Who built the best SOLID STATE color chassis ?

Rules:
Must be US or Canadian made. ( we will do Jap sets later)
Can have a tube for HV rectifire but otherwise solid state.
Any screen size.
Any age.
If you dont remember the chassis # describe it.

Rate one as best but also comment on the best from other makers.
Also indicate if you are/were a pro or hobbyist or both.
Lots of commentary encouraged :banana:
Please dont forget the little guys like Philco, Warwick, W-G etc.

From an old pro & arm chair hobbist.

1) The Zenith flat chassis.
You will have to pry the 22-5001 caps out of my cold dead hands.
Physicaly the ultimate in quality & dont fall short on anything else.
In a category by itself.

Honorable mentions:
Admiral M30 ? chassis.
Super clean modular chassis, underrated. Put in a Zenith jug & you got an awesome pix. Just when Admiral started making great sets again
they were put down:tears:

Magnavox C-1 chassis.
The two board chassis, early 80's.
A pleasure to behold both inside & the pix. Even the cheap models
looked as good as any. NEVER junked one.......


73 Zeno:smoke:

Zenith by far made the BEST solid state color sets hands down(flat chassis). Someone will chime in a chassis number

Zenith by far made the BEST solid state color sets hands down(flat chassis). Someone will chime in a chassis number
25DC56 :) (Mine :D)

I'd like to see an example of a SS Admiral set. I have a NOS remote and sensor kit for models with the RA suffix.

Also the 25DC58 and the 25EC58. ALL of these have the VRT transformer power supply.

RIGHT below these are the 25DC57 and 25CC5. They do NOT have the VRT--instead series pass regulation. Otherwise--they are just like the 25DC56 set.

RCA XL-100, CTC-68. I have two. Easy to service, and outstanding performers.

25DC56 :) (Mine :D)

I'd like to see an example of a SS Admiral set. I have a NOS remote and sensor kit for models with the RA suffix.

I have come across a few in the past. ALL of the following were cold chassis sets.

M50, IIRC, was the last decent one, with a VRT power supply and it often was used in digital tuning models.

Then there was the M25 set--it had series pass regulation, and was "kinda " a flat chassis, but all modular. I had one about 31 years ago, in an Airline set.

The M30 was like the M25, but with a VRT transformer for magnetic regulation instead of series pass.

And let's not forget the RCA "flat chassis" sets. CTC 40, 44, 47.

While not QUITE up to the Zenith quality--they are NOT bad. MUCH better than most other sets at the time.

And the Magnavox 'flat chassis " sets, the T979 and T989, deserve "honorable mention" too. As does the VERY rare Sylvania E01 and E02 sets. I have only seen ONE, in my lifetime. A flat chassis SS set, 1971, 1972.

I have come across a few in the past. ALL of the following were cold chassis sets.

M50, IIRC, was the last decent one, with a VRT power supply and it often was used in digital tuning models.
I neglected to mention, my remote is ultrasonic with a RAT keypad, so yep, digital tuning.

Also the 25DC58 and the 25EC58. ALL of these have the VRT transformer power supply.

RIGHT below these are the 25DC57 and 25CC5. They do NOT have the VRT--instead series pass regulation. Otherwise--they are just like the 25DC56 set.
IIRC the other change was audio. The C lines had the same audio
as the hybrids using the shielded 150-??? SIF/det/ soldered in assy.
Changed to an upright card style pcb ( 9-???). And maybe some day we will
find the truth on the mysterious B line chassis......

73 Zeno:smoke:

flat chassis zenith,rca ctc68,sylvania d-16,magnavox t995,sylvania e-45,zenith vertical chassis,g series,sylvania e-48.these were all good performers.the sylvanias were plentiful here so i saw many of them

All aforementioned Zenith, RCA and the Magnavox T995 BUT... don't forget the Philco "Boss" Chassis 2CY90, 3CY90,

All aforementioned Zenith, RCA and the Magnavox T995 BUT... don't forget the Philco "Boss" Chassis 2CY90, 3CY90,
Another one on my bucket list, a Star System set. A 19" screen set with the T991 would be great too.

i have the first star system.t995 set with bicentennial cabinet and remote.25v crt and it looks and plays like new

I have three of the updated-style Star System remotes. I was looking for one for quite some time, then three came along a very short time apart.

...

Two simple words to know from Zenith, ChromaColor II. The best USA Solid State TV Chassis bar none.

I see at least two mentions of the RCA CTC-68 chassis here, but I worked on several of those in the early 1980s, and I thought they were just average. The two big issues I saw (limitations of the design as opposed to service problems) were: "Edge enhancement" in the video (basically, vertical edges in the picture had boosted contrast compared to other non-edge areas), and less-than-ideal HV regulation (meaning, the size and/or position of objects on the screen changed depending on the overall brightness of the content on the screen as a whole).

Honestly, I saw a lot of both of these problems on many American-brand color TV sets in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as another common issue, bright objects on the screen (such as white lettering) going out of focus if the contrast got set beyond a certain point. I just NEVER seem to have seen those problems on at least one foreign brand of TV set that I will mention when the "Best imported chassis" discussion starts.

Here's one of my CTC-68s during replacement of a few caps that looked ugly, that ended up fixing my convergence issue. Note that basically, it's almost identical in design to a CTC-53 tube set, with solid state components. In fact, I'd be willing to wager that it WAS adapted from a tube chassis.

http://www.videokarma.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=180581&d=1383704131

Unlike tube RCAs, though, after replacement of a few caps that were blistered, I had no problem getting the convergence spot on and it's been fine since. Best of both worlds IMO. Performance wise, there's nothing that'll blow your mind about the picture, but it's been a good reliable television for me for over a decade.

Japanese TVs to me are much like Japanese cars. They're extremely reliable, and extremely forgettable :eek:

Yes, most import TVs in the vintage era were generic workhorses, lacking character. There are a number of exceptions to this of course.
My opinion, which I'm entitled to.

I don't collect old TVs to use as reference monitors in an editing lab. A little blooming or less-than perfect convergence is not a major criteria for me when collecting old color sets. I have modern stuff for that (CRTs but with tighter tolerances for performance).

You nailed it right there, and that's primarily the reason I got out of tube color. With the noted exception of roundies, the viewing experience with most (if not all) tube color sets is no different to me than watching any CRT TV.....

My vote goes for the flat chassis Zeniths, followed up by the Sylvania "Super Sets".

You nailed it right there, and that's primarily the reason I got out of tube color. With the noted exception of roundies, the viewing experience with most (if not all) tube color sets is no different to me than watching any CRT TV.....
Maybe your opinion of tube color was tainted by that basket case RCA console as well? :) If Razzies were awarded for TV design, the tube color RCAs with PCBs would be right up there with the 90s Zenith sets, maybe higher up as those Zeniths sometimes had decent jugs from other manufacturers.

It's interesting how everyone has their own preferences - to me a tube colour tv with a rectangular picture tube is the best form of tv out there, I enjoy my tube colour RCA with printed circuit boards more than any other tv
I have owned. I also don't like watching a roundie so much, I miss what's going on in the corners... What I really want to come across is a pristine ctc17.

Those RCA tube color boards tended to dry to a crisp in short order. Maybe cabinet ventilation was better on some, or different PCB material was used on later examples, no idea really.

Although my flat-chassis Zenith is considered the best of the best in color sets, I'd probably enjoy a Maggie T995 Star System console more.

I think that's a sort of generalization... my 1968 vintage CTC-38 has circuit boards which look basically like new, and the TV has an awesome picture with all original parts except a few replacement tubes. Sure I will have to change 6GH8s again at some point, but so what, I probably use it 6 or 7 hours per week and at this rate it should last a long while. It gives me a nice warm feeling to look behind it and see all those tubes busy doing their jobs, and then look in front and see myself enjoying 21st century media with very little compromise on such ancient technology.

That's what I like to do. If something's useful by today's standards, no need to replace it.

Perhaps a little off base here, but my vote would be for the Tektronix 650 and 670 monitors. High quality, industrial strength construction, excellent convergence, American built but with Sony Trinitron CRT. Best of both worlds IMHO. Saw several of these still in use at transmitter sites that had been left on 24/7 for *years* that still looked good, in the last days of analog transmission.

jr

A RCA CTC169 has been one of my favorites since they came out. Love the picture when the CRT is good. Power supply caps were a problem as well as the tuners sometimes. I always marveled at the vertical stage in that set.
I personally liked the dreaded Sears "Warwick" solid state once I got used to it. The owner of the shop where I was at the time literally hated those sets!
Also liked the Motorola chassis that used the "JA" panel.

A RCA CTC169 has been one of my favorites since they came out. Love the picture when the CRT is good. Power supply caps were a problem as well as the tuners sometimes. I always marveled at the vertical stage in that set.
I personally liked the dreaded Sears "Warwick" solid state once I got used to it. The owner of the shop where I was at the time literally hated those sets!
Also liked the Motorola chassis that used the "JA" panel.
I thought I was the only one that liked the CTC169 ! A little awkward
to work on but always had a killer pix when done. Best modern RCA
by far, if pix is important the best RCA period.
Agree with your boss on the Warwick 19" SS, sorry..........
As for Quasars with the JA I remain neutral. Only saw a few & of course
they both needed JA's.

73 Zeno:smoke:

The comment regarding industrial Tektronix monitors reminded me of another great brand-Conrac. My RHB19 Conrac was a studio set with a lot of hours on it. a 1975 model, with a Rockwell branded USA made CRT. Its chassis was built almost like a tube set, all metal construction with high-quality PCBs.
It took a minute for the crt grayscale to finalize, but I personally ran the thing for days on end with no shift in performance. Contrast and chroma gain could be jacked up with no bleeding edges. It also had a cool underscanning feature, which would create a " postage-stamp " sized image on demand. Lost it in hurricane Sandy.

On the other hand, regarding the 'tube heat on printed board' debate, I had a '66 portacolor with all its original tubes, bought from the original owner, who claimed it never needed service. The CRT 11SP22 was real weak in terms of brightness, and a member here shipped me a new one. After installing and aligning it, the set produced a fantastic picture, with the original tubes-on-pcb design. No cold joints on that board, and it ran hotter than most tube stuff I've used.

In regard to the moto JA sets....I think the biggest problem is that techs were NOT used to a SMPS power supply back in 1971. It must have been a LOT of fun checking a board over, finding a shorted SMPS out transistor, changing it , and applying power, just to hear that POP!! the instant you powered the set up--due to a shorted load or stuck oscillator. Keep in mind--these guys were still seeing totally tube sets EVERY day....and any SS sets was still strange to them.

Today--that JA SMPS power supply is old-hat--and most of us who have worked on sets for the last 30 or so years would find it's circuitry pretty familiar--and easy to deal with. A relatively simple forward-mode switcher, with horiz. rate locking. I recall fixing a few JA sets, one was a 19 incher. Have NOT seen one in over 25 years though !!

I guess it's hit or miss with sets such as the CTC38. Seems they got some undeserved bad PR like the Pinto/Bobcat duo did. Lots of other cars at the time were just as likely to burst into flames when rear-ended.

In regard to the moto JA sets....I think the biggest problem is that techs were NOT used to a SMPS power supply back in 1971. It must have been a LOT of fun checking a board over, finding a shorted SMPS out transistor, changing it , and applying power, just to hear that POP!! the instant you powered the set up--due to a shorted load or stuck oscillator. Keep in mind--these guys were still seeing totally tube sets EVERY day....and any SS sets was still strange to them.

Today--that JA SMPS power supply is old-hat--and most of us who have worked on sets for the last 30 or so years would find it's circuitry pretty familiar--and easy to deal with. A relatively simple forward-mode switcher, with horiz. rate locking. I recall fixing a few JA sets, one was a 19 incher. Have NOT seen one in over 25 years though !!
The transition was interesting. Started with Zeniths & Admirals first
since we sold them. Others were referred to other shops that sold that
brand. RCA was next due to numbers & proved easy. Then Sylvania,
GE & the rest of the US sets. Jap sets were next in the late 70's.
At first nobody liked them including me. After a few years I never
wanted to see a tube TV again & left them for the old farts. Much easier
to deal with & the recall rate fell to near zero.
You are 100% on the SMPS. The first JA set I saw I had no idea
what it was. It even looked strange...... I started trouble shooting it
but the boss stopped me & got a board at Moto Boston. Said by the
time I got it going I could fix five other sets & not do anyone any favors.

73 Zeno:smoke:

I think the Motorola Quasars deserve an honorable mention. When I was growing up my folks had one of Moto's last ones (~1976) that kept chugging along into the early 90's. IIRC the story of it's death and a vid of a similar set (mine might have been a hybrid) is in the what I want link in my sig. It was a good set, and it may have ran a few more years if I wasn't so curious as a kid... It was about as good as my hybrid Zenith CC set is now performance wise.

...

PCB damage by ham handed techs seems to account for most of the problems I have seen as well, but I have run into some that had a lot of crysalized looking solder and a few with really bad tube sockets (literally crumbling). I prefer to work on unmolested pcb, but if its been hacked then not so much. I ran in to one where jumper was used to aid in a tube ground, it was soldered to the center post of a tube socket on the pcb, the other side still had the alligator clip, attached to the metal chassis. I love my 26DC56 zen SS set, its so well built. My sylvania SS seems to have a better pic but that may be just because I have not spent a lot of time messing with the zen setup.

If we REALLY want to get honest with ourselves....then the flat-chassis SS Zenith sets we love--ALL of them...including the BW sets with plug-in boards--are actually a "hybrid" between hand-wiring and PC board construction , as more than half the circuitry, most of the low-level stuff--is on those boards and the power devices all plug in.

If we REALLY want to get honest with ourselves....then the flat-chassis SS Zenith sets we love--ALL of them...including the BW sets with plug-in boards--are actually a "hybrid" between hand-wiring and point-to point wiring, as more than half the circuitry, most of the low-level stuff--is on those boards and the power devices all plug in.
True, just no burnout-prone tubes to deal with. Also, the dura-modules are too small to flex from heat. The transition time was then, and Zenith did it best.

I liked the picture the RCA comb filter chassises (CTC101, CTC111, CTC121, CTC131) produced. Though the CTC101 had that infamous flyback.

So the CTC110B in my 1982 RCA doesn't have the comb filter?

True, just no burnout-prone tubes to deal with. Also, the dura-modules are too small to flex from heat. The transition time was then, and Zenith did it best.


IOW_--the BEST OF BOTH WORLDS !!

It is no WONDER we all admire them as much as we do...and of course a nearly indestructible tube helps too!! Kinda like the "3800V6" of tv sets !!

And though not color--the "tin can Zeniths" as they are called here--find a special place in my desires too. I have several of them, including I think 3 SC sets and a couple "bug eye" models. Altogether--I think I have 10 or so of them.

Face it...until the mid-1970's..Zenith was in class by ITSELF-- as far as tv's-and for that matter console stereo chassis_ were concerned. Their regular radios are NOT that special though, compared to tv's and stereo chassis...

So the CTC110B in my 1982 RCA doesn't have the comb filter?

It may. A LOT of them after the 101 had them and likely nearly ALL of the 131 and after high-end chassis, like the CTC-169 do.

True, just no burnout-prone tubes to deal with. Also, the dura-modules are too small to flex from heat. The transition time was then, and Zenith did it best.

Prone might be a bit harsh. My daily driver sets usually only need tubes replaced every couple of years or more, and usually it's the horizontal output or some other high power tube. Signal tubes seem to be rather long lived.

My 16 inch zenith chromacolor hybrid portable needed two tubes in 20 years of ownership and lots of use - the burst oscillator and the RF amp in the tuner. Tubes have been pretty kind to me.

Prone might be a bit harsh. My daily driver sets usually only need tubes replaced every couple of years or more, and usually it's the horizontal output or some other high power tube. Signal tubes seem to be rather long lived.



I cannot TELL you how many old sets I have seen with most of the power tubes (horiz, vert, video HV rect and audio outs) ALL original, particularly BW "tin can Zenith sets". LV rect tubes--(5u4, 3dg4, etc) NOT as often..

For all I know my 12CB12ZX chassis Zenith could have all of its original tubes. I still need to open it to check the connections at the terminal board.

I liked the picture the RCA comb filter chassises (CTC101, CTC111, CTC121, CTC131) produced. Though the CTC101 had that infamous flyback.


Of the numbers you named..ALL but the 131 are HOT chassis sets-- I did not and DO not like hot sets very well.

And the 131 uses a finicky SMPS supply that WILL whack the Switch out transistor if ANYTHING is off in its ckty. I have a pair of the "cube RCA " table model sets with the 131, both work "somewhat" AFAIK. I do NOT have a dimensia set though and want one.

For all I know my 12CB12ZX chassis Zenith could have all of its original tubes. I still need to open it to check the connections at the terminal board.


I KNOW mine did, back in 'the day (1980-81. But that was over 30 years ago too..)

I think the Motorola Quasars deserve an honorable mention. When I was growing up my folks had one of Moto's last ones (~1976) that kept chugging along into the early 90's. IIRC the story of it's death and a vid of a similar set (mine might have been a hybrid) is in the what I want link in my sig. It was a good set, and it may have ran a few more years if I wasn't so curious as a kid... It was about as good as my hybrid Zenith CC set is now performance wise.

I remember the tech I went to work for when I was in high school had a Motorola/Quasar "Works in the Drawer" console at his house that had very little service on it since he bought it. When he retired in 1991, he was still watching that same TV.

THe odd thing is, he never turned it off. It stayed turned on day and night for years, and just kept on chugging along. It finally quit in the early 2000's, and he had to replace it. When it stopped working one day, he just drug it out to the street for the trash man and bought a new one. He told me he never even took the back off it to try and fix it.

I suppose he figured he got his money's worth out of it.

Of the numbers you named..ALL but the 131 are HOT chassis sets-- I did not and DO not like hot sets very well.

And the 131 uses a finicky SMPS supply that WILL whack the Switch out transistor if ANYTHING is off in its ckty. I have a pair of the "cube RCA " table model sets with the 131, both work "somewhat" AFAIK. I do NOT have a dimensia set though and want one.

An RCA Dimensia....now there's a blast from the past. I remember they were great performers, but pure hell to repair. I only had a few come across my bench, but remember pulling out my hair over every single one of them:sigh:

My CTC-121 was a superb performer. It was the type with the drop down door on top and tone controls/stereo sound and on screen display. The CRT shorted however.