This TV is a testiment to Samsung making high quality stuff, even in their basic models!

It's a basic TV with mono sound and no AV inputs, but the picture tube is still very strong. (made in December 1994. Zeniths from that era have awful tubes, as most of us are aware of :) )

The TV came with the remote, which works pretty good. This TV has two features which REALLY stand out for me:

It brings in local channels with no antenna attached. Here's a couple screenshots:

Channel 20: (normally need a loop antenna or a small piece of wire)
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o121/mrx3750/samsung1.jpg

Channel 62: (normally need a paperclip)
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o121/mrx3750/samsung2.jpg


The other feature is that there's actually a fine tuning ability, like on the older dial TV's! You can use the remote to fine tune the channels!

Man, if the 2009 switchover wasn't going to happen, I'd keep this TV even though it's only a 19 inch TV and doesn't have AV inputs. I'll probably eventually sell it... but I think I like this TV already.

People throw out such nice TVs. I'm a fan of Samsung also. My first tv ever was a 1982 13" color with remote.

Too bad about 90s Zeniths. I wouldn't judge them based on that era though. Was this set made in Taiwan or Korea by the way?

Hm. The info on it says it was assembled in Mexico.

I've seen a few of those Samsung's over the years and that one was a decent set. Mostly just had the usual power supply and vertical problems that all sets have. I you decide to sell it, now is the time. I can't give away a 19" set anymore. In fact, I can't hardly give away a 27" set. You should just keep it and just use a modulator and a converter when that time comes.

In the early 80's I used to see a lot of 12" B&W and 13" color Samsungs with bad flybacks and the build quality was not that great either. They have come a long way though. Our living room TV is a 27" Samsung CRT HDTV. We have had it for two years and it works great. Only the digital reception is poor (probably not the fault of the set). Today I would definitely recommend Samsung. If that set you have is that good, keep it and put a converter on it. Used TVs have no resale value today. In the late 1980s I used to be able to get an easy $25 for a 12" B&W after I had gone through it and made it look and work like new.

That set looks great. I live in Los Angeles in a very strong signal area and I need to have some sort of antenna to get anything. I have satellite so the change to digital is not really an issue for me but I plan to run my present TVs till they die and that seems to be a ways off!! Long live the CRT.

I'm going to keep the TV, at least for a little while. The presence of the original remote helped me to come to this decision. I got it set up in a room I use fairly often.

An RF-input-only TV sold in 1995? Very surprising, I had no idea they were still available that late, especially in a size bigger than 13". '95 was the first year I remember seeing TV sets "surprisingly cheap", when Fry's put a 13" remote-control, cable-ready TV on sale for $100. It was a brand-X set (Starlite/Randix), and I had to go through three of them to get a good one, but I still have it and it works like new.

I have a 27" '99 RCA and a 27" '98 Magnavox that are both RF input only TV's.

I've even seen a few stereo TVs with RF only.

Family member has a 25" RCA from 1997 with rf-only too

A new development with this TV:

I took the remote control apart to clean it, as some of the buttons needed to be pressed pretty hard to make contact. I then tested all the buttons. The remote worked beautifully. The last button I tested was the power button. The TV turned off, but it won't come back on... not even pressing the power button on the TV will turn it on...

Interestingly, around the same time, one of my compact flourescent bulbs fried itself. I think I had a bit of a power surge...

Check the AC fuse in the set and the diodes in the power supply. You may have just gotten lucky and end up with a blown fuse.

No, the fuse isn't blown.

TV's very clean inside. A cursory inspection hasn't turned up anything burnt looking yet.

EDIT: I removed the fuse to test it. It tested good. I put the fuse back in and plugged the TV back in, and now it's working...


EDIT 2: Turned it off with the remote, then tried to turn it on again and it won't come on now. O_o;;

Can you hear the relay click when you turn the TV on? If not, it's probably a loose connection or a failing cap in the stand-by power supply. I've seen loose connections of the relay itself in some sets. If you hear the relay click, it's probably in the power supply or horizontal circuit.

I hear a sound when it comes on. I'm sure it's the degausser sound though. I do hear a click I think.

Just plugged it in and tried it again. It turned on fine. I turned it off, then immediately tried to turn it on again and nothing. Seems like if it's left unplugged long enough, then plugged back in, it turns on fine.

When it won't turn on, there is no noise at all, no click, nothing. It's like the TV is unplugged. There are no bulgy caps that I can see.

I hope this is an easy fix. I kinda like this TV now. I could trash it if need be, but if I can fix it without driving myself crazy, I will.

I'll check and see if I have a schematic on it. It sounds like a problem in the standby power supply. It still could be a cap, even though none look buldged.

Replace C950, a 10uF, 250V cap. Yours may even be a 160V cap. Very common problem in these Samsungs. Short of that, any cap near the relay is typically suspect for high ESR.

Cheers,

Okay. I'll take care of it sometime after the holidays. I don't have an ESR meter, so I can't test caps. Anymore likely suspects?

I've seen the relay driver transistor (Q909) fail, and the relay itself go bad - (bad contacts), but your intermittent startup is the classic C950 symptom.

Cheers,

Okay. I've been looking for C950, but I can't find the damn thing! I've found C951, 952 and 953, but I can't find C950.

Could you possibly provide a picture or a good description of where to look for it?

Um... help... please? I just sold another one of my TV's, so I actually have a real use for this one now. Still trying to find C950. No idea as to whether or not a 10uf 160 or 250 volt cap would be large or small. No idea where to look for it on the board.

That cap is probably about 2/3 inch tall, and 1/3 inch wide.

Ah, so it'd be a bigger one. That'll narrow the search. Thanks!

Still would like to know where to look for C950...

The power supply in my brother's computer had the same problem, if it was unplugged for even a few seconds, it wouldn't turn on unless you let it sit unplugged for a day or two. It was a proprietary PSU, so replacement wasn't an option. It ended up being a bad 25V Cap.

Okay I have an update for you all on this TV:

Findm keepem: I found C 950 and replaced it. That did NOT solve the problem.

Also, the cap I removed tested at 12.5 UF, maybe a tad high, but not bad.

Another update: After replacing multiple caps, I finally decided to replace the relay. I used a similar relay from a panasonic TV and BINGO!! She's turning on and off now!

I'm gonna let the TV run for awhile to make sure nothing goes POP. So far so good!

I see people set TV's on the curb all the time. Most of the time still functioning too, they just wanted something larger or newer. :dunno:

Well, this one had a problem. When I found it, it'd turn on fine, turn off fine, but then it wouldn't turn back on.

Now that I replaced the relay, it's working beautifully!

AND it has the original remote to boot!

Hi
I am currently working on the same set. The power relay will not click on mine. Any other suggestions?
Thanks in advance

Yes cap C950 was dropping the 142B+ to 67 volts and would not trigger the relay. Replacement of C950 restored the on/off action. If anyone is interested in this old thread. Yes for 14 years use in a bar it seems to be a good set. Now back in service!

I had that exact TV. used to use with my N-64 when i was really young. It had a nice picture and surprisingly good sound. The relay wouldn't click on on it either. Dont know what happent to it.

Samsung made good CRTs in my experience. My first TV ever was an '82 Samsung 13" color with IR remote and electronic tuner. Sold it at a 'yardie' in '97 for 30 bucks! Ah, the good ol days :D The elderly lady who bought it carried it home on the bus!

Also, my grandparents had a 'Mava' (KTV) brand with Samsung tube and tuners. That one was mid-to-late-80s and lasted a long time too. Probably still on somewhere....gave it away after they passed.

And my dad has an early 90s Sammy 19" thats always worked nicely.

Good sets.

The biggest problem I ever had with Samsung sets was the flybacks would sometimes blow up without warning. This problem seemed to be common on the mid to late '80's sets. I've also seen a few of the last knob tuners from '92 or so with weak CRT's. Otherwise, they worked well. Many years ago, someone gave me a Samsung 13" color TV from the late '70's. I repaired some simple problem (don't even remember what it was) and let an older lady that I know have it. To my knowledge, it's still kicking.

I had an '86 KTV knob tuner 13" color TV that was a dumpster find. It just needed tuner cleaning and it made a good bedroom TV until I got a bigger set. I think it had a Samsung tube and Toshiba semiconductors. It was a well built TV to be a junk brand and it had a nice picture to boot. It's funny how many of the '70's / '80's "junk brand" TV's were superior to the current "junk brand" TV's. I sold it a few months back for $20. I guess I should have saved it. Oh well, I hope the buyer gets a lot of use out of it.

It really is crazy, how much better the budget sets of the 80s were to the crap of today. That 82 Samsung was considered low-end when it came out, at least compared to a Sony or Zenith of its time....yet it probably still looks decent somewhere, unless they killed it for an HD set.

They say Samsung makes a good DLP set....my aunt has a big one and to me, the colorwheel artifacts are too noticeable.

Samsuck USED to be good...
Most times on those older sets, look for "ring joints" AKA bad solder connections on things like power resistors, relays,, transformers and any transistors/ICs on heat sinks. Thermal stressing from years of heating/contracting takes its toll on those solder joints.
And yes, electrolytic caps start to weaken after 5 years or so.
It's all part of normal aging.

I'm sorry I bought a Samsung HD back in 2005, it's got an issue that pisses me off. Samsung customer service sucks, and treated ME, an experienced tv repairman, like I was some sort of idiot.
I'll never buy anything of theirs again.... for sure.
Google "Samsung SlimFit" problems" and you'll find a HOST of people complaining about the same set.
They've got issues with their DLP sets too, good luck getting service on them.

I should have gotten a Panasonic....LOL

I recently saw the inside of a later model Panasonic 32" flatscreen CRT set; and, it was one of the better built sets of the modern era and had a nice picture. I think I'd probably give them a try if I were to buy a new set (which I don't plan to). I think Panasonic actually improved over time. I wasn't too crazy about their '80's sets. Lots of bad solder connections, bad flybacks, weak CRT's, or a combination of the three.

Someone I know recently brought over a big Samsung DLP set that they found at the dump. It was one of those deals where they thought they could get it fixed for $20 and have HDTV. I had an understanding when they left it that if I don't fix it; then, they would come and deposit it back in the same can where they found it. Once I opened it, I found missing parts, etc. It was evident that a previous repair tech had been in there. And, it looked cheap made to boot. To make matters worse, they did not come haul away their garbage. I had to dispose of the beast.

I also had a Samsung DVD/VCR combo given to me DOA. The switching transistor in the P/S was shorted and a new one brought it back to life; but, it still didn't work worth a flip. I used it until it died again and then I pitched it into the can. I didn't even bother to open it a second time to try and fix it. I don't remember the model; but, the customer reviews were terrible.

Our bedroom TV is an early 90s Samsung 13". When we got it there was a noticeable flyback whine, bad enough that my wife felt she was ripped off. (she only paid the guy at the flea market something like $30) Eventually it went away. Perfectly good little set.

My stepmother has a Samsung LCD; looks pretty good on digital but on analog it's almost unwatchable. But Dad & her love it. Maybe all those flatscreens look like that with analog? I don't have much occasion to watch them. Anyway, I was talking to a TV repairman friend and he was telling of the terrible tech support from Samsung. Typically they get transferred several times, put on hold for a long time, then hung up on. He mentioned having one of their LCD sets brought in recently (I think it was a Samsung) and he has yet to figure out how to get the back off! And this guy has been in the business forever.

Can't get the back off? I ran into a Dell LCD monitor like that. I started to use a hammer; but, I remembered that it belonged to a friend and he might be upset if I broke it.

Back around 1990 I bought a 20" Samsung that was on sale locally. I wanted it because it was the lowest priced set I had seen at that time with stereo sound. I got the first one home from the store, unboxed it, and it was DOA. Hauled it back to the store, got a replacement, took it home, same thing: DOA. I got a third one that finally worked. After I had it for a while I went to dispose of the box that had been in storage and I noted that the s/n printed on the box had been removed. I suspect those sets were refurbs of some sort but never bothered to pursue it.

The set worked well for about 8-9 years but the picture began to dim near the end and I finally replaced it. I left it on the curb with the remote and someone took it overnight. My set would have been older than yours, since you have the current Samsung logo on yours while mine had the earlier block-letter logo without the ellipse around it.

For over a year I had a Samsung 32-incher, I think it was a TXK32-something made in 2000, that was assembled in Greeneville, TN. It was in the garage until a couple of months ago, when I sold it - no issues with it.

I am a bit curious on what happened to the Greeneville facility? I thought it was a Philips plant at one time.

A small American-owned company took over that plant from Philips and produced sets under contract for others, including Samsung. Congress passed a tariff on imported TV sets (maybe just from China) and the proceeds were to be distributed to the American TV manufacturers. Of which there was only one, these guys in TN. This has been several years ago and I think the bill might have gotten killed. I remember reading that without it the company didn't see how they could survive.