Featured
Latest
Any Winter Projects...
 
Share:
Notifications
Clear all

Forum 141

Any Winter Projects Planned?

32 Posts
12 Users
3 Likes
1,334 Views
crustytv
(@crustytv)
Posts: 11869
Vrat Founder Admin
Topic starter
 

Prompted into thought by talk in another thread......

Now that the dark cold nights and gloomy winter days are with us, I was just wondering if anyone out there in Vratland has any repair projects planned?

Personally, I plan to break a rule and rather than tackle one project from start to finish, I'm going to have three maybe four parallel projects on the go to see me through the winter. I'm lucky in this respect as its facilitated by now having a number of equipped benches in the workshop to use.

The reason for new approach being in the past I've doggedly stuck with one repair, sometimes more often than not due to aged sets, challenging faults develop which often results in getting bogged down and occasionally what was fun becomes a bit of a grind/chore.

So my projects? Well firstly I plan to tackle two CTV's, I've not decided on which two yet but will make the choice in a couple of weeks. It will be from the following three:-

 

For the other two projects I plan on having two VCR's up on the bench for repair, I must point out this is a totally new repair arena I've not explored before so the learning curve will be steep but no doubt stimulating. Over the summer I acquired a number of players that I wish to partner some of my early colour TV's. I managed to buy three Philips N1700 players, two in great condition and one scrapper for spares. I hope to get one or possibly both working, both are DOA ( PSU faults? who knows) and also require the obligatory belts as the original Philips ones have turned to goo. Not cheap but I managed to source belts kits from Hungry and Germany. Also sourced a number of tapes in very good condition so I'm itching to see what's on them.

I also obtained some late 70's early 80's VHS players such as 3292, 3V16, 3V29 and 3V43. Largely these require belts kits which I have also obtained along with various other spares such as pinch rollers, heads and lamps.  I also managed to obtain various amounts of VCR test equipment (alignment tools, tension kits, test tapes and head tester etc) spares and a large training manual for general VCR repair. 

So this parallel project idea means when I get stuck on one project I can bounce between repair jobs, hopefully coming back refreshed to the other thus breaking the cycle of getting bogged down and despondent with just one project on the go.

Anyway that's the theory, plenty to keep me out of mischief, so what about you?

CrustyTV Television Shop: Take a virtual tour
Crusty's TV/VCR Collection: View my collection
Crustys Youtube Channel: My stuff
Crusty's 70s Lounge: Take a peek

 
Posted : 22/11/2018 10:32 am
Nuvistor
(@nuvistor)
Posts: 4594
Famed Member Registered
 

If you get bogged down with a fault a break to do other things very often helps.

I will be watching the progress, the only sets I have experience is the Bush, main faults I remember were the PSU and RGB output stages and those little blue tantalum caps on the decoder board,  occasional  tripler failure. The rest of the set had faults but nothing that sticks in my mind. CRT low emmsion but that’s not something that affects just the Bush.

Frank

 
Posted : 22/11/2018 11:14 am
Doz
 Doz
(@doz)
Posts: 1485
Prominent Member Registered
 

Finish Frank's converter.

TV12A

Finish my TV22 that got stuck in limbo after using it to prove the fault on another 22 years ago (just needs rubber wiring doing, CRT was as new!)

There's also a couple of Pye's that need attention (one wash-board, one post-LV18 type set)

I wish I had more time, but friends keep asking me to fix/modify their kit. I find it hard to say no. Well, I've started to clear the back-log of other people's jobs, as I want to press on with my own stuff.

 
Posted : 22/11/2018 2:27 pm
Nuvistor
(@nuvistor)
Posts: 4594
Famed Member Registered
 

Did your finger slip on the number 2 key or is it really 22 years?

Frank

 
Posted : 22/11/2018 3:54 pm
Doz
 Doz
(@doz)
Posts: 1485
Prominent Member Registered
 
Posted by: Nuvistor

Did your finger slip on the number 2 key or is it really 22 years?

... ah no ...

*another* TV22 , years ago..

my bad 

 
Posted : 22/11/2018 4:42 pm
MongooseDC
(@mongoosedc)
Posts: 74
Trusted Member Registered
 

Hi all, I've been doing other projects recently so I've not been able to comment. I have however acquired some more TVs to have a go at, and have also made friends with a fellow who would like to collaborate with me. There are a couple of other ideas I'm kicking about in my head as regards cabinets for some of my chassis sets. I've found some good wood at a nearby DIY outlet as well as sheet metals. I still have to complete the electronics mods that I'm doing first.

I've been in the process of making low-energy cyan light torches (a model I've made in some form for at least two decades). This'll hopefully pay the bills and give me a chance to get back into televisions again.

 
Posted : 22/11/2018 7:03 pm
colourmaster
(@colourmaster)
Posts: 425
Honorable Member Registered
 

Hi Everyone

I'm under the weather at the moment but once the medication kicks in I'm hoping to start on a Roberts colour TV which is fitted with the G9 chassis.

Regards 

Gary. 

 
Posted : 22/11/2018 8:11 pm
Katie Bush
(@katie-bush)
Posts: 4884
Famed Member Registered
 

I have plenty, but unfortunately it's me who tends to develop the faults and ends up on the bench!

I have my newly acquired Bush TV125C waiting patiently in the back of the V70, then there's the Murphy V216C I bought a year ago. My little Decca TP22 radio, though it has been pressed into use on several occasions 'as is' and every time I switch it on, it just gets better and better.

I have a Bush CTV1122 in bye, and a heap of sad looking N1700s, but there, I have one in very good condition - new belts from Budapest, so I guess yours are from the same source as mine (lozem)? A nice fellow, but a little modest, so I'll say no more at this point.

Be very wary of the video heads shedding from the 'head disc'. These heads are only attached with adhesive, and it is known for them to fly off when the machine spins up.

I also have my sainted aunt's little 16" Decca colour TV, which, courtesy of Marc, may have a replacement CRT to install, and of course, there is the Bush TV75 that I bought last year.

There are loads more waiting in bye, but the ones above are the in the upper tier of the priority list - it's just down to me to bite the bullet and push myself through the barrier.

 
Posted : 22/11/2018 8:32 pm
MurphyV310
(@murphyv310)
Posts: 453
Honorable Member Registered
 

Hi.

Well I Will be getting back to the MW6-2 project soon so long as Christmas preps don't get too much in the way.

Cheers,
Trevor.
MM0KJJ. RSGB, GQRP, WACRAL, K&LARC. Member

 
Posted : 22/11/2018 8:54 pm
Lloyd
(@lloyd)
Posts: 1897
Prominent Member Registered
 

I’ve got more projects than is good for me!! I still need to write some up from this year... 

I hope to get back to the little Motorola telly soon, there’s a Pye BV30 which I have been putting off doing anything with for more than 10 years because someone has got at it with some side cutters! 

I could also write up the repair of my bench power supply that I had to do the other day, not particularly interesting though. There’s one of Sharp’s lovely VZ-3500 vertical both sides play linear turntable’s to finish off too (repairing it, that is, not finish it off in a sinister way!!) it’s working but needs a new pinch roller in the cassette deck. 

There’s a mangled Murphy radio with a really badly cracked cabinet, a little Ferranti that was painted white, an Ekco AC76, also with cabinet damage, and another Ekco, the R .S.3, which is on the home straight now, just needs a few caps and new grille cloth and it’s done!

I also started collecting old military compasses, mainly just the ones from WWII aircraft, but I also picked up a couple of the prismatic marching compasses recently, I spent 2 days repainting the white markers all round the sides of one! Don’t want to do that again, looking through the microscope is uncomfortable... 

there are so many projects that need finishing, just daft things like cabinets needing refinishing, dropper resistors need replacing or certain high voltage capacitors need sourcing. And the shed needs reorganisation too, it’s going to be filling up more soon, as all the stuff from my Nan’s house will have to come here too. Might be a good time to pass some stuff on 🙂

Regards,

 Lloyd 

 
Posted : 22/11/2018 9:02 pm
crustytv
(@crustytv)
Posts: 11869
Vrat Founder Admin
Topic starter
 
Posted by: Lloyd

 

there’s a Pye BV30 which I have been putting off doing anything with for more than 10 years because someone has got at it with some side cutters! 

I know exactly how you feel Lloyd, I've a super rare 22" dual standard, hybrid Decca in my collection which has suffered a similar fate, wires cut all over the place, board interconnects off, system switch in pieces etc. Every time I think about making a start I bottle it and choose another set. I must pluck up the courage and bite the bullet on that one too as very few 22" dual standard early colour hybrids were made, let alone survive.

CrustyTV Television Shop: Take a virtual tour
Crusty's TV/VCR Collection: View my collection
Crustys Youtube Channel: My stuff
Crusty's 70s Lounge: Take a peek

 
Posted : 22/11/2018 9:08 pm
Lloyd
(@lloyd)
Posts: 1897
Prominent Member Registered
 

I wonder why they do it?! In the Pye they didn’t remove anything, just snipped things! Oh, they did pinch all the valves..

The Decca sounds interesting, dual standard colour is something I’ve never had anything to do with, maybe one day when I’ve moved some things on there might be enough funds and space for such a set 🙂

Regards,

 Lloyd 

 
Posted : 22/11/2018 10:09 pm
PYE625
(@pye625)
Posts: 5121
Famed Member Registered
 
Posted by: Lloyd

 dual standard colour is something I’ve never had anything to do with, maybe one day when I’ve moved some things on there might be enough funds and space for such a set 🙂

Regards,

 Lloyd 

Neither had I until the Baird set came my way by a pure chance. It was fortunately relatively painless and with a bit of work, I soon had it operational. I had never seen a monochrome 405 picture on a colour set, in the flesh so to speak, until that point.

To understand the black art of electronics is to understand witchcraft. Andrew.

 
Posted : 22/11/2018 10:28 pm
Nuvistor
(@nuvistor)
Posts: 4594
Famed Member Registered
 

Well, not sure if I will regret it but I have just 'won' an KB Minuet (OB10?) for £13.95 icl post and packing. I have a manual for the OB10 so we shall have to see in what condition it arrives, collect from a local store hopefully next Tuesday.

 

Frank

 
Posted : 22/11/2018 10:36 pm
Terrykc
(@terrykc)
Posts: 4005
Member Rest in Peace
 
Posted by: Lloyd

...  dual standard colour is something I’ve never had anything to do with ....

I got distracted whilst browsing this thread and, when I glanced back at the screen, these words jumped out at me - dual standard colour?!

Of course, we all talk about these sets in this way but, in practice, there never was such a thing as a dual standard colour set!

There were 405-line NTSC colour sets, though, and I did actually see  some - once!

After NTSC colour was first introduced in the US in 1954, the BBC started experimenting and developed a 405-line version. This required a slight modification to the sound and vision spacing - if anybody has Carnt & Townsend's bible on the subject, they will find the explanation there - and this facility was built into the new Crystal Palace transmitter so that live experimental broadcasts could commence after it replaced Alexandra Palace in 1956.

The TV industry pursued its own development programme, of course, and at the 1961 Radio Show at Earls Court, a special area was set aside where all the major manufacturers demonstrated their prototype 405-line NTSC sets using material provided by the BBC, which I found very interesting.

By the time of the next Radio Show, of course, the Pilkington Committee had decided that all UK colour would be on 625-lines, so that was the end of the only 405-line colour system in the world.

 

When all else fails, read the instructions

 
Posted : 23/11/2018 11:54 am
MongooseDC
(@mongoosedc)
Posts: 74
Trusted Member Registered
 

Posted By: Terry
 if anybody has Carnt & Townsend's bible on the subject, they will find the explanation there - and this facility was built into the new Crystal Palace transmitter so that live experimental broadcasts could commence after it replaced Alexandra Palace in 1956.

I have the very book by Carnt & Townsend. It makes for very interesting reading re the development of colour television. It's very detailed and there are circuit diagrams (all valve of course) detailing both transmitter and receiver circuits.

Although most of the receivers that were eventually produced were 625 line PAL, the theory section is still relevent for colour TV and monitor workings of today. It would have been interesting if they had carried on with 405 line colour TV, as to how much bandwidth would have been saved!

 

 
Posted : 23/11/2018 2:08 pm
malcscott
(@malcscott)
Posts: 1566
Prominent Member Registered
 

I must get round to restoring my parents old Ekco CT107. Bought new in 1971 and used until 1986. Rare set these days, Malc.

 
Posted : 23/11/2018 2:15 pm
Nuvistor
(@nuvistor)
Posts: 4594
Famed Member Registered
 

Photo of a CT107 in this brochure.

https://www.radios-tv.co.uk/206-2/

 

Frank

 
Posted : 23/11/2018 3:15 pm
Doz
 Doz
(@doz)
Posts: 1485
Prominent Member Registered
 
Posted by: malcscott

I must get round to restoring my parents old Ekco CT107. Bought new in 1971 and used until 1986. Rare set these days, Malc.

A girlfriend of mine in the 80's father had a CT107 in the spare room as a second set. He worked for Radio Rentals. I spent many an hour playing computer games with a commodore 64 connected to it.

 
Posted : 23/11/2018 4:26 pm
Nuvistor
(@nuvistor)
Posts: 4594
Famed Member Registered
 

The KB radio has not arrived yet, should have been yesterday but there was a delay in posting, the seller has kept me informed. It’s not a problem, it will be after Christmas at the earliest before anything is done to it. Perhaps a quick look for any damage and see what parts are required.

I will start a thread at a suitable time.

Soon be school holidays so I shall be travelling again, I think the car knows it’s own way by now.

 

Frank

 
Posted : 28/11/2018 7:40 am
Page 1 / 2
Share: