So I'm starting work on a Predicta Pedestal I got last year, took it apart and started cleaning the Plastics.

First off the screen is cracked and it's a stinker, so smelly I've had it wrapped in plastic to keep the stench out of my room.

No problem, I plan on using the screen from one of the spare Holidays I have but I noticed that the Predicta Logo is at the top on the Pedestal and at the bottom on the Holiday? Is this always the case or is it just a running change?

Also noticed while trying to sand out what I though was oxidation, that the plastic housing that covers the rear of the tube is painted a lighter shade, the Holiday version isn't painted at all and is the regular pinkish/tan color, the Pedestal seems to have several coats of paint, lighter and more yellowish, perhaps to match the top of the cabinet better?

Painting it would actually be a whole lot easier than sanding and polishing the whole thing.

I just wondered if these variations are peculiar to the Pedestal or just year to year variations?

I assume a running change of some kind. I've had both styles.

For cleaning the screens and getting rid of that horrible smell, Castle makes a product called Plexo, it's a spray cleaner for plexiglass. It was first designed to use on aircraft windshields, works like a charm :)

I just checked my sets and they're the same as yours. Pedestal - logo at top and painted. Holiday logo at bottom and not painted.

I'll order up some of that Plexo. I used some Novus #2 and #1 on mine which helped but they're still a little stinky. Especially on warm, humid days :yuck:

Interesting, at least it'll be easier to paint the housing than to buff it out, provided I can find some paint the right color.

As far as the logo I guess I'm stuck using what I have.
My Holiday has a nice screen, it just needs a little polishing but it's not a stinker.

I experimented with the stinky screen today, the inside was completely covered with white moldy stuff, however it simply washed right off in our parts washer.

I can buff the face to a high shine with the headlight buffing materials but since it's cracked also I won't bother now, I might do it later since a cracked screen is better than no screen and I may put it back on the Holiday or offer it to someone who needs one.

Well since I'm staring to go full steam on this set I changed the title of my post to reflect that.

After my near disaster with my good replacement CRT (got it mounted up OK.)
I decided to retest the original CRT from this set, well not original, original but a replacement 21FDP4 dated 1961.

A little history on this set first, I bought this set and a Holiday off eBay from a local seller about 6-8 months ago, they are both in fair-good condition, complete except for some of the knobs, (the Holiday has it's original antenna!) the price of $300 for the pair and local pick up made them a bargain.

Both CRT's checked bad at first, I gently rejuved one of them, not sure which one but probably this one.

Tonight I retested it, I can't get the G2 to adjust so I just put it in the middle, at that setting it tests very good, even when I drop the heater a couple volts it takes a while to go down so I think this tube will make a good picture, with two good CRT's I should be able to make two good working Predictas, one Holiday and one Pedestal, that's the plan at least.
I have a second Holiday that I am going to use for parts, it's kind of a hack anyway. I'll still be short a few knobs I think but one step at a time.

After I pulled the chassis last night I noticed the speaker was torn to bits, I though I had done it by letting the controls shafts get to it, I was mad for being so stupid.

I felt better somewhat when I discovered it was torn when I got it, someone at some time had shoved something through the grille and trashed it.

I'll probably get it reconed if I can't find an exact replacement.

What is it about speakers that drives people to shove sharp objects in to them?

Even at Thrift Stores (or especially at Thrift Stores?) the first thing that happens is the dust caps get pushed in by idiots.

Pictures: Speaker, Grille damage, Shot of chassis still installed.

Purists may cringe, but I'd be tempted to patch that speaker cone with tea bag paper and service cement, and see what it sounds like. These sets do not have hi-fi audio under the best circumstances. Maybe a patched speaker will sound as good as a new one.

Phil Nelson

I have used window caulk and coffie filter to repair speakers that were roached. but most any speaker from an aa5 raddio would probably work...

Definitely try to patch it. Personally, I use Aileene's tacky fabric glue.
You can dilute it with a little warm water and brush it into into the entire paper cone. Once dry, it will be strengthened and pliable.

P.S. I'll be starting on my Holiday just as soon as I clear a few radios off the workbench.

My "Holiday" Predicta has the logo at the top of the screen faceplate, but I got this set as a "legless wonder" that someone has commented my have originally been mounted on a roll-around cart.

After looking at some reconing prices online I'll probably just patch it, or replace it.

I mostly just wanted to keep it looking stock/original but I've done the coffee Filter thing before when I had to.

I have lots of speakers, possibly not in this size though, 8 inch I think.

The Predicta logo is at the bottom of the screen on my pedestal....As for the stinky screen, mine was so caked with that white mold that it was practically covered in the stuff but mostly on the outside of it. I filled the bathtub with some warm water and gently cleaned it with some dish soap. The smell had faded away and the screen still looks good!

I've used liquid electrical tape for speaker repairs. Dries quickly and stays flexible. Comes in a screw-top tin with a brush attached to the top.

Fun, fun, fun.

I spent the whole afternoon working on the chassis for this set, I installed a new Thermistor, replaced all the paper caps, checked and replaced any resistors on the PC board that were out of spec, not many were and not by much but I changed them anyway.

I was able to repair the push on/off switch by taking it apart and cleaning and lubing it, don't know how long it'll last but good for now.

As it stands I have no high voltage and the plate of the HO glows red if I leave it running long enough, the Fly looks OK (as Predicta Flys go) I get the 175 volts to pin 4 of the HO tube but I don't get the -45 on pin 5, more like -.5.

I checked for the 175 volts at pin 2 of the Couplate (K6 on the schematic) and pin 6 of the H Osc tube, it's there, the 260 volts going to pin 1 of the couplate is there also but nothing coming out of pin 7.
I don't really understand how that thing works but it looks as if the -45 volts to the HO tube comes from the Couplate, if all the other voltages are correct then is it bad?

After a little more poking around I think I may have an open Horiz Frequency coil.
I don't have the 175v at pin one of the 6CG7, I don't have it at either end of the 15k resistor R62 either, I do have B+ on two of the connections on the HF coil though.

Checking this will of course require lifting the board again. :drool:

1. Temporarily disconnect pin 4 of the 12DQ6, HOT. That will save the tube while troubleshooting other circuits.

2. The hor freq coil is a two terminal device. It is possible it is open. Short it out with a clip lead. The circuit will run without it, but will be unstable.

3. If you then get -45 volts on 12DQ6, pin 5, then reconnect the screen voltage and look for a picture. Bring it into sync using the hor frequency adjustment. It is usually mounted near or the rear part of the hold control.

4. If the coil is open, carefully remove it and look for a broken wire from the coil to a terminal lug. Otherwise, look for a replacement coil.

Hi Don, tried what you said and jumped the coil, that brought back the high voltage so the coil must be open, possibly I nicked one of the wires while working on the board and can fix it, if not I have a spare chassis though I hate to start taking parts off of it.

I have a junk Philco Seventeener, i wonder if it uses the same coil?

Other issues noted, a very scratchy Horiz Hold Pot, possibly an open Height Pot since it jumps from a 3" band to full height at a certain point, tearing in the picture suggesting it needs Filters and it's very unstable in both directions.

Wow! But you've got it making a picture that's great! I have those pesky scan lines at the top of my raster too no matter what the source is... :scratch2:

My Linearity Pot would open up at certain spots and create all kinds of havoc, and I had to dedicate a pot mounted elsewhere to correct it. The contrast portion has completely opened up so I've got to get creative with that one also. What is it with Predicta's and their controls?

Once you've gone through the vertical and if you're having problems getting the height and Lin correct it may be the 10DE7 tube. They can check good and one may not be like the other in circuit. It's good to have a few and check for best results. I've got a couple good extra pulls just PM me if you need 'em.

delete - didn't see the second page!

Eric:

There are a few portables designated Seventeener. It depends on the year. Another coil will work, however you may need to change the capacitor across the coil. Make sure the replacement coil mounts correctly since two of the three terminals are shorted together on the PC board.

Let us know the chassis or model number of the donor set and I will let you know the correct capacitor value.

Try some spray cleaner in the frequency and hold pots once you get the new coil in place.

Don

Eric:

If the Philco part number is 32-4754-3, I have a NOS one I can send you. PM me with your address.

Tim, P.M. Sent.

Having a little free time I unsoldered the PC board and removed the coil, Sure enough it was wide open.

I could see the inner and outer windings were connected to the lugs, the inner winding is inaccessible beyond poking it to see if it was solid (it was) so I unwound a turn on the outside to see if I could find the break, I snapped the wire after about a turn but there was no evidence of an easily accessible break, verdict, the coil is shot and it was that way to start with (i.e. I didn't break it)

Tim has graciously offered me a new one so this project will wait until it arrives, maybe I can get in some cabinet work in the mean time.

Eric, have you considered engineering in a removable board? I have thought about that, using keyed connectors for the PCB and adding ground connectors so you can maybe work perhaps a screw method for attaching the PCB to the chassis. I know its not original, but something I would prob do if I had a hard to work on chassis. I have a princess, I would consider doing something like that if I have had to pull the chassis in the 1st place.

Dave, I have thought about that.
It wouldn't be hard at all, get about four or five 5 pin connectors with pigtails and attach them to the pins on the board, and the mating connectors spliced to the wires on the chassis, or if one was really ambitious run the wires all the way back to the point of origin and do away with the splices.

Not original but then again neither are the 30 or so new caps I installed.
Plus every time you unsolder the wires they get uglier and uglier, not too good for the board either.

there is a product I have used in the past for keyed wiring, anderson power poles, they are easy to install, and can be ganged together in a way that keys them. would be real easy just cut the existing wire, crimp or solder on and move on down to the next. after attaching them you slide them together to form a group (can be as many as you want).

http://www.andersonpower.com/products/singlepole-connectors.html

clearly overkill current wise, but easy to use.

Well hot diggity dog! it works.

I got the coil for Tim today, got home and slapped it in and tacked the board back down, didn't want to secure it completely until I know it's done for good.

Fire it up and it works, got HV and I am able to get the Horizontal to lock in, sort of.
Actually the sync was still really poor in both the vertical and horizontal, I tried another 9BR7 Sync tube, still no good, not only poor sync but a big black bar in the middle of the picture and it's squirming around like a bucket full of worms.

Thought maybe it was a bad filter so I jumped them all one at a time, it didn't make the slightest difference.

OK, what's left, bad tube maybe? I had tested all the tubes on the PC board and replaced all the sweep tubes but I never got around to checking the three tubes on the IF strip, I started tapping them with a screwdriver to see if it affected anything, it did, the picture flickered, but even worse, the 5AM8 would light up really bright for a moment.
It did this a few times and then the set faded to black and went off, OK I burned out the 5AM8 because it had a Heater to Cathode short, that's good news.

What wasn't so good was it somehow must have sent a surge through the 12DQ6 HO tube because now it wouldn't light either, this is the second 12DQ6 I've burned out in this set! :thumbsdn:

To wrap it up I took all the IF tubes and the 12DQ6 from my Holiday set, they are almost all new anyway, put them in this set and fired it up, (slowly), now it has a nice sharp stable picture! :thmbsp:
All that sync trouble was caused by a H-K short in the IF tube, if I had only checked them also I would have saved some time.

I decided to try a 17DQ6 output tube, I figured it couldn't hurt to lower the heater string voltage by another 5 volts, (it was already modified to use a 6.3 volt CRT, whatever that entails), the set works just fine with the higher voltage DQ6 and it may be a little easier on the tubes this way. My line voltage is usually around 124 volts anyway.

I still have to hook up a speaker and check the sound, hopefully no problems there. Also the Vertical Height (or Lin) control does have an open track so I can't get the vertical adjusted just right, I may try to fix it or just add a pot inside since it's hidden anyway.

Here's another picture.

A 17DQ6 is a 450 ma filament vs a 600 ma filament for a 12DQ6. That means the 17DQ6 is running with about 25 volts on its filament. Measure and verify it. It will work, but it won't last long. The models that used a 17DQ6 had an entire 450 ma string.

The filament string has a surge limiting thermistor to prolong tube and diode life. While not 2012 technology, it was not bad for the time.

Hi Don, I thought they had the same ma rating, oh well, I 'll change it back, thanks for the alert.

I put in a new Thermistor, the fusible resistor was bad however so it's running without that for now.

Did a little more tinkering, centering the picture, adjusting the Yoke and it looks fantastic!

I had to replace the 3BN6, it was weak and so was the sound, I had to do just a little tweaking on the coils and now it has great sound too.

Eric:

I have a few NOS fusible resistors laying around somewhere. I will let you know.

Don

I've used liquid electrical tape for speaker repairs. Dries quickly and stays flexible. Comes in a screw-top tin with a brush attached to the top.

You are ingenious! What a great idea that is.
I just rushed back from the hardware store with some and patched the cones of two speakers with it. They now sound like new :banana: with no buzzes or rattles like before.

Thanks!
P.S. They were spare Philco speakers for the set in my avatar.
Cliff

Just completed the electrical restoration of a 21" pedestal. The front
CRT plastic is very stinky and badly cracked. Probably why I got
it so cheap. It is the original plastic and the logo is at the top.

If anyone has a 21" plastic that is usable, I'm looking for one.
Steve

I've got the cabinet stripped and ready to refinish, the big hold up is finding some paint the right color to redo the top and front with.

Any suggestions are welcome!! :yes:

I actually had this thing nearly done, the mahogany was done and I wanted to get the painting done, that's where things went terribly wrong.

First of all I got the paint mixed at Home Depot, it's an Acrylic Enamel for cabinets and trim, it came out a little too dark but that's OK, I mixed in a bottle of Acrylic White to lighten it up.

I tried to apply it with a roller but of course this came out looking like an orange peel. Stripping that junk back off was not easy so I wound up just stripping everything back off and starting over.

It was a little too dark anyhow, I always get carried away with the toner.

I have a can of Spray Enamel in Sand color, it's a close match to the tube cover and I had almost considered using for that if I couldn't get a satisfactory polish on the cover.

Anyway I thought this might be an acceptable substitute for the light yellow it originally was, either that or I will try mixing some Yellowish toner with the dyes I bought for the Blond Philco 48-2500, I think I could spray it white and use the toner to make it the right shade, toner is a real pain to get applied evenly though and I keep going over it until it's too dark.

The other problem will be repainting the "Philco" logo across the front, decals are sold but they aren't exact and they are water slide decals, the original looked like a stencil. Well, that can be done later I guess.


One blurry photo, the dark spots are where the heat gun burned it while trying to remove that stupid Acrylic paint, before giving up and spraying it with Stripper.

The lighter stuff in the grille and elsewhere is sanding dust, I'll blow it off when I take it to work.

Finally, I've reached the point where I can live with the refinish job.

After screwing up and having to strip it down three times I managed to get a halfway decent looking finish on this thing.

Even on this third try I nearly blew it in the ninth inning.

I masked off the Yellow so I could spray the toner on the rest of the cabinet, when I removed the masking tape I found that it had etched itself into the paint! At this point I was about ready to take an ax to it but I calmed down and used a Jitterbug sander instead.

I was able to wet sand the blemishes out of the yellow (actually Rustoleum Navajo White) paint and follow it up with some 0000 Steel Wool, it came out looking great except for a couple very small spots where I sanded through to the wood, I'll touch those up with a brush.

The Toner is also a bit too reddish and too light, don't care at this point. :no:
It'll look real fine in my dimly lit living room. :yes:

The only thing I'm 100% happy with is the back, that's because I didn't have to do much to that.
I cleaned off a couple hundred tiny white paint specks and a little bit of black gunk that looked like tar, polished the whole thing with 0000 Steel Wool and sprayed on one thin coat of Satin Lacquer, it looks perfect!

Looks great Eric! Nice job!

Well you're never really done with a Predicta, or so I've heard, but I'm calling this one done for now.

I spent the afternoon putting this one back together, it's a pain to get the tube safety screen installed correctly and then getting the gold band around it.
I finally figured out it was easier to hook the gold band to the spring and then stretch it around the tube cover, carefully prying it over the alignment tabs and working my way around.

After everything was back in place I plugged it in and was greeted by a picture with no Sync at all. :no:
Since I had been banging around on it I figured it was just a tube loose or something, sure enough, jiggled the sync tube and it worked fine again, however the tube socket seems a little touchy, sprayed it out again but it's still a little touchy but I'm not about to pull the chassis again and check it right now.

The Vertical is also a little too tall because I didn't replace that bad height pot, that can be done easily at a later date.

I was able to use one of my brand new cheater cords on this one, the cord had been replaced before but they left the rivets in place so I stretched the new cord over them so it looks like it's supposed to!

Here's a couple pictures, one with the flash on one with it off, the one with the greenish picture actually represents what the screen looks like more than the bluish one, the screen cover is very Green, almost as green as a Hoffman, not sure if it's discolored over the years or if it's supposed to be that way?

That looks beautiful! Great job! Your restoration is giving me the drive to start on my own Predicta.

I have this same model waiting for a full restoration, but I'm in need of a speaker grille and a rear curved panel. Mine was missing 3/4 of the former, all of the latter. Anybody have spare cabinet parts for a barberpole?