CTV rescue.

malcscott said
I have just noticed a label on the crt. It looks like this set was a refurb, it states, Boldon - 0440 - Week 50 - 95. Looks like it was refurbed around christmas 1995, Malc.  

Ah yes, the "sausage factory" as I used to call it (anyone who worked there will immediately know my identity now, you could say I wasn't a fan of the place at first) and it did indeed burn down. See the story here  http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/factory-wrecked-by-blaze-1-1078966

It originally began life as a TV and VCR refurbishment operation in 1991 and the customer service operation which I belonged to moved in to what was the training room in 1996. Later a digital TV operation began and I ended up being involved with the startup eventually repairing On Digital and Sky boxes, a period I thoroughly enjoyed.

The precursor to the fire was when we arrived at work on the Friday morning and basically everything in the building that had a mains transformer was dead with the primary o/c. By the early afternoon we had all the amps and splitters up and running and we got back to work but noticed that we were plagued by interference. I believe the electricity board were called and said that they would come back Monday and fit some monitoring equipment. Of course on Friday night......

The rumour was that there was a poor connection on one of the phases into the factory which caused the mains to go up to something like 400v in the evening and ironically the fire started in an illuminated fire exit sign. 

The electricity board man did indeed turn up on the Monday morning.

Hi Jaycee,

I had actually heard it burnt down from a friend of a friend, but as one of these gentlemen was a great wind up merchant I wasn't sure if it actually burnt down or there had just been a small fire , the man I am talking about was known to shall we say a great exaggerator, and had caught me on more than one occasion.

We might actually know some of the same people .

Ps. if the voltage had gone up to 400V on one of the single phase connections then it must have been a slack Neutral on the 3 phase incomer.

I certain we probably do, do the initials BR ring a bell?

I'm also led to believe that it wasn't a bad fire until the fire brigade went in and with the in rush of air and what was inside the fire quickly intensified and the building was completely gutted.

Sent you a PM Jaycee

At least I think I have sent you it

Hi Malc,

Nice find, probably quite a rare set now. Does the set still have it's tinted glass screen and clips? Unfortunately most were discarded due to the annoying vibrations the glass used to make against the plastic frame with some audio frequencies. We used to fit what were called "Anti Tizz Pads" little pieces of sticky backed felt to reduce this, you may still find the remnants if the were ever added.

John.

By coincidence I was given a Ferguson set similar Malc's today. I wondered if it was the same but now I'm home and have checked the thread I can see it's a different kettle of fish entirely. It's a 41H3 which is a 17" screen transportable with IR remote, circa 1987. It's lost it's tinted glass screen and there is a hole melted in the top of the plastic cabinet (by a chemical reaction from the glue in a repaired ornament apparently!) Pretty sure I have the Ferguson brochure for this range.

Although I'm told it's a worker, the conditiion is pretty unappetizing and it's probably on it's way to recycling this weekend unless anyone has a mad desire to save it. Form an orderly queue please....!

Steve

Hi Steve,

I missed your reply because I was preoccupied on the Thorn 3K Psu thread by Chris.

IIRC this model is the same chassis as Malcs set, ie.a TX99, the text and remote panel layout is slightly different to fit it in the portable case, but it is the same chassis, there will be a few component changes to adapt the chassis for the smaller screen.

If anything this set is probably even rarer than Malcs set, even back in the day when they were current models the 21" models far, far outnumbered the portable versions, the same applied to the later TX98, we saw far more 51P7 (TX98) models and only a handful of the 36K3 version of this chassis, most popular (and more common) of the Thorn portables from that era were the TX85,86 and 89 models, with a few of the top end 41P3 (IKC2 chassis) portables.

Hi Rich

I've not discarded the set yet, so it is still clinging on (just!). You're right of course and I soon discovered that it was another TX99. I think 1989 would be the correct year judging from some component date codes. This one has been under a pile of junk, unused for I should think 8 or so years. Switching on produced a 'pap' suggesting the demise of a mains filter cap somewhere, followed by a nice bright snowy raster, which then turned to bright blue snow, presumably as red and green dropped out. A wirewound resistor R100 (shown in first pic) started getting rather hot and bothered at this point so I switched off.

The cabinet damage renders the set beyond worth spending time on unfortunately. I did briefly consider going for a fablon wood finish, but the distortion extends beyond the main shell to the front escutcheon (see pic) so even that wouldn't really be an answer. Ah well, can't save 'em all.

Steve

Baz even

I see what you mean the case is pretty grotty, still fixable if you were so inclined

R100 is a 6K8 4w resistor and is directly across the 115V HT line, it does run rather warm normally, as you say though with the glass screen missing and the poor case it is not a particularly good example. 

It's only a matter of time before a decent cabinet becomes available from that place which shall remain nameless.

I had all these receivers on rental during the late eighties and well into the end of the nineties. Not so many 51J7 sets but loads of the 24" FST model 59J7. To be truthful these sets did not cause much grief, the only modification done to the sets  (if you can call it modification) was to reissue the sets without the thin glass window. There was certain concerns about the glass shattering. These sets were replaced by Ferguson in 1989/90 by the stylish models 51P7 (TX98) and 59P7 (ICC5) the former wasn't very nice and the latter was just dreadful.  I still have my own 51K5 set upstairs.  This early NICAM receiver might be worth restoring someday and like the 51P7 it has an interesting cabinet design. The set could be passed on to someone who likes the ICC5 chassis. I read somewhere that Ferguson Limited employed the services of a specialist to do the styling of the cabinets.

Till Eulenspiegel.

This set is available FOC as i am having a clearout, Malc.