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CTV Found a Pye T30C! World's first IR remote in 1976.

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irob2345
(@irob2345)
Posts: 665
Honorable Member Registered
Topic starter
 

Been trying to get my hands on one of these for years!

This one is a 63cm model, 1979 production from the serial number, which puts it towards the end of this chassis series which was basically little changed from its predecessors the T30 and T29 in 1974.

Rather than bore you with irrelevant information (like "why was the bottom chassis point-to-point wired?) I'll just put up the as-found pics. Ask questions if you are interested!

Toshiba's answer to 20AX
Service access
Front view
First back off pic
Bottom chassis
Back view missing screws

Sorry about the lighting, my basement garage has just one twin 40 fluro.

 
Posted : 29/10/2024 9:31 am
crustytv
(@crustytv)
Posts: 12423
Vrat Founder Admin
 

Now, that I really like, very swish, I imagine that would have gone down well over here.

Great thought gone into easy of access for the service tech too.

It looks in superb condition.

Posted by: @irob2345

Ask questions if you are interested!

  • What's the history of the set?
  • Are there many about in OZ?
  • How did you come by it?
  • Was it local or did you need to go on an epic collection caper?
  • Working or in need of repair?
  • How is the tube?
  • Are spares readily available?
  • Do you have the service data, and If so, care to share it?
  • What the plan of action to tackle it?
  • How about a look at the remote, or is that missing?

 

I'll have to point our PYE guru @the_teleman at this, I'm sure he will be intrigued by it.

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Posted : 29/10/2024 9:44 am
The_Teleman
(@the_teleman)
Posts: 281
Reputable Member Registered
 

WOW ! That’s a beautiful set not come across anything so stylish here in the uk 

the access to the different chassis parts is rather like a bang and olufsen set we had over here

cracking find 

 
Posted : 29/10/2024 10:17 am
slidertogrid
(@slidertogrid)
Posts: 1311
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It's certainly different to sets we saw here. The build quality looks higher for a start. Were they a hugely expensive set when new? Colour sets here were always a major purchase and often it was apparent they were very cheaply made once you got the back off! 

 
Posted : 29/10/2024 12:14 pm
irob2345
(@irob2345)
Posts: 665
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OK, some answers!

Posted by: @crustytv

  • What's the history of the set?

It's a one owner, belonged to the grandfather of the guy I bought it from. AU$150, not bad.

Posted by: @crustytv

  • Are there many about in OZ?

I haven't seen any Pye CTVs for 20 years. Old tech goes to landfill very quickly in NSW I'm told, Victoria not so much.

Posted by: @crustytv

  • How did you come by it?

It was advertised for sale on my TV collector friend's Facebook site and he alerted me to it.

Posted by: @crustytv

  • Was it local or did you need to go on an epic collection caper?

Not too far, about 2 hours on the freeway in my son's ute.

Posted by: @crustytv

  • Working or in need of repair?

Needs attention. I fired it up but it didn't know the words. 128V rail is up. I suspect a missing 20V rail.

Posted by: @crustytv

  • How is the tube?

Don't know yet, but this particular tube is normally a long liver.

Posted by: @crustytv

  • Are spares readily available?

Not really, but most parts are pretty generic. The LOPT has a reputation of never failing. Which is good!

Posted by: @crustytv

  • Do you have the service data, and If so, care to share it?

Chasing up now. I used to have a filing cabinet full of manuals but it was thrown out in a work cleanup while my late wife was in hospital.

Posted by: @crustytv

  • What the plan of action to tackle it?

Get it up the stairs (not a 1 man job!)

Find the fault & fix it.

Already fixed the broken cabinet.

Posted by: @crustytv

  • How about a look at the remote, or is that missing?

Not with the set but I should be able to rustle up one from bits and pieces saved from when we used them for our 1st generation Video Commander analog video on demand system. When Pye Marrickville closed, I was given access to the tooling for the plastics. We used to make Pye remotes for Philips Service!

 
Posted : 31/10/2024 9:38 am
irob2345
(@irob2345)
Posts: 665
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Topic starter
 

Your comments about build quality and was it an expensive model would have pleased the Pye team!

Pye competed at the bottom end of the market. That cabinet is a vinyl and chipboard flatpack job, stuck together with hotmelt glue in under 60 seconds by one operator! At that point in time they had just two guys making cabinets. One every 30 seconds.

Obviously the remote control models carried a price premium. The cheapest models had rotary tuners until about 1977.

The back is an injection moulding.

They were a simple and quite reliable set with no vices, let down in the early T29 days only by the PCB to wiring loom connectors. No SMPS, but the EW pincushion uses the Philips EW modulator approach, necessary because of the 110 degree deflection angle.

Pye did a lot of business in WA, the TVs had to be able to cope with ambient temperatures in the mid to high 50 degrees C. Hence the generous heatsinks!

At some stage I may write up the story about how a Pye very similar to this one was the inspiration for our very successful Video Commander system. Back in the days of 3/4" UMatic VCRs.

 
Posted : 31/10/2024 10:04 am
irob2345
(@irob2345)
Posts: 665
Honorable Member Registered
Topic starter
 

I don't have schematics for the T30C or more importantly, the remote control system yet.

What I do have is the small screen (22" and 20") version, the T34, which used a 90 degree self-converging CRT, also from Toshiba. Only minor differences, use of a transductor instead of the EW modulator, and a unique asymmetrical rail vertical output stage.

One common feature of both the T30C and the T34 was the use of trace rectification to derive the 6 volts DC heater voltage. This was done, I was told, so that the heater voltage could be held within close limits. I saw a tube aging report once from Toshiba that showed alarmingly accelerated aging loss of emission either side of 6.0 volts DC on the heaters.

We handled a lot of Pyes for a schools supply contract and I don't recall every having to fix a T34.

And the tubes would last forever, so they got that right!

I'll attach some hopefully readable scans - yes, this was the entire TV!

I'd be interested to know if you can see any Pye UK brushstrokes in the Chroma circuitry, which is based around 1st gen Philips chips and discrete circuitry. This part of the circuit went virtually unchanged until the end.

Time base
IF and chroma
 
Posted : 01/11/2024 9:22 am
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