Mystery J.C Penny's 12" b&w

[commodore]

Howdy,
I was hoping someone here could help me determine just when my tv was made. The sticker on the back (that gave info) is gone. When I opened it, I found a crt and board made by G.E and a tag that says this is model number 685-1020f.

The tv still works, gets a good picture and decent sound. I'd eventually like to turn it into a retro monitor for an old Commode vic-20 computer of mine. I know the PC has color capabilities, but I like b&w for nostalgia reasons.

https://ibb.co/4mLC8ND

[zeno]

It looks more like an RCA but if the PCB says GE..........
Anyhows look for 4 digit date codes on major parts to
date it. Looks late '70s to '80s. A chassis photo will tell
who actually made it.

73 Zeno
LFOD !

[commodore]

Holy smokes, my memory sure doesn't do me any favors. I recalled wrong, you're right, the crt and board do say RCA.

https://ibb.co/HVqZmQ0
https://ibb.co/XJHKMLv
https://ibb.co/9GSnyL1
https://ibb.co/J33tPQF

[WISCOJIM]

Looks like a 1981 date code on that CRT.

[bgadow]

EIA code 462 on the crt comes back to Philips Elcomo Division, at least according to my list from 1972. May have changed somewhat after that. The set is in Sams 2040-2, the first set of 1982. Probably somebodies Christmas present!

[liammc00]

Nice find and the only JCPenney branded electronic I have is my late 80s all in one stereo system may be cheap but stereo works and sounds very well. You can modify the TV to get a better picture and sound from Vic 20 by bypassing the TV tunner. Early arcade games like pong(other pong clones of the time) the used a standard protable B/W TV that had tunner bypassed. also the TRS-80 model one used a B/W TV that had tunner removed too. I don't know if the Vic 20 has composite out (C64 dose) if it doesn't it would be easy to modify it to output compsite and audio. the TV would be easy to modif. You will get clear picture. If you want to do this you can find videos on YouTube and videokaram members that can help you do this.

[commodore]

Thanks for all the help everyone, it's nice to pin down the exact year that this was built. This being from 1981, it match up perfect for my 1980-1981 Vic-20 computer.

I've looked up how others have bypassed their tuners, it shouldn't be too tough for me to replicate. The picture improvement would be greatly appreciated, especially since I'll be using this b&w set for retro gaming. Looks like it will be a fun project for a rainy weekend.

[Electronic M]

One thing to beware when doing video input conversions is that some sets were hot chassis (chassis ground/negative tied to one lead of the power cord)...if it is connecting it to your computer or any line powered or grounded video source could damage both devices... before connection check voltage (AC and DC) between the two shields and the center conductors of the video cable... anything over 5V is a red flag.

If it is a hot chassis plug the TV (and ONLY the TV) into a 120v to 120v line power isolation transformer that has a VA rating as high or higher than the wattage rating of the TV... that should defeat the hot chassis issue.

[AlanInSitges]

Originally Posted by commodore

Thanks for all the help everyone, it's nice to pin down the exact year that this was built. This being from 1981, it match up perfect for my 1980-1981 Vic-20 computer.

Radio Shack used to sell that same TV minus the tuners as a monitor for the TRS-80s. It just had a blank plastic plate with the RS logo stuck over the holes.

[WISCOJIM]

Originally Posted by AlanInSitges

Radio Shack used to sell that same TV minus the tuners as a monitor for the TRS-80s. It just had a blank plastic plate with the RS logo stuck over the holes.

Doesn't seem to match any of those that I recall. This was the common one.

[Electronic M]

Wasn't the TRS an actual RCA set with tuner delete and color scheme change? RCA probably wouldn't supply regular TV sets for a store brand ( and or the store wouldn't want) that too closely matched their sets for marketing and brand image reasons. There's a chance that they have the same chassis inside their different cabinets.