While driving down the alley behind my place, I spied this little color set and decided to bring to home.

I was made in Taiwan around 1985 I think. Anyone know anything about it ?

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8338/8273132587_e2b3affbba_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/70039806@N00/8273132587/)


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8362/8274199940_0bc2307cb4_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/70039806@N00/8274199940/)

While driving down the alley behind my place, I spied this little color set and decided to bring to home.

I was made in Taiwan around 1985 I think. Anyone know anything about it ?

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8338/8273132587_e2b3affbba_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/70039806@N00/8273132587/)


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8362/8274199940_0bc2307cb4_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/70039806@N00/8274199940/)


It is very likely a Taiwan-built set with the Capehart name put on the base of the CRT mask; it is almost certainly not a true Capehart, as none of the real Capeharts were solid state (Capehart's heyday was in the early-mid-1950s). Moreover, the original Capehart TVs never had the words "Cape-Scan" on their front control panels, and none of them, to the best of my knowledge, ever had remote control or were table models.

This set is typical of most TVs today with once-famous TV manufacturers' names on them -- RCA, Zenith, GE, Magnavox, et al. -- but don't let the name fool you. These are simply offshore-manufactured sets. The famous name is, almost literally, slapped on them to fool the buyer into thinking he or she is buying a quality TV. They will find out it is junk when the set breaks down after a year or two, and no service data or parts are available -- same as with today's flat screens.

Does this set work at all or just sit there doing nothing, except possibly click (a power relay opening and closing) or, worse, blow a fuse, when turned on? If the latter, that may be exactly why it was left in the alleyway behind your apartment. It probably isn't worth repairing, otherwise I'm sure the original owner(s) would have kept it and would still be using it today -- on a cable box or with an OTA converter box.

BTW, this is the first remote-control TV I've ever seen with a mute button on the front panel. Most televisions with remotes have that button on the hand unit, not on the set. The idea of the mute button, after all, is to mute the TV sound during commercials, etc. without having to getting up from your chair or couch to do it. Maybe this TV was designed this way just to be different from the competition. :scratch2:

I have the same thing but with tuning knobs, makes a great pic, I got it for my wife back as a kitchen set, very little use so the CRT is still very strong.

CRT needs to be straightened up a little. But that's the OCD kicking in.

I don't know Jeff - the Capehart name was sold off in the late 1950's and quickly became a nameplate slapped onto outsourced product. By the time this set was made there were way more of the "cheapo" Capehart tvs and stereos out there than the old-line quality Farnsworth sets, any of which still in service would have been pushing thirty years old by then.

The Capehart Corporation which IT&T sold the name to in 1956 survived until 1980. Wakefield Industries bought the company and within several weeks laid off 3/4 of the employees and folded themselves in a year or so. Sometime around 1984 or so NATM was using the name and did at least into the early 2000's. NATM is a buyer's group of several discount stores that is still around - Brandsmart and Nebraska Furniture are two of the members I can recall.

Looks like a possible candidate for Video Arcade CRT (http://videokarma.org/showthread.php?t=256711) donation. :scratch2:

That's a rebadged AOC TV and I think the same TV's were also sold under the Dumont brand. AOC is referred to by many as "Admiral Of China". I'm not sure of the connection; but, I think there was some connection with the old American Admiral brand and I think AOC picked up when American Admiral ceased making TV's in '79.

I saw quite a few AOC TV's in the '90's and I wasn't impressed with them. Most of the ones I found had bad flyback transformers and replacements were usually not available, not even in a generic brand.

...
Does this set work at all or just sit there doing nothing, except possibly click (a power relay opening and closing) or, worse, blow a fuse, when turned on? If the latter, that may be exactly why it was left in the alleyway behind your apartment. It probably isn't worth repairing, otherwise I'm sure the original owner(s) would have kept it and would still be using it today -- on a cable box or with an OTA converter box.

BTW, this is the first remote-control TV I've ever seen with a mute button on the front panel. Most televisions with remotes have that button on the hand unit, not on the set. The idea of the mute button, after all, is to mute the TV sound during commercials, etc. without having to getting up from your chair or couch to do it. Maybe this TV was designed this way just to be different from the competition. :scratch2:

Thanks for the info. I haven't tried powering the set up yet. I'll post more once I bring it inside and pop it open.

Looks like a possible candidate for Video Arcade CRT (http://videokarma.org/showthread.php?t=256711) donation. :scratch2:

Fine by me, but it's only a 13". I think arcade games are 25" ?

This is how I found the Capehart along with another newer BPC set. I won't be surprised if it still works like most other stuff I've come across in the alley. A lot gets left behind when folks move.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8491/8273419583_15670304e8_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/70039806@N00/8273419583/)

A lot are 19" actually. I am basing this on the fact that the CRT in my Samsung in my sig, was the same CRT used in Ms. Pacman, which I see as the most common size actually.

I'd'a got the BPC one, too: it's a good one because it even has handholes at the top. They were thinking of the poor consumer who has to lug it around. The big heavy ones with no handholes are next to impossible to herniate up onto the bench. I use a handtruck on some of them: wish it had a lift feature.

I've found them that worked right off the bat, others that needed a fuse, others that needed more.

saw many of these sets.admirals rebadged as capeharts.very good performers.the only weakness was caps in the vertical.other than that,were as good as any set from that era

That's a rebadged AOC TV and I think the same TV's were also sold under the Dumont brand. AOC is referred to by many as "Admiral Of China". I'm not sure of the connection; but, I think there was some connection with the old American Admiral brand and I think AOC picked up when American Admiral ceased making TV's in '79.

I saw quite a few AOC TV's in the '90's and I wasn't impressed with them. Most of the ones I found had bad flyback transformers and replacements were usually not available, not even in a generic brand.

AOC Admiral Overseas Corporation.
Admiral corporation opened that plant in Tiawan in the late 60's, to build smaller, lower end products.
Rockwell Corp sold it when they phased out Admiral. :sigh:

nice ... i have a soft spot for 80's vintage sets, even the bargain sets
looks like it is misssing the cover for the aux controls
i remember the capehart name on sets of that era ... one of the most eye appealing sets i have ever seen was a capehart console lowboy, low and wide it was, on 4 legs at the corners
sure wish i could stumble across one now

I did a search for "AOC" and found that the company is still alive and well, making flat screen TVs and computer monitors. I see AOC monitors advertised in the Best Buy ad flyers in my Sunday paper as well.

I did not realize that AOC made the chassis for TVs sold under the DuMont brand as well as Capehart. Again, it is another case of Chinese/offshore junk with once-famous American brand names on the cabinets. Heaven help anyone who purchases one of these, thinking they are buying an excellent television (since DuMont was TOTL in its heyday), only to find out that their "DuMont" set burned up after only six months to a year, or even less. I once had a small (12") b&w tube-type portable TV that worked well for three years after I bought it, then it started smoking; out to the trash it went. The brand name was Kenco (house brand of the now long defunct Kennedy and Cohen discount store chain), but under that Kenco label was the name "Broadmoor"; the latter was the company that probably actually built it.

By contrast, the set which replaced the Kenco portable, a 12" solid-state Zenith b&w portable set, lasted 22 years (from the day I bought it in 1978 until the year 2000) and it was still going strong when it was replaced in 1999 with an RCA CTC185 color set. The CTC185 went for over a decade before being replaced with my present flat screen TV, and still works to this day. I also have a 17-year-old Zenith Sentry 2 which still works and still has its original CRT.

Go figure...or maybe not. The foregoing just goes to show how quality in televisions, computer monitors and everything else these days has gone out the window. What really gets me is when I read on FP TV manufacturers' websites and even the consumer advocate sites all the complaints being registered against these FPs with once-famous names, some of which sell for $1k or more. I read horror stories on these sites all the time in which people tell of spending $1k or more for a large-screen flat panel TV, only to see the set break down within a year or less, and the repair parts are no longer available (NLA) or the parts are available, the TV is fixed and it works, but the set breaks again shortly after being repaired; by now the owner often feels the TV isn't worth repairing again, so out to the trash it goes. The really sad part of this is that, in many cases, these people discarded or have otherwise gotten rid of their old CRT TV when they bought the new flat screen (and they cannot afford a new set), so when the new set breaks down they are without television -- as I also read (all too often) on these consumer websites.

Will we ever again see the day when TVs will last more than just a year or two (or until the warranty expires), as TVs used to last years ago? As I have stated in other posts, most people simply cannot afford to buy a new TV every couple of years. If this trend continues, as I also stated previously, many if not most flat screen TV manufacturers will find themselves out of business -- forever and for good.

I realize slap-dash assembly and use of low-quality parts in many if not most of today's flat-screen TVs is the so-called "new normal" these days, but still I think it is ridiculous. What wouldn't I give to go back to the old days, when one could buy a TV with confidence that it would last 15-20 years or more? My grandmother had a 1951 GE 16" console b&w TV that lasted 20 years, until she bought a color set that lasted, now catch this, three decades (the color set actually outlived her). She didn't use the color set much (just for news, sports, MASH, and religious programs), but still, for the set to last 30 years with no trouble whatsoever (it finally burned up in 1985) is downright amazing.

No TV made today could or would ever match that record of reliability, and we may never see the day when a flat screen bought new in 2012 is still working 30 years later. (I certainly don't expect mine to last anywhere near that long.) The LCD display panels in Zenith and other flat screens are rated for 60k hours of life to half brightness, based on eight hours of use per day; well and good, but the electronics will poop out, either on their own or due to power surges, lightning strikes, etc., long before the panel does.

Oh well.

as i stated before,the aoc sets werent bad at all.didnt care for the dumont sets made in the 80s but the capehart branded sets were pretty good.the 25 inch floor models were zeniths.those were good performers too.always had caps in the horizontal supply and occasional crt.you can still find these sets in thrift stores and basements.although supposed low quality,pretty damn good sets.not a zenith or rca,but still good value for the money

This set is typical of most TVs today with once-famous TV manufacturers' names on them -- RCA, Zenith, GE, Magnavox, et al. -- but don't let the name fool you. These are simply offshore-manufactured sets. The famous name is, almost literally, slapped on them to fool the buyer into thinking he or she is buying a quality TV. They will find out it is junk when the set breaks down after a year or two, and no service data or parts are available -- same as with today's flat screens.

This is a very interesting observation. Definitely and eye opener for many of us TV collectors who are unaware of this misleading concept that is practiced in the industry today. I would have thought for sure this was a real Capehart, but after reading your post, it makes me wonder now...:scratch2:

once-famous TV manufacturers' names on them -- RCA, Zenith, GE, Magnavox, et al. -- but don't let the name fool you. These are simply offshore-manufactured sets. The famous name is, almost literally, slapped on them to fool the buyer into thinking he or she is buying a quality TV.

30 years ago when I worked for RCA Labs we called RCA "Relabeling Corp of America" as we slapped "RCA" labels on Japanese VCRs.

I really can't wait to see the insides of this TV.

30 years ago when I worked for RCA Labs we called RCA "Relabeling Corp of America" as we slapped "RCA" labels on Japanese VCRs.


RCA did that? I could see something like this happening after RCA was bought out by Thomson in the late '80s and '90s, but not in the early 1980s. I was very surprised to find this out, but maybe I shouldn't have been, as this may have started just after Thomson took over RCA's television/video plant. I have an "RCA" branded Thomson-built color TV with the infamous on-board tuner, and yes, I did have the set repaired twice, at my expense, for the same problem (broken antenna connector). The ground points around the tuner were resoldered after the second repair. The TV has continued to operate flawlessly since, although it is now in storage after being replaced with a flat screen almost 18 months ago.


I know there have always been private-label TVs (I had one that burned up after just three years), but to put RCA badges on cheap offshore-made VCRs...... I wonder who actually built those VCRs in the first place. I do know that "GE" branded VCRs were made by Panasonic in the mid-'80s; I had one that lasted six years before the heads wore out. Today I have a true Panasonic VCR that has lasted over 10 years, with no problems whatsoever -- though I had a Panny VCR before that one that ate a tape and had to be nearly wrecked to get the cassette out.

Too bad, since that VCR had VCR Plus and would have been a classic by now. Today's DVRs do not have anything like the VCR Plus system, to the best of my knowledge; in fact, the entire system must have been scrapped and forgotten, as I no longer see VCR Plus codes in my newspaper or in TV Guide magazine. I would think today's DVRs would have something similar, in addition to all the other bells and whistles most of them seem to have.



However, as to "RCA" branded cheap offshore-made VCRs, I don't know. Could have been manufactured by literally any one of 1001 offshore companies.

... I do not recall ANY vcr ever manufactured on American soil ...

look into the history of the vtr / vcr ...

see who invented and had the patent rights

and a huge number of the "cheap offshore" machines are still damn fine machines ... decades after their original build date

... I do not recall ANY vcr ever manufactured on American soil

and a huge number of the "cheap offshore" machines are still damn fine machines ... decades after their original build date

Cartrivision?: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartrivision

And I agree about the overuse of the "cheap offshore" label. I bought my first Sony TV in 1972 and never looked back.

jr

Cartrivision?: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartrivision

And I agree about the overuse of the "cheap offshore" label. I bought my first Sony TV in 1972 and never looked back.

jr

The first RCA VCR's were Panasonic. Then they outsourced to Samsung. I don't remember if they rebadged Hitachi's, like GE did.
I have a few later RCA's, assembled in Mexico. Not sure if they're Daewoo's or Samsungs. They seem to work fairly well.
Those newer RCA's were a lot better than the Funai offerings of the time.

How about flat screen TVs that quit after two years or after the warranty expires? These are also made offshore by obscure Chinese, etc. manufacturers, and are very cheap in stores. I have seen FP TVs priced as low as $99 (which are almost impossible to repair when they go bad, and to find service data on them is even worse) in ad fliers in my newspaper. If those aren't "cheap offshore" products, I don't know what are. Just because a TV has the "RCA" block-letter logo, the lightning-bolt Z for Zenith, etc. on the display bezel (for example) does not necessarily mean it is a quality television, meant to last years or decades like the original RCAs, Zeniths and other TVs made by these manufacturers back in the day.

The store brands are even worse. Insignia TVs, for example, have a very poor reliability record; many people have had nothing but trouble with these sets, as I have read online on the company's website (Insignia is actually a house brand for televisions, A/V gear, etc. sold by Best Buy) and have switched to other brands when their Insignia TV quit. I may do that myself if or when my own Insignia 19" TV quits; who knows when that might be?

I wish I had known about Insignia's problems (other than low volume) before I bought my set; if I had, I would have bought a better make such as Vizio, Samsung or the like right off the bat. Other than its poor reliability record, my Insignia TV has served me well so far and I like it, but knowing it may konk out before (or soon after) the warranty expires doesn't settle well with me. If it fails within what is left of its warranty, I may have it repaired, but if it quits when the set is out of warranty, out it will go and I'll get a better make -- as mentioned, Samsung, Vizio, or any other make with a better reputation than Insignia FPs have had.

I really can't wait to see the insides of this TV.

I'll get to it later this week. I'm really swamped at work lately. Plus my new 630TS is very distracting ;)

i had a 19 inch pennys solid state set back in the late 70s.got it in a trade.it was an rca xl100 with the pennys name on it.date of manufacture was 1975.i remember this one all too well.i had just rebuilt the tuner and reinstalled it in the set.i forgot to tighten one screw.my wife told me so i took off the back and went to work.as soon as my tool touched the screw,ZIPPPP!still dont know what happened but i shorted this set out.took out the power supply module.set was unplugged.cant figure it out to this day.never heard the end of it.everytime there was a disagreement,i heard about it

Vizio is the private label branding for Wal-mart and Sam's Club.
The Insignia DTV convertors are the same as the Zenith and have proved to be very reliable. So what's in a name?

RCA was rebranding Sony and Bosch VTR's on the broadcast side in 79. The sony BVH-100 became the TH-100 and the Portable BVH-500A became the TH-50. The VHS VCR's they started selling in 1977 where rebranded Panasonic's.

Zenith did the same thing rebranding Sony Betamax VCR's

In the computer industry there was almost a panic sweeping through with a high level of the NIH (Not invented here) syndrome. Which gave us such lovely things as the Apple Twiggy drive on the Lisa 1, and the DEC RX-50 drive on the Rainbow and Professional 350 PC's.

Vizio is not a private label set. It is also sold at BJ's and other stores. It's an American owned company based in Irvine, CA, but has their sets built in primarily China. I have heard that they are the most returned brand at Walmart for having problems right out of the box. Don't know if this is true or not but since Vizio is the #1 lcd tv brand in the US it's possible that beacuse more are sold than others more would come back bad.

The VHS VCR's they (RCA) started selling in 1977 where rebranded Panasonic's.


Indeed, In fact when the "4 hour" VHS machines first came out in the fall of 1977 some large department stores sold both brands side by side, with the Panasonic usually commanding a premium price. In the NW, the RCA sold for about $1000 ($999?) and the Panasonic for $100 more. These were well made solid machines, with solid castings, that weighed perhaps 35 lbs! I suspect that at that time, very few factories were capable of producing such a device!

RCA:
http://vintageelectronics.betamaxcollectors.com/rcaselectavisionvhsvcrmodelvct200.html
Panasonic:
http://vintageelectronics.betamaxcollectors.com/panasonicvhsvcrmodelpv-1000.html

Not what I would call "cheap offshore junk"

jr

Indeed, In fact when the "4 hour" VHS machines first came out in the fall of 1977 some large department stores sold both brands side by side, with the Panasonic usually commanding a premium price. In the NW, the RCA sold for about $1000 ($999?) and the Panasonic for $100 more. These were well made solid machines, with solid castings, that weighed perhaps 35 lbs! I suspect that at that time, very few factories were capable of producing such a device!

RCA:
http://vintageelectronics.betamaxcollectors.com/rcaselectavisionvhsvcrmodelvct200.html
Panasonic:
http://vintageelectronics.betamaxcollectors.com/panasonicvhsvcrmodelpv-1000.html

Not what I would call "cheap offshore junk"

jr

I bought my first VCR, January 1st 1982. An appliance store ran a large ad that they open on New Years day and had a Magnavox for $595. I was never that crazy about Magnavox products, but I knew that Panasonic built it and was slightly less expensive.
It was the first one with the smaller, newer design, but still top load. :thmbsp:

I have a 2006 Sharp LC37G2X 37" LCD panel which was made in Japan & it's still working 6 years down the track & the only thing to have went wrong in all that time was in the AVC box when a SM transistor & Zener diode went duff causing the main power supply in the AVC box not to switch out of stand by.

I finally got around to this set last night. It works just fine and has a nice bright picture :)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8495/8298888767_f128215052_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/70039806@N00/8298888767/)

Here's what I found inside.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8498/8298886947_c71814391a_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/70039806@N00/8298886947/)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8353/8299941300_11b0d82655_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/70039806@N00/8299941300/)

Chungwha 370KSB22-TC02 picture tube.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8354/8298886709_270962ec68_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/70039806@N00/8298886709/)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8083/8298888949_e72007ea62_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/70039806@N00/8298888949/)

I don't really need it myself so maybe someone will be getting it for Christmas :)

I finally got around to this set last night. It works just fine and has a nice bright picture :)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8495/8298888767_f128215052_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/70039806@N00/8298888767/)

Here's what I found inside.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8498/8298886947_c71814391a_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/70039806@N00/8298886947/)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8353/8299941300_11b0d82655_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/70039806@N00/8299941300/)

Chungwha 370KSB22-TC02 picture tube.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8354/8298886709_270962ec68_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/70039806@N00/8298886709/)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8083/8298888949_e72007ea62_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/70039806@N00/8298888949/)

I don't really need it myself so maybe someone will be getting it for Christmas :)
Was that set that clean, as found? Looks like low hours set. :yes:

Yes, it really was that clean inside :)

BTW you can reply without quoting the previous message - just use the Post Quick Reply box. You can also go back and edit old posts to delete the photos links. That will cut down on the picture overload ;)

Cartrivision?: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartrivision

And I agree about the overuse of the "cheap offshore" label. I bought my first Sony TV in 1972 and never looked back.

jr

In 1972 Sony was the exact opposite of cheap offshore junk, they were probably the pinnacle of quality up until the late 80's or so when they had to start cutting corners to compete with real offshore junk.
The build quality of their early stuff is astounding.

That chassis looks really familiar, back in my TV servicing days, we had a line of sets branded AWA/NEC and Samsung with pretty much the same bottom PCB as in this one. They were actually pretty reliable and did give a good picture so no surprises with this one giving a nice result.

One problem though with these and it looks like your set has then as well, is the rubber wedges that sit in between the tube and the yoke go bad. The rubber goes hard and takes on moisture which then corrodes the copper windings and causes the yoke to short out. I'd pull them out and check to see what its like underneath, you may be lucky with yours as the set is still going. If they are going hard or look crusty don't put them back. ;)

I think the other issue was a high voltage electrolytic cap in beam limiting circuit from memory it was a 4.7uf or a 10uf at 350V - this would leak and you'd get a bright white out raster with fly back lines.

Nice find, the set looks as though its got some life left in it :yes:
Cheers Glen

Yes, it really was that clean inside :)

BTW you can reply without quoting the previous message - just use the Post Quick Reply box. You can also go back and edit old posts to delete the photos links. That will cut down on the picture overload ;)

Thanks, I'll make sure to do that the next time.

Nice that the set still works.
I have a real soft spot for sets like this one. Nothing spectacular about them, just good every day watchers, and the cabinet styling while not a thing of beauty sure beats the black, charcoal gray, and silver sets that followed. Always nice to see a red or green LED channel indicator in the upper right hand corner.

Hey guys,

I just finished fixing one of these.

Intermittent shutdown: After warmup, the set will shut off with the channel indicator still lit.

The board is poorly soldered at points. Possibly has been repaired before.

Heatgun tested a few actives in the secondary flyback supply, and sure enough I had a regulator coming off the tuner supply which looked cooked.

Very good cheap sets though!

D1785

That is pretty cool old tv and the only thing I have had brands caphart was a extremely cheap record player and radio. Unfortunately the main output transistors we're shorted and the motor was broken do to bad bearings and used the main power switch out of it to fix my 1986 zenith tv. I got zenith tv and caphart both from my grandad along with some other things. Aslo I have a Dell monitor from the 2000s and it has Chungwha CRT

That's a far cry from the CTC-4-ish only known surviving Capeheart CXC-13 color set I have or the 411 turnover changer console I've got.

That's a rebadged AOC TV and I think the same TV's were also sold under the Dumont brand. AOC is referred to by many as "Admiral Of China". I'm not sure of the connection; but, I think there was some connection with the old American Admiral brand and I think AOC picked up when American Admiral ceased making TV's in '79.

I saw quite a few AOC TV's in the '90's and I wasn't impressed with them. Most of the ones I found had bad flyback transformers and replacements were usually not available, not even in a generic brand.

AOC= Admiral Overseas Corporation. Which was the Asian arm of Admiral (which has outlived the USA parent company). And survived as an independent company when Rockwell sold off Admiral.