View Full Version : PLEASE show your mechanical sets


vintagecollect
05-17-2011, 12:57 AM
ANY prewar mechanical set owners here??

please show your sets, with a screen shot a plus!!! in europe there's a nbtv club, little to scarce info on such rarities. DOES anyone watch theirs regularly??

rld-tv01
05-17-2011, 08:34 PM
Unfortunately, I don't own a complete mechanical set. I have picked up bits and pieces over the years (mechanical mirror drum assembly, daven disk, daven tv amp, raytheon neon tubes, Jenkins Lens etc). I also collect original manufacture litature, booklets and magazines for mechanical sets. I currently have brochures for Daven, Western, Jenkins and Baird.

old_tv_nut
05-17-2011, 09:55 PM
Don't have a vintage set, but did a homebuilt using disk purchased from Peter Yanczer. Just sitting on the bench lately.

http://www.bretl.com/mechtvprogress/mechtvprogress.htm

http://www.bretl.com/mechtvprogress2/mechtvprogress2.htm

tubesrule
05-18-2011, 08:02 AM
This is an RCA/NBC set from 1929. This was the model of set RCA used to take the "Felix" picture in my avatar.

Captain Video
05-18-2011, 01:58 PM
This is an RCA/NBC set from 1929. This was the model of set RCA used to take the "Felix" picture in my avatar.

Wow. This is a ultra-mega-rare TV set. Is it yours?

tubesrule
05-18-2011, 05:14 PM
Captain,

This is my set. There are actually 5 known sets, 3 of which are in the Ford museum and 1 at the ETF. Here are some pictures of it operating, both with an original neon lamp and with a modern RGB LED lamp.

tubesrule
05-18-2011, 05:15 PM
Unfortunately, I don't own a complete mechanical set. I have picked up bits and pieces over the years (mechanical mirror drum assembly, daven disk, daven tv amp, raytheon neon tubes, Jenkins Lens etc). I also collect original manufacture litature, booklets and magazines for mechanical sets. I currently have brochures for Daven, Western, Jenkins and Baird.

Richard,
What is that mirror drum from? It looks really cool.

Darryl

old_tv_nut
05-18-2011, 06:14 PM
Captain,

This is my set. There are actually 5 known sets, 3 of which are in the Ford museum and 1 at the ETF. Here are some pictures of it operating, both with an original neon lamp and with a modern RGB LED lamp.

Thanks for those nice shots. You kept the full shot. Life magazine, unfortunately, cropped their shot and showed less than the total 60 lines.

OvenMaster
05-18-2011, 08:35 PM
Captain,

This is my set. There are actually 5 known sets, 3 of which are in the Ford museum and 1 at the ETF. Here are some pictures of it operating, both with an original neon lamp and with a modern RGB LED lamp.
:jawdrop: You put a tricolor LED in that 82 year old mechanical TV, and without any other mods, got color pictures?!

miniman82
05-18-2011, 08:40 PM
Seems like an intuitive thing to do, but likely requires some support circuitry.

ChrisW6ATV
05-18-2011, 09:39 PM
Here are some pictures of it operating, both with an original neon lamp and with a modern RGB LED lamp.
The set, and the pictures of its video, are amazing!

tubesrule
05-18-2011, 09:49 PM
:jawdrop: You put a tricolor LED in that 82 year old mechanical TV, and without any other mods, got color pictures?!

The neon lamp is being run by the original tube lamp driver, but for the LED lamp, I drive it directly from the converter, so only the motor/disk are actually being used. It's cheating I know, but shows what might have been possible.

Darryl

vintagecollect
05-20-2011, 12:27 AM
AWWESOMME PICTURES EVERYBODY! Thanks for the post. These are rare creatures indeed and color pictures unreal

:thmbsp::drool:

Can someone PLEASE pm me w/any ss motor control circuits for a color wheel project? HOW do I sync color wheel w/ an Aurora converter?



another question for a seperate mechanical tv project IS THAT tri color LED display available???

Steve McVoy
05-20-2011, 06:48 AM
Here is another mechanical color set, using a mirror screw:

http://www.earlytelevision.org/color_mirror_screw.html

tubesrule
05-20-2011, 07:09 AM
another question for a seperate mechanical tv project IS THAT tri color LED display available???

They are available on my website but keep in mind it's not really a display, just a tri-color lamp basically replacing the neon lamp with a color light source.

OvenMaster
05-20-2011, 08:35 PM
The neon lamp is being run by the original tube lamp driver, but for the LED lamp, I drive it directly from the converter, so only the motor/disk are actually being used. It's cheating I know, but shows what might have been possible.

Darryl
Whew! Thanks for that explanation, sir. Was kinda wondering for a minute there...