N
Nancy Lacek
Guest
9-605-05
9-604-04
9-700-15
9-604-04
9-700-15
Navigation
Install the app
How to install the app on iOS
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
More options
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
C
Cydrome Leader
Guest
Nancy Lacek <nancylacek@gmail.com> wrote:
Will you return the duds in the suplied boxes, with the form filled out
for your credit?
9-605-05
9-604-04
9-700-15
Will you return the duds in the suplied boxes, with the form filled out
for your credit?
S
server
Guest
Cydrome Leader <presence@mungepanix.com> wrote:
Heh, I think they want to fix it because it weighs around 270 pounds and
it\'s a struggle to move around.
I used to own the same model and it cost me $20 for a couple mexicans to
dump it somewhere.
It\'s from the early 90\'s and has a piss poor picture compared to even the
cheapest lcd/led tv currently on the market. I think that one had the
\"teletext\" service built into it.
Got that one straight out of the Zenith employee store when they had the
plant on North Ave and the 294. Was supposed to be a life-test set but
someone really failed, even though it was supposed to have the \"Premium
Sound\" package, it sounded like a $10 clock radio. A couple years on I
opened the back for something and the entire sub-woofer amplifier module
was missing. Just a couple connectors laying where the module went. Oddly
enough the sub-woofers were there, just missing the amp for them.
How they q/c\'ed that for resale is beyond me.
-bruce
bje@ripco.com
Nancy Lacek <nancylacek@gmail.com> wrote:
9-605-05
9-604-04
9-700-15
Will you return the duds in the suplied boxes, with the form filled out
for your credit?
Heh, I think they want to fix it because it weighs around 270 pounds and
it\'s a struggle to move around.
I used to own the same model and it cost me $20 for a couple mexicans to
dump it somewhere.
It\'s from the early 90\'s and has a piss poor picture compared to even the
cheapest lcd/led tv currently on the market. I think that one had the
\"teletext\" service built into it.
Got that one straight out of the Zenith employee store when they had the
plant on North Ave and the 294. Was supposed to be a life-test set but
someone really failed, even though it was supposed to have the \"Premium
Sound\" package, it sounded like a $10 clock radio. A couple years on I
opened the back for something and the entire sub-woofer amplifier module
was missing. Just a couple connectors laying where the module went. Oddly
enough the sub-woofers were there, just missing the amp for them.
How they q/c\'ed that for resale is beyond me.
-bruce
bje@ripco.com
O
ohg...@gmail.com
Guest
On Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at 7:03:30 AM UTC-4, b...@ripco.com wrote:
I sold a few of those, and they were absolute toilets. Zenith had some good tech back then but the Digital System Three wasn\'t any part of it. IIRC, it was based on the ITT digital TV chipset. They were squirrely when they were new and had a terrible muddy picture no matter how carefully they were prepped. On a blank snowy channel, these showed poor color temperature and bloated and blurry\"pop corn\" snow whereas every other TV back then had crisp, tight snow with excellent color temp. I can\'t guess why anyone would want to fix one of these unless it was for a historic collection of some sort.
Cydrome Leader <pres...@mungepanix.com> wrote:
Nancy Lacek <nancy...@gmail.com> wrote:
9-605-05
9-604-04
9-700-15
Will you return the duds in the suplied boxes, with the form filled out
for your credit?
Heh, I think they want to fix it because it weighs around 270 pounds and
it\'s a struggle to move around.
I used to own the same model and it cost me $20 for a couple mexicans to
dump it somewhere.
It\'s from the early 90\'s and has a piss poor picture compared to even the
cheapest lcd/led tv currently on the market. I think that one had the
\"teletext\" service built into it.
I sold a few of those, and they were absolute toilets. Zenith had some good tech back then but the Digital System Three wasn\'t any part of it. IIRC, it was based on the ITT digital TV chipset. They were squirrely when they were new and had a terrible muddy picture no matter how carefully they were prepped. On a blank snowy channel, these showed poor color temperature and bloated and blurry\"pop corn\" snow whereas every other TV back then had crisp, tight snow with excellent color temp. I can\'t guess why anyone would want to fix one of these unless it was for a historic collection of some sort.
N
Nancy Lacek
Guest
On Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at 2:19:11 PM UTC-5, ohg...@gmail.com wrote:
On Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at 7:03:30 AM UTC-4, b...@ripco.com wrote:
Cydrome Leader <pres...@mungepanix.com> wrote:
Nancy Lacek <nancy...@gmail.com> wrote:
9-605-05
9-604-04
9-700-15
Will you return the duds in the suplied boxes, with the form filled out
for your credit?
Heh, I think they want to fix it because it weighs around 270 pounds and
it\'s a struggle to move around.
I used to own the same model and it cost me $20 for a couple mexicans to
dump it somewhere.
It\'s from the early 90\'s and has a piss poor picture compared to even the
cheapest lcd/led tv currently on the market. I think that one had the
\"teletext\" service built into it.
I sold a few of those, and they were absolute toilets. Zenith had some good tech back then but the Digital System Three wasn\'t any part of it. IIRC, it was based on the ITT digital TV chipset. They were squirrely when they were new and had a terrible muddy picture no matter how carefully they were prepped. On a blank snowy channel, these showed poor color temperature and bloated and blurry\"pop corn\" snow whereas every other TV back then had crisp, tight snow with excellent color temp. I can\'t guess why anyone would want to fix one of these unless it was for a historic collection of some sort..
N
Nancy Lacek
Guest
On Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at 2:19:11 PM UTC-5, ohg...@gmail.com wrote:
On Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at 7:03:30 AM UTC-4, b...@ripco.com wrote:
Cydrome Leader <pres...@mungepanix.com> wrote:
Nancy Lacek <nancy...@gmail.com> wrote:
9-605-05
9-604-04
9-700-15
Will you return the duds in the suplied boxes, with the form filled out
for your credit?
Heh, I think they want to fix it because it weighs around 270 pounds and
it\'s a struggle to move around.
I used to own the same model and it cost me $20 for a couple mexicans to
dump it somewhere.
It\'s from the early 90\'s and has a piss poor picture compared to even the
cheapest lcd/led tv currently on the market. I think that one had the
\"teletext\" service built into it.
I sold a few of those, and they were absolute toilets. Zenith had some good tech back then but the Digital System Three wasn\'t any part of it. IIRC, it was based on the ITT digital TV chipset. They were squirrely when they were new and had a terrible muddy picture no matter how carefully they were prepped. On a blank snowy channel, these showed poor color temperature and bloated and blurry\"pop corn\" snow whereas every other TV back then had crisp, tight snow with excellent color temp. I can\'t guess why anyone would want to fix one of these unless it was for a historic collection of some sort..
N
Nancy Lacek
Guest
I have never have not had those problems with my tv since it was new
On Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at 2:19:11 PM UTC-5, ohg...@gmail.com wrote:
On Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at 2:19:11 PM UTC-5, ohg...@gmail.com wrote:
On Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at 7:03:30 AM UTC-4, b...@ripco.com wrote:
Cydrome Leader <pres...@mungepanix.com> wrote:
Nancy Lacek <nancy...@gmail.com> wrote:
9-605-05
9-604-04
9-700-15
Will you return the duds in the suplied boxes, with the form filled out
for your credit?
Heh, I think they want to fix it because it weighs around 270 pounds and
it\'s a struggle to move around.
I used to own the same model and it cost me $20 for a couple mexicans to
dump it somewhere.
It\'s from the early 90\'s and has a piss poor picture compared to even the
cheapest lcd/led tv currently on the market. I think that one had the
\"teletext\" service built into it.
I sold a few of those, and they were absolute toilets. Zenith had some good tech back then but the Digital System Three wasn\'t any part of it. IIRC, it was based on the ITT digital TV chipset. They were squirrely when they were new and had a terrible muddy picture no matter how carefully they were prepped. On a blank snowy channel, these showed poor color temperature and bloated and blurry\"pop corn\" snow whereas every other TV back then had crisp, tight snow with excellent color temp. I can\'t guess why anyone would want to fix one of these unless it was for a historic collection of some sort..
O
ohg...@gmail.com
Guest
On Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at 5:19:15 PM UTC-4, nancy...@gmail.com wrote:
The Digital System 3 is simply a poor performer and they were when they were brand new. When showing them, we had to make sure every other TV in the showroom was off, including the basic and far cheaper analog System 3 and Chromacolor Zeniths which badly outperformed them at 50% the cost. The DS3 TV was built as a true digital TV and was the first with no mechanical chassis adjustments other than F, G2, and ring magnets around the CRT. While certainly noteworthy in a historical context, as an instrument to view television, they were also noteworthy in a bad way.
I used to have a bin full of all the 700 board chips (many several deep), several 700 boards (the rest of the boards were reliable) and threw them all away about 20 years ago when we put those chassis on the verboten list because of reliability and performance reasons. Half the 700 boards we got from Zenith in the red label (rebuilt) boxes didn\'t work or didn\'t work properly, and the yellow label (new) boards were exhausted when the TVs were still in warranty.
Honestly, if you want to keep it running for historical or even sentimental reasons, I couldn\'t argue with that and wish you luck on your parts search.. But if you want to watch programs on it, you would be better off with literally any other CRT TV of any era, including vacuum tube TVs that preceded it.
I have never have not had those problems with my tv since it was new
The Digital System 3 is simply a poor performer and they were when they were brand new. When showing them, we had to make sure every other TV in the showroom was off, including the basic and far cheaper analog System 3 and Chromacolor Zeniths which badly outperformed them at 50% the cost. The DS3 TV was built as a true digital TV and was the first with no mechanical chassis adjustments other than F, G2, and ring magnets around the CRT. While certainly noteworthy in a historical context, as an instrument to view television, they were also noteworthy in a bad way.
I used to have a bin full of all the 700 board chips (many several deep), several 700 boards (the rest of the boards were reliable) and threw them all away about 20 years ago when we put those chassis on the verboten list because of reliability and performance reasons. Half the 700 boards we got from Zenith in the red label (rebuilt) boxes didn\'t work or didn\'t work properly, and the yellow label (new) boards were exhausted when the TVs were still in warranty.
Honestly, if you want to keep it running for historical or even sentimental reasons, I couldn\'t argue with that and wish you luck on your parts search.. But if you want to watch programs on it, you would be better off with literally any other CRT TV of any era, including vacuum tube TVs that preceded it.
On Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at 2:19:11 PM UTC-5, ohg...@gmail.com wrote:
On Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at 7:03:30 AM UTC-4, b...@ripco.com wrote:
Cydrome Leader <pres...@mungepanix.com> wrote:
Nancy Lacek <nancy...@gmail.com> wrote:
9-605-05
9-604-04
9-700-15
Will you return the duds in the suplied boxes, with the form filled out
for your credit?
Heh, I think they want to fix it because it weighs around 270 pounds and
it\'s a struggle to move around.
I used to own the same model and it cost me $20 for a couple mexicans to
dump it somewhere.
It\'s from the early 90\'s and has a piss poor picture compared to even the
cheapest lcd/led tv currently on the market. I think that one had the
\"teletext\" service built into it.
I sold a few of those, and they were absolute toilets. Zenith had some good tech back then but the Digital System Three wasn\'t any part of it. IIRC, it was based on the ITT digital TV chipset. They were squirrely when they were new and had a terrible muddy picture no matter how carefully they were prepped. On a blank snowy channel, these showed poor color temperature and bloated and blurry\"pop corn\" snow whereas every other TV back then had crisp, tight snow with excellent color temp. I can\'t guess why anyone would want to fix one of these unless it was for a historic collection of some sort.
C
Cydrome Leader
Guest
bje@ripco.com wrote:
This seller accidentally listed one as shipped with USPS first class
package
https://www.ebay.com/itm/zenith-tv-35-1990-SF3537H-/203031486909
It like how it\'s posed on that jack thing for moving heavy, annoyingstuff.
Heck, that cabinet is big enough just to fit a last run Panasonic CRT
television inside of. Not even kidding either. Might be a fun project.
Just have been an \"honest\" mistake. Any idea where they rebuilt all those
modules you had to swap? I kind of liked their 70s console TVs with the
weird plastic pedastal and the preposterous \"zoom\" button.
Cydrome Leader <presence@mungepanix.com> wrote:
Nancy Lacek <nancylacek@gmail.com> wrote:
9-605-05
9-604-04
9-700-15
Will you return the duds in the suplied boxes, with the form filled out
for your credit?
Heh, I think they want to fix it because it weighs around 270 pounds and
it\'s a struggle to move around.
This seller accidentally listed one as shipped with USPS first class
package
https://www.ebay.com/itm/zenith-tv-35-1990-SF3537H-/203031486909
It like how it\'s posed on that jack thing for moving heavy, annoyingstuff.
Heck, that cabinet is big enough just to fit a last run Panasonic CRT
television inside of. Not even kidding either. Might be a fun project.
I used to own the same model and it cost me $20 for a couple mexicans to
dump it somewhere.
It\'s from the early 90\'s and has a piss poor picture compared to even the
cheapest lcd/led tv currently on the market. I think that one had the
\"teletext\" service built into it.
Got that one straight out of the Zenith employee store when they had the
plant on North Ave and the 294. Was supposed to be a life-test set but
someone really failed, even though it was supposed to have the \"Premium
Sound\" package, it sounded like a $10 clock radio. A couple years on I
opened the back for something and the entire sub-woofer amplifier module
was missing. Just a couple connectors laying where the module went. Oddly
enough the sub-woofers were there, just missing the amp for them.
How they q/c\'ed that for resale is beyond me.
Just have been an \"honest\" mistake. Any idea where they rebuilt all those
modules you had to swap? I kind of liked their 70s console TVs with the
weird plastic pedastal and the preposterous \"zoom\" button.
S
server
Guest
Cydrome Leader <presence@mungepanix.com> wrote:
Pffft. Foggy memories of that stuff.
I think, when I decided to look at the sound problem I went over to that
place on Bryn Mawr just west of Kimball, North Central. They used to be
authorized Zenith, RCA, Magnavox and some others distributors.
I ordered the service manual and when it came in I remember the guy behind
the counter said I wasn\'t going to like it. Not sure if it was from Zenith
or the Sams copy but it basically was a single \"road map\", folded out to
like a 3\'x4\' paper that was more or less just a block diagram of the set.
Very few voltage reading points and or waveforms. Most of it was covered in
\"gray areas\" and he said if you think the problem was in one of those areas,
Zenith wanted the whole module back for diagnostics.
So I\'m assuming at least through the mid 90\'s all the defective modules went
back to them.
Later on, after LG took them over and Phillips took over RCA, there was a
mail order place to get modules in Indiana, pretty sure they were called
PTS, a place that used to repair detent (mechanical) vhf/uhf tuners. After
those became extinct, they went into the module repair/replacement business.
Pretty sure PTS stood for Precision Tuner Service but after a quick google,
they don\'t seem to be around anymore or have a historical mention.
Might of been PTC, like I said, foggy memory of all that now.
Anyway, with those Digital System III\'s (or whatever they were called),
Zenith never wanted board level repairs on them. Just module exchanges.
-bruce
bje@ripco.com
Just have been an \"honest\" mistake. Any idea where they rebuilt all those
modules you had to swap? I kind of liked their 70s console TVs with the
weird plastic pedastal and the preposterous \"zoom\" button.
Pffft. Foggy memories of that stuff.
I think, when I decided to look at the sound problem I went over to that
place on Bryn Mawr just west of Kimball, North Central. They used to be
authorized Zenith, RCA, Magnavox and some others distributors.
I ordered the service manual and when it came in I remember the guy behind
the counter said I wasn\'t going to like it. Not sure if it was from Zenith
or the Sams copy but it basically was a single \"road map\", folded out to
like a 3\'x4\' paper that was more or less just a block diagram of the set.
Very few voltage reading points and or waveforms. Most of it was covered in
\"gray areas\" and he said if you think the problem was in one of those areas,
Zenith wanted the whole module back for diagnostics.
So I\'m assuming at least through the mid 90\'s all the defective modules went
back to them.
Later on, after LG took them over and Phillips took over RCA, there was a
mail order place to get modules in Indiana, pretty sure they were called
PTS, a place that used to repair detent (mechanical) vhf/uhf tuners. After
those became extinct, they went into the module repair/replacement business.
Pretty sure PTS stood for Precision Tuner Service but after a quick google,
they don\'t seem to be around anymore or have a historical mention.
Might of been PTC, like I said, foggy memory of all that now.
Anyway, with those Digital System III\'s (or whatever they were called),
Zenith never wanted board level repairs on them. Just module exchanges.
-bruce
bje@ripco.com
C
Chuck
Guest
On Mon, 12 Oct 2020 12:51:58 -0000 (UTC), bje@ripco.com wrote:
It was PTS. At one point, they had offices in most major US cities.
Thomson bought RCA, not Phillips.
Cydrome Leader <presence@mungepanix.com> wrote:
Just have been an \"honest\" mistake. Any idea where they rebuilt all those
modules you had to swap? I kind of liked their 70s console TVs with the
weird plastic pedastal and the preposterous \"zoom\" button.
Pffft. Foggy memories of that stuff.
I think, when I decided to look at the sound problem I went over to that
place on Bryn Mawr just west of Kimball, North Central. They used to be
authorized Zenith, RCA, Magnavox and some others distributors.
I ordered the service manual and when it came in I remember the guy behind
the counter said I wasn\'t going to like it. Not sure if it was from Zenith
or the Sams copy but it basically was a single \"road map\", folded out to
like a 3\'x4\' paper that was more or less just a block diagram of the set.
Very few voltage reading points and or waveforms. Most of it was covered in
\"gray areas\" and he said if you think the problem was in one of those areas,
Zenith wanted the whole module back for diagnostics.
So I\'m assuming at least through the mid 90\'s all the defective modules went
back to them.
Later on, after LG took them over and Phillips took over RCA, there was a
mail order place to get modules in Indiana, pretty sure they were called
PTS, a place that used to repair detent (mechanical) vhf/uhf tuners. After
those became extinct, they went into the module repair/replacement business.
Pretty sure PTS stood for Precision Tuner Service but after a quick google,
they don\'t seem to be around anymore or have a historical mention.
Might of been PTC, like I said, foggy memory of all that now.
Anyway, with those Digital System III\'s (or whatever they were called),
Zenith never wanted board level repairs on them. Just module exchanges.
-bruce
bje@ripco.com
It was PTS. At one point, they had offices in most major US cities.
Thomson bought RCA, not Phillips.
J
John-Del
Guest
On Monday, October 12, 2020 at 1:10:53 PM UTC-4, Chuck wrote:
Also, PTS started out as Precision Tuner Service. There were a dozen or more similar companies in the U.S., like Castle Tuner Service. They started out servicing mechanical tuners, then electronic tuners, then expanded to TV modules. PTS still exists as a recycler that sells used boards: https://www.ptselectronicsinc.com/
On Mon, 12 Oct 2020 12:51:58 -0000 (UTC), bje@ripco.com wrote:
Cydrome Leader <presence@mungepanix.com> wrote:
Just have been an \"honest\" mistake. Any idea where they rebuilt all those
modules you had to swap? I kind of liked their 70s console TVs with the
weird plastic pedastal and the preposterous \"zoom\" button.
Pffft. Foggy memories of that stuff.
I think, when I decided to look at the sound problem I went over to that
place on Bryn Mawr just west of Kimball, North Central. They used to be
authorized Zenith, RCA, Magnavox and some others distributors.
I ordered the service manual and when it came in I remember the guy behind
the counter said I wasn\'t going to like it. Not sure if it was from Zenith
or the Sams copy but it basically was a single \"road map\", folded out to
like a 3\'x4\' paper that was more or less just a block diagram of the set..
Very few voltage reading points and or waveforms. Most of it was covered in
\"gray areas\" and he said if you think the problem was in one of those areas,
Zenith wanted the whole module back for diagnostics.
So I\'m assuming at least through the mid 90\'s all the defective modules went
back to them.
Later on, after LG took them over and Phillips took over RCA, there was a
mail order place to get modules in Indiana, pretty sure they were called
PTS, a place that used to repair detent (mechanical) vhf/uhf tuners. After
those became extinct, they went into the module repair/replacement business.
Pretty sure PTS stood for Precision Tuner Service but after a quick google,
they don\'t seem to be around anymore or have a historical mention.
Might of been PTC, like I said, foggy memory of all that now.
Anyway, with those Digital System III\'s (or whatever they were called),
Zenith never wanted board level repairs on them. Just module exchanges.
-bruce
bje@ripco.com
It was PTS. At one point, they had offices in most major US cities.
Thomson bought RCA, not Phillips.
Also, PTS started out as Precision Tuner Service. There were a dozen or more similar companies in the U.S., like Castle Tuner Service. They started out servicing mechanical tuners, then electronic tuners, then expanded to TV modules. PTS still exists as a recycler that sells used boards: https://www.ptselectronicsinc.com/
C
Cydrome Leader
Guest
bje@ripco.com wrote:
I recall North Central. I think a combover type guy named Ray ran the
place. Even with the internet, you\'ll never be able to get fresh belts and
tires anymore. Sort of sucks too. Russell Industries claims to be still
have the PRB line, but I can\'t imagine that stuff isn\'t in all melted or
drives out and in yellowed plastic bags. Josesph Electronics was the other
place you could get most parts over the counter. Sony had a parts depot
just east of there by the salerno cookie factory in niles or skokie.
Ha, a redacted service guide giving you the middle finger.
Wow, forgot about the tuner swap business. There used to be a couple
picture tube rebuild shops too. \"Academy\" is one name I think existed.
I thought the last of the Zenith\'s finally had normal PCBs. They even had
plastic cases too, no more partical board and hex wood screws.
Fun:
https://curtismathes.webs.com/ladybird142.jpg
Cydrome Leader <presence@mungepanix.com> wrote:
Just have been an \"honest\" mistake. Any idea where they rebuilt all those
modules you had to swap? I kind of liked their 70s console TVs with the
weird plastic pedastal and the preposterous \"zoom\" button.
Pffft. Foggy memories of that stuff.
I think, when I decided to look at the sound problem I went over to that
place on Bryn Mawr just west of Kimball, North Central. They used to be
authorized Zenith, RCA, Magnavox and some others distributors.
I recall North Central. I think a combover type guy named Ray ran the
place. Even with the internet, you\'ll never be able to get fresh belts and
tires anymore. Sort of sucks too. Russell Industries claims to be still
have the PRB line, but I can\'t imagine that stuff isn\'t in all melted or
drives out and in yellowed plastic bags. Josesph Electronics was the other
place you could get most parts over the counter. Sony had a parts depot
just east of there by the salerno cookie factory in niles or skokie.
I ordered the service manual and when it came in I remember the guy behind
the counter said I wasn\'t going to like it. Not sure if it was from Zenith
or the Sams copy but it basically was a single \"road map\", folded out to
like a 3\'x4\' paper that was more or less just a block diagram of the set.
Very few voltage reading points and or waveforms. Most of it was covered in
\"gray areas\" and he said if you think the problem was in one of those areas,
Zenith wanted the whole module back for diagnostics.
Ha, a redacted service guide giving you the middle finger.
So I\'m assuming at least through the mid 90\'s all the defective modules went
back to them.
Later on, after LG took them over and Phillips took over RCA, there was a
mail order place to get modules in Indiana, pretty sure they were called
PTS, a place that used to repair detent (mechanical) vhf/uhf tuners. After
those became extinct, they went into the module repair/replacement business.
Wow, forgot about the tuner swap business. There used to be a couple
picture tube rebuild shops too. \"Academy\" is one name I think existed.
Pretty sure PTS stood for Precision Tuner Service but after a quick google,
they don\'t seem to be around anymore or have a historical mention.
Might of been PTC, like I said, foggy memory of all that now.
Anyway, with those Digital System III\'s (or whatever they were called),
Zenith never wanted board level repairs on them. Just module exchanges.
I thought the last of the Zenith\'s finally had normal PCBs. They even had
plastic cases too, no more partical board and hex wood screws.
Fun:
https://curtismathes.webs.com/ladybird142.jpg
C
Cydrome Leader
Guest
John-Del <ohger1s@gmail.com> wrote:
What\'s involved in the rebuild of a manual tuner? A spray of tuner cleaner
or something like that was all I ever did the few times I came across one.
Anyone recall the freon ban and folks buying CASES of the stuff like blue
shower and the freezy spray because all the substitutes were trash?
On Monday, October 12, 2020 at 1:10:53 PM UTC-4, Chuck wrote:
On Mon, 12 Oct 2020 12:51:58 -0000 (UTC), bje@ripco.com wrote:
Cydrome Leader <presence@mungepanix.com> wrote:
Just have been an \"honest\" mistake. Any idea where they rebuilt all those
modules you had to swap? I kind of liked their 70s console TVs with the
weird plastic pedastal and the preposterous \"zoom\" button.
Pffft. Foggy memories of that stuff.
I think, when I decided to look at the sound problem I went over to that
place on Bryn Mawr just west of Kimball, North Central. They used to be
authorized Zenith, RCA, Magnavox and some others distributors.
I ordered the service manual and when it came in I remember the guy behind
the counter said I wasn\'t going to like it. Not sure if it was from Zenith
or the Sams copy but it basically was a single \"road map\", folded out to
like a 3\'x4\' paper that was more or less just a block diagram of the set.
Very few voltage reading points and or waveforms. Most of it was covered in
\"gray areas\" and he said if you think the problem was in one of those areas,
Zenith wanted the whole module back for diagnostics.
So I\'m assuming at least through the mid 90\'s all the defective modules went
back to them.
Later on, after LG took them over and Phillips took over RCA, there was a
mail order place to get modules in Indiana, pretty sure they were called
PTS, a place that used to repair detent (mechanical) vhf/uhf tuners. After
those became extinct, they went into the module repair/replacement business.
Pretty sure PTS stood for Precision Tuner Service but after a quick google,
they don\'t seem to be around anymore or have a historical mention.
Might of been PTC, like I said, foggy memory of all that now.
Anyway, with those Digital System III\'s (or whatever they were called),
Zenith never wanted board level repairs on them. Just module exchanges.
-bruce
bje@ripco.com
It was PTS. At one point, they had offices in most major US cities.
Thomson bought RCA, not Phillips.
Also, PTS started out as Precision Tuner Service. There were a dozen or more similar companies in the U.S., like Castle Tuner Service. They started out servicing mechanical tuners, then electronic tuners, then expanded to TV modules. PTS still exists as a recycler that sells used boards: https://www.ptselectronicsinc.com/
What\'s involved in the rebuild of a manual tuner? A spray of tuner cleaner
or something like that was all I ever did the few times I came across one.
Anyone recall the freon ban and folks buying CASES of the stuff like blue
shower and the freezy spray because all the substitutes were trash?
J
John-Del
Guest
On Thursday, October 15, 2020 at 2:13:24 AM UTC-4, Cydrome Leader wrote:
A marginal mechanical tuner used to work find on a cable box or even a broad spectrum manual cable system. Back when everything was on antenna, the tuner was critical to performance of the TV, but when fed with a strong signal, cable, RF modulator, less so.
Better rebuilders would dip-clean the chassis, replace the wafer switches if bad, replace any bad parts inside (really tight for room on the incremental types), clean and lube the contacts, and align them. Later, they replaced transistors when the tuners went SS. Honestly, for $7.95 U.S., it wasn\'t worth screwing with them. They would come back rock solid and aligned. Towards the end of the mechanical tuner era, they were still less than $20 to get rebuilt.
John-Del <ohger1s@gmail.com> wrote:
On Monday, October 12, 2020 at 1:10:53 PM UTC-4, Chuck wrote:
On Mon, 12 Oct 2020 12:51:58 -0000 (UTC), bje@ripco.com wrote:
Cydrome Leader <presence@mungepanix.com> wrote:
Just have been an \"honest\" mistake. Any idea where they rebuilt all those
modules you had to swap? I kind of liked their 70s console TVs with the
weird plastic pedastal and the preposterous \"zoom\" button.
Pffft. Foggy memories of that stuff.
I think, when I decided to look at the sound problem I went over to that
place on Bryn Mawr just west of Kimball, North Central. They used to be
authorized Zenith, RCA, Magnavox and some others distributors.
I ordered the service manual and when it came in I remember the guy behind
the counter said I wasn\'t going to like it. Not sure if it was from Zenith
or the Sams copy but it basically was a single \"road map\", folded out to
like a 3\'x4\' paper that was more or less just a block diagram of the set.
Very few voltage reading points and or waveforms. Most of it was covered in
\"gray areas\" and he said if you think the problem was in one of those areas,
Zenith wanted the whole module back for diagnostics.
So I\'m assuming at least through the mid 90\'s all the defective modules went
back to them.
Later on, after LG took them over and Phillips took over RCA, there was a
mail order place to get modules in Indiana, pretty sure they were called
PTS, a place that used to repair detent (mechanical) vhf/uhf tuners. After
those became extinct, they went into the module repair/replacement business.
Pretty sure PTS stood for Precision Tuner Service but after a quick google,
they don\'t seem to be around anymore or have a historical mention.
Might of been PTC, like I said, foggy memory of all that now.
Anyway, with those Digital System III\'s (or whatever they were called),
Zenith never wanted board level repairs on them. Just module exchanges.
-bruce
bje@ripco.com
It was PTS. At one point, they had offices in most major US cities.
Thomson bought RCA, not Phillips.
Also, PTS started out as Precision Tuner Service. There were a dozen or more similar companies in the U.S., like Castle Tuner Service. They started out servicing mechanical tuners, then electronic tuners, then expanded to TV modules. PTS still exists as a recycler that sells used boards: https://www.ptselectronicsinc.com/
What\'s involved in the rebuild of a manual tuner? A spray of tuner cleaner
or something like that was all I ever did the few times I came across one..
A marginal mechanical tuner used to work find on a cable box or even a broad spectrum manual cable system. Back when everything was on antenna, the tuner was critical to performance of the TV, but when fed with a strong signal, cable, RF modulator, less so.
Better rebuilders would dip-clean the chassis, replace the wafer switches if bad, replace any bad parts inside (really tight for room on the incremental types), clean and lube the contacts, and align them. Later, they replaced transistors when the tuners went SS. Honestly, for $7.95 U.S., it wasn\'t worth screwing with them. They would come back rock solid and aligned. Towards the end of the mechanical tuner era, they were still less than $20 to get rebuilt.
C
Chuck
Guest
On Thu, 15 Oct 2020 06:06:03 +0000 (UTC), Cydrome Leader
<presence@MUNGEpanix.com> wrote:
increased until the CRT at the yoke sheared off. I replaced the cap
and the CRT and used it for years. It had a weird problem. The
vertical would collapse every 2 years. Once the back was off the set,
it would work properly. All connections appeared solid; I never found
out what was wrong.
<presence@MUNGEpanix.com> wrote:
I owned one of those. The horizontal output tuning cap failed. The HVbje@ripco.com wrote:
Cydrome Leader <presence@mungepanix.com> wrote:
Just have been an \"honest\" mistake. Any idea where they rebuilt all those
modules you had to swap? I kind of liked their 70s console TVs with the
weird plastic pedastal and the preposterous \"zoom\" button.
Pffft. Foggy memories of that stuff.
I think, when I decided to look at the sound problem I went over to that
place on Bryn Mawr just west of Kimball, North Central. They used to be
authorized Zenith, RCA, Magnavox and some others distributors.
I recall North Central. I think a combover type guy named Ray ran the
place. Even with the internet, you\'ll never be able to get fresh belts and
tires anymore. Sort of sucks too. Russell Industries claims to be still
have the PRB line, but I can\'t imagine that stuff isn\'t in all melted or
drives out and in yellowed plastic bags. Josesph Electronics was the other
place you could get most parts over the counter. Sony had a parts depot
just east of there by the salerno cookie factory in niles or skokie.
I ordered the service manual and when it came in I remember the guy behind
the counter said I wasn\'t going to like it. Not sure if it was from Zenith
or the Sams copy but it basically was a single \"road map\", folded out to
like a 3\'x4\' paper that was more or less just a block diagram of the set.
Very few voltage reading points and or waveforms. Most of it was covered in
\"gray areas\" and he said if you think the problem was in one of those areas,
Zenith wanted the whole module back for diagnostics.
Ha, a redacted service guide giving you the middle finger.
So I\'m assuming at least through the mid 90\'s all the defective modules went
back to them.
Later on, after LG took them over and Phillips took over RCA, there was a
mail order place to get modules in Indiana, pretty sure they were called
PTS, a place that used to repair detent (mechanical) vhf/uhf tuners. After
those became extinct, they went into the module repair/replacement business.
Wow, forgot about the tuner swap business. There used to be a couple
picture tube rebuild shops too. \"Academy\" is one name I think existed.
Pretty sure PTS stood for Precision Tuner Service but after a quick google,
they don\'t seem to be around anymore or have a historical mention.
Might of been PTC, like I said, foggy memory of all that now.
Anyway, with those Digital System III\'s (or whatever they were called),
Zenith never wanted board level repairs on them. Just module exchanges.
I thought the last of the Zenith\'s finally had normal PCBs. They even had
plastic cases too, no more partical board and hex wood screws.
Fun:
https://curtismathes.webs.com/ladybird142.jpg
increased until the CRT at the yoke sheared off. I replaced the cap
and the CRT and used it for years. It had a weird problem. The
vertical would collapse every 2 years. Once the back was off the set,
it would work properly. All connections appeared solid; I never found
out what was wrong.
D
Dave Platt
Guest
What\'s involved in the rebuild of a manual tuner? A spray of tuner cleaner
or something like that was all I ever did the few times I came across one.
Many decades ago (in my high-school days) I did a bit of TV-tuner
servicing. The VHF-channel tuners used a turret design - rotating the
knob into position rotated a channel-specific resonator on the turret
into the contact position. Each resonator had a fine-tuning reactance
(either a movable-slug inductor or a variable capacitor, I don\'t
recall which), whose adjusting shaft ended in a plastic gear that
meshed with the \"fine tune\" control (typically a ring running around
the outside of the channel knob).
Over time, the plastic gears on the turret, and the plastic gear or
planetary ring on the fine-tune control would wear, and they wouldn\'t
mesh properly. As I recall, the failure would usually occur when the
fine-tuning adjustment was rotated to one end of its range - the
control teeth would no longer mesh with the worn ends of the teeth on
the turret gear, and the fine-tune control would be \"stuck\" for that
channel (typically at a position where the channel wasn\'t watchable).
I could clean the turret contacts well enough, and manually return the
worn-gear \"stuck\" channel adjustments back to a point where they\'d
mesh with the control gearing and work again, but the problem would
recur if somebody rotated the fine-tuning knob too far once again.
A real rebuild would have required replacing all of the worn gears. I
didn\'t have the ability to do that, at the time.