Installed the contrast mod. I went with a 3300 pf cap instead of a 3900 because it gives a crisper picture. Picture looks PERFECT. I didn't know a super chassis could create such a pretty picture! Almost done here. Need to do edge purity, convergence, and measure the cathode current on the 6CB5A and adjust it if necessary. How does the picture look to all of you? Good color?

Did some work with the convergence. This set is a real pain in the ass to converge but I do like that all the adjustments are on the front panel. Have a blooming issue now. Comes and goes. Not too noticeable but does get annoying.

Looking good. Remember convergence only needs to look good at 10 feet, so don't drive yourself insane if you have one corner that's not as good as the others.

Screenshot looks good now, just don't drive yourself batty with the convergence like Wayne said. It's never perfect, just get it close an enjoy!

Well then I will do an edge purity and check HOT cathode current and install a flyback fan. Will finish up this weekend.

Noticed that the chroma tint drifts while the set is warming up. Maybe I should do a AFC color alignment?

Went ahead and did some color AFC alignment. Tint shifting has become a lot less noticeable and I rarely have to adjust anything now. This picture is looking as good as the CTC-7!

Should I still check the HOT current even though I installed a 120mm fan on a fabricated metal cover I made? The fly gets warm to the touch but not too hot after being on for 45mins to an hour.

Does not matter (even if the set does not need the current checked) it should ALWAYS be checked when you get a set and the linearity/efficiency coil adjusted for minimum current.

What current level is considered safe for a CTC-5?

There's no hard and fast number for any set, you adjust for minimum reading on the meter.

As miniman said you want min current in operation, BUT there is usually a safe(ish) max that is published in the sam's for most sets (usually in the horizontal adjustment procedure). If over max after warm up assume something is wrong.

From where do I measure the current? Manual says the h out tube fuse holder is where the current can be measured I hooked up my 27fm and I am not getting anything....

Be sure the probes are connected properly to the meter to measure current. Also remove the H out fuse and put the probes on the fuse connections. You want the lowest current, but it should never go above 210ma. If it is over 200ma I would look for other problems. HO current should always be the first thing you check.

When the HV just comes up I get about 179 ma after about 4 seconds it starts jumping around I go from 400ma to 900ma and it just keeps jumping around... What is going on?

Your meter sucks. This is why I always just read milivolts across a 1 ohm resistor inserted from the cathode pin to ground or wherever, takes the guesswork out. Most of my sets have one permanently installed, in a spot where I don't have to remove the chassis to get at it.

Holding at 230ma. Went to adjust it and the slug is frozen in the coil. How do I free it up without removing the chassis from the cabinet?

If 230 ma. is a correct reading it's gonna cook the H.out tube in short order.:eek: It ain't too easy on the flyback either.

You free the slug by trying to turn it while heating the coil with a heat gun or hair dryer, or if the lin coil wires are reasonably thick and your adventurous you could hook a "D" cell battery across the lin coil and let the battery heat it like I did successfully on my CTC-4. Wax melt is likely what is holding it.

The lowest I can get it is 220ma which is OK according to the service manual. What do you guys think?

I think you can get it lower, but I also think it doesn't matter much on a 5. The flyback primary just doesn't have a low enough DC resistance to make much power (or heat), which is also the same reason it will never draw enough current to make decent HV at the secondary. Run it for a good half hour, then power down and check flyback temp with your hand after HV discharge. My guess, it won't even be warm to the touch. I did everything I could to mine trying to push more out of it: installed a drive control and cranked it to max, installed a HV pot and cranked it to max, put in the strongest testing 5U4 and 3A3 rectifiers I could find, nothing helped at all. Since you can't change the primary resistance in the flyback, the only other thing likely to help is increasing voltage to the circuit. You might try using silicon rectifiers in place of the 5U4's, but I still don't think it would make much difference. The 5 just is what it is, and we have to deal with it.

Got it down to 200ma by decreasing the line voltage by 2 volts to 113 or so. Still pushing about 21.45 Kv nice and bright. I think it is ready for service.

Here is the finished product. My camera makes the picture look a bit washed out in some photos. It is perfect in person though. And there is a picture of me with the TV after we just picked it up.

nice!

That's looking pretty good.

Enjoy!

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

Looks good ! That's the way I got mine home too !

.

Not quite satisfied with the color temperature. While trying to do a proper temperature setup I ran into some difficulties. The manual says to turn the green and blue background controls 30% up from being at counter clockwise. And to turn the contrast control to the halfway position. I know what all this means but how could I tell where 30% is on the screen controls and where halfway on the contrast control is?

That looks great! It's inspired me to start my ctc9 very soon!

They are asking to set mechanically at a certain fraction of full travel (which should be somewhat less than a full circle max). So, just try the full mechanical range to see how far the control can turn and then set it an estimated halfway or 30% of the way as instructed. These are just starting points to get you somewhere with visible light on the screen.

When our shop entered the color market with the CTC-15, we went to 'RCA School' put on by the distributor, where we learned setup procedure from factory reps. They
had us do the whole procedure with both the blue and green Drives at max . Then as a final touchup, back either one (or both) down a bit to get desired 'temp'. The reps may have been "off the book" regarding the Drives, but that's the way we leart it and always did it.

Or, book procedures on earlier chassies may have been different.

In those screen shots of you CTC-5 running, it looks like the contrast is a mite low.

Did what you suggested old coot. Picture looks a lot better. Only problem is that the chroma hue drifts while the set warms up for 10 minutes then goes away but still very very slowly drifts. The contrast is no longer an issue here. The camera caused the bit of washed outness if you will.

Alright THIS is the finished product. I promise this time. :D

crank that color down its way over saturated.
I think it should be more like this

http://videokarma.org/showpost.php?p...&postcount=224

Tube color TVs are never "finished", as long as they can be powered on there is ALWAYS SOMETHING that you could say needs to be done if you look close enough...

That said Dave likes them a bit too pale, swizzy likes them a bit too saturated, and red is up a bit too high relative to the other primaries.

Dave's is the correct saturation, the picture is just too blue.

But to all of you with these old TVs, let me admonish you,

PLEASE!! PLEASE!!!

One word!

Doilies!!!

:lmao: Doilies are for old ladies! If you want to protect the finish of the cabinet top get a piece of glass cut to match the size and shape of the top and glue some small thin felt pads to the side of the glass that will be resting on the cabinet (one at each corner)....It is much better at preventing scratches and water marks, was used on fine furniture of the period, and looks 300% cooler.

I have noticed that the hue of the colors shift over time while I am watching the set. I find myself having to adjust the hue control pretty often. I thought I heard somewhere that this was a problem with the CTC-5 even back in the 50's. Is this true? What causes this?

Try tapping the burst amplifier tube with something like a screwdriver handle, while watching the display in a mirror.

BTW, a restored vintage TV is never 'finished'. It will always be a "work in progress". :)

Pentode section on the 6an8 burst amp tested borderline. Swapped it out for a better testing one. Helped a bit. Slowed down the rate of change of the hue. Still having to readjust the hue control a bit. What would cause this? I need to get this sorted out before the Super Bowl airs.

When you say "hue", do flesh tones tones drift toward green or purple? Or does the tint of the overall raster drift?

Flesh tones are considered the standard for setting the mid point of the hue control (sometimes called tint control).