Hi,

I'm hoping that someone could help identify a TV I just got; it's a black-&-white Motorola tube TV made in 1963 (so I was told anyway). Unfortunately it no longer has any label identifying the model number. I googled the numbers still present on the chasis but came up empty.

The previous owner had replaced the electrolytic caps and damper tube and did an alignment, but it does still need a little work: buzzing on white graphics, slight pincushion, blooming (I think, if I understand what "blooming" means), picture width and height change slightly over time - heat-related maybe. Nothing terrible, it's certainly watchable.

I hope I can find a schematic. I'm a newbie at this so I'd like to make sure I know what I'm doing. I got this TV to learn on and because it reminds me of my great-grandmother's TV that I used to watch as a kid. It's kind of fun to watch old black-and-white TV shows on it with my kids via Netflix and Hulu (through my Macbook Pro and RF modulator), but the TV gets really buzzy when hooked up to the computer so I'd like to fix that.

Is it still the preferred method to discharge a CRT to poke a screwdriver grounded to the chassis under the anode cap while wearing thick rubber gloves? Any other things I should do to ensure that there's no charge left in the TV before working on it?

I appreciate any help I can get!

With Motorola, I always use chassis numbers, instead of model numbers.
The Sams folder is found under Quasar. IDK. why they did that. It only complicates matters. They should've said, Motorola. before 1974, Quasar after. Information found under Sams 688, folder 3.
I have a bit of experience with Motorola sets. You'll find tube types in that set, not found in any other U.S. built set. European tube types. :yes:

Wow - thats really an interesting set! My first set (to watch as a "Motorola minion" and later to fix in 8th grade) was dated 11M62 and TOTALLY different too, in and out! Mine has a 19XP22.
Chassis CDTS581YA, model Y19T21BE, so your model number may be similar - just back check the Sams index models to set 688

All the tubes in mine are pretty much the US types except the 6BL8 s.

Hi,

Is it still the preferred method to discharge a CRT to poke a screwdriver grounded to the chassis under the anode cap while wearing thick rubber gloves? Any other things I should do to ensure that there's no charge left in the TV before working on it?


This works. Don't forget that the CRT can build up an additional partial charge after the first time you ground it, so ground it again just before you work on it.

dieseljeep and DavGoodlin - thanks! Didn't know it would be under Quasar; great to know where to find it.

Must be Item# 123374 DTS586A01; I'll have to see if my library has it.

old_tv_nut - Thanks for the safety tip; good to know that I have to watch out for a rebuildup of charge.

Wow - thats really an interesting set! My first set (to watch as a "Motorola minion" and later to fix in 8th grade) was dated 11M62 and TOTALLY different too, in and out! Mine has a 19XP22.
Chassis CDTS581YA, model Y19T21BE, so your model number may be similar - just back check the Sams index models to set 688

All the tubes in mine are pretty much the US types except the 6BL8 s.
The TS 581 was Motorola's TOTL 19" portable model. I always thought, that was their answer to the Zenith models, at the time.
Your has the UHF tuner, as well. Great set, a keeper. :thmbsp:

The TS 581 was Motorola's TOTL 19" portable model. I always thought, that was their answer to the Zenith models, at the time.
Your has the UHF tuner, as well. Great set, a keeper. :thmbsp:

Yep, its a tank alright. All gray too, with a sweet C-cup on the back.:D My parents bought it in Harrisburg at Korvette's, so it has UHF. I need to make it a future project here!

I was able to get a copy of the Sam's Photofact schematic from our city library, but there was an error in scanning; whoever scanned it included Set 668 instead of Set 688 on the first four pages! I went ahead and ordered one from Sams itself, but it had the same problem; sent them an email and they got right back to me with a corrected schematic by the next business day!

I took out the chassis to inspect the existing caps for replacemtn, and cleaned the tube sockets and pins with electronics cleaner and tightened the pin sockets. I also replaced the HV Rectifier, Video Amp, and AGC tubes with NOS ones (GE for the HV Rect and AGC, Raytheon for the Vid Amp) I got from eBay for a few bucks.

Put it back together and there's a big improvement in the AGC (almost never buzzes anymore), the picture is sharper (more focused) and the blooming is almost gone.

Many of the caps look to have been replaced, but I still need to replace 7 old plastic-tube capacitors, so I'll have to order them. There's still a little pincushion distortion, slight blooming, and other minor issues but I'm optimistic they the cap replacements will cure these issues; can't hurt at least.

When I redo the caps I'll take it apart all the way to clean out some dirt on the inside of the plastic screen protector, and clean the tuner which is a little scratchy (though I always have in on CH4, I sometimes need to jiggle it a little to lock back onto the input from the digital adapter), and also clean the controls; volume and vertical hold are a little scratchy as are the height and linearity adjustments on the back.

The TV's working quite well at this point already though - the kids an I enjoy watching old TV shows on it like Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, the Dick Van Dyke show, and the Twilight Zone.

Doesn't look like it has the UHF option to me. looks like it only has a VHF tuner. The U on the knob doesn't necessarily mean it has UHF. I dont see a tuning knob for it or are my eyes deceiving me?

Doesn't look like it has the UHF option to me. looks like it only has a VHF tuner. The U on the knob doesn't necessarily mean it has UHF. I dont see a tuning knob for it or are my eyes deceiving me?
It's a VHF only set. The VHF sets had a large volume control knob.
The all channel sets had a small volume knob between the two selector knobs, where that small M logo is. :yes:

UHF was an option for this set; as dieseljeep says, there is a hole under the logo and some other accommodation in the chassis for a control there. The SAMS schematic does include the optional UHF tuner. On my set, the second large knob is is power/volume.

That's fine with me as there are only a handful of mexico-based channels available on UHF around here anymore, nothing I'd ever miss watching :)

Interestingly, the schematic includes a channel indicator light, though I don't see any sign of there actually being one. I haven't looked into the tuner section yet for where it might have gone; although, it's a moot point because it's always on channel 4 now anyway.

UHF was an option for this set; as dieseljeep says, there is a hole under the logo and some other accommodation in the chassis for a control there. The SAMS schematic does include the optional UHF tuner. On my set, the second large knob is is power/volume.

That's fine with me as there are only a handful of mexico-based channels available on UHF around here anymore, nothing I'd ever miss watching :)

Interestingly, the schematic includes a channel indicator light, though I don't see any sign of there actually being one. I haven't looked into the tuner section yet for where it might have gone; although, it's a moot point because it's always on channel 4 now anyway.
I looked at the SAMS on that set. It shows a 23" model. They used that same chassis in several different models. If it had a indicator light, it would have a small transformer mounted on the tuner assembly.
The set you have is the entry level model that year. The set was sold for about $130.00 at the time. A lot better set, than a lot of them, for the same money.

The TS 581 was Motorola's TOTL 19" portable model. I always thought, that was their answer to the Zenith models, at the time.


Your set uses the same sort of terminal strips Zenith used (the ones that stick up above the chassis), and I thought maybe Motorola had Zenith make your set for them.
http://www.videokarma.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=177766&d=1360306470

Your set uses the same sort of terminal strips Zenith used (the ones that stick up above the chassis), and I thought maybe Motorola had Zenith make your set for them.
http://www.videokarma.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=177766&d=1360306470

That's definately a Motorola built set.
If you look at the early 50's GE radios, they used the dip soldering proceedure as well.
Zenith used those terminal strips, a few years before Motorola did.

got a Motorola like this myself about an hour ago from Preacher friend mine...need a Sams for it also!...heres the model number 19P15BE61/CHASSIS#TS-449-09,and year manufactured 4/62...its a "Tartan"model;the power switch and tuning knob are located on the top of the set instead of the front,..any help would be appreciated!
Jody

Very nice and clean set there!

Was it not rare to see a polarized plug on sets until the mid 60's?

I think Philco used those same blue-hex shaft vert lin/height agc pot clusters.

Is that a crack in the CRT bezel? The polystyrene used during the '60s doesn't seem to hold up well. It is a neat set, though and sure looks like a Zenith inside.

Very nice and clean set there!

Was it not rare to see a polarized plug on sets until the mid 60's?

I think Philco used those same blue-hex shaft vert lin/height agc pot clusters.

The transformerless set makers started to use polarized power cords in the early 60's. They also started to switch the hot side of the power line at the same time. Less problem for U/L approval.
Regarding the blue hex shaft pots: They were made by Centralab and were also used in some RCA sets. They were a ceramic substrate with other resistors included.

I looked at the SAMS on that set. It shows a 23" model. They used that same chassis in several different models. If it had a indicator light, it would have a small transformer mounted on the tuner assembly.
The set you have is the entry level model that year. The set was sold for about $130.00 at the time. A lot better set, than a lot of them, for the same money.

It's neat to know the original price; figured it's entry level, pretty basic set, but that's fine with me! The digital converter has all the fancy options anyway :) Do you happen to have a pointer to an ad for it, or what the model name was (if any) under which motorola sold it?

Very nice and clean set there!

Was it not rare to see a polarized plug on sets until the mid 60's?

I think Philco used those same blue-hex shaft vert lin/height agc pot clusters.

Thanks! it was actually pretty dirty when I got it, but I cleaned it up with damp rags and AJAX, and took off the cover the used a vacuum and compressed air to get rid of most of the dust. I'm no restoration expert so sorry if this is really wrong somehow, but I've found that AJAX with bleach does a great job of cleaning up really filthy plastic. Obviously I kept the water away from the interior of the TV.

I used glasses cleaner for the plastic screen protector (works great for LCDs too). There are a couple of scratches in the screen protector that aren't too visible while watching TV, but are a little deep - it would probably require sanding to get them out, which makes me nervous; I've sanded and polished clear plastic before with good results, but nothing as large as this. There's a few spots of grunge on the inside of the protector as well, but probably just dirt which I'll clean off once I take the thing completely apart for the re-cap.

It's a non-polarized plug which I may convert to polarized when I work on it again.

Is that a crack in the CRT bezel? The polystyrene used during the '60s doesn't seem to hold up well. It is a neat set, though and sure looks like a Zenith inside.

Yep, it's been dropped sometime in its life (this was disclosed when I got it). No damage I could find other than the crack, though there are also a couple of small chips in the bezel which may have happened at the same time.

The guy I got it from actually found it in a thrift store - it's probably a miracle it ended up on the shelf there instead of a dumpster, being an old tube TV.

When I have it all apart I'll clean the remaining dirt out of the crack and glue it together.

Any recommendations for the best glue to use on this kind of plastic? I'm also wondering if I should use plastic filler on the chips but not sure how well that'll work out. I'll have to search the forums for plastic repair tips!

It's doing pretty well as it is so far - watching the news on it right now in fact.

It's neat to know the original price; figured it's entry level, pretty basic set, but that's fine with me! The digital converter has all the fancy options anyway :) Do you happen to have a pointer to an ad for it, or what the model name was (if any) under which motorola sold it?

I found my Motorola price sheet dated June 15th, 1962. 19" Tartan Tv. Polystyrene portable. Suggested list price, $139.88, dealer cost, $117.00.
The next model up, beige & white. $149.95, dealer cost, $125.00. It came with a MO-7, brass roll-about stand. Fun stuff!!! :banana:

I have two of these sets plus a parts set. I have not played mine for a while. At least one of them has a weak CRT. I have some 1965 Motorola portables also, one of which I play often. The chassis for the 1965 models is similar to this one. The 1965 model is a very good performer using the over the air DTV converter boxes.

From what I have seen, after 1965, Motorola(like many other manufacturers) became less interested in quality, mounting even the hottest tubes on PC boards. Zenith was just about the only exception.

I have two of these sets plus a parts set. I have not played mine for a while. At least one of them has a weak CRT. I have some 1965 Motorola portables also, one of which I play often. The chassis for the 1965 models is similar to this one. The 1965 model is a very good performer using the over the air DTV converter boxes.

From what I have seen, after 1965, Motorola(like many other manufacturers) became less interested in quality, mounting even the hottest tubes on PC boards. Zenith was just about the only exception.

Some of the higher-end B/W Motorola 1965 models were hybrids. The 1966 models were all solid-state, except the H/V rectifier. There was a hospital that had those. :yes:

I found my Motorola price sheet dated June 15th, 1962. 19" Tartan Tv. Polystyrene portable. Suggested list price, $139.88, dealer cost, $117.00.
The next model up, beige & white. $149.95, dealer cost, $125.00. It came with a MO-7, brass roll-about stand. Fun stuff!!! :banana:

Thanks! "Tartan" seems to be the key word here :) Found an ad for this TV in a scanned newspaper page online here:

http://news.nnyln.net/plattsburgh-press-republican/plattsburgh-press-republican-1963-october/plattsburgh-press-republican-1963-october%20-%200053.pdf

It's listed for $139.88 and given a model number of 19P35. They gave it a 1-year warranty - better th
an today's typical 90-day :)

EDIT: Found another ad here:
http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2011/Blasdell%20NY%20Frontier%20Herald/Blasdell%20NY%20Frontier%20Herald%201963-1964/Blasdell%20NY%20Frontier%20Herald%201963-1964%20-%200250.pdf