1983 Philips 26CS3890/05R Teletext & Printer
MRG Systems ATP600 Databridge
Teletext Editing Terminal
Microvitec Monitor 1451MS4
BBC Microcomputer TELETEXT Project
Viewdata, Prestel, Philips
Philips Model Identification
1976/77 Rank Arena AC6333 – Worlds First Teletext Receiver
PYE 1980s Brochure
Ceefax (Teletext) Turns 50
Philips 1980s KT3 – K30 Range Brochure
Zanussi Television Brochure 1982
Ferguson Videostar Review
She soon put that down
1983 Sanyo Brochure
Wireless World Teletext Decoder
Unitra Brochure
Rediffusion CITAC (MK4A)
Thorn TRUMPS 2
Grundig Brochure 1984
The Obscure and missing Continental
G11 Television 1978 – 1980
Reditune
Hitachi VIP201P C.E.D Player
Thorn 3D01 – VHD VideoDisc Player
Granada Television Brochure, 1970s
Long Gone UK TV Shops
Memories of a Derwent Field Service Engineer
PYE Australia Circa 1971
Radios-TV VRAT
Fabulous Fablon
Thorn TX10 Chassis
Crusty-TV Museum, Analogue TV Network
Philips N1500 Warning!
Rumbelows
Thorn EMI Advertising
Thorn’s Guide to Servicing a VCR
Ferguson 3V24 De-Robed
Want to tell us a story?
Video Circuits V15 – Tripler Tester
Thorn Chassis Guide
Remove Teletext Lines & VCR Problems
Suggestions
Website Refresh
Colour TV Brochures
1970s Lounge Recreation
CrustyTV Vintage Television Museum
Linda Lovelace Experience
Humbars on a Sony KV2702
1972 Ultra 6713
1983 Philips 26CS3890/05R Teletext & Printer
MRG Systems ATP600 Databridge
Teletext Editing Terminal
Microvitec Monitor 1451MS4
BBC Microcomputer TELETEXT Project
Viewdata, Prestel, Philips
Philips Model Identification
1976/77 Rank Arena AC6333 – Worlds First Teletext Receiver
PYE 1980s Brochure
Ceefax (Teletext) Turns 50
Philips 1980s KT3 – K30 Range Brochure
Zanussi Television Brochure 1982
Ferguson Videostar Review
She soon put that down
1983 Sanyo Brochure
Wireless World Teletext Decoder
Unitra Brochure
Rediffusion CITAC (MK4A)
Thorn TRUMPS 2
Grundig Brochure 1984
The Obscure and missing Continental
G11 Television 1978 – 1980
Reditune
Hitachi VIP201P C.E.D Player
Thorn 3D01 – VHD VideoDisc Player
Granada Television Brochure, 1970s
Long Gone UK TV Shops
Memories of a Derwent Field Service Engineer
PYE Australia Circa 1971
Radios-TV VRAT
Fabulous Fablon
Thorn TX10 Chassis
Crusty-TV Museum, Analogue TV Network
Philips N1500 Warning!
Rumbelows
Thorn EMI Advertising
Thorn’s Guide to Servicing a VCR
Ferguson 3V24 De-Robed
Want to tell us a story?
Video Circuits V15 – Tripler Tester
Thorn Chassis Guide
Remove Teletext Lines & VCR Problems
Suggestions
Website Refresh
Colour TV Brochures
1970s Lounge Recreation
CrustyTV Vintage Television Museum
Linda Lovelace Experience
Humbars on a Sony KV2702
1972 Ultra 6713
CTV PCB Heaven

I always keep my eye out for spare PCBs for vintage Tvs on eBay, over the years I have built up a fair stock of parts this way, to maintain my collection. However, for a good few years now, this source has all but dried. Recently, a mother-load of PCB turned up on eBay, via a most peculiar source. Not your regular electronics vendor or one of the known vintage suppliers, but what appeared to be a house clearance outlet.
Lucky for me, they were all buy it now, so I snaffled the lot. As you'd expect from me, they're mostly Thorn, 3k/3.5K boards (PSU, Line and frame timebase, video, chroma and IF. A couple of Thorn TX Teletext boards, which is good as I don't have any TX spares. A few G8 modules and plenty of what appear to be either K30/35 or 40 modules.
Hours of fun ahead, testing and repairing these. Now looks like I'm going to have to reorganise the stockroom.
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Crusty's TV/VCR Collection: View my collection

Good Lord ! That is a lot of panels! Well done for saving them Chris it's nice to know they are in safe hands!
I could weep when I think of all the panels I scrapped back in the mid to late 80s. I had a "panel room" all kitted out with shelves and as we started scrapping some of the later sets I decided all the "delta" stuff could go as we didn't see any of the sets anymore and the room was useful for keeping later stuff. Rather than carry it all down stairs though the workshop, through the office to the back yard and skip I opened the window and dropped the lot out into the yard the quick way! Then ferried it into the skip. With it went a lot of mono stuff, valves and LOPTs..
Now I am in need of a CT200 lopt! I bet there was more than one binned that day!

Posted by: @slidertogridI had a "panel room" all kitted out with shelves and as we started scrapping some of the later sets I decided all the "delta" stuff could go as we didn't see any of the sets anymore and the room was useful for keeping later stuff. Rather than carry it all down stairs though the workshop, through the office to the back yard and skip I opened the window and dropped the lot out into the yard the quick way!
😲
My problem is how to reorganise the stockroom, It's pretty much chocka! Even hanging from the rafters. I think I may end up extending the workshop again!
CrustyTV Television Shop: Take a virtual tour
Crusty's TV/VCR Collection: View my collection

Crikey! That is more than I had back when we serviced the sets! I think you may be OK for 3500 panels...

...but I'll bet you know where everything is Chris!

Stick them in a box or two in the loft? Or, stuff them down the back of the sofa, there’s loads of wasted space inside those things just begging to be used up by old telly bits!
Well saved though, it’s funny what shows up at these house clearance places, I got a fairly new camera lens from one a month or so back.
Regards,
Lloyd

Goodness, all those 3000/3500 boards. Reminds me like the pile from a wet bank holiday weekend waiting next to the jig on a Tuesday morning, you'll be through them in no time.
I also have some PCBs for you, these arrived yesterday but no components .
John.

Superb, that looks fantastic. Sir Jules would be proud of the work you put in replicating that John 👍
I bet all those years ago when you worked for Thorn, never in your wildest dreams would you image that one day you would be working in a cad type application designing a 4000 series vertical deflection board. Your Jedi-Kicad skills are coming along nicely.
CrustyTV Television Shop: Take a virtual tour
Crusty's TV/VCR Collection: View my collection
Be thankful that it is not an obsession.
Boater Sam

It is obviously PCB day today? Thought I would jump in with two PCB's that are left from when i used to be an independent repair man. The Pye hybrid colour CDA panels used to get pretty burnt up over time so I would have to replace the PCB. Transfer the original parts over to the new board and fit the standoff valve bases, it was the valve heat that did most of the damage. Being an independent repair person if you didn't fix the set you got no payment hence all faults where repaired so never built up a collection of spare panels or chassis.
Adrian

Ooh, very interesting, thanks for posting those pics. I had been toying with the idea of reproducing some of those along with the 697 timebase board. Does anyone know if standoff B9A valvebases are still available? I don't seem to be able to find any but maybe modern FR4 board can cope better with the heat and of course they are unlikely to have heavy use as back in the day.
John.

Posted by: @jayceebeeDoes anyone know if standoff B9A valvebases are still available?
I bought a some a few years ago for stock when I had my CT203/1 they were scarce then, virtually unobtainium now.
An alternative idea might be to produce your own version of a stand-off (see below). Some fixed wire from the bottom of the daughter board to the main board would work. OK, it's not perfect or true to the original, but it would certainly isolate the heat to just the mini stand-off board, thus eliminating heat influence to the main board and the rest of the cct, which was the main reason for the stand-off mod.
Following on from Adrian's subject of new "old" boards, I have a NOS G11 Line scan panel. One day when I get myself a G11, I'll use it.
CrustyTV Television Shop: Take a virtual tour
Crusty's TV/VCR Collection: View my collection

Hi John the only stand off bases I have have been salvaged from scrap panels they aren't ceramic ones either.
The place I worked at after leaving school had hundreds if not thousands of Hybrid Pye sets out on rental. The panels with the red screen print from the earlier models suffered far less than the later panels from the 22" varicap sets CT205 etc. At the time it was thought that the earlier panels were better quality and fared better because of that. And there may be some truth in that but in retrospect I think it was because the earlier sets were better ventilated, the slots in the back were wider and the cabinet was larger and taller, the 26" models CT203 etc didn't suffer as badly because it was so big there was more room for circulation. I think the hot summer in '76 cooked many CDA boards and fried many Thorn 3500 PSU panels! Especially if the set was on all day. I took the back off our 8500 if it was used during the day as it got so hot the colour went off!
I had a Ledco solid state CDA panel in the shed for years I wish I had kept it now!

There was some talk of the PCB material being changed due to the new safety regulations that were coming out in the early 1970’s. Can’t remember the BS number but was the start of safety components having to be fitted, fuse able resistors etc.
On the other hand PYE were having financial problems like many other set makers so could have just used a cheaper grade.
There is no doubt in my mind that the CDA boards fitted in the earlier 691 chassis lasted much longer.
If the CDA board with the later material was in good condition I used to fit the stand off bases to try and save future problems.
I read somewhere that a mod to help was to change the pentode G1 grid leak to a smaller value, no idea if that is either my false memory or if true whether it worked.
Frank

Yes there was a mod to increase the life of the PCL84s to make them run cooler ISTR. I know the 12K wire wound resistors were a common fault. It was probably as you say "safety improvements" that also lead to the smaller vent slots in the back cover.

Didn’t some sets have a fine mesh over the top slots in the back, designed to stop coins or necklaces going into the set? That would also restrict airflow.
The poor CDA boards were fitted to the 697 chassis, that model had the large time base, power supply PCB, not the best of sub panels compared with the early metal chassis design.
Frank

Yes the Thorn 3000 had mesh over the slots in the back. the top of the back was very close to the PSU panel so there was a real danger of something coming into contact with live parts if it hadn't had the mesh. The problem was then that dust would settle on the mesh and further restrict ventilation. The top PCB and electrolytics on the 3000 got a real frying as a result. The 3500 22" wasn't much better. Thyristor PSU sets like the G8 and GEC ran much cooler and generally had a bit longer useful life being a bit more reliable in old age. I for one was scrapping 3000s and early 3500s before G8s GECs and even the better hybrids like CVC9s and Decca 30s. Once a rental set started to break down often it was soon 'outed'. I kept a record of breakdowns, three different faults in a year spelled time to go!
You can imagine the failure rate of 3500s in Oz in the hot summer months. We had some in the very early days for rentals because that's all you could get, demand for CTVs outstripping supply with local factories running 3 shifts, 24 hours a day. Crazy times! And we saw some horrible imports!
All the 3500s were pulled out within 12 months and eventually offered to staff for $50. I bought one for my parents. The CRT (Mazda) faded away inside another 12 months. So it got put aside, replaced with an early Pye T30C. That was 1976.
A year or so later I grafted a much newer 90 degree self-converging Toshiba tube (a Pye Marrickville engineering sample) complete with glued-on yoke into it. Discarded the entire flip-up convergence panel. Turned HT down to 50 volts to get manageable EHT and picture size. That tube was MUCH easier to drive.
The set ran dead cold after that, and lasted 10 years at my sister-in-laws place. I believe it was still working when it was chucked.
That Pye T30C was still in daily use with a digibox attached when Mum died in 2012. 26" Toshiba self-converging CRT still good, a couple of triplers replaced over the years, that was it.
It met its end a couple of years later in a garage flood. It might have still worked but the cabinet turned into mush.
I've often thought about what made the Oz Pyes so reliable and long lasting. Probably comes down to simple design (e.g. linear power supply) and truly massive heat sinking. One third of the right-hand wing deflection panel was taken up with a huge finned extrusion. The linear reg was on its own giant heatsink on the baseplate that also contained the mains transformer.
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