or the such, just kinda learned things as I go.
I also got into computers very early, so I spent a good deal of my life working on computers and the such. And then every now and then poke at my vintage tv/radio stuff.
Back In my late teen years I ran across an old RCA tv from 1949 that was in a barn. I paid 10 bucks for it and took it home. That got me started in tube electronics. I got very lucky, I didn't know any better but the first thing I did was plug that tv in and turn it on. It didn't blow up, thankfully, but I actually got sound, but no picture. I replaced all the paper/wax caps. didn't do any resistors. and it worked, worked really really good. it always surprises everyone the great picture that tv has. I have hauled that TV around for 15+ years now. although its not a daily driver, it does get turned on a used. and all these years its never stopped working, much to my surprise. that is until not all that long ago. I was watching it and the crisp picture faded away to a blank raster : / I pulled the chassis to check out what I done all them years ago as I can't really remember and was a little afraid to see a crappy job or something, lol. but I am kinda proud of my younger self, I did a pretty darn good job. I pulled most all caps I replaced and did little splicing. I did find a 2 papers I didn't replace, probably didn't have them or something, I don't know why I didn't lol. But that didn't fixed the problem. so I pulled out the tube tester to test all them 29 tubes and would ya know one of the tubes went out. replaced the tube and boom, back to running good again. lol I should have checked the tubes before pulling the chassis. but I was really curious to see under it, its been so many years. lol
I also have 2 zenith radio tube sets from the 40's, a table top and a console. 7s633 and 8s563 man I love them radios : D and a sears silvertone a friend gifted to me. I am not quite the packrat, but I do have a fascination for these old tube electronics. I also have another RCA TV 21-D-7479 set a friend gifted me, but the chassis is rusted way beyond saving, I think, just crumbles when you touch it. though I have been thinking of seeing if I can bring life into again anyways, can't hurt to try right ; ) the picture tube tests ok-ish and there is a deal of wax under the flyback, maybe why it got put out of service. but I actually have a spare new in the box fly for that thing. Oh, I also picked up a Philco 12'' set 50t-1403. hmmm maybe I do have a problem. lol
This color tv though, its worlds more involved!
Oh man, now I'm rambling on lol