View Full Version : Wollensak school TV-Setchell Carlson?


Olorin67
07-30-2014, 12:19 PM
I Just picked up a Wollensak branded Vacuum tube TV, that looks identical to the Setchell Carlson school Tvs. 23", with audio and video inputs using CB radio style connectors. Did Wollensak (div of 3M) buy out Setchell Carlson?

Gets a nice bright raster when i brought it up on a variac, but not sure its getting a video signal, just a blank screen. next I will take the back off and clean up the tube pins. will be an easy re cap with the modular construction.
I will take some pics when i get home.

dieseljeep
07-30-2014, 01:00 PM
I Just picked up a Wollensak branded Vacuum tube TV, that looks identical to the Setchell Carlson school Tvs. 23", with audio and video inputs using CB radio style connectors. Did Wollensak (div of 3M) buy out Setchell Carlson?

Gets a nice bright raster when i brought it up on a variac, but not sure its getting a video signal, just a blank screen. next I will take the back off and clean up the tube pins. will be an easy re cap with the modular construction.
I will take some pics when i get home.

They probably contracted with Setchell Carlson, to build it.
They might've either built a monochrome VTR or contracted with an other firm to build it, possibly Ampex.

Olorin67
07-30-2014, 07:37 PM
Took off the back. The paper tube diagram inside lists it as a Model V-22, Mincom division of 3M corporation. Most of the tubes are Setchell Carlson branded, with date codes from mid 67 to Jan of 68. The chassis modules mostly have little 3M stickers on them, but a couple have Setchell Carlson labels. I saw a hand written date of april '68 on one. Most of the labels have fallen off, hoppefully i Can find more of them in bottom of the set. All the circuits are in modules, except the power supply which is on the main chassis. It uses silicon rectifier diodes mounted on a little 4 pin socket for servicability. So it looks like 3M bought SC, shortly before this set was built. Im guessing they branded this as a Wollensak so they could sell it alongside thier line of school tape decks. Last time I went to the pavek Museum, i read thier files on Bart Setchell and SC. He sold the company in the late 60s, but never got paid for all of it. He went on to found another successful electronics company in Florida.

Olorin67
07-31-2014, 07:39 PM
I did some prowling on google books. Sounds like Setchell Carlson branded monitors were sold throughout the 1970s, in the 70s S-C was "SC electronics" division of Audiotronics, inc, the same company that made many school phonographs. Wollensak tape decks continued to be sold by 3M, mostly for institutional use. So it appears Mincom division of 3M sold off S-C not long after buying it, and the monitors were again branded as Setchell Carlson.