Hi Audiokarmites.

I hope the group will enjoy these photos of my General Electric Model 15CL100 15" color TV from 1954. And I hope someone can help me with some problems.

GE, along with a handful of others, offered 15" color TVs in the 1954 model year to support the introduction of NTSC color TV. This set features 40 tubes, including the 15GP22 CRT, and was offered with VHF 12 channel tuner and an optional UHF tuner, which my set does not have. From the looks of the set, GE was anticipating the arrival of a larger 19" or 21" CRT. What was the next color set GE made?

The set is well documented in the Wallace Telaides GE service data for 1946-1954. This will be a great help when it comes tiem to get the set working again. Curiously, it describes 2 production runs of the set, with differing schematics and component layouts. My set appears to be from the second production run. Makes one wonder how many sets they produced in each run.

The tube layout calls out several "in house " prototype tube numbers: Z2176 (a.k.a. 2v2), and Z2188 (a.k.a. 6BU5).

While the 2V2 seem common enough, the 6BU5 is another matter. The 6BU5 is a pentode HV regulator tube, similar to the triode 6BD4 (or 6BK4). I have not been able to find any 6BU5 tubes through any of the usual tube dealers. Please check your local tube dealers and you stock and help me find a 6BU5 tube or two. Of course, if it comes down to it, I can rewire the socket to use a 6BK4….but what fun is that?

When the set was offered with no UHF tuner, an escutcheon covered the round hole in the center of the front panel where the UHF tuner control would be. The plate was about 21/2" square. You can see this plate in the scan I included, from the May 1954 GE Tech Talk service bulletin. Unfortunately, there is not enough detail to make out what it looks like. If anyone has a better example of this GE emblem plate from some other GE TV or product , or advertisement, I would greatly appreciate a good quality photo/scan of it so I can attempt a reproduction.

As you can see from the photos of the set, I am missing the large knob for the dual control on the left side of the front panel. If anyone can help wit h a like knob, or even a pair of very similar knobs, I would be happy to buy or trade for them.

Any help would be appreciated!

Ahhh, you don't want that old junky thing-Tell ya what, since i'm such a PRINCE of a guy, I'll give ya a hunnert dollars cash money fer it. But now, shipping's on you-most of them thar now old TV's don't bring no more than 10, 15 bux-20 at the most. i figger I'm bein' MORE than fair w/ya....<grin> Seriously, that bad boy is a WHALE of a catch !! I envy you greatly, sir. Here's to the happy day you get it going again...We WILL want to see pics, you know !! -Sandy G.

That 6BU5 must really be a rare one... I didn't even see a listing for it in the rca receiving tube manual. Did any of the other 15 inch color sets use this number?

I have a 6BU8 and a 6AU5. The 6BU5 is listed in an old 1959 GE tube sales list that I have . The 6BU5 is the most expensive tube on the sheet at $5.50. I think that would be a pile of money in 1959.


Interesting mask for the CRT.


polaraman

This is a set that sort of dominates the room. Quite a collection you've got there-thanks for sharing!

I checked on the tube, of course, and nothing here. I did look in my tube sub book, which I think might be from the early 70s? Anyway, the 6BU5 is listed, but no subs. I'll have to dig through the knobs over the weekend if nobody else finds it. Doesn't look familiar but you never know.

John, that set is incredible! Is the 15GP22 good?

I don't think I hav any knobs like that but I'll look.
You probably have the only set ever made so it may be tough to find knobs, unless they are the same as some B&W model. :scratch2:
What's the hole in the center for?

I put that tube type into Webcrawler, and found it listed for sale for $6.00 at this place:

Leeds Electronics 68 North 7th Street Brooklyn NY 11211 Tel 718 963-1764

time to look at the getters.most are white as most 15gp22's have gone to air.
if the getters are silver take the tubes serial number and play some super lotto with it:-)

Nice looking telly mate :thmbsp: ! Seen the advert of it on the Early Television Foundation site initially, am real stoked to see that there's at least one still in existence :banana: . Best of luck getting this telly up and crankin' again, looking forward to seeing a picture on the tube.

Cheers
Troy

time to look at the getters.most are white as most 15gp22's have gone to air.
if the getters are silver take the tubes serial number and play some super lotto with it:-)

When I got the set, it had a 15GP22 with a broken neck (bummer!). But, I had a spare, which is in the set now, awaiting restoration.

I put that tube type into Webcrawler, and found it listed for sale for $6.00 at this place:

Leeds Electronics 68 North 7th Street Brooklyn NY 11211 Tel 718 963-1764

I Googled my way to the same place (Leeds Electronics), and gave them a call. "Sure", says the guy, we got those. How many you want?" "Six", I replied hopefully. Well, he took my order, and all was well. About an hour later, he called back, a bit contritely, to say "No", they didn't have any after all. (#*?!.).

Thanks for looking!

John, that set is incredible! Is the 15GP22 good?

I don't think I hav any knobs like that but I'll look.
You probably have the only set ever made so it may be tough to find knobs, unless they are the same as some B&W model. :scratch2:
What's the hole in the center for?

Eric, The CRT is good! The 6BU5 seems to be the HV Regulator that time forgot. I suspect it was more expensive than the competing 6BD4/6BK4.

The hole in the center is wher the GE escutcheon-emblem thingy goes (see the GE_Bulletin.jpg).

Maybe it's just my eyes, but those look like some GIANT selenium rectifiers!

Is that 6BU5 octal?

Cory

You may wanna try us Boatanchor guys' old standby, Fair Radio in Lima, Ohio. Maybe those tubes were also used in some sort of super-secret Hydrostatic Gonkulator whizbang for the military back in the '50s-and accordingly, the gummint had 3 jillion of 'em made up. Wish I could dig up a phone #, but Fair has a nice website. Be careful-Fair has all kinds of stuff you really don't need, but would be kewl as all hell to have-like Hydrostatic Gonkulators. -Sandy G.

Yes, the 6BU5 is octal...it's still listed in the 1974 GE tube manual.
Thanks, John for information on this set...it seemed like there were a lot of different sets using the 15GP22 that I have seen in the photofact folders and it's exciting to see one that actually still exists.

Howard W. Sams would have to have bought one of each of these 15GP22 sets to research it for photofact data....wonder what they did with these sets when they were done? Were they disposed of or were they given or sold to employees?

Maybe it's just my eyes, but those look like some GIANT selenium rectifiers!

Is that 6BU5 octal?

Cory


Here is a link to the 6BU5 datasheet:

http://hereford.ampr.org/cgi-bin/tube?tube=6BU5

In the mid '70s, I had a conversation with a former VP of Howard W Sams about his participation in the setting up of the Photofact production line, as he referred to it. Although I do not recall specifically discussing the disposition of the voluminous pieces of equipment that flowed through that process with him, their disposition procedure was probably similar to that of magazines when equipment was loaned by manufacturers for magazine test labs, article illustration, and cover shots. Basically, you had a streamlined procedure to return the items to the manufacturer or advertising agency who supplied them. Usually, they were all too happy to 'lend' them to us for further evaluation and use with the hope of gaining more free editorial exposure for their products.

There were some interesting exceptions: anything Heathkit provided was not expected to be, or did they want to have it, returned. Virtually all Heathkits had to be built, which was a time-consuming pain. One editor I knew actually talked his postman into building a piece of audio gear. The guy couldn't make it work, so we sent it to Heath for repair. The string of wiring errors was a joke. Heath spent so much time on it that Earl, the advertising guy, was on the verge of chewing out the editor who orchestrated the whole thing. (I still actively use an AR-2020 to drive the rear channels of a 7.1 HT; I had talked my ex into building it back in '74.)

Some manufacturer’s expected their equipment back but would allow an interested staff member to buy at 40 percent or more off retail. Nakamichi, the then-high-end cassette deck manufacturer, was one such example. I spoke to Nakacichi and asked to by the unit they sent to the test lab. I wanted to use it as a gift. I knew it had great specs. He almost panicked. No, we send you another one.

Remember CB? Remember Browning? Golden Eagle? They virtually always expected their equipment back.

To sum up, receiving and shipping all that equipment was a part of the business that was no particular fun. It virtually all got sent back.

Pete

Pete, thanks for your insight into Sams' procedures. I was just looking at a photofact folder a few days ago from 1950 where the company extended an invitation for photofact users to see their production line.

Hey Pete,

Welcome to AudioKarma! Deksnis, I'm sure I've seen your name somewhere connected with early color tv. Now if I could just remember.......

Thanks Steve. It’s both a pleasure and honor to be able to participate.

Now if I could only remember where we stashed those 6BU5's thirty years ago...

Pete,

If there are 6BU5's stashed out there, the guys on this forum will find them. I hope John Folsom receives a tube caddy filled wth them. He along with Steve McVoy continue to amaze me with vintage color collections the rest of us can only dream about. But that's another thread.

Steve

Deksnis ? Deksnis? Yeah, don't you have some sort of old, funky off-brand color set? Weeeeeeeeelllll, Y'oughta take it to the Dump & gitchoo one them there now fancy-pants flat screen Apexes at yr friendly neighborhood WallyWorld !! <grin>-Seriously, Welcome to AK ! Fair number of old TV guys here - I just wish I knew half of what you've forgot about TVs. -Sandy G.

Appreciate the kind words. But don’t forget, it’s McVoy, Folsom, Azzilena, Johnson, Kissinger, et al., who are the true artisans. It is they who get so many of the damn things to glow again! Thanks to all of you b&w guys too, who now participate in the preservation and restoration of vintage color television.

i will keep a lookout for a 6bu5
if i have one its yours.

Just a note to say thanks for all the respnoses. Keep an ey out for he elusive 6BU5, and please, if anyone has an idea what thet escutcheon plate looks like, let me know.
Pete Deksnis could probably use a 6M3 and a 6AV5 for his Phiclo 123, if anyone has one.

looks like the 6AV5 is pretty common? I see AES has them for just a few dollars; I've got several NOS. I could spare one if needed.