A long time ago, I remember someone asking what Zenith did to their '90's CRT's to make them fail after a short period. I'd like to know what RCA did, starting around '99, to make their flybacks not worth a crap. It seems like 95% of post-'99 RCA's that I find have a bad flyback.

The other day, I was given a 2004 27" RCA using the ITC008 chassis. I've seen two of these before and both had a shorted HOT and bad flyback. The HOT in mine is not dead shorted, reading around 80 ohms and the flyback passes a ringing test; but, I'm changing it anyway. I ordered an HR flyback and a HOT from HBF electronics. I hope the HR flyback is still available because the last time I ordered an HR flyback from HBF, I got a call informing me that the HR and RCA part was NLA. I had to settle for an Asti brand.

Over the past year, I've had several CTC203's, ATC113's, ATC013's (a digital SD set from 2006), and M134C's come in here with bad flybacks. Most of these came from the TV shop because the customer didn't want to spend the cost of a new flyback.

If I fix the current ITC008, I'll probably stick it in the living room to replace an '85 19" Sony. My Mother wants a little bigger TV provided that I can find one that has at least as good a picture as the old Sony. Of course, I'll stash the Sony out of sight in case the RCA blows up.

Yep it's really sad what RCA became, isn't it Bryan?

They have turned into Really Constant Annoyances or Really Crappy Apparatus! :tears:

They have turned into Really Constant Annoyances or Really Crappy Apparatus! :tears:

Back in the 80's when I worked for the Smirnoff RCA Lab in Princeton, NJ, we called it the "Relabeling Corp of America". We bought VCRs from Panasonic and relabeled them "RCA"...

Speaking of RCA sets with flyback problems, I had a CTC101 that featured the comb filter. Big thing back in 1981. Anyway, the flyback in these sets had the high voltage secondary divided up in multiple sections, with high voltage diodes between sections. The initially used 6 sections and 6 diodes, but they tried to cost cut it to 3 diodes. No good, the dynamic AC electrostatic fields inside were a little too much, and the flyback would blow up...

Back in the 80's when I worked for the Smirnoff RCA Lab in Princeton, NJ, we called it the "Relabeling Corp of America". We bought VCRs from Panasonic and relabeled them "RCA"...

Speaking of RCA sets with flyback problems, I had a CTC101 that featured the comb filter. Big thing back in 1981. Anyway, the flyback in these sets had the high voltage secondary divided up in multiple sections, with high voltage diodes between sections. The initially used 6 sections and 6 diodes, but they tried to cost cut it to 3 diodes. No good, the dynamic AC electrostatic fields inside were a little too much, and the flyback would blow up...

i replaced a lot of those flybacks. rca replaced those at no charge for 2 years
customer had to pay labor. but the ctc101 had a great picture on it. steve

Well, I just blew almost $50 straight to hell! Got the new HR flyback and HOT, installed them, and the set had a great picture - for about five minutes. Then, the POS shut off and started squealing. Yep, the new HOT was shorted and the heatsink was hot as a firecracker. I had previously checked the B+ and it was not running high. Then, I checked the electrolytics around the power supply and HOT. None checked bad. Then, I received a nasty shock from the main filter cap. I said "that's it" and ripped the chassis out of the set, pulling the HV lead out of the new flyback in the process, and then threw the whole damn POS on the garbage pile.

You'd think I'd learn sooner or later. So, do me a favor, guys. The next time I get on here with some POS modern TV and mention that I'm ordering pricey parts to fix it; remind me that the TV really is a POS and I'd just be throwing my money away and that the amount of money that I'm planning to spend on that TV can go towards paying bills or buying a "real" piece of VINTAGE "meant to be repaired" electronics!

Let me tell you, TV repair (or should I say modern TV repair) is ceasing to be fun anymore. I don't remember having such problems back in the '90's when I was still repairing a fair amount of TVs from the '60's up until the late '80's. These newer TVs are cheaply built and they are running the major components to the limit. If the slightest thing goes wrong with the circuit, something blows up. In the old sets, circuits were designed with greater care and parts were not ran to their limit. When something went wrong, it was usually noticed in the operation of the set.

I've got another 31" CTC203 RCA with a brand new flyback and HOT sitting on top of it. It's been sitting there for 2 or 3 weeks and I can't even bring myself to install the parts because I'm afraid we'll have a repeat performance. Yes, I know about the loose drive coil and the bad flybacks; but, this will probably be the one set that will have some oddball problem.

Dunno what to say... I'd probably pass up a post 1999 RCA unless it had something simple wrong with it, like a broken coax connector.

No such RCAs here, but the rule I live by with questionable sets is no new parts. If I can repair it with parts pulled from scrap chassis fine, otherwise it just sits here until another set of the same model comes through or I get sick if the sight of it. If the later happens before the former the chassis is pulled for the parts pile and rest is dumped (usually it's after this point that a 2nd set shows up needing a CRT, but I've only got so much space).

I've been finding that it's the "better" sets that give more trouble in this respect than the bottom of the range crap. I've almost completely given on up certain Sony's (flybacks, CRTs), Loewe's (CRTs including my own personal set which was the only set I've ever bought new) and all rear projection sets.

Other sets are in the middle ground. Various Sharp and Panasonics that are decent sets and relatively easy to repair, but they don't sell for enough over the price of the typical chinese crap set to justifiy the cost of custom ICs that aren't used in anything else.

I've had my 2002 RCA 25" since new. Never had a thing wrong with it. I opened it up once a few months ago to clean the dust buildup on it and I was surprised to find that the tube was actually made in the USA. Probably one of the last decent RCA tube sets.

I've had my 2002 RCA 25" since new. Never had a thing wrong with it. I opened it up once a few months ago to clean the dust buildup on it and I was surprised to find that the tube was actually made in the USA. Probably one of the last decent RCA tube sets.

Yours probably uses a CTC203 chassis. The main problem they had was a poorly soldered coil in the horizontal drive circuit. The result would be intermittent HV and a shorted HOT if the problem was not quickly corrected. The 31" and larger sets tended to eat flybacks at an alarming rate.

Yours probably uses a CTC203 chassis. The main problem they had was a poorly soldered coil in the horizontal drive circuit. The result would be intermittent HV and a shorted HOT if the problem was not quickly corrected. The 31" and larger sets tended to eat flybacks at an alarming rate. Yeppers, it is a CTC203. Yikes! Well so far so good with my set. It has somewhat low hours so I hope it lasts a long time. There's a 1998 32" RCA CTC187 in the living room that's worked perfectly for the last 10 years. The only RCA I've ever had trouble with was a 1988 possibly a 20" that would periodically turn on and off change channels and turn the volume up by itself.

I have had nightmares with the newer RCA ATC and ITC chassis. They usually die from CPU failure. The set starts to appear haunted. On and off by itself, channels change, etc. Then dead from HOT failure. Changing the transistor will start the haunting and the set will die again soon. I only take them in when they exhibet vertical failure. I have seen many on the side of the road making house calls. Won't even pick them up.....

Speaking of...

Beta toploader VCR's of the early 80's that were badged RCA, Sears, etc... were actually Sony's..
Remebmer those huge toploader Beta's that had the funky woodgrain plastic and the rotary tuner VHF UHF knobs?

Back in the 80's when I worked for the Smirnoff RCA Lab in Princeton, NJ, we called it the "Relabeling Corp of America". We bought VCRs from Panasonic and relabeled them "RCA"...

Speaking of RCA sets with flyback problems, I had a CTC101 that featured the comb filter. Big thing back in 1981. Anyway, the flyback in these sets had the high voltage secondary divided up in multiple sections, with high voltage diodes between sections. The initially used 6 sections and 6 diodes, but they tried to cost cut it to 3 diodes. No good, the dynamic AC electrostatic fields inside were a little too much, and the flyback would blow up...

Actually I was a little kid then.. About 3 when my dad bought one.. That would put it at about 1979...

I don't think RCA ever sold a Beta-format VCR back then, relabelled or not.

I've got a circa 32" ATSC tuner ATC010 chassis RCA with a bad flyback and HOT. And, I've had a few "run in's" with post 2000 RCA's in the past. Most of them are junk that would make a Funai look good. I'm probably just going to trash it and save myself a headache. The TV shop has one that has an arcing CRT, which blows the HOT. PURE JUNK!!!!

I have a funky woodgrain, knob-tuned Sears beta, built by Sanyo. Still works well!

One of the manuals I saved out of my Zenith pile is for their version of the "Watchman". (least I think that is what it is) Looks to be the one with the weird "flat" picture tube. Figured somebody might want that.

One of the manuals I saved out of my Zenith pile is for their version of the "Watchman". (least I think that is what it is) Looks to be the one with the weird "flat" picture tube. Figured somebody might want that.

Do you mean the one I posted about in this thread?
http://videokarma.org/showthread.php?t=212586

NOTE: I don't know if it's just me or everyone is experiencing this, but the old thread above isn't showing the pictures I uploaded with it. Yet I can't reupload the same pic here. Can anyone else see the pics in the old thread above?

I see links to the pictures. When I click on them; I get a message saying that I'm not logged in or don't have permission to view this page.

i replaced a lot of those flybacks. rca replaced those at no charge for 2 years
customer had to pay labor. but the ctc101 had a great picture on it. steve

Oh yes.... The IHVT-KIT. I must have done 1000 of those. The CTC-108-109 had flyback problems too, but not nearly as often (or guaranteed fail, I should say), as the 99-101.

I've been out of the business for 5 years now, so I haven't had the joy of getting to know any of the mid-2000s sets. Some day, I'll get blindsided by a friend in need, so I'll have to somewhat keep up on them, I guess.

Charles

Oh yes.... The IHVT-KIT. I must have done 1000 of those. The CTC-108-109 had flyback problems too, but not nearly as often (or guaranteed fail, I should say), as the 99-101.

I've been out of the business for 5 years now, so I haven't had the joy of getting to know any of the mid-2000s sets. Some day, I'll get blindsided by a friend in need, so I'll have to somewhat keep up on them, I guess.

Charles

At least on those older RCA's, you had a good TV once the flyback was replaced with the improved part. On the newer RCA's, you've still got a POS TV, even with a new flyback.

Do you mean the one I posted about in this thread?
http://videokarma.org/showthread.php?t=212586

NOTE: I don't know if it's just me or everyone is experiencing this, but the old thread above isn't showing the pictures I uploaded with it. Yet I can't reupload the same pic here. Can anyone else see the pics in the old thread above?

Yep, that's the set.

And, nope, I can't see the pics, either. There are a lot of old ones I need to try and find and repost. I need to get the hang of posting them to the photo hosting part of this site then linking from there. Seems like an easier way?