I found this in Craigslist, I'm going to look at it this weekend. Is it a system 3? anything i should look out for on this chassis? thanks, Logan

http://nashville.craigslist.org/ele/1032073271.html

That's one of the last single knob tuned Zeniths from around '84. It will likely use a 9-181 main module and a 9-186 HV module. These can be a pain to work on, especially if they go dead. Not one of Zenith's better chassis, IMHO. I wouldn't give much for this one.

I agree with the above. Having owned 2 or 3 of the 9-181 mainboard sets, I know that the pix quality isn't as good as the earlier chassis' . However, they are better than the new CRT sets but that ain't saying much.

I have seen some from that era that will knock your socks off. Back when I briefly tried to play tv repairman I did work (if you could call it that) for a used furniture store and he had a whole lineup of these. They were all dead and I never managed to fix either one of them.

Thanks for the info, based on the reviews i think i will pass on this set as i am limited in storage space. Logan

I have seen some from that era that will knock your socks off. Back when I briefly tried to play tv repairman I did work (if you could call it that) for a used furniture store and he had a whole lineup of these. They were all dead and I never managed to fix either one of them.

It finally got to the point where my troubleshooting would end with basic power supply checks and a check of the start-up pulse. If this didn't do it, I junked the set. I spent too much time pulling hair out and ruining modules back when these sets were actually worth something. I never did like that chassis and neither did any other TV man in the area. I remember one that would half-way power up. I pulled my hair out finding the problem. Turned out to be a shorted lytic cap inside of the digital tuner. I think it was a 2200uf , 35V cap. If someone has a good troubleshooting procedure for this chassis, please post it so we can all see. I might feel better about these sets if I acutally knew a way to troubleshoot them without losing my religion.

Really, the type of picture on these sets will depend on the CRT. The early versions had a tri-pot tube like what the original system 3 used. Those produced a sharp picture when working right. The picture was not near as good, IMHO, when they went to the more current style inline CRT.

Does anyone remember the Zenith consoles from the same time period as this one that used a direct access non-cable ready tuner with red LED readout and a pull-on/volume knob? I think this style of tuner replaced the single knob tuner.

Here's an easy way you can determine what chassis is in one of these without removing the back:

1. If it has an AC interlock and a circuit breaker, it's a Chromacolor (or older) set. Save it!

2. Looking at the cabinet back, if the AC cord enters on the left hand side of the back, it's likely a 9-160 based (or a 9-153) System 3.

3. If the cord enters on the right side of the back, it'll have the 9-181 (or newer) chassis.

Good tips! I've been tempted by some 80s models but I just don't want to start bringing them home to stay. Yesterday I was in Goodwill and amongst the BPC they had one digitally tuned 19" System 3 for $15. Tempting, yes, but I left it there.

I had a 13" Zenith portable TV with single-knob 18-position electronic tuning. Bought it new in 1982. It had a good picture then and kept on going for the next 17 years. It was still working and had an excellent picture when I moved in 1999 (had to give it up, as well as a 1979-'80 Zenith 13" 83-channel portable, because of space issues in the apartment I moved to). However, I think the RCA CTC185 I bought when I moved here (and my 1995 Zenith Sentry 2) makes a much sharper, clearer picture than either of the Zenith portables, simply because by the late '90s the delta-gun tube, which is used in both sets, had been abandoned in favor of inline CRTs.