Rca Ctc-15

[tubesrule]

Looks like Andy beat me to it

[Charlie]

Thanks guys... I am going to continue with the assumption that it's good.

During all of this, I did discover a 100k resistor connected to the focus coil that was way off... it was reading 16k. Hmmm... maybe this was the reason the old flyback kept getting so hot after running it for a while.

[Charlie]

I got the new flyback installed today, and so far, all is looking good. No bad surprises when I fired it up, and it has been running a little more than an hour with hardly any heat at all. There is a slight warmth, but feels like it should be normal. Nothing compared to the heat the old flyback was putting out! Currents at the HO tube and HV regulator are all within spec and steady. Focus voltage is good, too.

Can't say much for the picture right now. The crt this thing is currently connected to is very weak and has severe cataracts. The raster fills the screen and the color is working, so that's all I can say for the picture.

As of now, this chassis still has all of the original lytics in it. I have been debating whether or not to install the new ones. I probably will.

The cabinet is ready for stain, so, i'll start on that tomorrow.

At least my flyback troubles are solved!

[polaraman]

Charlie,

I still need the convergence magnets. Plus the ring with the slides that goes behind that. My set would be complete then. Have just replaced the vertical output transformer in mine. I just got outbid for a CTC 15 in maryland.

What year Duster is that? My folks had a 72 lemon yellow twister with a 318 and 3 speed combination. It had the houndstooth interior. I want to get one and recreate my parents car.

polaraman

[Charlie]

Originally Posted by polaraman

Charlie,

I still need the convergence magnets. Plus the ring with the slides that goes behind that. My set would be complete then. Have just replaced the vertical output transformer in mine. I just got outbid for a CTC 15 in maryland.

What year Duster is that? My folks had a 72 lemon yellow twister with a 318 and 3 speed combination. It had the houndstooth interior. I want to get one and recreate my parents car.

polaraman

I'll be able to fix you up with those items.

The Duster is 72. Houndstooth with a yellow exterior? Man I bet yall had to wear shades whether you were in or out of the car!

[veg-o-matic]

Not meaning to hijack the thread or anything...

I learned to drive on my dad's '74 Gold Duster. Had the 318. Lotsa power but no traction.

Color was "Tahitian Gold" (metallic brown, really) with the snakeskin half vinyl roof. Interior was white with horizontal earthtone stripes.

Looking back at the old ads, Plymouth made a big deal about how compact the car was. Always seemed like a bigass land yacht to me. Heaven forbid I'd ever have to parallel park it.

[Charlie]

Yeah, they aren't much for traction with any V8 and standard width tires. You need to have AT LEAST 70 series tires to be able to grab the pavement. I think mine had E78-14's on it when I got it. They lasted a week (and that was after rotating them at least once).

[Charlie]

Still making progress here! Got all of the sanding finished on the Beauchamp cabinet and just completed staining it. Next will be the varnish. That will take forever! Varnish, sand, varnish, sand, varnish. Oh well... it will look good by the time it's all done!

In the meantime, the chassis has been running for the past five hours straight and monitoring currents and heat at the flyback. All is good there.

[Carmine]

Charlie, you are gonna have to start photoshopping that Duster out of your pics! It's a scene-stealer!

[polaraman]

My parents 1972 Duster Twister was a dealer ordered car. It was supposed to attract attention to the dealership. It was lemon twist yellow, Black vinyl top, black side stripe, houndstooth interior with black trim. All other interior components were black. 318 with a 3 speed on the floor with a bench seat. I have only seen one like it. It was a 1971 with all the same options except it was a 225 slant 6. I was tempted to buy it but it was hammered on the left quarter. It would have needed a whole new body. All the parts were there to duplicate my parents car. I am going to Big Daddy Don Garlits Mopar show tomorrow. It at his Drag Racing Museum in Ocala Florida. Yee hawwww!

[bgadow]

Not long ago we finished up on a Dart GTS; that customer's friend has now brought in a Superbee. His son may be bringing me a Duster (I'm pretty sure thats what he said) and maybe also a 65 Fury Wagon! All pretty interesting compared to the usual Camaro's and Chevelle's. I don't remember many Mopars from my youth, nobody close in the family had them. One uncle, who lived near DC, was always a big Mopar man and I recall it was a real novelty to ride in his Plymouth wagon instead of our Ford or Buick. I mostly remember my cousin's Valiant, with the concave back glass. My Dad had a Mach 1 clone he built, my cousin bought it from him and really trashed it.

[cork]

Charlie,

How is this for what was going on with the hot flyback--internal arcing short in the winding that goes down in resistance as the thing heats. The power soaked up in the short causes the HV to drop; the shunt requlator in turn tries to stabilize the HV by lowering its current, as you noted. Your mention of the hot spot on HV sort of cinches it. You need an IR non-contact thermometer as well as a non-radioshack VOM. Both Simpson 260's and Triplett 630s use a battery of the 15 to 22 volt size on the hi resistance ranges. They work great for testing all kinds of semiconductors.

Corky

[Charlie]

Hey Cork...

That sounds like a pretty damn good analysis! Yeah that HV regulator cathode current was dropping down gradually as the flyback was heating up gradually. I knew the two had to be related, but wasn't quite sure how. Your theory fits like a glove! Thanks!

Well, have to admit... both of my multimeters are from the Shack. I've had one of them for several years, and the other I got recently. Usually, if i'm in a hurry and need something quick, I'll go there because it's less than three miles away. So far, i've been pleased with these.

I actually do have a Triplett 630 that I got from one of the old WW2 tankers I used to work on. I hardly use it because it already has one crack in the Bakelite case from someone being rough with it. It works great, but I need to buy some more leads for it. Also have a Heathkit IM5228 VTVM, but, it seems I always grab the RS meters... i suppose because they're smaller and easier to grab.

BTW... how is your roundie coming along?

[cork]

Charlie,

The 630 is definitely worth saniitizing if it doesn't have a broken front panel. The old 630s had a 6KV range on them, which was plenty useful for working on old 7 inch ES tube sets. I can send you a new 630 case if you want to fix that one up. Triplet is still very much around and can help with parts. The only thing bad about the 630's was the plastic meter face which, in dry climates, could get enough charge to drag the meter needle just about anywhere on the scale. You have to be careful to discharge them with your breath when they will not zero or are aking wierd.

The roundie is coming along. I had to finish up the Halllicrafters T54 first; it could soak up as much time as you want, correcting all its many little probs. I posted a test pattern for it a while ago on "EArly B and W..". It will be kind of a pleasure to get back to RCA stuff. It seems like RCA, in the early days, had things way better worked out.

[Charlie]

Hey guys,

I came up with a neat idea that I wanted to share with yall.

How many times have you guys had sets with "raised" lettering on the front and the paint was all worn away? If the lettering is all worn away, it really takes away from the appearance. I've had sets like this a bunch, and once I tried using one of those paint pens you find at the craft store... but ended up making a mess because I'd get more paint on the letters than needed.

This morning I was noticing that the raised letters on this 15's faceplate were completely rubbed off. At first I thought I'd try some masking tape with paint on it, then figured it would be a mess. Later, it occurred to me to use a cotton swab. I took some silver spray paint and sprayed it in the bottom of a paper cup... just enough to dip the swab in. Then, I lightly dabbed it on the lettering. It worked great! Dab it very lightly... if you use too much pressure, it will squeeze too much paint from the swab and run down in the cracks of the letter making it look messy. I found this to be much easier than a paint pen, and you can use stuff you probably already have at home.

I've included some photos below. Sorry the focus is a bit off... time to buy a new camera. Looks like one of them will need a second coat, but it still came out pretty good. I'll do my Halolight next cause it has the SYLVANIA letters on the front that need some white on them.

Perhaps someone has thought of this before, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Does really good for detailing those raised letters and giving the front of your set a fresh look.