Show us your vintage B&W sets! - Page 7 - Videokarma.org TV - Video

***Eric H*** · #91 09-14-2002, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Marlin Mackley
Eric, where did you get those knobs made? I have different sets going knobless. No, the bass drum it NOT some sort of newfangled antenna!

I had the knobs done by Larry Bordonaro at Old Time Replications:
http://www.antiqueradioknobs.com/

They look perfect, you can only tell they are repro if you take them off and look at the back.

Eric

***Eric H*** · #92 09-15-2002, 05:52 PM

Here's a pic of my latest find. Picked this up this morning in an Antique Mall of all places, those are usually priced far too high but this one was fair I think.

This is the "Bad" side, it's really in good shape overall and that veneer should be easy to fix and hide under the dark finish.

Eric

Charlie · #93 09-15-2002, 06:32 PM

Cool RCA, Eric. Yeah, I have passed up several "antique mall" sets. Some of them I really wanted, but they were always rediculously priced. Seems like they would sell their items faster if they would lower the price tag, and move more merchandise.

Charlie

Marlin Mackley · #94 09-15-2002, 07:51 PM

Eric:
Cool set! I have several RCA's with the same innards but I have never seen this cabinet. Is that front made of metal? Odd they would have left so much room above the CRT. Also, is that top section removable? The smaller ones I have are, for inserting the CRT. These were I believe shipped CRT-less to be assembled at the store.
Marlin

Rob · #95 09-15-2002, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Charlie
Cool RCA, Eric. Yeah, I have passed up several "antique mall" sets. Some of them I really wanted, but they were always rediculously priced. Seems like they would sell their items faster if they would lower the price tag, and move more merchandise.

Charlie

Charlie,

I think their strategy is to price the merchandise so that it will not sell until it becomes a really valuable antique.

Rob

Rob · #96 09-15-2002, 09:21 PM

Eric,

That is a good find. I haven't run across any of that model.

Rob

***Eric H*** · #97 09-16-2002, 12:02 AM

I think the front is painted wood, i nudged it with a fingernail and it felt soft.

The top does come off, this seems to be the same basic set as the 830-TS but in a taller cabinet. Kinda cool the way it curves down at the back.

The CRT tested weak at first but seemed to wake up after a few minutes so I think it will be OK.

Plugged it in (with a new cord) and it just hummed, it looked like some of the tubes wern't lighting but I didn't really run it long enough to be sure, it started to smell hot. I will try it again with the light bulb hooked up to it.

I got the vertical working on my 721 tonight and hope to have the rest finished soon. (it has no video or sound but I haven't finished recapping that section) Maybe then I can start on this one, though I would like to get going on the Hoffman too.

***Eric H*** · #98 09-16-2002, 12:49 AM

OK guys, the good deal just got a little less good.

I hooked it up in series with a 200 watt bulb and it was bright like there was a dead short, pulled the chassis back a bit and sure enough, the transformer is toast!

I had suspected this prior because there was a stain on the corner of the chassis that looked like transformer spew.

It actually looked like there had been a small fire underneath but I think it was just smoke damage. I think this is vintage damage because there are no fresh smoke smells.

Sooo... anyone have a transformer out of an RCA 630 series chassis?

P.S. the front is wood. It comes off just like most of the other RCAs of the era. Remove two wing nuts and the knobs and the whole thing tilts right out.

Rob · #99 09-16-2002, 01:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Eric H
OK guys, the good deal just got a little less good....the transformer is toast!

Sooo... anyone have a transformer out of an RCA 630 series chassis?

Eric,

So why do you want to restore a perfectly good parts set?

Rob

ChuckA · #**100** 09-16-2002, 06:50 AM

Eric,

Before you sign off on the transformer, make sure the AC bypass caps aren't shorted. Then pull the 5U4 and see if the short is still there.

Remember your 721 - look for the simple things first.

Chuck

***Eric H*** · #**101** 09-16-2002, 10:27 AM

Hi Chuck,

I'm pretty sure on this one. The 5U4 is blown, no heaters and debris rolling around inside, probably a shorted filter somewhere. The transformer has smoke tracks around the opening where the wires come out.

Eric

Marlin Mackley · #**102** 09-16-2002, 04:04 PM

Eric:
That doesn't sound good! I have a '48 Zenith (see the second page of this thread for photo) that fried 2 5u4's in front of my eyes. I had to rewind a choke that had burned. 2000 turns and 4 hours later cranked up the variac and it did it again! After a week of digging I found the width coil slug had rubbed through the paper form and was touching a solder tab on the inside, thus grounding it through the slug frame. Talk about hard to find! Works fine now. Mind you the tranny may still be bad, maybe caused by something else and maybe not. I think I have a good one in a scrapped chassis, I will dig around to see if I can find it and check it for shorts. Once you are sure it is dead send me your address and I will send it to you gratis. As Rob says "I'll drop 'em in the mail no charge for an AK buddy".

Also, I picked up the sams for the older octal 13 channel T-54 for a buck at our Fall swap meet/auction Sunday, naturally now that I am nearly done with the D___ thing!

In the mean time here is a bad photo of the $5.00 T 505:

Photo is careful to NOT show that the case was used to mix paint on! It does show that somebody drilled a hole in the front above the tuner. Maybe for headset jack?! By the way, the speaker was missing on this set. The speaker out of the same scrapped RCA LOOKS like a direct replacement, just in case anybody is facing that prob.

Marlin

Marlin Mackley · #**103** 09-16-2002, 06:48 PM

Me again, I just realized, Eric, that I have a similar RCA to the one you have tranny probs with. A little different case, cloth fronted, and an AM radio (!). I got it with the matching antenna stand. The radio dial is missing unfortunately. This case is about the same size as yours, it looks. No top access panel, but realistically they did not need it in that oversized box. On closer comparison of the two photos it looks like they raised the CRT to allow for the radio chassis. Maybe yours was available in a radio equipped model.

***Eric H*** · #**104** 09-16-2002, 10:23 PM

Hi Marlin, thank you, that is most kind of you to offer. I will pay for shipping of course, that transformer has to weigh 25 lbs!

I have a 16" floor model that has a radio, the knob layout looks the same as yours. The radio chassis is removable and mounts between the controls, otherwise it is the same 630 style chassis as all the rest.

The 16" version has a few extra tubes like two 1B3's in a voltage doubler circuit to make enough HV for the big tube, and two 5U4's to handle the extra load.

It also has a horribly complex wafer switch for AM/FM/Phono/TV... it will actually turn off the heaters for the tubes not needed for the radio.

Marlin Mackley · #**105** 09-17-2002, 12:59 PM

Eric;
Hmmmm, I wonder if mine was AM and FM? I have not dug into it to see. Does it look to you that the radio dial slot would be the same size yours has? If so I would love a photo of your radio tuner dial/bezel for possible reproduction. Interesting info about the heater killer circuit. Makes sense of course but how many bothered with the effort to do so?
Thanks!
Marlin