I spied this set on eBay described as " GE vintage television. Not working. Several of the tubes warm up but no picture. As is...maybe for parts."

Although it didn't have Portacolor on the cabinet, it sure looked like one. Luckily the seller included a photo of the tube chart which showed a 10HE chassis. That cliched it and I won it for $18. Now it just needed to survive shipping from California via UPS.

Well it arrived this evening and was treated to this when I opened the box :sigh:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/472/18975421188_a736ef553a_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/uUMZCh)

Amazingly, there's no damage :banana:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/539/18975422608_50b8557484_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/uUN13L)

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/560/18975425828_3e429503f7_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/uUN21h)

It's a model WHE5255WD. It's covered in Sams 1384-1. Does anyone have a scanned copy ?

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/408/19136861466_8d05b42ed0_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/va4qcm)

Here's a look inside. The 10ADP22 tested good but the red gun had better cutoff control than the blue or green.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/426/18542420103_57772b0ae2_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ufwKuk)

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/458/19157266412_2b79110468_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/vbRZSL)

After some poking around, I discovered the 2.5 A fast-blo B+ fuse was open.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/421/19136868156_d1e9784502_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/va4sbG)

I popped in a replacement and slowly started bring it up on a variac. So far so good.
https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3704/18976888969_27f5a84cca_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/uUVvWR)

Started getting sound and a raster around 90 volts.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/465/18540492644_206be0cca0_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ufmSwh)

Finally reception at around 105
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/271/18540491354_d5d52054bf_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ufmS93)

Here it is at a full 120 VAC. Boy that CRT resolution sure does stink :rolleyes:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/398/19157284612_4e5c984229_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/vbS6hy)

Let it play for about 10 minutes before shutting it down. Good thing too as the main filter cap is very hot :yikes:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/264/18975344360_9928ac4b4d_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/uUMAME)

Nice score and I think you have one of the later ones from the '75-'77 time period. Years ago, I had a couple of them from late-'76. I currently have a '73 model with the HE chassis; but, it has continuous UHF tuning and the channel knobs are arranged vertically.

One of the tubes appears to have a '75 date code.

The picture is looking a bit better after some control tweaking.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/388/19140596296_ae961574bf_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/vaoyqY)

What about the hot cap?

...

There is a tubular ceramic cap near the flyback. Be sure to change that since it will fail shortly. It's tucked away under the LV power supply near where the HV wire comes out of the HV cage. It will overheat and blow its top, or cause the HOT to red plate.

Actually, there are up to three Elmenco white ceramic caps in these Porta Color sets that will spew aluminum foil all over if they fail. The largest is right behind the leftmost potentiomer pair (height and AGC). It is a .1/1000V cap, C268. The other is standing on end, and in my set, was a .047/400V, C409. Both are are in close proximity to each other.

My notes also show I replaced a third one, C555, a .22uf/ 400V in the degaussing circuit, and in mine, also a white elmenco ceramic. It wasn't on the board - just trace the wires off the degaussing switch to the cap. If you have auto-degaussing, it won't be in your set.

I too have an early portacolor, A WM213HWD-3.

welcome to the PC club:thmbsp:

One of the tubes appears to have a '75 date code.

Your date codes on the transformers also scream 1975, even possibly 1976. You have one of the very last tube Porta Color sets. The 10JA came out in 76, and was the last Porta Color. The AA/AB/AC sets in 79-83 weren't marketed as Porta Color sets, and had excellent CRTs.

Now, just find a GE Porta Cool air conditioner to round out the collection!

...and please - a thread on the restoration! Good reads, chap!

Cheers,

Nice score and I think you have one of the later ones from the '75-'77 time period. Years ago, I had a couple of them from late-'76. I currently have a '73 model with the HE chassis; but, it has continuous UHF tuning and the channel knobs are arranged vertically.

Is that why I don't see a dot-triad formation of the shadowmask? I remembered portacolors with inline tubes that also had dot-triad in stead of the slot mask type thing like late type CRT's had.

This TV looks amazing. I think I am actually subscribed to your channel, should I expect a video on this set? :D

...

The only Elmenco I've found so far has already cracked it's shell. It's a 0.047. Thanks for the tips - I'll hunt for others.

A video up later today :)
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/441/19174455762_d4e0e4d88f_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/vdo6ES)

From the last photo in #1, above:

"The attractive cabinet of this television is made of high impact polystyrene to provide the ultimate in sculpted beauty."

And people wonder what was wrong with our tastes in the 70s! :yes: :no:

Amazingly, only one small chip in the front which I was able to glue back in place :)

I found a copy of Sams 1394-1 that looks awfully close to mine and used it to order up some new electroytics. http://home.comcast.net/~jlrmsousa/portacolor_bradford_wtg79814_1171d24.pdf

Here's a video of me checking out the set and powering it up: https://youtu.be/-dRL0ar3F0g

From the last photo in #1, above:

"The attractive cabinet of this television is made of high impact polystyrene to provide the ultimate in sculpted beauty."

And people wonder what was wrong with our tastes in the 70s! :yes: :no:

Amazingly, only one small chip in the front which I was able to glue back in place :)

Ease of repair via solvent welding is possibly the only advantage to polystyrene... Providing you still have the pieces to stick back into the holes. :yes:

In your video you asked where the rectifiers were. One of them is directly under R401, it's a small green blob with a gray line on one end.

I think they were rated at 600v and 1a, they always got replaced with 1N4007 out of warranty.

This may help someone else...since your's must be OK.

rrrhre2s

Your date codes on the transformers also scream 1975, even possibly 1976. You have one of the very last tube Porta Color sets. The 10JA came out in 76, and was the last Porta Color. The AA/AB/AC sets in 79-83 weren't marketed as Porta Color sets, and had excellent CRTs.

Now, just find a GE Porta Cool air conditioner to round out the collection!

...and please - a thread on the restoration! Good reads, chap!

Cheers,

The GE Porta-Cool air conditioners worked really well, for what they were.The 6000 BTU model seemed the best and they rather efficient. :thmbsp:

...

The GE Porta-Cool air conditioners worked really well, for what they were.The 6000 BTU model seemed the best and they rather efficient. :thmbsp:

Was the whole "Porta" concept born out of some GE engineer's college-student kid needing a TV for their dorm room, "oh and while you're at it dad, can I get an air conditioner too?" Hence the need for portability....

I seem to recall that story being told by someone in my younger years. I'll check Popular Science and my Electronic Servicing and PF Reporter stash too.

Cheers,

Any news with this set?

Bob,
I have a very water-soaked Porta-color I got for working on a set for another VK member. I think its the same set as yours but the label is faded :)
It seems like it takes a hard fail like a fuse for these NOT to work. I dont remember any porta-color that couldn't easily be repaired in the 80s.


The GE Porta-Cool air conditioners worked really well, for what they were. The 6000 BTU model seemed the best and they rather efficient. :thmbsp:

Yep, they were near-perfect in many ways. Folks always kept them in the original box and only removed them for the cooling season. Many AC units were left in year-round but never a porta-cool, hence their durability.:yes:

I recall doing the install drill every spring for the older customers; furring strip on window sill, side curtain screws, bug strips and finally rope caulk all around.

Any news with this set?

fraid not. I've ordered up new caps. but have to finished up a few others projects before I can get to it.

Bob,
I have a very water-soaked Porta-color I got for working on a set for another VK member. I think its the same set as yours but the label is faded :)
It seems like it takes a hard fail like a fuse for these NOT to work. I dont remember any porta-color that couldn't easily be repaired in the 80s.




Yep, they were near-perfect in many ways. Folks always kept them in the original box and only removed them for the cooling season. Many AC units were left in year-round but never a porta-cool, hence their durability.:yes:

I recall doing the install drill every spring for the older customers; furring strip on window sill, side curtain screws, bug strips and finally rope caulk all around.
I should proof-read a little more carefully. I missed "were" in my statement!
The main thing, I found with Porta-Cools was the blower motors went bad after several years of use.
I've seen them with the J.C. Penney name on them as well. :scratch2: