just scored a Motorola 12t3 - Videokarma.org TV - Video

suede · #1 10-21-2009, 03:23 PM

Well ever since i first saw my grandads still working 1956 Admiral in the early 90s, ive always wanted a vintage tv. I just called on this craigslist ad, said id buy it sight unseen at only 30 bucks and the gal says its mine. ill pick it up tomorrow. Yes the cord it cut off, so i assume its dead and needs complete mechanical restoration.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/ele/1428119980.html

so please, for a complete novice. a guy whos just getting into playing with tube radios, where should i go and and what books would be good for me to study this, learn about tv's and find parts? I know how to restore furniture so.. an old school tv like this seems like a fun project to kill the winter away.

Thanks so much

Zenith26kc20 · #2 10-21-2009, 03:33 PM

These are great sets! Watch out for the + parts of the electrolytic caps (they don't like being put in backwards). I use one for DX'ing now and then. Any questions let us know!

suede · #3 10-21-2009, 06:03 PM

What would be the best place to buy NOS parts for this girl? Caps, tubes and such?

Also, how do i find out when she was made?

kvflyer · #4 10-21-2009, 06:30 PM

Certainly you would only want tubes NOS, not capacitors. Modern capacitors are very inexpensive and will last longer than us most likely. But before replacing tubes, capacitors should be replaced. They are the culprits. Often, leaky (read shorted) capacitors are what stress tubes and can cause them to fail. You most likely will not need very many tubes. At most, maybe a Horizontal output and oscillator, damper tube and maybe a vertical output tube. But address the capacitors and electrolytic capacitors first. Do you have access to a tube tester?

suede · #5 10-21-2009, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kvflyer

Do you have access to a tube tester?

A tube tester?, I actually bought one just recently. So go with modern caps then?

Please excuse my ignorance on this matter. All ive ever done is refinish cabinets, some rewiring and the replacement of bad looking tubes on old radios before. As i said, im a complete newby, but want a winter project.

kvflyer · #6 10-21-2009, 07:08 PM

Absolutely use new capacitors. The yellow ones are just fine. And tubes that look bad can be as good as new. Tubes that look just like the day they came out of the box can be totally shot.

Important that you replace electrolytic capacitors, the silver ones in a can. You can always put new ones below the chassis so that the TV looks "original". Just make sure you disconnect the leads from the old capacitor and connect them to the new capacitor.

A digital camera is your friend. Take tons of pictures of the overall location of parts, many, many close up photos also. That way, you can always know what things looked like before you started. Good luck!

bgadow · #7 10-21-2009, 10:22 PM

Motorola was good about putting date codes on their sets. Look on the back of the chassis for something like "10M51" which in this case would indicate October 1951.

I probably have a spare Sams Photofact for this set if you are interested. Capacitors can be had from RadioDaze, JustRadios, Antique Electronic Supply, etc. Tubes are easy to find; I have lots of extras.

Tubejunke · #8 10-22-2009, 10:28 PM

Suede claims to be a complete novice. I just feel that it needs to be said to bevery careful. Working with a TV is far different than old radios. You can be injured in a variety of ways. Even with the set unplugged you can get a hell of a shock. I would read up on the subject if I were you, and ask all the questions that you need to get through your TV project.

Like old radios, bringing an old TV to life is more or less changing out aged capacitors and resistors. There is just a lot more going on in a TV, and a lot of safety issues to be addressed. Old TV repair manuals and electronics textbooks are still floating around a lot. These are a great source, not just for a novice, but for the further advanced. I keep quite a number of them myself and find them really useful.

Phil Nelson · #9 10-22-2009, 10:36 PM

If you have never restored an old tube radio or TV before, I recommend that you not do this as a beginner's project. Better to get a cheap 5-tube 1950s radio and practice on that.

If you go to the Restorations section of my website, you can read about various TV restorations and get an idea of what's involved. My current project is the DuMont RA-103.

http://antiqueradio.org/restoration.htm

If you're determined to start with this project, this article has some basic advice about replacing capacitors:

http://antiqueradio.org/recap.htm

Be careful !!! Tube TVs have high voltage that can kill you.

Phil Nelson
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html

Zenith26kc20 · #10 10-23-2009, 12:24 PM

Justradios.com is a good source for capacitors. Another thing you may want ie either a variac or a lightbulb array. This is nothing more than a few incandescent lights (60 watt) that can be screwed into and out of their sockets placed in series with one side of the line cord. This will prevent damage to the parts if there is a short circuit in the set. With one you should get some sort of an idea what is happening. If the light stays bright then there may be a short.
When using a variac, get one with an ammeter on it. As you bring up the voltage, if the meter shows rapid increase of current, there is a short or leaky electrolytic (always a concern as they can make a good mess).
Like I said, any questions, always ask!

jeyurkon · #11 10-23-2009, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zenith26kc20

Justradios.com is a good source for capacitors. Another thing you may want ie either a variac or a lightbulb array. This is nothing more than a few incandescent lights (60 watt) that can be screwed into and out of their sockets placed in series with one side of the line cord. This will prevent damage to the parts if there is a short circuit in the set. With one you should get some sort of an idea what is happening. If the light stays bright then there may be a short.
When using a variac, get one with an ammeter on it. As you bring up the voltage, if the meter shows rapid increase of current, there is a short or leaky electrolytic (always a concern as they can make a good mess).
Like I said, any questions, always ask!

The other nice thing about justradios is that you tell them the make and model and they'll put the capacitor kit together for you.

John

suede · #12 10-23-2009, 10:16 PM

I just picked her up an hour ago, her 12" screen looked quite a bit smaller online. A build date of April 1950 and surprisingly clean inside. The back had been put on with carpet tacks.. a knob is missing, the cord is a plug in style, so im sure they are obtainable. But the cabinet is quite nice, only surface clear coat scratches. The chassis shows no interior rust, so im hopefull that the underside will be in decent condition. I may have lucked out into a simpler restoration.

Id show pics, but my digital camera is being all quirky.

Oh and thanks to everyone for all the info.

ChrisW6ATV · #13 10-24-2009, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by suede

Id show pics, but my digital camera is being all quirky.

If your camera is a Canon, and the problem is distortion or smearing in the picture (or complete loss of picture from the image sensor), there may be a free repair/recall for it. Go onto the Canon Web site and look up support for your camera. Lots of Canons, even camcorders, had this problem.

suede · #14 10-24-2009, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisW6ATV

If your camera is a Canon, and the problem is distortion or smearing in the picture (or complete loss of picture from the image sensor), there may be a free repair/recall for it. Go onto the Canon Web site and look up support for your camera. Lots of Canons, even camcorders, had this problem.

No, my problem with my camera is that i have relatives. One who begged to borrow it and now it either comes on and works for several shots, or stays on for maybe five seconds before shutting off.

Im picking up a cheapo disposable camera so i can document what it looks like underneath before i begin recapping.

Also, the conversion table for the new modern caps-to-old caps charts are a bit confusing. Is there a simple one out there?

Boobtubeman · #15 10-24-2009, 05:19 PM

I like justradios buisness cars included with the order. it has a conversion table on the back of the card ive relyed on quite often. And if you come across one that is no longer made, they write on the invoice the substitute for the value in question..

SR