Found a Zenith

[DavGoodlin]

Only saw two Zenith Flybacks fail, one in a smokers-tar encrusted 1969 23" chassis 16Z8C50 and my Aunt's bedroom set (no doubt left on all night) a 1970 14A9C29?.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by DavGoodlin

Only saw two Zenith Flybacks fail, one in a smokers-tar encrusted 1969 23" chassis 16Z8C50 and my Aunt's bedroom set (no doubt left on all night) a 1970 14A9C29?.

Some of the Zeniths, I had problems with, where the terminal board would soak up moisture and affect the focusing on high humidity days. The transformer had to be replaced, as silicone or corona dope wouldn't help.

[NewVista]

Getting back to the Banjo picker for a moment,
He seems like a true Country Boy, not like one who
went to school in the Big City (Knoxville).

[Sandy G]

Originally Posted by NewVista

Getting back to the Banjo picker for a moment,
He seems like a true Country Boy, not like one who
went to school in the Big City (Knoxville).

The guy who was the banjo picker is a guy named Billy Reddin. He got well off the money he earned in "Deliverence", & found a whole bunch of new friends who helped him spend it. He'd worked at a service station, & about a year later, he was back at the service station. He's been in a few movies other than Deliverence. I DON'T think he ever attended UT, he was more Georgia Tech material...Prolly woulda been Summa Cum Laude there...

[NewVista]

Originally Posted by sandy g

,... He was more georgia tech material......

*lol*

[sampson159]

i just rescued the same model zenith.has a replacement crt that is excellent,works with a nasty tuner and a sync issue.vertical is all there but shakes and wont lock in.came from a used car dealers office here in columbus.he used it 15 years until the digital conversion.was going to the recycler if someone didnt take it.cabinet needs some help but the set is all there and again,the crt is excellent.

[timmy]

well now that is ashame about that flyback because on ebay about a month ago there was a lot of 10 flybacks that went for i think 30.00 and there was a fly629c that said for zeniths and i was going to bid on it but didnt and here he would have had the right fly for the set because i would not have used that one. ok sorry it was not the ho-629c but rather a thordarson fly 629c but it did say zenith and thordarson and stancor are different and the numbers, this is why i revised this, sorry.

[sampson159]

upon further inspection of this zenith,a crt label in red and white,looking like rca but says zenith.another sticker reads hi-lite.this is a low level set with a plain cabinet.looks like a rebadged rca crt.it is excellent and between the jumps and shakes,the picture is sharp and the color saturation is beautiful.i will pull the chassis and look at caps.cabinet might have to be completely overhauled.then again,flyback is good and crt is excellent.that can get 2 more roundies back in service for someone else

[Tubejunke]

I was told that the metal cabinet versions of these sets are rare. Supposedly the metal cabinet sets were not saved for the furniture factor that saved a lot of sets long after their useful service. I got one and thought that it was junky because it had the metal cabinet, but frankly it's one less worry as far as refinishing and supposedly more valuable.

[julianburke]

What a terrific story and what a nice job you did with this set!! You get first prize for this restoration and to think how close it came to meeting up with a dempster!

[Penthode]

A month ago, I returned to our old house in Carbondale to clear out some left behind items. Amongst the stuff brought back was my old Zenith. Recall I found this set by way of an article on the front page of the Southern Illinois University student newspaper, the "Egyptian". A photo depicted but made no reference to the set on a front lawn, but to a banjo player sitting on the porch. (See beginning of the thread).

To make the story short, after cleaning up the set, we moved house. I patiently waited more than two years to continue the restoration.

I thought the flyback was fried. Kevin helped find me a replacement which I was just about to install. However I had another look with the set switched on and found only the HV rectifier bad. The tube had an invisible crack and was down to air. Interestingly it made a frying sound and loaded down the sweep section enough to cause the Horizontal Output tube plate to glow red after a few minutes. A new 3AT2 and I got good sweep and a good raster. HV measured and stayed at 25kV and so I am all set! Thanks anyway, Kevin.

The photo below is the set tuned to MeTV (Rockford Files) this afternoon with only a most cursory purity set up and convergence. Shortly after the set lost color lock. I decided to do the color APC and quadrature injection adjustment when the quad injection coil crumbled in the can!

I took the transformer apart and the coil former was in bits. So my call out Videokarmaland is do any of you have a spare injection coil/transformer? (It is Zenith part S-66788 and it looks like it was used in most if not all early Zenith color sets from 1962 to 1967. Note it is mounted in a standard aluminum can and has 8 terminals).

Failing finding a transformer, a two inch length of coil former which takes threaded ferrite slugs would do. I am prepared to rewind the transformer but even the formers are hard to find these days.

Any help would be sincerely appreciated.

Terry

[old_coot88]

Is that coil form plastic/nylon like the 'effficiency' coil and blue convergence coils?

[Findm-Keepm]

Originally Posted by Penthode

The photo below is the set tuned to MeTV (Rockford Files) this afternoon with only a most cursory purity set up and convergence. Shortly after the set lost color lock. I decided to do the color APC and quadrature injection adjustment when the quad injection coil crumbled in the can!

I took the transformer apart and the coil former was in bits. So my call out Videokarmaland is do any of you have a spare injection coil/transformer? (It is Zenith part S-66788 and it looks like it was used in most if not all early Zenith color sets from 1962 to 1967. Note it is mounted in a standard aluminum can and has 8 terminals).

Failing finding a transformer, a two inch length of coil former which takes threaded ferrite slugs would do. I am prepared to rewind the transformer but even the formers are hard to find these days.

Any help would be sincerely appreciated.

Terry

Recheck your part number - I have a NOS S-66788 (Zenith 20S-66788, helps to know the prefixes for Zenith lettered parts!) My S-66788 is a sound quad coil, and looks nothing like yours pictured.

Your transformer may be an S- numbered transformer, or a 95-XXXX number.

[Penthode]

Originally Posted by Findm-Keepm

Recheck your part number - I have a NOS S-66788 (Zenith 20S-66788, helps to know the prefixes for Zenith lettered parts!) My S-66788 is a sound quad coil, and looks nothing like yours pictured.

Your transformer may be an S- numbered transformer, or a 95-XXXX number.

Thanks! There is a 95- XXXX number on the can. I tried to find the correct number from the parts list.

That makes sense. I'll reference the 95-XXXX number in future. I appreciate your input.

[Alastair E]

Sometimes, if a core is stuck and it looks like it'll break before shifting but the coil is otherwise good--try this--

Take another slug and screw this down/or upwards into the former--If a setting is found that then works--then great!

IF however--as always seems to be, the adjustment needs to go The Other way, remove the test-slug you tried and then use a Brass screw of same/similar thread, cut down to 'slug' size, with a slot cut into one end.
--I think Aluminium works as well for this--Could roll up some ally foil and try it...

The Brass slug will reduce the inductance as its screwed in up to the stuck slug and could well be enough to get that (whatever) inductance within tolerance for the circuit to operate normally--After all, Thats all we really need to do....
--All depends on your coil-former not being completely out of shape or too brittle, although some epoxy could help strengthen it up....

Just one of those mad things a very old engineer told me years ago, and Ive used it once on an old tube radio IF transformer....