Setchell Carlson Roundie save!

[WCF720]

Part of me hoped another collector would have saved this set, and after a week, I caved in and rescued it! Meet the new addition to the heard, one 1964-65 Setchell Carlson “Early American” designed cabinet, crafted from hard Maple. I’m not 100% sure of the manufacture date, my best guess is ’64-65, the Sams Photofact is dated 1965.

Setchell Carlson (SC), was a standalone company unrelated to Stromberg Carlson. For me, SC is a unique company for several reasons. One, I live in Minneapolis, and the set was made in a neighboring suburb of Minneapolis, New Brighton. They also had offices in St. Paul, I’m not sure of the corporate history. Bart Setchell started his first company in 1928 which was called Karadio. He invented the vibrator supply for car radios making heavy battery supplies un-necessary. In 1930 he formed Setchell Carlson with his business partner, Don Carlson from the Karadio Company. The second point of interest to me is in ’49 SC invented the use of modular construction for their line of Black & White sets, which followed into the Color TV production. Setchell was a creative soul and held over 100 patents. To the best of my knowledge, SC ceased TV production in the early 70’s.

Take a look at the attached pictures, nothing has been done to clean the set, it’s as I found it. Take note of the modules which are held in by screws and a joining connector of some sort. Clever, and you can effectively remove each module to service the various functions of the set; IF, Sound, Video, Horizontal, Vertical, Power Supply, and Chroma. Interestingly enough, the sales brochure boasts the TV will still function with the Chroma module removed, you just view a Black & White picture. Very clever indeed!

I also like the audio circuit design using push/pull outputs (6GK6, similar to a 6BQ5) feeding a two speaker design. Note the speaker array; one with a C16L (6” woofer), and C16H (6” tweeter). I never knew tweeters were supposed to be of a 6” design! Time will tell what it sounds like, but I’ve heard good things from other collectors. The rebuild should be easy with each module being built with point to point wiring, no circuit boards to get baked by hot tubes or failed resistors. In reading other threads on SC color sets; I’ve learned that the circuit was basically an RCA clone, using some of SC’s tweaks. It’s said that the SC sets produced some of the best picture quality in the industry, good enough that RCA sent engineers to visit SC to see what they did to make such a good picture. That is what I read on the internet, believe what you want.

It’ll be a fun restoration; I’ve already located a set of replacement knobs from a fellow VK’er. I’ll keep a picture story board of its progress and I’ll continue its story once work begins.

[RDusel]

That's a neat set. I love the modular construction.
I have a 50's Setchell Carlson 17" B&W and it's a great performer as well.
Good luck with the roundy!
Rob

[TUD1]

That's a nice looking set. Indeed a very intersting chassis design.

[dieseljeep]

No UHF! 1963 or early 1964.
I wonder if they owned the firm that made the speakers?
Originally Wright-Decoster, later Wright-Zimmerman. I only saw their speakers in S-C products.

[Steve K]

Here is the dealer sheet showing what I thought was your set. However, there are only two knobs on the bottom and not three like your set.

Steve

[jr_tech]

Very interesting, intelligent design! How does the speaker board lock in place, or does it just swing down with a gentle tug?

jr

[Steve D.]

Originally Posted by Steve K

Here is the dealer sheet showing what I thought was your set. However, there are only two knobs on the bottom and not three like your set.

Steve

Great save.
Might be interesting to match up Steve K's dealer sheet model #'s with the model # on your set.

-Steve D.

[Jeffhs]

The CRT looks like it has a very severe cataract. Remove the safety glass, however, and the tube should be fine, if the emissions of all three guns are within normal range. The TV itself looks very good for being 52 years old, although it will need the usual overhaul before it can be used on any kind of regular basis. No telling how many defective capacitors are in there. I wouldn't power it up until at least the filter caps in the power supply have been replaced, although for optimum performance every wax capacitor in the set should be changed.

[miniman82]

I wonder why no one else jumped on it? I'd love to have a set like this, mainly because I don't have to lug an entire chassis around to recap it! Good save Bill!

[Kevin Kuehn]

Thanks for posting the pictures of your new SC set. I think you may have a 3C64-E Early American Consolette as pictured on page 2 of this brochure. They list the models at the lower right. Basically it's in the same cabinet as the picture Steve posted.

http://www.earlytelevision.org/pdf/S...n-brochure.pdf

[edit] I just noticed the cabinet dimensions are likely different and they mention only one speaker for the Consolette? But the front panel looks like a match. Normally Setchell Carlson has the model number stamped on the back cover.

[wa2ise]

Originally Posted by WCF720

Setchell Carlson (SC), was a standalone company unrelated to Stromberg Carlson. ... SC ceased TV production in the early 70’s.

Setchell Carlson (or was it Stronberg Carlson) made video monitors back in the late 70's. I once worked, back in 1979, for a dive of a small company that used such monitors in machines that took photos on Xray film of video from CAT scanners in hospitals. It's how I got involved in the video and TV electronics industry. But it was just a standard issue job at a typical company that made a boring product.

[Steve D.]

Originally Posted by Kevin Kuehn

Thanks for posting the pictures of your new SC set. I think you may have a 3C64-E Early American Consolette as pictured on page 2 of this brochure. They list the models at the lower right. Basically it's in the same cabinet as the picture Steve posted.

http://www.earlytelevision.org/pdf/S...n-brochure.pdf

[edit] I just noticed the cabinet dimensions are likely different and they mention only one speaker for the Consolette? But the front panel looks like a match. Normally Setchell Carlson has the model number stamped on the back cover.

Notice that some models in Kevin's brochure except the consolette and the OP's set have 2 knobs, as Steve K. pointed out. And some have 3 knobs below the main control panel. Perhaps earlier & later production models or even different production years?

-Steve D.

[Electronic M]

Had I known that was for sale I'd have bought it. If the CRT is good I'd trade you for a working wood grain metal cabinet tabletop CTC-20 roundy, a working '67 color remote admiral console, and or a half a dozen other sets. PM me if you are interested.

[Olorin67]

there is a 3c65EA model in my 1965 brochure, that is similar but not identical to yours, yours is probably a year earlier. S-C usually had the model year in the model number.
they had 3 series of color models, contemporary, French Provincial, and Early American, and in each one of those categories there were 2 models one slimmer one with just a little speaker below the controls, and one with a wider speaker panel for a bigger speaker, and a deluxe version with large speaker grilles on either side of the picture tube. Looks like yours has the slimmer cabinet, but the speaker is below the screen. Great find! I'd love to have an S-C color set, but I'd have to beat Tom to it. I have a 1955 21" top tuner set, and 2 late 60's School 23" B&W sets.

[Olorin67]

I like where they put the convergence controls, these sets are truly a serviceman's dream.