It's amazing how a bit of serendipity can land you a TV you've been looking for since you heard about it. I saved a Maggie console and found someone on here to take it. And in return I finally got ahold of a 19" Chromacolor II made in June 1976. It works, and has the original rabbit ears intact. very nice cosmetically especially given its age.

It's funny how easily it all played out. The maggie console was two houses down from me, is a decent set from what I've heard, and captainmoody lives not 20 minutes from me and had a CCII that he was happy to give me. Thank you captainmoody!

Interestingly, using two pieces of coax cable and a coax coupler, I was able to connect my DTV box and use this TV's original rabbit ears on it! The DTV box rests perfectly on top. Heh, it's almost like Zenith saw this whole DTV thing coming... Probably first generation coax cable, but it works fine!

Here's a couple pics of it. The camera does not photograph the screen too well...

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o121/mrx3750/CCII2.jpg


The retro TV channel seemed more appropriate...
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o121/mrx3750/CCII1.jpg

Now for the bad: Well, it's a 34 year old set so I expected quirks. Tuner and pots need some deoxit... and I think I will actually go and get real deoxit this time instead of using WD-40. Um, even tapping the TV slightly causes interference in the picture. If the speaker is playing too loud the picture has interference. Could this just be the dirty tuner?

Other then that the dynamic convergence needs touching up. I'll need to get a test grid up. Wait... this is a delta gun CRT am I right? Are there dynamic convergence controls inside this TV?

EDIT: there are! And there's even a diagram inside the back cover labeling what each convergence pot does. Wow... a TV that was meant to be serviced...

Nice! I haven't had that exact model in quite a few years. Yes, you will need to deoxit all controls and switches. Also, clean the module contacts and resolder the contacts on the modules, if necessary. I think this set is too new; but, double check and make sure it has the orange safety cap. It's right under the HOT heatsink. If you ever find one of these with the white cap; DO NOT power it up until that cap is replaced with the orange one. The white ones will suddenly open and blow the neck off the CRT. I'm sure you have a back ache right about now; but, at least that shows that you have a well made TV.

Right now; I have three 19" CCII's from '76, '78, and '79, a 17" CCII from '77, and a 25" console CCII from '79 that's probably going to get parted out because the cabinet is not in good shape. I've already used a module out of it to fix one of the 19" sets. And, I think I've got a line on a 23" or 25" steel cabinet CCII. Hopefully, that one will work out as I've been wanting to find a steel cabinet Zenith.

Nice! I haven't had that exact model in quite a few years. Yes, you will need to deoxit all controls and switches. Also, clean the module contacts and resolder the contacts on the modules, if necessary. I think this set is too new; but, double check and make sure it has the orange safety cap. It's right under the HOT heatsink. If you ever find one of these with the white cap; DO NOT power it up until that cap is replaced with the orange one. The white ones will suddenly open and blow the neck off the CRT. I'm sure you have a back ache right about now; but, at least that shows that you have a well made TV.

Right now; I have three 19" CCII's from '76, '78, and '79, a 17" CCII from '77, and a 25" console CCII from '79 that's probably going to get parted out because the cabinet is not in good shape. I've already used a module out of it to fix one of the 19" sets. And, I think I've got a line on a 23" or 25" steel cabinet CCII. Hopefully, that one will work out as I've been wanting to find a steel cabinet Zenith.

I asked Dwight about that cap. Pretty sure it's the orange one. I'll check to be sure... as soon as I can find it...

And yeah, this thing weighs a good 30 pounds at least, maybe more. BIG transformer inside it.

I got a 13-inch 1976 Zenith Chromacolor II here in North Bay in 2005-06, fully working. It has a 13-inch inline tube as well. I'm wondering if your 1976 Chromacolor II has either a delta-gun tube or an inline tube, just curious. The earliest inline tubes I saw were the Sony Trinton of 1968-69. I also have 2 1976 Toshiba 13-inch color TVs, both w/inline tubes as well as both of my 1975 Portacolors also have 9-inch inline non-black matrix tubes as well.

Oh it's a Delta gun tube. Good thing since I need to touch up the convergence, and it has all the controls in the back.

Got in a good bit of practice doing this on a CTC 92 so hopefully it won't take long when I get around to it.

that is a really fine set.in the ten or so years in the shop,i can count the bad zenith crts on one hand.2 23 inch crts.they could have been rejuvinated but mr dixon said no.never saw a 19 inch delta gun that was considered bad or even weak.those hybrid portables and early solid state sets were just amazing.when i am lucky enough to see one these days,i am still impressed with the zenith picture and quality electronics.we will never see this again,so keep these sets going.

I lost a CC II console to the white safety cap. It looked great until the BANG and the rush of air. Ah well... There will never be a set like this again.

Pretty neat little set, congrats.

that is a really fine set.in the ten or so years in the shop,i can count the bad zenith crts on one hand.2 23 inch crts.they could have been rejuvinated but mr dixon said no.never saw a 19 inch delta gun that was considered bad or even weak.those hybrid portables and early solid state sets were just amazing.when i am lucky enough to see one these days,i am still impressed with the zenith picture and quality electronics.we will never see this again,so keep these sets going.

When I was taking electronics at the local community college around '99, someone brought in one of the first vertical chassis CCII consoles that still had the round CRT cap and "instant on". The CRT was dead on all 3 guns and I offered to bring in my rejuvenator and hit it; but, my instructor said no and that I could have the set. When I got it home, it responded well to rejuvenation and I promptly sold it. Other than that one, I've only had two or three 23V/25V delta gun Zenith's that were weak; but, not dead. It seems most of those old delta gun CRT's would respond well, and hold up, after rejuvenation with a decent tester. I think the worst delta gun CRT's that I've seen were the very last 25V RCA's from '79-'80.

Tube's nice and strong in this baby. I think red comes up a few seconds quicker then green and blue, but the CRT fully warms up in under a minute.

Is this the cap I've heard so much about? If so it's obviously not white...
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o121/mrx3750/CCII3.jpg

That's it and since it's not the white one, don't worry about it. I think the white ones were in "E" and "F" lines, anyway.

Went and got some deoxit contact cleaner and sprayed the pots with it. Removed some of the modules, the luma and chroma ones, resoldered the contacts and re seated them. I actually like this design. You don't need tools to get the modules out, and if one went bad I could just pop it out and replace whatever went bad on it. The only complaint is they they don't seem to be keyed so you got to be careful about putting them back in right. Well, some have empty holes where contacts would be on perhaps another model so that's kind of a key.

Gonna let it sit for a bit then power it up and try touching up the convergence...

EDIT: Got the convergence... better. Not perfect though I doubt I'll see perfect convergence.

Very impressed with this set. Good picture, and it was made to be worked on! It even has its own plastic diddle stick which doubles as the focus control! Um, I have to set the focus control all the way to get perfect focus. Don't know if this is supposed to be like that or if some component is just at the edge of tolerance.

Either the deoxit or resoldering those module contacts fixed the picture interference when tapping the set. A couple issues remain:

Pressing the chroma control button next to the power button (auto color?) makes the image go almost insanely bright.

The TV overscans about maybe 1 inch on all sides. Pretty sure this is normal. I did notice a "size" control on one of the module boards. I may give that a tweak.

Another more concerning issue seems to have emerged. I keep hearing what sounds like static electricity discharging while this TV is playing. It sounds like what you'd hear on many TV's after turning them off, but it's happening while the TV is operating.

The picture nor audio are affected when this happens. I had this TV operating in a darkened room and watched the rear vents for any signs of light. Nothing.

Could the high voltage lead be arcing where it connects to the CRT? If so, how does one correct this with no real TV repair equipment?

You could be hearing some corona discharge but I wouldn't go sniffing for it!! Make sure the HV lead is clean/not sticky along with the anode connection on the tube. As mentioned elsewhere, if the sticky goo around the anode has run down towards the yoke, slide it back/off if necessary and clean it all up. The HV block could be gooey too..or leaky.

And while you're at it, make sure all the CRT ground straps are secure too! You can troubleshoot this with a lack of equipment. Just be sure to be safe about discharging the anode and during your cleaning process continue to keep it discharged. Oftentimes some residual voltage will exist. The anode wire should be ok but check it out good too. There may be a screw that fastens the clip to the cup that also serves as the wire connection too. Easy to check.

Just be sure to be safe about discharging the anode and during your cleaning process continue to keep it discharged.

That's the whole reason for my hesitance. I have never discharged one of these things, and before suggesting I use a screwdriver to discharge it... No.

On your focus issue: I've seen this problem before. Usually, the control has to be rotated all the way to one end to get the best focus and it's still not a sharp as it could be. IIRC, the only components in the focus circuit are the HV tripler, the focus control itself, and the CRT socket. Either one of the three could be causing he issue. I've seen corrosion around the focus pin of the CRT socket. If there is no corrosion and there is continuity between the focus pin of the CRT socket and the focus pin of the tripler, the socket is OK. Also, check the focus pot for proper operation and make sure it's solder connections are OK. If that's not the trouble, you have a bad tripler. The tripler will run you $20-$30 and you'll have to look to find a new one as I don't think they are made any longer.

Concerning the popping you hear, check what everyone else said and also look at the HV lead that comes out of the flyback and goes into the tripler. From the factory, the input terminal of the tripler had a blob of RTV on it to prevent the HV from leaking. If the tripler has been replaced or if a technician removed the lead for any reason, he may not have used RTV to reinsulate the terminal. In most cases, it doesn't present a problem; but, it can hiss and pop during humid conditions.

On discharging the HV. Get a large value resistor, say 100K ohms and connect one end of the resistor to the CRT dag ground via clip lead. Connect the other end of the resistor to a screwdriver. Hold on to the insulated part of the screwdriver and slide the blade under the anode cup. It might spark a little; but, you won't get shocked as long as you hold the insulated part of the screwdriver. You can do the same thing without the resistor, but the discharge will be more "active"

The chromatic button presets are usually accessed through center holes in the custommer control shafts.

That's the whole reason for my hesitance. I have never discharged one of these things, and before suggesting I use a screwdriver to discharge it... No.

This is where the one hand behind your back rule applies!!

You can use a bleed-down resistor as mentioned, or I have a long, skinny screwdriver that I attach my 'gator lead to going to chassis ground. Sometimes with a bleeder resistor in there you'll not hear that you've made contact. Discharging electroytic caps, by all means use a bleeder (with a meter to monitor- lot'sa current). I can understand your hesitance! Just slide that 'driver under the cup and listen for the "snap". You'll be okay!

If you're still hesitant (understandable!) then apply the buddy system and have someone present with you. Once I got over that initial fear myself then I realized that it's not a big a deal..really!!

But you've got to get that plastic/gooey flap pulled up out of your way first so you can see what you're doing.

And kudos to you about wanting to be safe. We're limited to ways of discharging CRT's. And, if there's still a TV guy in your area (or one of us) don't hesitate to have him show you.

I can get perfect focus, it just means rotating the knob all the way one way.

I think I'll tackle the goop cleaning next Saturday or Sunday. In the meantime, it's going to sit unplugged.

Could I discharge the anode cap to any available ground (outside of the TV) rather then the CRT dag ground?

Could I discharge the anode cap to any available ground (outside of the TV) rather then the CRT dag ground?

No,
That CRT is nothing more than a big, glass capacitor! You 'gotta get across it. Tie your ground lead to the chassis somewhere near the high voltage section or better yet, that chassis bracket that fastens to the CRT mounting. On some sets, you may see a label that instructs you to discharging points.

If it makes you feel better, you could run a ground lead from the set's chassis (or that CRT mounting) to an earth ground "also" but it's not really necessary or standard procedure.

Okay. How big of a resistor would I need? 1 watt? 2 watt? Bigger?

My guess is that I can rig up the resistor between the anode cap wire, and the metal bracket that helps hold the CRT in place.

What I might do is connect one wire to the anode cap, wire connected to the resistor and screwdriver, then touch the screwdriver to the metal bracket that holds the CRT...and pray that the resulting spark doesn't make me jump too much.

I'd get the highest wattage resistor that I could.

You'd do better to clip one end of the resistor to the CRT ground and attach the other end of the resistor to the metal shaft of an insulated screwdriver. While holding the insulated portion of the screwdriver, slip the blade under tha anode cap. This will be a safest way.

I'd get the highest wattage resistor that I could.

You'd do better to clip one end of the resistor to the CRT ground and attach the other end of the resistor to the metal shaft of an insulated screwdriver. While holding the insulated portion of the screwdriver, slip the blade under tha anode cap. This will be a safest way.


CRT ground would be the same as that metal bracket that holds the CRT in place right?

I really do NOT want to do it that way, but... well if I learn how to it'll give me much more freedom when repairing or taking apart a TV... probably not a bad thing to have if I'm going to make use of a 34 year old set for any length of time.

It should be. Just trace those large ground straps from the CRT socket to where they clip on the degaussing shield and use that as your ground connection.

Okay. I'll tackle this job next week.

It's got a lot of oily gooey stuff on some plastic shield that covers the anode cap. I have some goo gone which I plan to use to remove all the goo.

Might practice discharging the CRT of a computer monitor that I don't need. That way I can steal its anode cap if I need it.

---

Just an update. I'm not getting to it this weekend. Too much other stuff going on.

Looks like I lied. I had some time to open up the TV. The anode cap looks pristine. I don't think I need to go mucking about with it, which is fine with me because discharging the CRT is still a HELL NO!! situation for me.

I'm cleaning the goop off of the plastic anode cap cover, and going to clean up any goop I find. Tripler seems to have a big black blob of sealant where the flyback wire enters it. (silicone sealant maybe?) Looks fairly recent, perhaps the tripler was replaced at some point in this sets life.

Actually come to think of it the anode cap and wire also look pretty new. Here's some pics.

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o121/mrx3750/CCII5.jpg
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o121/mrx3750/CCII4.jpg

I think I'm gonna clean up the goop, then button it back up and try running it.

The chances are very good that the tripler has been changed. Around here, it's rare to find a '70's Zenith with the original tripler. Unless, of course, the original tripler is bad when the set was found.

Yeah, and it looks like the anode wire came with the tripler, so that's been replaced, so that probably means its connection to the CRT is fine and not arcing.

So I'm not gonna f*** with it.

All triplers that I've seen came with the anode wire and many came with a new anode connector.

Speaking of discharging HV, you'd cringe if you saw what a friend of mine used to do regarding capacitors. Heck, I cringed!

If he suspected a bad cap, lets say in the power supply or vertical circuit, he'd flip over the chassis, power up the set, grab some odd value cap and attach some test leads to it, and start jumping caps while the set was on. Usually, a loud SNAP and some heavy sparks would take place when he'd junp the test cap across the one in circuit. This is especially true of the high value and/or high voltage caps. More than a few times, I've seen him kill a TV by engaging in this practice. Usually due to a slip of the test probe or using the wrong value cap as the test cap.

I always either connected the test cap with the set off or I simply tested all caps with the correct test equipment. I never have been a fan of bridging electrolytics in a live circuit.

Well I had the TV on long enough to adjust the vertical size and centering. I heard no popping noises. I think the transistors on the vertical module were replaced. The heat dope pads under them look brand new. I can tell because they extend from the transistors by a millimeter or two.

Speaking of discharging HV, you'd cringe if you saw what a friend of mine used to do regarding capacitors. Heck, I cringed!

If he suspected a bad cap, lets say in the power supply or vertical circuit, he'd flip over the chassis, power up the set, grab some odd value cap and attach some test leads to it, and start jumping caps while the set was on. Usually, a loud SNAP and some heavy sparks would take place when he'd junp the test cap across the one in circuit.


My dad did this for years - he had an 80uF 450V cap wrapped in electrical tape and with leads terminated in an alligator clip and a red test prod. He'd use it to jump can caps with, and when he found the offending cap, he'd either replace the can or isolate the bad section and replace it with a single cap. Works great on older tube sets - great for finding open input filters.

Me, I was raised on solid state sets, and the ESR meter proved itself with me. Quicker - and the set was unplugged!

Cheers,

Is there any way to adjust the horizontal width on this set? I got the vertical height and centering adjusted, but there's too much horizontal width now, making people look squashed. I could increase the vertical height to correct the distortion, but then it looks too zoomed in.

With 500 other controls from everything to convergence to AGC and crosstalk, I imagine there's got to be a horizontal width control somewhere on this thing.

Hm, nope, the horizontal module has no width control. Oh well, I fixed the distortion by readjusting the vertical. It actually doesn't overscan that much so I guess I'll live with it.

---

Most TVs from the 70's lack any kind of width control. It wasn't unusual for them to overscan by as much as 20%.

Ah, now it makes sense.

Well an update. Much less popping noises from the TV now. Just heard one after the set being on for 20 minutes. Um, Convergence is probably as good as I'm gonna get. My guess is I'd be crazy to try for perfect convergence. I guess all that's left to do now is enjoy it.