CTC-7... What to expect?

[SwizzyMan]

Hello all!

I just scored a free CTC-7 in the pensbury cabinet off of the classifieds here... From what I have seen the set has a raster and horizontal and vertical deflection (needs to be adjusted) and the colors are off but other than that from just a brief overview everything looks pretty good electrically.... Of course, I will recap everything just for good measure. But only having restored two b&w sets (RCA 8-PT-7032T and 8-PT-7012) this ctc will be my first color set. What should I expect? Anything particularly difficult about restoring this set?

[rca2000]

A free CTC 7 of ANY kind with a raster is a REAL find. A good 21CYP22 tube is REALLY valuable n itself !!

[SwizzyMan]

Originally Posted by rca2000

A free CTC 7 of ANY kind with a raster is a REAL find. A good 21CYP22 tube is REALLY valuable n itself !!

Well that is great to hear! I actually will be getting this from tvcollector here at vk.

[Tom S]

Can't wait to see some pics. My CTC10 is doing pretty good since I recapped the power supply. Some buzz in the sound at times. Possible alignment touch up soon.

[SwizzyMan]

Originally Posted by Tom S

Can't wait to see some pics. My CTC10 is doing pretty good since I recapped the power supply. Some buzz in the sound at times. Possible alignment touch up soon.

I have not picked it up yet.... Will have it saturday

[Username1]

Good for you ! !

.

[StellarTV]

Video amplifier area has always been a problem for me on these- runs so hot it burns the PCB to a crisp. Best to elevate it with a socket saver. Also, there is usually one bumblebee capacitor in these across the sine wave coil on the horizontal oscillator board. If you change only ONE cap in this set- change that one. It's bad. Causes horizontal frequency drift and poor/no hold lock.

[DaveWM]

what to expect

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWXbAD5eSGI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d05VbgDtI_c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wYn3xLrZj0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJUeUH8bTW4

The second video is prob the best it covers a lot on caps and other issues.

[DaveWM]

if you are new to pcb work, be warned, these are very early pcb and do not take well to rough handling. You want to use a 25watt or so soldering iron (never a gun) and I find solder wick very helpful to remove excess solder. The upside is its hard to goof with wiring since you just remove and replace one at a time on pcb. I generally go with higher voltage ratings as they often fit better (old cap were quite large in comparison to new stuff).

The point to point wiring esp around the chroma is pretty tight at times. I suggest you use the utmost care when dealing with that part. Its easy to brake off tabs from the tube sockets, coils, etc.. from too much heat and rough handling.

It is for that reason that I generally pig tail the connections choosing not to try and remove the old wires from the delicate tabs. This is esp true when you have several thick wire parts solder to a singe hard to get at tube socket. I know some folks frown on pig tails but done well they work fine, just make sure the old wire is clean so the solder will wick into the joint, just like any other solder joint.

[Phil Nelson]

Here are some restoration notes that you may find helpful:

http://antiqueradio.org/RCACTC-7ColorTelevision.htm

My CTC-7 is a Pensbury, the same model as yours. As you can read in that article, I replaced the electrolytics, along with bumblebee and "maroon drop" mylar caps on the PC boards. That gave me a very nice picture. At that stage, it seemed stable and reliable (knock on wood), so I haven't messed with anything else.

So, I would start with a basic recap and then step back and see how it performs. Do voltage checks at that point to satisfy yourself that you can play it without one hand trembling on the power cord in case smoke billows out the back. If the colors look natural to your eye, I would not mess with color adjustments other than operating the user controls in front. If the TV already has good convergence, etc., you may be better off leaving that stuff alone, at least for now.

Just my $0.02.

Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html

[SwizzyMan]

Originally Posted by Phil Nelson

Here are some restoration notes that you may find helpful:

http://antiqueradio.org/RCACTC-7ColorTelevision.htm

My CTC-7 is a Pensbury, the same model as yours. As you can read in that article, I replaced the electrolytics, along with bumblebee and "maroon drop" mylar caps on the PC boards. That gave me a very nice picture. At that stage, it seemed stable and reliable (knock on wood), so I haven't messed with anything else.

So, I would start with a basic recap and then step back and see how it performs. Do voltage checks at that point to satisfy yourself that you can play it without one hand trembling on the power cord in case smoke billows out the back. If the colors look natural to your eye, I would not mess with color adjustments other than operating the user controls in front. If the TV already has good convergence, etc., you may be better off leaving that stuff alone, at least for now.

Just my $0.02.

Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html

How about the cans? should I replace em' even though the set powers on without any issues?

[holmesuser01]

My CTC-7 came to life when I resoldered the ground stakes on each of the PCB's.

[BigDavesTV]

Listen to the Squirrel! His advice is good! :-)