Tilt Adjustment

[VA561]

I have a '55 Philco model 4113. I play this set for about 2-3 hrs most weekends. I need some advice on how to correct a slight tilt in the picture. It tilts down slightly on the right side. Any advice would be appreciated.

[kvflyer]

From the rear, loosen and twist the yoke slightly clockwise and check your work!

[VA561]

I thought the forward most wing nut with the slot on either side (in between the two cloth straps) was the yoke adjustment. I loosened it and slid it to the left and right but with no results.

[kvflyer]

Originally Posted by VA561

I thought the forward most wing nut with the slot on either side (in between the two cloth straps) was the yoke adjustment. I loosened it and slid it to the left and right but with no results.

Are you rotating the yoke around the neck (twisting)? That for sure is the tilt adjustment.

[jmetal88]

Originally Posted by VA561

I thought the forward most wing nut with the slot on either side (in between the two cloth straps) was the yoke adjustment. I loosened it and slid it to the left and right but with no results.

Should be the wing nut on top, I believe. It is on all my TVs anyway.

EDIT: Nevermind, I see you are talking about the one on top, just with slots on either side.

[Eric H]

That is the adjustment for tilt.
It's possible the yoke has come detached from the adjustment sleeve, that adjustment also allows the yoke to slide forward and backward but you have to actually be able to push on the yoke housing to do that.
Turning it left or right should cause the picture to tilt.

You are sliding the wing nut side to side right?

The rear wing nut is for the centering adjustments, I would stay away from that one because it can be difficult to get it adjusted correctly again if you mess it up.

[VA561]

I am sliding the wing nut from side to side but no difference in the picture tilt. Is there any other way to move the yolk?

[VA561]

this is what I slid, left to right.

[earlyfilm]

Originally Posted by VA561

this is what I slid, left to right.

OK, that is the correct thing to move to adjust the tilt.

Now, look at the last picture you took and see the red and black wires attached in the right side of the gap between the yoke assembly and the centering magnet assembly.

Move the yoke left and right and see if those wires move with the adjusting wing nut.

If they don't, then you have to determine why. This usually means that you have to disassemble the centering and yoke assemblies to get to the problem.

Run the test I suggested, and if those connections are not moving, please get a second opinion on best way to do this. It has been about 50 years since I had to repair a yoke in one of these late model Philcos and I seem to remember there was a "gotcha" in the way the CRT was mounted.

I do remember wrapping a similar vintage Philco yoke in cloth saturated with 3M weatherstrip cement* to hold it together after it disintegrated during a CRT replacement.

I've also seen where some vintage repairs where when the plastic deteriorated, they simply cemented the yoke to the CRT neck. Trust me, you don't want to touch one of those jack-leg repairs.

* This was the yellow stuff that dries rock hard, not what they sell for weatherstrip cement today.

James.

[VA561]

Unfortunately the red and black wire connection points do not move. Sometimes you have to weigh the pros and cons of trying to fix the problem vs living with it. The tv has a good overall picture. The out of kilter tilt is like having a fly on the tv screen; It's small but it it bugs the crap out of you.

[Eric H]

That is the right thing to be adjusting, not sure why it's not responding but basically it has to mean the yoke isn't turning with it as it should.

As earlyfilm suggested you could watch that red wire visible through the gap and see if it moves. You could even poke something non conductive through there and give it a poke and see if it's loose or not, very gently though.

The last resort is to remove the focus and centering assembly off the back and see what's wrong, that's a royal pain though.

Two words of caution, do not take the focus assembly apart, that is don't remove the screws holding the magnets together, once apart it may never work right again.
Second is those cloth straps will be rotted, on mine just the slightest sideways tug was all it took to rip one completely off.

This picture may help you see what you are dealing with, the slotted metal bracket is, as far as I know, attached to the core of the yoke so if it turns the yoke should also turn. I suppose it might be possible for it to break loose somehow.

[Eric H]

Might be easier to put a couple paperback books under the right side and forget about it.

I have a 53 Philco and hate doing anything involving the CRT neck parts.

[VA561]

SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!! I noticed that the red and black wires where connected to a thin metal circular plate. The plate had a slot on either side. I loosened the wing nut and took a small screw common screwdriver and gently tried to turn the plate clockwise from the back. It moved just enough to correct the tilt problem. I want to thank everyone who contributed advice. Thanks to you , this '55 Philco is running like a swiss watch!

[earlyfilm]

Congratulations!

Since your Philco has a Tung-Sol CRT in it, probably someone has replaced the CRT.

Even back these sets were relatively new (Philcos and older RCAs seemed to be worse), the old yoke would sometimes not fit correctly or something broke when one put a rebuilt CRT in. This could very well be the result of a repair done years ago. As long as you don't bump the yoke wires, this should be OK.

James