View Full Version : Is this a Portacolor???


Kamakiri
08-07-2004, 11:37 AM
Picked up this set today at the thrift because it's a dead ringer for a Portacolor, but it's solid state......maybe they had extra picture tubes to use up? :dunno:

andy
08-07-2004, 01:51 PM
What kind of CRT does it use? The portacolor has an 11WP22.

Kamakiri
08-07-2004, 02:44 PM
Turns out this tube is a 25OTB22, but damned if this set isn't a dead ringer for a Poratcolor.....

captainmoody
08-07-2004, 03:17 PM
Looks like a Sears/Sanyo

andy
08-07-2004, 04:09 PM
That's a Japanese type number. What brand is on the set?

Kamakiri
08-07-2004, 04:27 PM
Originally posted by captainmoody
Looks like a Sears/Sanyo

That's what she is :)

kc8adu
08-07-2004, 05:14 PM
looks like a toshiba.

Whirled One
08-07-2004, 10:20 PM
Yeah, I agree that it looks kinda like a PortaColor, and the basic styling might have been inspired by the PortaColor, but it sure ain't a PortaColor. :)
The basic front-panel confirguration is PortaColor-ish, but the main cabinet looks a lot more rounded-off than a PortaColor, and the recessed hinged plastic handle is definitely not PortaColor-ish.
By the way, Andy, other picture tube designations used in PortaColors include the 11SP22, 10VABP22, and 10VADP22; there may be others. [Also remember that "11"-inch tubes became "10" after the FCC changed the rules for advertised dimensions of picture tubes.]

colortrakker
08-08-2004, 11:57 PM
Wouldn't you know I ran into a specimen of The Genuine Article today at a street fair. Yours is a pretty fair impostor - first thing I noticed is that your tube is squarer than a Porta-Color's. Plus, your knobs are over the speaker where the ones on the Specimen are below it.

I broke down and bought the specimen for $5 - looked to be in real nice shape. Cleaned up almost new! Antennas are a little bent and the positions of the control knobs are out of whack, but otherwise physically excellent. Looks kinda early '70s - got the red, blue and green crests (but no Porta-Color script), continuous UHF tuner and an inline tube.

Unfortunately it's not so hot electronically. Wait, let me rephrase that. About a minute after I fired it up something started burning. I unplugged it as fast as I could and I'm hoping nothing got too crispy in there.

So Kamakiri, if you can save it (or want to), it's yours. If not, it's up for grabs!

Kamakiri
08-10-2004, 06:26 AM
Pass it along to the membership.....I have enough projects to keep me busy ;)

Oh, and this one's up for grabs too. Gets a perfect black and white picture :(

kc8adu
08-10-2004, 06:45 PM
Originally posted by Kamakiri
Pass it along to the membership.....I have enough projects to keep me busy ;)

Oh, and this one's up for grabs too. Gets a perfect black and white picture :(
if it is what i think it is(toshiba) pull the modules and resolder all the feedthru pins.

captainmoody
08-10-2004, 09:04 PM
I had one exactly like it, Was made by Sanyo. could still have a cold solder prob though.

Sandy G
08-10-2004, 09:22 PM
I got me a SOLID-STATE-Portacolor off the 'Bay about a month ago. Was made in June '84 in Portsmouth, VA & is a model #10AB5402V. I didn't know they made Solid State Porta-Pottys. Picture ain't too hot, but it has a detent tuner, & both antennas are good. Hey, I paid something like 9 smackeroos for it-not including shipping. It's kinda cute, like all Porta-Pottys are, just real cheap 'n' nasty looking.-Sandy G.

bgadow
08-10-2004, 10:38 PM
colortrakker, I wonder how much it would cost to ship that thing to 21655? I've been wanting one but not real seriously. I don't know off hand where 'Lehigh valley' is, and its late so I'm too tired to go look! PM me if you'd like.

I did have one of those early 80s models, it was given to me by a tv repair shop. The tint kept jumping around. Its on long-term loan (about 10 years now!) to a friend of mine who really appreciates it.

I sure don't need more tv's but something small would be alright. I almost bought a 13" Zenith Saturday, could have got it for probably $10, but a little too new for me. (looked late 70s/early 80s) according to the sticker on the back it was made in Missouri, had an inline tube. Standard click-stop tuners. If it had been early 70s I would have grabbed it in a heartbeat.

tv beta guy
09-15-2004, 06:44 PM
I got the Sears from Kamakiri the other day (thanks!) The lack of color was caused by dirty color killer pot. I touched up the greyscale and adjusted the vertical size and linearity. After letting it run for about an hour, the picture looks great. It is all solid state, is an instant on on the CRT, but it is still nice and bright. Has a very fine dot pitch. I'll probably mod it to get rid of the instant on. It works great now. I was surprised to see that the CRT is actually a delta gun type. The yoke and convergence panel is about the size of the face of the CRT itself.

Jeffhs
09-16-2004, 03:39 AM
Originally posted by tv beta guy
I got the Sears from Kamakiri the other day (thanks!) The lack of color was caused by dirty color killer pot. I touched up the greyscale and adjusted the vertical size and linearity. After letting it run for about an hour, the picture looks great. It is all solid state, is an instant on on the CRT, but it is still nice and bright. Has a very fine dot pitch. I'll probably mod it to get rid of the instant on. It works great now. I was surprised to see that the CRT is actually a delta gun type. The yoke and convergence panel is about the size of the face of the CRT itself.

Removing the instant-on feature is exactly what I would have done with a set like that. I never much cared for instant-on because it left the tube filaments on even after the set was turned off; a fire hazard waiting to happen. :eek: The other problem with instant-on was that, if lightning were to hit the power line the set was connected to, the surge would, more often than not, immediately short the instant-on diode. This in turn would have the same effect as bypassing the main power switch, as these diodes were connected directly across the switch. The only way to turn the set on and off with a shorted instant-on diode was by inserting and withdrawing the AC power plug from the wall socket. Many set owners simply did just that when the instant-on diode shorted, but some technically-savvy owners might (often did) take the back off and remove the shorted diode. This restored the on-off switch, but removed the instant-on feature. Just as well, as instant-on was also a waste of energy; this was probably, even likely, why the feature didn't last the entire decade of the '70s. If you recall, there was an energy crisis at that time (so the news media told us); this alone could explain why instant-on didn't last as long as some folks might have hoped.

BTW, these small portables are cute, and given a good signal can produce a very good picture (owing to that fine dot-pitch CRT). But I sometimes wonder--who would want a set that small? The screen on yours doesn't look much bigger than nine inches diagonal measure. I hope this wasn't an attempt by Sears to copy Sony's "tummy TV" 5-inch b&w portable of '60s vintage; if it were, it would have failed miserably. Depending entirely on how much the Sears set weighs (I'd say at least 10 pounds), it wouldn't have felt comfortable on most tummies; in fact, if the set weighed much more than that, it could well crush a rib or two. :eek: