Stromberg Carlson X-21 M4B project.

[Yamamaya42]

This weekend I intend to go out and get that Stromberg Carlson X-21 M4B television that is to be my restoration project next year.

It's a bit of a drive, but not TOO FAR, but I am having to borrow my mom's car to move it, ( laid face down in the back on foam and covered with blankets ) as there is no way to fit it in my Yaris.

I can find little about this specific model “M4B” but it IS seen in this reference, http://www.earlytelevision.org/pdf/rider-67.pdf
And I know that the inner core of it, X-21 was used in many other sets, so it should not be that hard to deal with.

From what I saw, the cabinet had some exposure damage, and will need some work as well, no telling what the chassis is like after being in storage, just gotta wait ant see!

But the very first thing I will do when I get it home is get the 21AUP4A on my BK Precision 490B, and see how well it is going to wake up!

[Kevin Kuehn]

Originally Posted by Yamamaya42

I can find little about this specific model “M4B” but it IS seen in this reference, http://www.earlytelevision.org/pdf/rider-67.pdf
And I know that the inner core of it, X-21 was used in many other sets, so it should not be that hard to deal with.

Since you're not in a hurry keep your eyes open for a copy of Riders Television 16. There is a PDF available but I hear they were scanned in black and white instead of greyscale. Those higher volumes should be between dirt cheap and free if you can locate one.

[Yamamaya42]

i have it!

https://imgur.com/DzWYsx1
https://imgur.com/LeBQKOI
https://imgur.com/2VzMtmN
https://imgur.com/IEPS7PV
https://imgur.com/u2OLLyq
https://imgur.com/MWX0FI7
https://imgur.com/VwqCuEK
https://imgur.com/2gGWpb3
https://imgur.com/hRrG3Br
https://imgur.com/vlKvF3t

it got pretty beat up in storage

I have it on the CRT tester now, in wake up mode

[Yamamaya42]

it's a keeper!

it went from 0 emissions to...
https://imgur.com/w949ztm
in just 3 hours,
will keep it on the tester for a few days!

[Yamamaya42]

something tells me that this cap has been replaced before!
https://imgur.com/YXDFt0l

[kvflyer]

Originally Posted by Yamamaya42

something tells me that this cap has been replaced before!
https://imgur.com/YXDFt0l

Paper label us usually the giveaway!

[Yamamaya42]

bottom view

yop!

this has been worked on before!
https://imgur.com/6TDSerm
https://imgur.com/uFMrgvK

[Yamamaya42]

CRT removed.
https://imgur.com/sluDuPp
https://imgur.com/O1CIaSV

losing some DAG already

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by Yamamaya42

CRT removed.
https://imgur.com/sluDuPp
https://imgur.com/O1CIaSV

losing some DAG already

Just knock the loose stuff off, mask the areas that shouldn't have dag and spray some Slip Plate on it. That will fix the bald spots long term.

[Yamamaya42]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

Just knock the loose stuff off, mask the areas that shouldn't have dag and spray some Slip Plate on it. That will fix the bald spots long term.

would something like film tape work also?
like i am using here?
https://imgur.com/xOxAbso

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by Yamamaya42

would something like film tape work also?
like i am using here?
https://imgur.com/xOxAbso

Unless the glue in the tape is conductive, NO it's not a substitute. Slip Plate is fairly affordable and is essentially aquadag spray paint. If you want to continue restoring sets this $18 can will respray many CRTs for future projects. https://www.amazon.com/Slip-Plate-Pl.../dp/B005ESITFQ I got 3 roundy CRTs and 2-5 black and white tubes out of my last can....I'd have gotten more out but the mixing ball was a glass marble and it eventually chipped up and the chips clogged the spray valve...I ended up carefully venting the remainder of the can into a bottle where it dried on me before I could use it all...I need to order another can one of these days.

Many sets especially those with doorknob HV caps don't need all their dag....But the dag has to be grounded, and every bit of dag has to be electrically connected to every other bit or arcing will occur between day islands. This arcing creates electrical interference, HV ripple and if strong and sustained can locally heat the CRT glass and cause implosion in some extreme cases.

In a pinch Blaster graphite spray lube from the hardware store can work but it's resistance is a bit too high for the application....it's basically watered down slip Plate.

[Yamamaya42]

The chassis is in better shape than I thought it would be, having spent unknown years in what appears to be a barn or something, it IS still quite dirty topside, I may try to clean it off before setting it aside for the cooler time of year to start on it.

The cabinet will no doubt prove harder than the electronics itself, having taken most of the beating over the years, the wood under the chassis has to be replaced, its ruined, and I will most likely pant the entire thing after removing the rotted bits and filling it in with filler, its mostly all on one lower side.

[Kevin Kuehn]

Originally Posted by Yamamaya42

The chassis is in better shape than I thought it would be, having spent unknown years in what appears to be a barn or something, it IS still quite dirty topside, I may try to clean it off before setting it aside for the cooler time of year to start on it.

You guys are really cooking down there. My son is southeast of Austin and reported 99 over the weekend. With the humidity I think I would wilt doing anything outside during the daytime.

[init4fun]

...

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by init4fun

While the rest of the country tends to think of the northeast as being always cold , every so often even here the heat vents of Hell open up and we roast pretty much like the rest of ya . Only difference is on average we get maybe 20 or so days of this each Summer , VS the southern states that roast pretty much all Summer long .

I live in northeastern Ohio, 30 miles east of Cleveland, which often gets very hot weather this time of year. This summer has been very hot and humid here so far, with temperatures in the 80s and lower 90s; fortunately, I live in an apartment building with central air, so the heat doesn't bother me as long as I don't go outside during the day for any length of time. If I have things to do outside my apartment (taking out trash, etc.) I always wait until at least seven or eight o'clock or so, when the heat is not nearly as bad.

I like summertime, as it is my favorite time of year (I was born in the middle of the summer of 1956, which has a lot to do with it), but gee whiz, this beastly hot weather we've been seeing here this summer is too much. I guess I should enjoy it while I can, though, because it won't be long before it gets colder than the proverbial iceberg and the snow starts. This region can and does get some bad snowstorms (how can I ever forget the Blizzard of 1978, in which the entire Cleveland area and other parts of the country were snowed in for days or weeks), but not nearly as bad as Buffalo and Syracuse, New York, so I guess I should count my blessings.

Oh well, that's life in the Great Lakes region of this country, like it or not. I've been here all my life and am used to it by now. Goodness knows I don't like it, but that's the way our weather is in the winter.