Quote:
Originally Posted by KV-1926R
Keeping the original electronics intact and maintained may have been a good way of showing clients that they actually care about what they do, thus generating more business.
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Sure, assuming they had a qualified electronics person on staff to do the work. And more importantly, if that was what the client wanted. The client wanted a set that "just worked", in the lobby of his business. It needed to run 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Even a brand-new Predicta, like other sets of the period, typically needed a service call a couple times a year to change tubes or tweak adjustments that drifted out of spec. Nobody is going to find that acceptable nowadays, even if you could find a qualified repair tech to keep the set operating. And repair parts availability would be limited at best once you get beyond tubes and basic resistors/caps. At best, you might get a couple years out of it before the unobtanium CRT went soft, assuming that the flyback or similar part didn't go out first. A fully restored original Predicta would be practical for a museum or private collection where it might be run for an hour or so at a time once in a while, but it just wouldn't make sense for what the owner wanted to do with his set.
The towel steamer that they restored in the same episode seemed like it would have been a prime candidate for a refit from gas to electric heating (again, making the unit more practical for modern use, and not requiring a gas hookup wherever you want to install it), but the subject was never even brought up with the client. Makes me wonder if they have anybody on staff who has a clue about electrical stuff at all.
06-14-2013, 01:30 PM
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