Another Predicta thread

[Phil Nelson]

Originally Posted by Down Under

is the Sylvania Duelette a hard TV to come by?

Not common around here. I have never seen one in my life, outside of photos.

Phil Nelson

[decojoe67]

Originally Posted by Phil Nelson

Not common around here. I have never seen one in my life, outside of photos.

Phil Nelson

I've seen VERY few good Duelette's up for sale lately. It's a set you really wouldn't want to have shipped by the way. A friend has one that needs a total restoration, and I must say, next to the Predicta's they are one of coolest "space-age" era TV's of them all. They also display a beautiful picture when properly resorted.

[Down Under]

Originally Posted by colorfixer

I was going to suggest that any transformer inside or near the set would be a cause of this.

One idea: order a small sine-wave inverter from the net, that runs 60hz and power it off a DC power supply running from the 220V mains. The cheaper inverters run quasi-sine which would introduce bars from the harmonic distortion on the power wave form, so avoid these.

Thanks, I thought of that ages ago and had completely forgotten about it. When I first bought the Predictas, I was thinking of everything I'd have to do to satisfy their working requirements. As it turns out, sending a PAL signal seems to work, although I have no idea why. I would try my PAL RF modulator, but it only outputs on channel zero, so not an option. I bought an NTSC modulator cheaply from Amazon that outputs on Ch 3 or 4. Does the job nicely

Cheers,

Adam

[Down Under]

Thanks guys,

I had a horrible feeling they were a rarity. But I'll keep my eyes out just in case. As for shipping, it may need to be triple boxed! Fortunately, all 3 Predictas arrived without a scratch, although one had been opened by Customs. I wonder if they thought "who'd buy this junk?" when they saw it?

Its a shame that Australia was so slow to pick up TV technology, the awesome designs of the fifties never made it here.


And to Kvflyer, you're most welcome to come over when you next make the journey, I'm in Bentleigh East, not all that far from Rosanna... about 40-50 mins.
I should at least have the two 17 inchers completed by then.

Cheers,

Adam

[Down Under]

Hi guys,

The sets are finally finished. Both need an alignment, but I don't have the gear or the know how But they're watchable.

I also had the cabinets re sprayed in the original beige. Between that and the plating, they look great. Now I'm just starting on my Holiday set.

BTW does anyone have any good pics of the original floor stand for the 17 inch sets? I'd like to buy one, but with shipping costs to Australia to consider and the rarity of these stands, I thought that it might be easier to simply make one. The electroplater has proved their worth, so at least I can get a nice finish on the side bars. The pics that are around don't show a side on view or how the stand is constructed. I'd like to make one as close to factory issue as possible, although I might add castors for a bit of extra height.

Anyway, here's a pic of (possibly) the only working Predictas in AU. I can't seem to add more than one attachment via the iPad, so here's the Princess. I really need to get a better camera than an iPhone.

Cheers,

Adam

[maxhifi]

I just got my hands on a red princess, and I really help it turns out as well as yours did!

[bandersen]

My stand is currently in storage, but I'll try to take some pics next time I stop by. I plan on making a replica someday too. It's just four pieces of square tubular metal for the legs, a painted wood shelf, a metal cross piece to support the TV and some wood trim.

[Down Under]

That would be very much appreciated, Bob. They look simple enough from the pictures I've seen, but there's a few things I still can't quite make out. Measurements are of course the key.

Good luck maxhifi with your red Princess, attention to detail will get you there. One thing I have yet to do is to get the plastic panel with the channel numbers on it re metalised. The process is called vacuum metalising, and it's something I'll look into down the track because the brass border on mine is almost completely gone. Once this has been done (or I find a better panel) it will be nearly perfect.

[bandersen]

There's one on ebay right now with some good photos. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Sta...n/271507582581

[Down Under]

Hi Bob,

Thanks for that, I'm already watching it! It's interesting if you have a detailed look at it. In particular, have a look at the sloping of the legs.

From the few low res pictures I've seen online of other stands, they're not exactly like an A frame because it looks as though 2 legs meet the floor at a perpendicular, whereas the back pair meet the floor at a small angle.

The one currently listed looks as though one of the legs at the front meets the floor at an angle, whereas the opposite front legs is at right angles. It's almost as though two left or right side frames have been used in this stand, rather than mirror versions as you'd normally expect. Your thoughts on this would be appreciated, because I'm not sure if it's just an illusion or if I'm cracking up! I've also seen pics where the sloping legs face the front, and where they face the back, so I guess it's a matter of personal taste.

If I do win this stand, I'll use it as a template to make another. What I really need is measurements.

Cheers,

Adam

[bandersen]

The stand sold for $409!?!

Time to start making reproductions.

[bandersen]

Here are a bunch of photos and measurements of my stand. The legs are 3/4" square 15" long steel stock.

All the wood is poplar painted a satin black with a bronze pinstripe on the lower shelf.

The shelf is 15" long and 11" wide made from an outer frame of 1" stock with a thin board on top.

The metal brackets the support the TV have circular cutouts for the TV cabinet legs. So I''d use you TV as a template to make sure it fits.

https://www.flickr.com/.../700398......7645024350042/

Nice to have for sure, but that really are cheaply made.