A "replica" pre-war TV project

[Electronic M]

Could mount the player below the chassis deck and print a Zenith Wavemagnet antenna box on card stock to conceal the non-empty-state electronics inside of. The appeal of not using a DVD player is that you are not limited to only DVDs as program material....If it were me making this, that would drive me nuts.

[Kamakiri]

Originally Posted by jr_tech

My 2Cents (or less) worth: I think that it would ruin the effect that (I think) you are after if you install a modern player of any sort *inside* the cabinet, even if it is hidden away in the back. I'm guessing that you would want to be able to look in from the back and see nothing but vintage parts and warm, glowing tubes.

jr

Exactly, which is why I had thought of an outboard audio amplifier. More tubes!

Another consideration is the knobs. And do I really want to use that big channel knob escutcheon on this set?



It may seem like that can be thought about later, but I have to cut the new holes in the cabinet before I mount anything, and the depth and style of the knobs will dictate the hole sizes.

[init4fun]

Tim , If you do this right and really make it look good , some day 50 or so years from now it's gonna end up on the bay , selling as ; "Super rare Zenith prototype TV !" and someones gonna pay Gigabuck$ for it

[DavGoodlin]

When Bryan Gadow brought me that cabinet for you, I was sure there was a plan. I figured a 7-inch CRT was a bolt-in but the big chassis may need to go vertical. The speaker opening was 8 inch, this Zenith was not TOTL for sure.
The veneer work is not too difficult. I guess that teletone cabinet is not worth saving, huh.

[wa2ise]

You may be able to reposition the controls that use pots (contrast, brightness, vert hold, horiz hold). The tuner (channel selector) looks like it would not be repositionable. But if you build a new mounting for the pots you should be able to make use of the existing holes in the cabinet. And add a third hole symmetrically opposite the existing hole on the lower right. And another hole for the tuner.

[Kamakiri]

Originally Posted by DavGoodlin

When Bryan Gadow brought me that cabinet for you, I was sure there was a plan. I figured a 7-inch CRT was a bolt-in but the big chassis may need to go vertical. The speaker opening was 8 inch, this Zenith was not TOTL for sure.
The veneer work is not too difficult. I guess that teletone cabinet is not worth saving, huh.

The Tele-Tone cabinet came apart in my hands readily, and all the glue from the plywood had separated. Shot. Although I did save some of the veneer for future piecing in to other sets if needed, and saved the front so I could use it as a template for the knob holes.

I have no intentions of moving the controls around on the chassis....so I'll just work with what I have, although I may end up lowering the former radio chassis shelf.

And as you can see, just enough room in there

[Smoky Pond]

I think that's a great idea. Looks like a perfect fit too.

I believe you're on to something here!

[jbivy]

I cant wait to see your progress on this

[earlyfilm]

Originally Posted by Kamakiri

Hm. Needs something.....other than different color knobs

I had thought about making a pre-war set myself, but feel that I should better spend my time restoring the sets that I presently own.

On your knobs and screen shape:

http://www.earlytelevision.org/rca_trk-5.html

As for the knobs, I think the Tele-Tone knobs are a close match* for the knobs on the 1939 TT-5 and TRK-5 , on all but the channel selector dial plate.

http://www.earlytelevision.org/rca_tt-5.html

My suggestion is to drill all 4 holes in the radio cabinet the correct size to fit the shafts and the fine tuning knob will cover the hole. For channel numbers, I's suggest that you take some period number decals and label the top positions on the cabinet wood, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or better still assume the set had been upgraded pre-1946 to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 as that would make centering better. I'd recommend the later and stick the numbers above actual channels 2-7 so they will center correctly. The below manual shows how RCA did the channel numbers. See manual page 6 which is PDF page 4.

http://www.earlytelevision.org/pdf/r...ers_manual.pdf

Since most pre-war factory built sets had rectangular masks and most home made sets (or kit sets) showed the round tube, I think this set was built by one of your ancestors and it should carry the family name!

James

* In my humble opinion, Tele-Tone intentionally made their cabinets look like the RCA sets to confuse mail order buyers.

[John Marinello]

Don't lower the knobs, raise the CRT! Weren't the prewar CRTs mounted with wood? I could also send you a support bracket from a porthole Zenith, if you want a metal one.

[bgadow]

Really glad to see this coming together! I wasn't sure if the cabinet had made it to NY yet or not. I had also thought of doing this myself but I have enough projects. I kinda hated to part out the Zenith but it wasn't mint and it was actually worth more in parts. Both the chassis and speaker found good homes. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product.

[Kamakiri]

I shelved the project for a couple months until the snow flies. It's going to be a really fun winter project, first thing I have to do is restore the Tele-Tone chassis. Once I get that up to working condition, getting the proper fitment with the controls won't be too bad. I'll just use the old cabinet front from the Tele-Tone as a template for making the proper holes in the cabinet.

Right now I'm just finishing up a GE 801, a 1949 Philco AM/FM radio for a friend, an 8TS30, and getting the vehicles and house ready for winter.

[Kamakiri]

Started playing around with this the other day. Looking pretty good!! I carefully cut the holes for the tuner shafts and jigged the chassis in. I had some leftover Admiral labels, so I added them to the cabinet for control labeling.

All I did with the cabinet was re-glue every loose joint, then scrub it down with white Goop hand cleaner and a toothbrush. Rather than refinish it, I'll wipe it down with a little stain and leave it as is, to give it an "authentic" look

Now, for the extra holes.....the one on the right I'm just going to leave there as it's not terribly noticeable. For the center, I was going to move the focus control for the set to that position, but decided instead to put some kind of really neat pilot light there, or maybe a Zenith nameplate off of something of the era if I can get one.

Have to come up with some type of knob arrangement too, and of course the chassis restoration. But I gotta say, I love looking at this thing

[vts1134]

Now I know I've seen that before... .

[Kamakiri]

The heck kinda set is that?