View Full Version : 90's RCA XL100 "Remote"


lnx64
06-24-2017, 03:25 AM
This set appears to be rather unknown. It's an XL100, but in no means releated to the old ones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5tLTFGmCl8

This is my set, and was one of the first electronic devices I ever repaired, when I was 13 years old.

But for all of these models I have seen, it's the same story with them, one of the transistors in them goes bad and burns up essentially, failing to power on the set.

Is there any more information on this TV? At the time this was sold, RCA was also selling another TV that was more "aerodynamic" looking, meaning it had more curves and looked more "modern", but it cost LESS than this TV. I remember being in Lechmere's when this TV was sold, and my father bought this one over the one I thought looked better. But apparently this TV, despite looking more like an 80's set than a 90's set when it was sold, had a better picture, even if it IS still bottom of the barrel.

zeno
06-24-2017, 08:28 AM
Given the date & descriptions the "other" set was probably the
new CTC 175,176,177,185,186,187 family of chassis. These
were the sets with all the cold joint problems.
The set shown was an earlier low price set. They were a very
good set & a pleasure to work on. Sry I dont remember the
chassis ##.
One bad thing was the non remotes. The button keys were part
of the cabinet front & broke off. IIRC the cabinet net $75 but
you could swap it out in 5 mn.

73 Zeno:smoke:
LFOD !

TVTim
06-24-2017, 08:02 PM
I have that set. Bought it for my folks way back when. It still works great.

maxhifi
06-25-2017, 09:32 PM
We had one of those, from the late 80s picture was okay, sound was terrible, that speaker was a poster child for cheap, it went from too quiet to distortion in one volume increment. The remote was weird too with the separate on and off keys. Only worse sound were those horrible funai TVs with the side mount speaker.

I remember my junior high school having those RCA. TVs too, that TV blaring out the non Hi-Fi VHS sound track was such a remarkable step backwards from the 16mm projectors it replaced.

lnx64
06-26-2017, 02:51 AM
This one does have absolutely horrible sound, as if it's treble only, no bass or mids, nothing. The remote has a single power button however and looks like this, even though this isn't an RCA branded remote, this set definitely had a remote that looked nearly identical to this, and said RCA: https://is.alicdn.com/img/pb/191/113/254/1276996669679_hz-fileserver1_3245302.jpg

In fact the remote number on a universal app on my Android phone IS controlling the TV too.

Electronic M
06-26-2017, 08:41 AM
The more modern one I remember and think I have....It was 2 tone white and grey, had a built in FM radio, and it could do 120VAC or 12VDC, right?
A girl I knew when I was young had one in her room and I recall watching MTV on it, next house I lived in a neighbor had one (saw it during their open house before they moved), and I got one off the curb on the far end of the neighborhood....Can't remember if I carried it home by bike, or had the folks get the car.

maxhifi
06-26-2017, 02:29 PM
Our TV was made in Canada (pre-NAFTA), and had one of these remotes. Definitely not RCA's finest hour. The remote itself was also poor quality, the TV lived at a vacation property, and after five or less years the remote buttons didn't work reliably.

I remember my grandfather bought it because the vacation property was out of the city, and he wanted a domestic brand TV that "anyone can fix".

lnx64
06-26-2017, 04:47 PM
That "PC" button on the remote.. Very interesting to see it actually say PC and not computer (since the only PC to really have composite output was the PC/PC-XT). Anything else generally had RGBI/RGB/VGA monitors.

maxhifi
06-26-2017, 05:03 PM
That "PC" button on the remote.. Very interesting to see it actually say PC and not computer (since the only PC to really have composite output was the PC/PC-XT). Anything else generally had RGBI/RGB/VGA monitors.

That means "Previous Channel", you press that button to jump between two shows. Looks like whoever owned that remote liked trying to watch two things at once! There's definitely no way that TV would be a useful computer monitor :)

Electronic M
06-26-2017, 06:22 PM
That means "Previous Channel", you press that button to jump between two shows. Looks like whoever owned that remote liked trying to watch two things at once! There's definitely no way that TV would be a useful computer monitor :)

From the 90's up until ~2002 S-video outputs on graphics cards were fairly common, and there were some that used NTSC tvs as monitors....I've got such a rig with windows 7 set up.

lnx64
06-26-2017, 06:34 PM
Yea but, not one for a TV that old. lol

I've honestly never seen previous channel buttons named PC before, usually Prev..

Findm-Keepm
06-26-2017, 07:08 PM
This set appears to be rather unknown. It's an XL100, but in no means releated to the old ones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5tLTFGmCl8


Is there any more information on this TV?

Is there a Model number, or chassis number? Either would be of HUGE help...

maxhifi
06-26-2017, 08:26 PM
From the 90's up until ~2002 S-video outputs on graphics cards were fairly common, and there were some that used NTSC tvs as monitors....I've got such a rig with windows 7 set up.

The tv in question lacks even composite video, it's a real low end set. That model was also sold as a GE here in Canada, I remember the GE being a bit cheaper.

lnx64
06-27-2017, 05:27 AM
Is there a Model number, or chassis number? Either would be of HUGE help...

Model number is E13202BK..

The back of the set openly admits it's a Thomson TV too.

rcaman
06-27-2017, 06:37 PM
CTC146 OR TX81 chassis

lnx64
06-27-2017, 08:55 PM
That I don't know right now, I'll have to take it apart to find out. It doesn't say on the back of the set.

Findm-Keepm
06-28-2017, 09:16 AM
CTC146 OR TX81 chassis

TX826TB Chassis. 1995/96 Product line.

zeno
06-28-2017, 09:34 AM
Oh its a 13" set, thought it was a 19.
TX series chassis NOT fun to work on but they had a
good pix. It was an odd ball.

73 Zeno:smoke:
LFOD !

crt89
07-15-2017, 08:44 AM
I had an RCA 13" XL100, but it must have been a model or two after that, mine had a curved back housing with curved vents, and the front had the speaker on the left, a big remote sensor in the middle and a buttons in a curve on the right. It was a very interesting looking set for a black plastic one, and it had an outstanding picture. It was from 1996 and lasted up until 2010ish, I think it may have been hit by lightning.

I think it also came in purple and other colors.

Although I did find a small white cabinet RCA that was 13" in the trash once, that looked similar to yours. Unfortunately it did not work, it was an '88 if I recall.