Electronic M
01-03-2014, 07:21 PM
Well my RCA KCS72M may be on hold, but it has not stopped me from getting work done on my Christmas break....I've recapped a Philco Bing Crosby set, a Silvertone table model Wire recorder/phono/AM radio (Man was that thing a cramped bear to work on:thumbsdn:), am almost done fixing my realistic TR-3000 RTR deck(yet again), and lastly I got my rare bird 1950 Grinnell model 116 working again.
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i469/ElectronicMemory/DSCN2926_zps9585a598.jpg (http://s1095.photobucket.com/user/ElectronicMemory/media/DSCN2926_zps9585a598.jpg.html)
I bought this one about two years back at the MARC extravaganza in Lansing and it has been awaiting it's turn on the bench ever since. I tested the CRT when I found it and it was rather weak. It still is but it is quite watchable with the lights off and I rarely use my monochrome sets so I'm just going to live with it as is. Also as found the chassis half of the interlock was destroyed, but it came with a spare so I was able to replace it. One thing I regret is that I damaged the back panel when transporting it home. I was able to get it to look decent, but it will never be perfect again...:sigh:
A plus though is that with a Howard's treatment it looks like it will not need a refinish.
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i469/ElectronicMemory/DSCN2915_zps1a77edbe.jpg (http://s1095.photobucket.com/user/ElectronicMemory/media/DSCN2915_zps1a77edbe.jpg.html)
The under chassis was surprisingly dirty and smells strongly of cooking grease...That and the cigarette burns on the front top (which are staying as I feel they add character) make me think this set was either in a restaurant, bar, or that the person who's kitchen it was in died young of clogged arteries.:yuck: I can't say I'm a fan of the work the previous tech who installed all those plastic caps. Just about all his work was done with J-hooks, and when he replaced the vertical socket he just ripped some of the terminals off the old one and soldered them to the terminals on the new one.:nono: He did leave the chassis screws...All 6 of them. I sort of wish he had not put the front two back as they were a pain to reach.
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i469/ElectronicMemory/DSCN2917_zps62dd5a9c.jpg (http://s1095.photobucket.com/user/ElectronicMemory/media/DSCN2917_zps62dd5a9c.jpg.html)
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i469/ElectronicMemory/DSCN2919_zps4121bf2f.jpg (http://s1095.photobucket.com/user/ElectronicMemory/media/DSCN2919_zps4121bf2f.jpg.html)
Build quality wise this set has a Muntz meets DuMont feel to it. The above chassis looks sort of like it needs more tubes and the IFs are under chassis with no cans (which strikes me as cheap), yet they did some things I really like such as screwing all the transformers to chassis instead of riveting them, using an actual wiring harness (never owned another TV with one), and putting a big rubber block under the vertical output transformer to keep it from vibrating the chassis and causing audible hum.
The knob layout makes me think it is an Olympic chassis, but I'm not familiar with their products so I can't really say who made it.
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i469/ElectronicMemory/DSCN0873.jpg (http://s1095.photobucket.com/user/ElectronicMemory/media/DSCN0873.jpg.html)
Above is a picture of a Majestic brand set I obtained from the same swapmeet meet a year or two before the Grinnell. Both Sets were made in the Lansing area IIRC, and the cabinet design and structure are nearly identical aside from the screen being much bigger on the Majestic, different knob layout, CRT mask, vent cutouts in the chassis shelf, and the addition of a bottom board (which REALLY strengthens the cabinet) and three wheels on the Grinnell. I have to wonder how two different sets can have such similar cabinets.
I happen to really like that cabinet style. Modern, but conservative enough that if folks were not biased against any electronics more than two years old I could see it blending in with someones living room today. Simple construction too; aside from the face wood, bottom, chassis shelf and a few braces it is all one continuous piece of plywood bent to form the top and sides.
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i469/ElectronicMemory/DSCN2924_zpsbc02c6c4.jpg (http://s1095.photobucket.com/user/ElectronicMemory/media/DSCN2924_zpsbc02c6c4.jpg.html)
Aside from two filter cans(which run cool) and a good testing domino (likely molded paper) cap on the H osc. coil, which I do not have a replacement for, it has been completely recapped. All else it needed were new audio out, H osc., and HV rect. tubes as well as a tuner cleaning. I'm proud of my self for getting it going good without having a schematic.:D
Here it is in action being fed analog video directly from Cable.
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i469/ElectronicMemory/DSCN2931_zps20803445.jpg (http://s1095.photobucket.com/user/ElectronicMemory/media/DSCN2931_zps20803445.jpg.html)
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i469/ElectronicMemory/DSCN2935_zps79a809c8.jpg (http://s1095.photobucket.com/user/ElectronicMemory/media/DSCN2935_zps79a809c8.jpg.html)
If anybody knows more about this set's lineage or why another brand uses the same cabinet I'm all ears.
Here is a link to a thread I started on it over on ARF. http://antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=240096
One day I should try to get a picture of the two sets next to each other for comparison.
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i469/ElectronicMemory/DSCN2926_zps9585a598.jpg (http://s1095.photobucket.com/user/ElectronicMemory/media/DSCN2926_zps9585a598.jpg.html)
I bought this one about two years back at the MARC extravaganza in Lansing and it has been awaiting it's turn on the bench ever since. I tested the CRT when I found it and it was rather weak. It still is but it is quite watchable with the lights off and I rarely use my monochrome sets so I'm just going to live with it as is. Also as found the chassis half of the interlock was destroyed, but it came with a spare so I was able to replace it. One thing I regret is that I damaged the back panel when transporting it home. I was able to get it to look decent, but it will never be perfect again...:sigh:
A plus though is that with a Howard's treatment it looks like it will not need a refinish.
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i469/ElectronicMemory/DSCN2915_zps1a77edbe.jpg (http://s1095.photobucket.com/user/ElectronicMemory/media/DSCN2915_zps1a77edbe.jpg.html)
The under chassis was surprisingly dirty and smells strongly of cooking grease...That and the cigarette burns on the front top (which are staying as I feel they add character) make me think this set was either in a restaurant, bar, or that the person who's kitchen it was in died young of clogged arteries.:yuck: I can't say I'm a fan of the work the previous tech who installed all those plastic caps. Just about all his work was done with J-hooks, and when he replaced the vertical socket he just ripped some of the terminals off the old one and soldered them to the terminals on the new one.:nono: He did leave the chassis screws...All 6 of them. I sort of wish he had not put the front two back as they were a pain to reach.
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i469/ElectronicMemory/DSCN2917_zps62dd5a9c.jpg (http://s1095.photobucket.com/user/ElectronicMemory/media/DSCN2917_zps62dd5a9c.jpg.html)
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i469/ElectronicMemory/DSCN2919_zps4121bf2f.jpg (http://s1095.photobucket.com/user/ElectronicMemory/media/DSCN2919_zps4121bf2f.jpg.html)
Build quality wise this set has a Muntz meets DuMont feel to it. The above chassis looks sort of like it needs more tubes and the IFs are under chassis with no cans (which strikes me as cheap), yet they did some things I really like such as screwing all the transformers to chassis instead of riveting them, using an actual wiring harness (never owned another TV with one), and putting a big rubber block under the vertical output transformer to keep it from vibrating the chassis and causing audible hum.
The knob layout makes me think it is an Olympic chassis, but I'm not familiar with their products so I can't really say who made it.
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i469/ElectronicMemory/DSCN0873.jpg (http://s1095.photobucket.com/user/ElectronicMemory/media/DSCN0873.jpg.html)
Above is a picture of a Majestic brand set I obtained from the same swapmeet meet a year or two before the Grinnell. Both Sets were made in the Lansing area IIRC, and the cabinet design and structure are nearly identical aside from the screen being much bigger on the Majestic, different knob layout, CRT mask, vent cutouts in the chassis shelf, and the addition of a bottom board (which REALLY strengthens the cabinet) and three wheels on the Grinnell. I have to wonder how two different sets can have such similar cabinets.
I happen to really like that cabinet style. Modern, but conservative enough that if folks were not biased against any electronics more than two years old I could see it blending in with someones living room today. Simple construction too; aside from the face wood, bottom, chassis shelf and a few braces it is all one continuous piece of plywood bent to form the top and sides.
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i469/ElectronicMemory/DSCN2924_zpsbc02c6c4.jpg (http://s1095.photobucket.com/user/ElectronicMemory/media/DSCN2924_zpsbc02c6c4.jpg.html)
Aside from two filter cans(which run cool) and a good testing domino (likely molded paper) cap on the H osc. coil, which I do not have a replacement for, it has been completely recapped. All else it needed were new audio out, H osc., and HV rect. tubes as well as a tuner cleaning. I'm proud of my self for getting it going good without having a schematic.:D
Here it is in action being fed analog video directly from Cable.
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i469/ElectronicMemory/DSCN2931_zps20803445.jpg (http://s1095.photobucket.com/user/ElectronicMemory/media/DSCN2931_zps20803445.jpg.html)
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i469/ElectronicMemory/DSCN2935_zps79a809c8.jpg (http://s1095.photobucket.com/user/ElectronicMemory/media/DSCN2935_zps79a809c8.jpg.html)
If anybody knows more about this set's lineage or why another brand uses the same cabinet I'm all ears.
Here is a link to a thread I started on it over on ARF. http://antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=240096
One day I should try to get a picture of the two sets next to each other for comparison.