1965 Magnavox entertainment center

I have chassis U45043-41 - does it have to be an exact match ?

OK, again pardoning my ignorance, what/where is this infamous flyback device? What exactly is its job? Are there early signs of one failing, so I can judge which is the better of the two out of these two cabinets?

Thanks for any replies!

I think I answered my own question. It's the big black transformer at the right hand side isn't it... this big sucker in the red circle?

They look dusty but otherwise solid on both units.

[blue_lateral]

No. Thats the power transformer. The flyback is in that big can at the other end of the chassis. As to the SAMS, there is a good chance it needs to be an exact match. As I understand it, some Magnavox roundies were RCA clones, or at least pretty close. This chassis in these pictures is one I believe to be an in-house Magnavox design.

John

[avalon1308]

I would say an exact match would be better but anyhow, your set does not have a sound amplifier in it since it is using the one from the radio. The sams 746 should be close enough. I used it to recap my set and did not have a problem.
The flyback is in the tin cage on the left side (unusual). Check if it has been replaced, the original ones were known to go bad. If it has a white HV coil on it, then it was replaced. The original ones were kind of black.

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by blue_lateral

The flyback is in that big can at the other end of the chassis. John

I'd be careful around the flyback. Some very old TVs had what was referred to as a "doorknob" high-voltage capacitor which could and often did store a lethal charge for months or even years after the set was turned off and even unplugged. Be sure you discharge this capacitor, if your set has one, to ground (ordinarily the chassis) and unplug the TV, in reverse order, before doing anything around the flyback transformer or anywhere in the high-voltage cage. Later designs such as your '65 Magnavox, et al. used the aquadag coating of the CRT (the coating on the bell of the tube, where the HV lead with the large suction cup connects) as the HV capacitor; this also can hold a charge for a very long time, and it can be lethal as well if not discharged before work on the HV system is begun. If the HV charge doesn't kill you it can throw you across a room if you aren't careful. It is always much better to be safe than sorry.



BTW, don't try to test for the presence of high voltage by arcing the HV lead to the chassis with the set on. This was a trick often used in TV's early days to check for proper operation of the high-voltage system, but it could prove destructive in present-day or vintage sets, especially those with solid-state circuits. Much better and safer to use either an HV probe with a meter, or, lacking that, a neon bulb on a wooden stick held near the HV cage. The latter will glow if the horizontal oscillator and other sections of the HV stages in your set are working. The HV probe and meter will not only tell you if there is high voltage, but whether or not you have enough to make a bright raster (the bright light on your screen which is the basis for a good picture).

[slow_jazz]

great looking unit there... maybe you could retrofit a newer tv into the cabinet...

Originally Posted by slow_jazz

great looking unit there... maybe you could retrofit a newer tv into the cabinet...

Thanks...

If I run out of ideas to fix it, I will probably do that - retrofit with a newer unit - but I want to give it my best effort to be 100% original. It's pretty neat to watch the old thing crackle and come to life after half a minute, makes houseguests "Ooh!" and "Aah!" every time!

When I get the chance to crack it open again, I think I need to ground out the tube, check the flyback unit, and start changing capacitors. Anyone have any clue on what it costs to get all new caps for a project like this? Should I expect to spend $50? $100? $500? What if I just focus on the larger capacitors, starting with the power supply caps and working smaller from there?

I'm still waiting on my repair guide ordered a month ago (?! deadbeat sellers....) from Half.com. I definitely want to read that through before starting back in on this.

[David Roper]

(An ideal record player for slow jazz.)

I have a small record collection, including some from Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner, Gerry Mulligan, Theloneous Monk, etc., and some older stuff going back to Fats Domino on the old '78's... So anyway, I was in Best Buy about a year ago or so, looking for a new record player (which they do still sell, amazingly enough) that I could hook into my stereo receiver. But when I asked if they had any that played 78's, the clerk adamantly insisted that 78 was never a record speed, only speeds were ever 33/45/16, and that I must be confused.

Of course that doesn't beat the time my wife's nephew was hanging out at our place, had to call his mom for a ride home, and came back out of our bedroom with a confused look on his face - had no idea how to use a rotary phone! Hah!

[peverett]

I think that this dating process happens to all of us. Although I own a 1963 Ford Falcon with three speed standard transmission(on the column) and can drive it without any problems, I am not sure I would know how to drive a Model T Ford as my grandfather did.

I sure do not know how to handle horse teams as he did.

[David Roper]

Yeah, doesn't the Model T have the shifter on the floor and the accelerator on the column? That would take some getting used to.

"78 was never a record speed...[you] must be confused" is pretty galling, isn't it? I'm curious about how old this guy was who thinks if he never heard if it, it couldn't have existed. Does he thinks 33 and 45 formats directly superceded cylinders? Or is anything prior to stereo archaeological?

[vintagecollect]

...

Originally Posted by vintagecollect

Either repair or sell tv, retrofitting simply will destroy any and all value tv has.

I've carefully removed all components from the second unit. They're all sitting in a dry storage room in the basement. The chassis, now empty, is being used as a temporary desk for our 16-year-old son. I told him I'll probably be putting it back together in about a year or so, so he has to take care of the wood.

In the meantime, I'm going to practice on these components, as I get up to speed on electronics troubleshooting. It's really handy to have another working set to compare against, so as to minimize any bad wiring or mistakes.

[Arkay]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

I'd be careful around the flyback. Some very old TVs had what was referred to as a "doorknob" high-voltage capacitor which could and often did store a lethal charge for months or even years after the set was turned off and even unplugged. ...
... If the HV charge doesn't kill you it can throw you across a room if you aren't careful. It is always much better to be safe than sorry.

These guys aren't joking about high voltages. I started playing with TV repair as a 12-year old, when I "inherited" an old TV from my brother when he went off to college. I was very confident that I could figure it out, since I had repaired radios and tape recorders successfully. I didn't know half as much as I thought I did (typical for that age! ). I didn't know about how long those things could store a charge, or how big a charge. Unexpectedly discharging that voltage from a set that had been off FOR OVER A WEEK was one of the scariest moments of my life! Probably didn't help that it was iin very dry desert conditions. I'm lucky to still be alive after that. Do take all precautions!