View Full Version : Wall of Zeniths


Adam
02-26-2011, 04:17 PM
I'm about to start working on the 2 leftmost consoles, the others are all restored and working. All that's wrong with the one on the left is the remote not working, the middle console has trouble with the vertical.

bandersen
02-26-2011, 06:11 PM
Cool photo :thmbsp:
Good luck fixing them.

Electronic M
02-26-2011, 07:28 PM
Cool zeniths! If 2 of my 4 were not on a diferent wall and dismantled in the garage respectively I'd take a photo of the four and post it. I'm amazed how many space command equiped models you have! I just have one that I got off the ETF clasified free section a few months back. The fellow I got mine from is a real class act, earlier this week he stumbled across the original instruction manual and sent it to me free of charge!

Tom C.

Adam
02-26-2011, 08:07 PM
That's not even all of my b/w Zeniths. I have 9 total, all working except for those 2 consoles I previously mentioned. The b/w metal table models are my favorites. I'd like to eventually see if I could find one for every year Zenith made those.

my metal table models:
'60 17" SC300
'61 19"
'63 19" SC300
'66 19" SC300
'67 19"
'71 23"
and the 3 consoles:
'60 21"
'61 23"
'61 23" SC300

compu_85
02-26-2011, 08:10 PM
I'd love to stop by sometime and view your collection :) Do you have a tube tester? I can't find mine anywhere :(

-J

Adam
02-26-2011, 08:17 PM
You need to test some tubes? I've got a Sylvania 220, a Superior TV-11, and a Sencore TC-28 with a busted meter.

Adam
02-27-2011, 04:21 PM
Well I've been looking at the '60 console. It turns out the actual problem with the vertical was the vert lin control itself. There were a couple of dead spiders stuffed in there, and it seems they were pulling it apart, There was a ball of fine wire in there which I think was unravelled from the control itself. Either way, you turn it, and it just goes from basically open to shorted with nothing inbetween.

The set also had the usual 60 cycle hum in the picture, so I know I have leaky electrolytics in the power supply. I'm just going to recap while I'm in here, electrolytics and the few "bumblebee" caps that are still in here while I'm at it.

radiorich
02-27-2011, 07:05 PM
Hello Adam,
Very cool I think I may have the very far right top zenith in my collection some where.
I do have a later 50s like 17 or 19in zenith tabletop thou.

Rich

Adam
03-03-2011, 09:53 PM
I recapped the '60, and put a new vert lin control. I got sound and picture but no sync, horiz or vert, but the freq is not way off on either, the picture just slowly drifts side to side and top to bottom, won't lock in. Anyway, I located the problem to be a bad 22k 2w resistor affecting the sync separator tube, unfortunately I don't seem to have one, I'm going to have to order one and wait for it to come. I miss the days when you could just buy this sort of thing locally.

Tubejunke
03-04-2011, 01:05 AM
. It turns out the actual problem with the vertical was the vert lin control itself.

This looks like the perfect home for my much talked about beautiful 58 or 9 24" Space Command. I have told its story so many times that I might get fragged if I go through it again. Long story short I recapped the Zenith and I have not been able to get vertical height of more than maybe an inch or two. I think that it was a factory defect as the set looked as if it had hardly ever been used when I got it. All original tubes and no evidence that the back cover had ever been off. When I got stumped on the vertical issues I lost interest and could not even GIVE the set away, so I have been trying to find someone particularly familiar with that generation of Zenith chassis and typical problems with them. I have only heard that they were great performers! That only rubs it in for me knowing that I have a "great performer" in great shape, with a nice big screen that I can't even use! :scratch2:

Reece
03-04-2011, 11:21 AM
Nice wall of Zeniths. Open a showroom, sell them like hotcakes!

Adam
03-04-2011, 06:32 PM
The '61 console is working, I recapped it, but all that really wasn't working with it was a couple weak amplifier tubes in the remote receiver.

Adam
03-10-2011, 08:35 PM
All 6 working now.

old_tv_nut
03-10-2011, 09:13 PM
Wow - nice

stromberg6
03-10-2011, 09:29 PM
All 6 working now.

Hope I can find a nice 21 inch B/W set that will produce as nice a picture as your Zeniths :banana:. Thanks for the pics!
Kevin

Tubejunke
03-11-2011, 01:31 PM
Hope I can find a nice 21 inch B/W set that will produce as nice a picture as your Zeniths :banana:

Would you like a super nice 1955 (ish) 21" Magnavox floor model? Beautiful original survivor. It got put to the side a few years ago after the flyback melted down. It has a new fly, but I get an awful arc coming off of the HV rectifier lead and going to the body of the fly. I just never got around to investigating it. I had to cut and solder the lead as the replacement fly had no rectifier lead, so that joint may be causing the problem. I guess realistically Ellington is a LONG way from VA for bothering with a TV. I can't find anyone around here to swap with or donate to. I guess a lot of people here are too strapped for cash to be blowing money on restoration projects! :scratch2: