Zenith Roundie from DC 1st pictures

[JCFitz]

These are the first pictures I have posted of the Zenith Roundie from DC I picked up a few weeks ago. It is now the Zenith Roundie from Willards,MD model 5030 chassis 29JC20. Also shown is the HV cage with the HV cup from Moyers and the HV rectifier cap courtesy Bryan Gadow.(Thanks Bryan)

This is the picture with the only thing having been done to it being an open 4 section capacitor80uf475v-80uf475v-4uf450v-4uf-450 v temporarily jumped with 4 individual capacitors to be stuffed in the original although the 2 100uf 500v caps I found may be the only ones that will fit in the original and the 4.7 ufs @450v may have to go underneath the chassis.

All the filters will get restuffed and the black beauty caps replaced.The other filters are working but get quite warm. One black beauty is already causing a problem as after about 15 minutes or so the picture goes into an uncontrollable loss of vertical sync. A little shot of freeze spray on the particular cap restores sync.


Last but not least in adition to restoring the cabinet the crt will have too come out to clean the oily deposits from the rubber seal from inside the face mask.I kinda dread that particular step.

[sampson159]

that set looks great!the crt wont be that big an issue.you are a lucky guy to find this.i am happy for you

[miniman82]

Actually to split hairs I found it, he just picked it up. Looks great though, it'll be a fantastic set once it's all done!

[holmesuser01]

I've never seen that chassis before. Does this set use the 3*** rectifier tubes on the left there by the power transformer? Maybe 3DG4??

It's got a nice picture on it now!

Congratulations on getting it!

[dieseljeep]

LOVE IT!!!!!! Great picture. Is that the original CRT? Looks like a low hours set. I see the original 3DG4's. They look like Tung-Sol sourced. Power transformer is massive in that chassis.

[Sandy G]

Looks like a DAMN good picture for a basically "fresh" find...Maybe a bit of convergence issues on the edges, but IIRC, most every Roundie I remember from "Back in the Day" was like that...(I was the Weird Kid who noticed things like that...)

[old_tv_nut]

Originally Posted by Sandy G

Looks like a DAMN good picture for a basically "fresh" find...Maybe a bit of convergence issues on the edges, but IIRC, most every Roundie I remember from "Back in the Day" was like that...(I was the Weird Kid who noticed things like that...)

"was?"
---
Oh, yeah - great condition on that set - you are one lucky dude, JC

[Jeffhs]

I like the picture on that set too. Are those two pictures from OTA signals or cable? If OTA, you must be in a good area for reception from the two Salisbury network stations (channels 16 and 47), not counting the several PBS stations you can receive from Delaware and elsewhere in that area.

When I saw that your set uses two 3DG4 low-voltage rectifiers, it reminded me of my Zenith K2739 1963 23-inch console b&w TV (now long gone after 41 years). My set also used a 3DG4 as an LV rectifier and had fins on the power transformer (yours doesn't seem to). I note this because the 3DG4 seems like an oddball tube that would be difficult to find a replacement for if it burned out or (gasp! ) shorted, to say nothing of the fact that most TVs of that era used one or two 5U4s or 5Y3s as LV rectifiers. I think Zenith may have been the only TV manufacturer that used a 3DG4 in that position in the set.

Do color sets of the '60s draw that much more current than newer sets that they require two LV rectifiers? Yours is one of the few sets (color or b&w) I've seen in all my years of electronics experimenting that uses two low-voltage rectifiers, in addition to the HV rectifier.

[miniman82]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

Yours is one of the few sets (color or b&w) I've seen in all my years of electronics experimenting that uses two low-voltage rectifiers, in addition to the HV rectifier.

My CTC-7 has dual 5U4GB's, mounted to the PTX.

[JCFitz]

Originally Posted by Sandy G

Looks like a DAMN good picture for a basically "fresh" find...Maybe a bit of convergence issues on the edges, but IIRC, most every Roundie I remember from "Back in the Day" was like that...(I was the Weird Kid who noticed things like that...)

The funny thing is the covergence cloverleaf is broken between the green and blue guns and I haven't fixed it yet. There is a liitle bit of red sticking off on the right side of the picture but not much.If I bring it into normal position the convergence gets bad.I think someone tweaked it to the way it is...lol.

I was thinking of tieing the 2 sections together with one of those locking cable ties and doing the convergence since the convergence works so good so far.Is there a better way of fixing it short of finding another convergence assy?

[sampson159]

tie wraps are good.i used them exclusively

[JCFitz]

Originally Posted by dieseljeep

LOVE IT!!!!!! Great picture. Is that the original CRT? Looks like a low hours set. I see the original 3DG4's. They look like Tung-Sol sourced. Power transformer is massive in that chassis.

It is the original 21FB22 manufactured in the 43rd week of 1961. All the tubes except the damper are Zenith and I assume the originals. Availability of 3DG4 in the future kinda worries me.I need to stock up on a few if I can find them.Definitely need to get the old filters outta there.Can't afford a short with those tubes and that transformer which is probably unobtainable.

I also think it's a low hours set due to all the original tubes and the underside of the chassis basically untouched.The chassis is very clean.No rust or corrosion anywhere and only a light coating of dust/cigarette smoke deposits. Wonder how the cabinet got so beat up?Since it's a basic black cabinet it should be fairy easy to fill in the gouges and refinish though.

With all the original tubes in there and apparent light usage kinda makes me wonder if Zenith was hard on damper tubes.I was once given a Zenith 20YC38 chassis Zenith that had sat for years unused because the damper was arcing inside. All the tubes were Zenith and CRT strong.I sold that set when I could sell a console tv for $100 or more.Kinda wish I still had that set.

[JCFitz]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

I like the picture on that set too. Are those two pictures from OTA signals or cable? If OTA, you must be in a good area for reception from the two Salisbury network stations (channels 16 and 47), not counting the several PBS stations you can receive from Delaware and elsewhere in that area.

When I saw that your set uses two 3DG4 low-voltage rectifiers, it reminded me of my Zenith K2739 1963 23-inch console b&w TV (now long gone after 41 years). My set also used a 3DG4 as an LV rectifier and had fins on the power transformer (yours doesn't seem to). I note this because the 3DG4 seems like an oddball tube that would be difficult to find a replacement for if it burned out or (gasp! ) shorted, to say nothing of the fact that most TVs of that era used one or two 5U4s or 5Y3s as LV rectifiers. I think Zenith may have been the only TV manufacturer that used a 3DG4 in that position in the set.

Do color sets of the '60s draw that much more current than newer sets that they require two LV rectifiers? Yours is one of the few sets (color or b&w) I've seen in all my years of electronics experimenting that uses two low-voltage rectifiers, in addition to the HV rectifier.

The pictures are from Directv tuned to TVLand.Yeah I worry about 3DG4 availaility also.

[rca2000]

Zenith and a few others used the 3DG4 as an LV rect in their sets in the'60's but ONLY Zenith used it in a color roundie--AFAIK and ONLY in this chassis. From what I have seen the 3DG4 is not too hard to get. Zenith in particular used it in a LOT of their BW sets till about 64 or so. right now--there are a number of 3DG4 tubes on Ebay, not to too high, either.

I have virtually the same set as you--though mine is a lighter cabinet. Same layout--no remote, and so on. And like yours--it "sorta" works, and my tube is NOT that good. But my set is nearly ALL original and I keep it in my climate--controlled basement. Somewhere this site, are a few pix's from my set, running a few years ago, from A New years celebration and a Def Leppard Laserdisc too. I drove from Cincy to SC to get my 29JC20 at the end of 2002. It was on Phil's radio site for sale then, pretty cheap.

[Username1]

I'd trade my unrestored ctc5 for your unrestored Zenith...........