TV test equipement

[targeteye]

Hello all,
I have most equipment to service tube radios and hi fi gear but lately I've been thinking about getting a TV to overhaul. What some inexpensive gear to ad to my equipment to ease the service of Televisions?

[old_tv_nut]

Do you already have an oscilloscope? First thing to add to your radio gear, I think, is a simple source of a picture signal. This could be a dot/bar/crosshatch generator, or a cheap DVD player with a channel 3 output and a test pattern DVD; but a scope also is really helpful for the pulse-type circuits you find in TVs.

[targeteye]

Originally Posted by old_tv_nut

Do you already have an oscilloscope? First thing to add to your radio gear, I think, is a simple source of a picture signal. This could be a dot/bar/crosshatch generator, or a cheap DVD player with a channel 3 output and a test pattern DVD; but a scope also is really helpful for the pulse-type circuits you find in TVs.

Yes I have two solid state oscilloscopes. Both 100 Meg, a Tektronix 2335 and a inexpensive siglent digital. I have x100 probes for tube circuit measurement.

The DVD player with a test pattern DVD is simply brilliant! I don't think i have one with a modulated output but I do have a coouple of external channel 3 modulators. (picked them up in case I ever wanted a vintage tv)

perhaps i'm good to go? What about one of those all in one analyzers?

Steve

[zeno]

For me first if you dont have one is a combo
isolation/variac unit like the Sencor PR57 or it
equivalent. Indisposable for solid state work.
Very useful otherwise. The metering makes them super
useful. Also the lack of 2 units plus wires, meters & clutter
makes them a joy to work with. Bad side is that makes
them still pricey...

Next is an analyst. Again Sencore VA62 or equivelent.
Will drive any stage of a color TV. Also test yokes, FBT's.
Test patterns & a bias supply round things out. Does a crap
load more...... Be SURE its clean, has all the docs & leads.
Very reasonably priced IMHO.

HV probe. Useful but rarely essential especially on solid state
sets. Cheap....

CRT checker. Nice to have although you can check a CRT
with a meter & an operating set. Be SURE its modern.
Also that it has its set-up charts & adapters. You can
build a universal adapter easily and should. Rejuvenation
is why to keep things modern. Not just a brute force cook it
& zap it. Newer ones are gentile & can bring an old CRT
back to life for a long time.

enuf fer now
73 Zeno

[targeteye]

Originally Posted by zeno

For me first if you dont have one is a combo
isolation/variac unit like the Sencor PR57 or it
equivalent. Indisposable for solid state work.
Very useful otherwise. The metering makes them super
useful. Also the lack of 2 units plus wires, meters & clutter
makes them a joy to work with. Bad side is that makes
them still pricey...

Next is an analyst. Again Sencore VA62 or equivelent.
Will drive any stage of a color TV. Also test yokes, FBT's.
Test patterns & a bias supply round things out. Does a crap
load more...... Be SURE its clean, has all the docs & leads.
Very reasonably priced IMHO.

HV probe. Useful but rarely essential especially on solid state
sets. Cheap....

CRT checker. Nice to have although you can check a CRT
with a meter & an operating set. Be SURE its modern.
Also that it has its set-up charts & adapters. You can
build a universal adapter easily and should. Rejuvenation
is why to keep things modern. Not just a brute force cook it
& zap it. Newer ones are gentile & can bring an old CRT
back to life for a long time.

enuf fer now
73 Zeno

Thanks for the feedback! I have a pr57 and I agree its most useful. looks like all the former NTSC repair folks are dumping the Sencore VA62's on ebay as there are a tone of them on there. I'll definitely pick one of those up as they look pretty inexpensive compared to what they must have cost new.

Steve

[zeno]

At one point we had 3 crash carts with PR57, VA62, SC61
plus a few more to boot. All but one set was from shop buy outs
such as the W.T. Grants service center. Sold most it off over
a time & got back the $$ spent just in Sencore stuff.
Not always the highest quality but all made to be 10 times
more useful so they sold LOTS of them.
Most failures were cold joints & be sure to keep the RF
output TIGHT or it will break a special diode.
CRT checkers went through cables ever 3-4 years & PR57's
sockets wore out.

73 Zeno

Originally Posted by targeteye

Thanks for the feedback! I have a pr57 and I agree its most useful. looks like all the former NTSC repair folks are dumping the Sencore VA62's on ebay as there are a tone of them on there. I'll definitely pick one of those up as they look pretty inexpensive compared to what they must have cost new.

Steve