Panasonic CT-98D Hybrid Tube Color

[maxm]

This was a recent estate sale find. Looks to have been a higher end table model with a real wood veneer cabinet (the Japanese companies seemed to keep wood cabinets on their table televisions and radios longer than the US companies), lighted channel numbers, auto fine tuning.

I can't see evidence of service, but the back had been off in the past, as many of the screws are missing. All original tubes, one tested weak.

Instant on set, so CRT is a bit weak. Still makes a pretty good picture, but controls and tuner are very dirty and need to be cleaned to get stable color.

Chassis seems to have been built around the electrolytic cans. They are installed horizontally under the HV cage. They can't be accessed from underneath because of a metal shield on the bottom of the chassis. Their terminals are buried under a bundle of wires. One appears to be leaking, so it will be a big project replacing it. Chassis overall is somewhat messy, with multiple "air terminals" and wires all over the place.

Another interesting piece of electronics history. I would think the US companies were still selling most of the color sets at the time this set was made, though moving towards foreign components and assembly. This set appears to be 100% Japanese, it appers Matsushita made many of the parts themselves, most are marked with their logo.


-- Max

[maxm]

Additional photos:

[maxm]

Additional photo:

[Username1]

Beautiful tv ! Panasonics have a really clean design look on the inside.....
Love those two cooking tops a lot of early Japanese sets have....

.

[zeno]

This chassis is most often seen in a plastic cabinet. Pannys
were the most serviceable Jap set so there is an easy way to get at
the cans. MOST the time important screws were red. I dont
see any hear but look around. IIRC a few screws let you pull
the chassis back & fold down the color/IF board. A very
solid set.

73 Zeno

[dieseljeep]

One of my Brother's neighbors had a set like it, badged "Penncrest", A JC Penney brand. The lady worked there.
It needed the large white focus drop resistor. The Penney's service center had it right on the shelf, so it must've been a high failure item. It was a kit with another resistor, that had to be changed at the same time. At least, it has a high voltage focus CRT, that aged a little more gracefully.
BTW, I think Panasonic built sets are the only ones that used the 25HX5 vert output tube.

[Jon A.]

Man, that's a sweet set. Sounds like a good project.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Username1

Beautiful tv ! Panasonics have a really clean design look on the inside.....
Love those two cooking tops a lot of early Japanese sets have....

.

Are you referring to the two large wire-wound resistors?
I have the smaller sibling to the set. The code-date on the back is late 1971 and it still has those big, old style resistors. The CRT type number starts with 270, which makes it around 11". I uses some of the same odd-ball tubes that the set shown uses. The horiz out and damper is smaller, but if does have the 25HX5. The CRT is low voltage focus, as well.

[BigDavesTV]

A very good find! This chassis looks almost identical, tubes and all, to my 19" Panasonic, model CT-397, (made around '73 or '74). Of course mine has the woodgrain looking plastic cabinet, that wooden cabinet style is very nice! Decent picture, also, CRT looks quite usable still.

[drh4683]

Very nice set, Max! This was at the sale in Skokie. I'm glad you were able to save it and clean it up. It looks great! Thanks for the pictures.