Oh nothing much, just an RCA DIMENSIA!!

[zeno]

For service line
Turn set on then off. Press & power buttons together.

Set R, G, & B bias controls to MIN
Set R, G, & B to MAX
Set Screen ( G-2) to just get a line.
Adjust 2 of the 3 BIAS controls for a white line.
Press power to get out of service.

Set Brite & contrast to max.
Adjust the R, B, & G DRIVE for best brite whites.

Probably best to mark the controls before starting. Also with age
you may have to compromise some by not running it to the max.

73 Zeno

[MRX37]

Originally Posted by zeno

For service line
Turn set on then off. Press & power buttons together.

This is unclear. Press what and power buttons?

[JohnCT]

Originally Posted by MRX37

This is unclear. Press what and power buttons?

LOL, wondering the same thing. I thought it would jog my memory but for some reason I'm thinking holding down "video" and "power".

Anyway, I seem to remember that RCA printed the way to get to the kine setup line in teeny tiny print on the too-small layout sheet glued inside the cabinet. Take a look with a bright light and magnifying glass.

I checked, all the training manuals from that era have been scrapped. I still have the 169 stuff as I still see one occasionally, and my father in law still has his 1991 35" 169 Invar. Saw it two nights ago, runs like new.

I do have 140 on microfiche. If you want a copy, I can mail it to you.

John

[zeno]

Originally Posted by MRX37

This is unclear. Press what and power buttons?

OOPS
Press setup & power together.

[MRX37]

Mmm nope. The Tv won;t come on with the setup+power buttons being held.

Look, service mode is just a white line across the screen, right? If so then I can make that happen with a computer graphic.

[old_tv_nut]

Originally Posted by MRX37

Mmm nope. The Tv won;t come on with the setup+power buttons being held.

Look, service mode is just a white line across the screen, right? If so then I can make that happen with a computer graphic.

No, setup is a very nearly black line that is visible because it is all the lines in the raster falling on top of each other. It also requires that the video circuit is disabled except for a fixed bias applied. The aim is to have the video output stage biased to a known voltage that should represent black and then adjust the CRT G2 voltages so that it actually is nearly black. Then when the service switch is set to normal, the blacks in the picture are neutral and all the gray levels are the same neutral.

[MRX37]

Earlier someone mentioned the set had a demo mode. I now know how to access that. With the TV on, pressing both SETUP and POWER bring up the demo mode.

Still haven't gotten to the service mode yet

[JohnCT]

Originally Posted by MRX37

Earlier someone mentioned the set had a demo mode. I now know how to access that. With the TV on, pressing both SETUP and POWER bring up the demo mode.

Still haven't gotten to the service mode yet

That was me. Unfortunately, I remember it had one, but I forgot the key sequence.

Did you look for small print on the inside chassis layout label? That info may be there. I know for a fact it was on the 175 and up series. Very small print - looks like legal boilerplate safety info.

It's possible that the service line (no actual service menu on this chassis) may require any front button held down while the TV is plugged in.

If my microfiche reader still works, I'll see if the TV manual covers that. I'll check Monday.

John

[MRX37]

GOT IT!! You unplug the set and hold down the SETUP button then plug it back in!

[MRX37]

Well... That looks a lot better:



Maybe this is a low hour set. Would explain why it's so clean on the inside. There's plenty of headroom left on that G2 control and the picture is super sharp.

Maybe you're right JohnCT Maybe some ham and egger screwed with the controls. I would still love to borrow a CRT tester just so I would know what condition the CRT is in, but doing a proper setup really helped.

[davet753]

That's a nice find; there probably aren't too many of those left floating around in good condition like that.

I remember those coming through the shop in the 1990's. They always had a great picture and had about the best audio you would hear on a table model set (except for the Quasar dome speaker system). I never liked servicing them, but since they were a "premium" set, people would pay more for repairs which offset the time investment for the shop tech.

[MRX37]

Originally Posted by davet753

That's a nice find; there probably aren't too many of those left floating around in good condition like that.

That's why I'm never letting go of this baby! Not unless someone offered me a truckload of money for it. Even if I have to get rid of all my other TV's, this one is staying! Even if it breaks it's staying, because the odds of me ever finding another one are incalculable.

To celebrate finding this wonderful TV set, I decided to delve into the airwaves of the past and use captured TV signals to recreate what my local channel lineup was as a kid:

https://youtu.be/F0lKINFET8E

Man, creating this video was just a wave of nostalgia for me. When CBET 9 with its fuzzy picture came up on that screen, it just took me back...

I used to experiment with all kinds of TV antenna setups and signal boosters to try and bring in as many distant TV stations as I could. Best I ever did was bringing in WOIO 19 from Cleveland. That only happened once, and with a simple UHF loop of all things.

[JohnCT]

Originally Posted by MRX37

That's why I'm never letting go of this baby! Not unless someone offered me a truckload of money for it.

One of my customers has two of them. I fixed one right when the pandemic hit (bad solder). The other wasn't working and he's holding it for parts right now, although I told him if he brings it in I'll fix it for him.

If you're in the North East, I'll keep you in mind if another turns up. The 140 really is an unusual performer.

John

[MRX37]

Thanks John CT. The channel lineup in the video I posted above should give away where I'm at...