Sony badged Setchell-Carlson U-903 chassis monitor

[Electronic M]

I'm pretty sure it is a U903, but it could be a U803. There are 2 transistors in mine, they are in the underside of the monochrome video module which sits next to the power transformer/supply module. One sad problem is that all of the modules save for the HV module are completely missing their module number stickers.

There is no tuner, IF or sound modules on this, and honestly I like it that way. Most sets I find have audio alignment issues and until I learn TV alignment they simply will not sound good...So most of my sets are used as video only monitors with a separate (often tube) amp and speaker system anyway.

I've never had a focus coil (that is what I believe it is) melt down like this before so I'm not sure how I should deal with it.

Here are some more pictures of it.

[zeno]

Very interesting set. Sony also sold a re-labeled 18/19"
tin can Admiral all tube set in the early 70's. This one was
a consumer set with ins & outs added. Still had tuners IIRC.
The add on was also US built but obviously of very low
production, the PCB almost looked home made. Strange they
used Admiral & not one of the better brands.

Do the inputs look like SC built or are they built elsewhere.
If they are SC then I would guess they also sold this under the SC
brand.

73 Zeno

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by zeno

Very interesting set. Sony also sold a re-labeled 18/19"
tin can Admiral all tube set in the early 70's. This one was
a consumer set with ins & outs added. Still had tuners IIRC.
The add on was also US built but obviously of very low
production, the PCB almost looked home made. Strange they
used Admiral & not one of the better brands.

Do the inputs look like SC built or are they built elsewhere.
If they are SC then I would guess they also sold this under the SC
brand.

73 Zeno

Motorola also built a B/W monitor for Sony. It was the all solid state set from the mid-60's. It had the usual connections for the Sony B/W camera and the VTR.

[miniman82]

I still want it for parts, but since you bid on it while I was too busy rebuilding tubes to return fire I'll just charge you double for CRT rebuilds in the future...

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by miniman82

I still want it for parts, but since you bid on it while I was too busy rebuilding tubes to return fire I'll just charge you double for CRT rebuilds in the future...

With all due respect, given how rare and interesting/desirable ANY tube S-C color set is (let alone a probably one-of-a-kind rebadge like this). Buying it to chop up for the kind of sets you collect strikes me with a similar feeling of absurdity that buying a numbers matching survivor GTO Judge, to rip the engine out, so it can be installed in a Dusenburg would... After telling you my top number then hearing you reply you wanted to part it out, that almost instantly drove my top number MUCH higher than quoted and galvanized my desire to save it....I'd have probably gone up to $200+ on it if you had camped out by it near the end. I had nothing better to do than baby sit it since I needed to have it ride back with someone else and that someone wanted it loaded before dinner...

It is like being at a cat shelter auction and bidding on a cat only to realize the Chinese lady near by, bidding against you is licking her lips and debating how to cook it.

[Kamakiri]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

It is like being at a cat shelter auction and bidding on a cat only to realize the Chinese lady near by, bidding against you is licking her lips and debating how to cook it.

[rca2000]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

It is like being at a cat shelter auction and bidding on a cat only to realize the Chinese lady near by, bidding against you is licking her lips and debating how to cook it.

And people complain about ME...taking my vintage electronic stuff too seriously !!

[Kevin Kuehn]

Tom,

I believe your Sony monitor uses the same modules as my model 2500(minus tuner and IF modules) My set has chassis U-807. It's in Sams 979, folder 2, dated 9-68. It's a tough Sams to scan, the schematic is a 4 page fold out.

[Electronic M]

I was able to get 11KV and a lit screen (with unfocused unsynched color video) from it tonight by unplugging the HV regulator and bridging the open part of the focus coil with a 12ohm power resistor (which stoped the internal arcing in the coil). There are 3 100uF 450V lytics in it that are lousy, which I can't even make a good kludge replacement for...B+ was dropping and it smells bad (cap juice me thinks) so I'm probably going to put it on hold till I can get those caps.

Originally Posted by rca2000

And people complain about ME...taking my vintage electronic stuff too seriously !!

Perhaps you do...If you take comedic exaggeration seriously.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by rca2000

And people complain about ME...taking my vintage electronic stuff too seriously !!

I probably take it too seriously, as well. I have $135K invested in just the buildings to keep it.
There's probably others on this forum that have that much or more invested. I have met a few that have a lot more than I have invested.
Tom or Nick wouldn't have had to worry about me bidding against them. Buying a rust-bucket never appealed to me. Too disappointing! As much as I appreciate the quality of construction of S-C products, I never considered them as being stellar performers, at least, not that much better than the higher end models of Zenith or RCA.
I don't know why Nick would want it, unless he has a S-C that he's repairing.
PS, If I had a Setchell-Carlson color set, I wouldn't kick it to the curb.

[miniman82]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

After telling you my top number then hearing you reply you wanted to part it out, that almost instantly drove my top number MUCH higher than quoted and galvanized my desire to save it...

Copy, I'll bid 200 next time and make you work for it.

[Kevin Kuehn]

Sorry to bring a two year old thread to the top, but it's a very interesting set.

Tom if it's still fresh in your Electronic memory , I'd be curious to know how they ran the composite video input into SC video module on that beast. I recently picked up a second SC model 2500 off Craigslist that the cabinet has seen it's better days and I'm contemplating hacking it into a color monitor. Basically all in the name of education and experimentation.

Edit added note - I realize it needs to go the grid of the 1st video amp. What I'm wondering if they added any circuitry or if the composite video connector goes directly to pin 4 on the video module/mother chassis. Pin 4 appears to be the 4th pin inward on the video sub chassis connector when viewing from the back side.

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by zeno

Very interesting set. Sony also sold a re-labeled 18/19"
tin can Admiral all tube set in the early 70's. This one was
a consumer set with ins & outs added. Still had tuners IIRC.
The add on was also US built but obviously of very low
production, the PCB almost looked home made. Strange they
used Admiral & not one of the better brands.

Do the inputs look like SC built or are they built elsewhere.
If they are SC then I would guess they also sold this under the SC
brand.

73 Zeno

S-C built commercial/industrial monitors (even after dropping consumer TVs), and this is obviously a stock S-C monitor chassis (at least in person).