1951 RCA Console

[Dj3928]

One of my future TV Restores. Any tips, comments are appreciated

1951 RCA TV , Doing an Analysis and a CRT Test ?
https://youtu.be/bP8KTvXwbNM

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by Dj3928

One of my future TV Restores. Any tips, comments are appreciated

1951 RCA TV , Doing an Analysis and a CRT Test ?
https://youtu.be/bP8KTvXwbNM

Good luck. You will have a TV to be proud of once you restore it to its former glory. This was probably one of RCA's best b&w televisions of the early 1950s. Your set reminds me of a similar 12" RCA console TV in the basement of our church in suburban Cleveland in the 1970s (the set was probably donated to the church by a member at the time). The TV in our church basement (actually, the storage room in the back of the building) worked amazingly well for its age; I used to watch it when my dad would go to evening church functions. The TV picked up all three (at that time) Cleveland TV stations very well using rabbit ears on top of the set, despite the fact the stations' transmitters were some 15 miles from our church, which was in an eastern Cleveland suburb.

I hope you don't have to replace the CRT in your set, as this tube could very well be difficult to find in this age of HDTV. Your best bet if you do have to replace the tube for any reason would probably be to find a junked TV with a good CRT.

Again, good luck in restoring your 1951 RCA TV. As I mentioned, these were probably the best TVs RCA made in the 1950s, and are well worth the efforts made to restore them. Today's flat screen HDTVs, while producing a much better picture (not to mention better sound if a sound bar or an external amplifier or sound system is used) than the older ones, cannot hold a candle to 1950s-'80s NTSC televisions. I had several CRT TVs in the '70s, which I was able to restore just by replacing weak tubes; one of my favorites, which I enjoyed immensely and hated to give up when I moved in the early 1970s, was a Zenith 23" console, with a 6BN6-6BQ5 sound system and a 6x9 oval speaker in the base of the cabinet below the CRT. I enjoyed the sound of this TV so much I patched an FM tuner into the audio system, which is one of several reasons I hated to give up the set when I moved; one other was the picture quality, which was very good even for a TV made in the early '60s (1963, IIRC).

They certainly don't make TVs like that anymore. My current entertainment system consists of a 32" Insignia flat screen HDTV and an LG DVD player, controlled by an RCA RCR-313BE universal remote, all housed in a repurposed wooden microwave oven cart. This system runs rings around any of the old CRT TVs I had years ago, as well it should. I wouldn't go back to a CRT TV; these sets were very good in their time, but "their time" is over now. It's the 21st century, and HDTVs rule the roost, like it or not. These new HDTVs are not as sturdy by any means as the old CRT sets, but they make a good picture (mine does, on Spectrum "streaming" cable service).

Handle these sets carefully, and you will have a TV which will give you an excellent picture for years, if not a decade or more. I bought my Insignia 32" TV at least five years ago; it still works as well as it did the day I bought it. Its predecessor, an Insignia 19" HDTV, is at least ten years old and, the last time I tried it (at least a year ago), it still works. It is presently in storage in my bedroom, to be used as a standby set if or when my 32" Insignia TV fails for any reason.

[Dj3928]

Thanks Jeff

[Penthode]

Yes this a nice little set. I like the four if stage full video bandwidth. If the tube is good the picture will be really sharp.
And sweet little cabinet. A nice find!

[Kevin Kuehn]

I would like to have one of those too. The set uses the then new RCA "Direct Drive" high voltage auto transformer(air core). Should be a fun set to get going.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Kevin Kuehn

I would like to have one of those too. The set uses the then new RCA "Direct Drive" high voltage auto transformer(air core). Should be a fun set to get going.

I had the Bakelite table model version of the set. I got it from a neighbor, a freebee. It was an entry-level set, the last 12" set RCA made!
I appeared to be the first RCA set to use Selenium rectifier and voltage doubler power supply, even though it had a decent sized power transformer and not a hot chassis. When I got it, it didn't need much work and it worked well!
I'm trying to remember, it was the early 60's.

[Dj3928]

Thanks for the comments.

[nasadowsk]

How long did RCA use the air core, direct drive flyback for? It seems to me it was a short lived fad…

[Kevin Kuehn]

Originally Posted by dieseljeep

I had the Bakelite table model version of the set. I got it from a neighbor, a freebee. It was an entry-level set, the last 12" set RCA made!
I appeared to be the first RCA set to use Selenium rectifier and voltage doubler power supply, even though it had a decent sized power transformer and not a hot chassis. When I got it, it didn't need much work and it worked well!
I'm trying to remember, it was the early 60's.

Holy cow when you mentioned Bakelite table version a light went off and I had to go take a look. I believe I have this same Bakelite set, an 2T51. Another one I have not gotten around to. This made my day because I knew this had the Direct Drive high voltage circuit, but I did not realize it was the same chassis used in the set Dj3928 had posted about. Sams Set 111, Folder 11, dated 11-50, covers both, so you may have misplaced yours by 10 years.

As nasadowsk mentioned, I think RCA only used this Direct Drive circuit from early 51 possibly into 52. I have not heard any reason why or if there were problems associated with it. RCA promoted them as being very power efficient. I have an Emerson set here that apparently licensed the same circuit from RCA.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Kevin Kuehn

Holy cow when you mentioned Bakelite table version a light went off and I had to go take a look. I believe I have this same Bakelite set, an 2T51. Another one I have not gotten around to. This made my day because I knew this had the Direct Drive high voltage circuit, but I did not realize it was the same chassis used in the set Dj3928 had posted about. Sams Set 111, Folder 11, dated 11-50, covers both, so you may have misplaced yours by 10 years.

As nasadowsk mentioned, I think RCA only used this Direct Drive circuit from early 51 possibly into 52. I have not heard any reason why or if there were problems associated with it. RCA promoted them as being very power efficient. I have an Emerson set here that apparently licensed the same circuit from RCA.

When I posted the entry, I knew the set was about 10 years old. I was about 15 years old at the time! I used it in my basement workshop, but I had a chance to sell it.
Mine was just as clean as yours, but when I was carrying it, I ruined the RCA Victor logo on it.

[old_coot88]

What are the particulars on this direct drive circuit? That's somethin' I never ran across (or maybe did and didn't know it). Just wondering if it could be related to the horz linearity problem that some of this chassis series exhibited. Had one that was a real dog, and had to concede defeat finally (the H nonlinearity).

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by old_coot88

What are the particulars on this direct drive circuit? That's somethin' I never ran across (or maybe did and didn't know it). Just wondering if it could be related to the horz linearity problem that some of this chassis series exhibited. Had one that was a real dog, and had to concede defeat finally (the H nonlinearity).

I finally looked up the schematic on it. I was trying to remember the capacitor that was in the 2nd anode circuit as the HV filter. It was a tubular paper type, 25PF@12.500KV. Strange! I replaced it with a doorknob HV type.

[Kevin Kuehn]

Originally Posted by old_coot88

What are the particulars on this direct drive circuit? That's somethin' I never ran across (or maybe did and didn't know it). Just wondering if it could be related to the horz linearity problem that some of this chassis series exhibited. Had one that was a real dog, and had to concede defeat finally (the H nonlinearity).

Save these if you want because Flickr may not approve of the content. For some reason there is no page 2 but the content seems complete.

[Penthode]

I think what killed the autotransformer design was it's requirement for high impedance horizontal deflection coils. Later designs for 90 and 110 deflection tubes requires higher pulse currents which could only be practically achieved with lower impedance. Hence the output transformer was ultimately required to impedance match.

[old_coot88]

Thanks for the info.