Just finished working on a Capehart/Farnsworth 461P 1950 set, or at least that's the date on the Sams Info Packet. Interesting because it has channel 1. That's very late to find a channel 1. Maybe this was a holdover from an earlier set?

This was a fairly straight forward restoration, but a little daunting at first glance. It has 37 tubes and loads and loads of caps everywhere you look. I bought the set locally for $40, but it had no tubes except for the crt, which turned out to be gassy. Luckily I had 30 of the 37 tubes, and was able to pick up a very good 10BP4 from a VK member at a reasonable price. There were no serious issues with this old timer, just the usual caps, out of tolerance resistors, and an open video peaking coil that I was able to repair.

I was surprised at the sharpness and clarity of the picture. One interesting feature is the speaker grill which is not cloth, but rather perforated metal, and then woodgrained to look like wood. To access the controls on the HV chassis (vert. height, linearity, width, etc.) which is located on the bottom of the cabinet, you push the grill on the bottom front to open it into the set and then utilize the controls. When finished, you swing the grill back and let it latch back into it's normal position. The cabinet has seen better days unfortunately. There is no moisture damage, just lots of dings and scrapes and sun fade. It also looks like at some point in it's life someone had the bright idea to antique it using some brown paint. The attempt was made to streak it onto the cabinet to make it look like woodgrain. It didn't work very well I'm afraid. But....I decided that I was going to leave the cabinet as is and consider it's battle scars part of it's history.

Here are some pictures of the cabinet, chassis and screen shots.


http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu143/ampico-kid/CapehartClosed_zps55436704.jpg (http://s642.photobucket.com/user/ampico-kid/media/CapehartClosed_zps55436704.jpg.html)

http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu143/ampico-kid/CapehartOpen_zps2e715c26.jpg (http://s642.photobucket.com/user/ampico-kid/media/CapehartOpen_zps2e715c26.jpg.html)

http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu143/ampico-kid/DSC_0658_zpsd4e6cbcc.jpg (http://s642.photobucket.com/user/ampico-kid/media/DSC_0658_zpsd4e6cbcc.jpg.html)

http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu143/ampico-kid/DSC_0642_zpscad9255f.jpg (http://s642.photobucket.com/user/ampico-kid/media/DSC_0642_zpscad9255f.jpg.html)

http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu143/ampico-kid/CapehartScreenshot_zpsdb008eaa.jpg (http://s642.photobucket.com/user/ampico-kid/media/CapehartScreenshot_zpsdb008eaa.jpg.html)


Here are a few shots of the chassis:

http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu143/ampico-kid/CapehartRearView_zps8ec5981a.jpg (http://s642.photobucket.com/user/ampico-kid/media/CapehartRearView_zps8ec5981a.jpg.html)

Audio Amp and Power Supply

http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu143/ampico-kid/CapehartAudioAmp_zps93a274f2.jpg (http://s642.photobucket.com/user/ampico-kid/media/CapehartAudioAmp_zps93a274f2.jpg.html)

High Voltage Supply

http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu143/ampico-kid/CapehartHVSection_zpsa152700a.jpg (http://s642.photobucket.com/user/ampico-kid/media/CapehartHVSection_zpsa152700a.jpg.html)

Main Chassis

http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu143/ampico-kid/CapehartMainChassis_zps5404e3be.jpg (http://s642.photobucket.com/user/ampico-kid/media/CapehartMainChassis_zps5404e3be.jpg.html)
http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu143/ampico-kid/CapehartMainChassisUnderside_zps1387be01.jpg (http://s642.photobucket.com/user/ampico-kid/media/CapehartMainChassisUnderside_zps1387be01.jpg.html)


Main Chassis installed in the set.

http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu143/ampico-kid/CapehartMainChassis_zps780a0fd6.jpg (http://s642.photobucket.com/user/ampico-kid/media/CapehartMainChassis_zps780a0fd6.jpg.html)


Overall it was an interesting experience. I always find it very rewarding to find something like this that would have little hope of survival, if it weren't for an enterprizing group of people like us to see the potential, and then follow through until we bring them back to life again. Now on to the next challenge........Bob

That is one strange looking cracker.....

I guess its a transition kinda thing, from radio cabinet looking to tv looking.....

I don-know.... Anyway good job ! ! ! !

By the way, what's that on top of the power transformer.... Switch of some kind....?

Hey this is a pretty nice looking set great looking restore enjoy the set....Timothy

That is one strange looking cracker.....
By the way, what's that on top of the power transformer.... Switch of some kind....?

That is the line voltage selector.

Just finished working on a Capehart/Farnsworth 461P 1950 set, or at least that's the date on the Sams Info Packet. Interesting because it has channel 1. That's very late to find a channel 1. Maybe this was a holdover from an earlier set?


The more you look at the inside pictures, the more interesting your set gets!

Most likely Sam's was just late putting out the data!

Per TVHistory, that set is a 1948 set and the overall layout is similar to the 1948 501P on that site. The 501P has added AM/FM and phonograph.

http://www.tvhistory.tv/1946-49-FARNSWORTH.htm

http://www.tvhistory.tv/1948-Farnsworth-Brochure-SideB.JPG

James

Zounds! What a treasure. There can't be many of those left floating around.

I see family resemblances to the chassis in my 661-P console, and some significant differences.

These sets make very nice picture (and audio), as you say.

My 661-P has two power transformers (and LV rectifiers). One of the transformers has a switch on top, presumably to adjust for different line voltages.

Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html

The more you look at the inside pictures, the more interesting your set gets!

Most likely Sam's was just late putting out the data!

Per TVHistory, that set is a 1948 set and the overall layout is similar to the 1948 501P on that site. The 501P has added AM/FM and phonograph.

http://www.tvhistory.tv/1946-49-FARNSWORTH.htm

http://www.tvhistory.tv/1948-Farnsworth-Brochure-SideB.JPG

James

Thanks James....that explains it. Also thanks for the link to the brochure....very interesting.

Bob

That had to be a higher line set in it's day. It is impressive!

What an awesome and rare set :thmbsp:
I checked out the schematic in Riders volume #2. Dual 6BG6s in parallel and a voltage doubler using 1B3s just to drive a 10BP4!

Great job on the restoration Bob. They do produce an excellent picture. As a color comparison, here is a photo of mine with original finish but as yet unrestored.

Great job on the restoration Bob. They do produce an excellent picture. As a color comparison, here is a photo of mine with original finish but as yet unrestored.

Thanks for the comparison picture Tim. I see that the knobs on my set have been changed also. I didn't think they'd use some cheesey wooden knobs on a set like this...but that's what mine came with when I bought it. Good luck with your restoration. Bob

What an awesome and rare set :thmbsp:
I checked out the schematic in Riders volume #2. Dual 6BG6s in parallel and a voltage doubler using 1B3s just to drive a 10BP4!

Slightly over engineered...don't you think?

That's a pretty awesome picture on the CRT. I doubt it usually looked that good when the set was new! Great job!

Despite the so called bitter animosity between RCA and Farnsworth Corp., has anyone noticed the RCA like parts: the IF traps, the flyback transformer, the tuner and the TS630 like bleeder resistor enclosure? Interesting and odd.

What a cool and unusual set! You did a great job on the restoration-- the picture is awesome :yes:

I have to ask, did you shoot the screen shots separately and Photoshop them into the screen mask? If not, you achieved what few of us have, getting the lighting and exposure perfect for both the cabinet and the screen. Very nice!

Congrats and good luck with the cabinet.

-Clark

What a cool and unusual set! You did a great job on the restoration-- the picture is awesome :yes:

I have to ask, did you shoot the screen shots separately and Photoshop them into the screen mask? If not, you achieved what few of us have, getting the lighting and exposure perfect for both the cabinet and the screen. Very nice!

Congrats and good luck with the cabinet.

-Clark

Photoshop was not used to insert the image into the screen mask. I did freeze the image on screen to try and reduce any motion blur, and then there was a great deal of trial and error using different manual settings on the camera to optimize the exposure. I don't know if I could duplicate the process again if I wanted to....I tried many different combinations of room lighting, screen brightness, and camera settings. Bob

The fact you could get that image from only one shot is very impressive....Not only the skill to make that happen, but that the set could make a pic that could be photographed that well.

No, there has to be some misunderstanding here. Otherwise how could the dark areas of the picture appear black in the photos showing the set operating...while in shots with virtually the same illumination, while turned off the "dark" screen appears very light and reflective?

Photographing screen shots is always really tough. The only way to get a truly dark black level in the CRT screen shot is to have the room lights very low, which you'll see in many photos the rest of us post. But then the rest of the set is not very visible. For whatever reason, I also find that in addition to having the lights low, I also generally have to run the set at quite low brightness and contrast as well, or the autoexposure function of the camera gets all confused.

Very cool and rare TV. I have a clipping from a Radio Retailing mag. that states that it sold for $645. Now realize that would be like spending about $6,000 today!
Another model at the same time was a tall console that looked the size of a china-cabinet with the CRT way up top! It had a shortwave radio and phono below.
BTW, I too used to think that TV's made in 1948 and onward dropped channel 1, but it's not true. I have a Motorola VT-71 marked "1948" that has channel 1.
Joe

Whew....you guys are a tough crowd. Let me see if I can straigten this out. I'll refer to the pictures as:

#1 set with doors open, no picture on screen,
#2 doors open long shot of picture on screen
#3 close up of screen.

Picture #1 shows the screen and the mask, which is sort of a mustard yellow color. That's the correct color of the mask. I had a problem getting the screen exposure and the cabinet exposure correct together in Picture #2 . I darkened the room a bit, turned down the brightness of the picture, (played with the camera exposure settings) and took the picture. Everything was pretty dark except for the screen, which was about the right exposure, but the mask now looks green because of the darker exposure. I lightened up the cabinet and room around it, but it's still darker than in pic #1. If you look at the floor in pics #1 and pic#2 you'll see the floor is much darker in pic #2 than in pic#1...that's why.

I kept the room light and exposure on the camera about the same for the close up screen shots, but as Tom Albrecht mentioned, to get a good screen exposure, the brightness level of the crt has to be lowered. It's a hit and miss proposition. I probably have 40 or 50 pictures or more I took at various exposure levels, room light levels, screen brightness levels. It's just trial and error.

My goal is to give an accurate representation of what the picture really looks like on a particular set, no more and no less. I'd extend an open invitation to anyone who'd like to stop by any time and check it out in person.

I'm not going to say the every picture I post is 100% accurate to what the image on the screen looks like...but I do my very best to achieve that.

Hope that sheds some light on all of this.
Thanks.
Bob

PS (I'm sorry this sidetracked the real issue which is that this is a really quirky interestingly different set.)

Thanks for clearing that up. I figured it was shopped too, but no biggie. And so basically you did the reverse of what others have done, with the same basic results. BTW very unique and interesting set you have.

I guess we all need to start putting disclaimers under our screen shots. :D

As to screen photography. I've got Canon 30D and 7D cameras. Using either
its trivial to get good photos of B&W sets. I just use full manual exposure, 1/15 to 1/4 second, (below 1/15 only using static pictures) f/5.6 or smaller, and adjust the ISO to get the correct exposure.

Color is much harder of course. This is because of the moire problem with the Bayer filter on the camera. I either need to fully resolve every dot or stripe, having it
cover at least 4 pixels, or not resolve them at all, setting the camera out of focus
to do the blurring. I'm still learning how to do this. I've tried making panorama
shots using 4 shots per screen with the 7D to get 70 megapixels and it
works nicely but is lots of work and requires lots of Photoshopping.

A Fuji camera with the strange sensor would be interesting to test ... it might be a panacea.