A friend who knows I like to surround myself with oddball vintage things recently gave me a couple of televisions. One is a Sylvania Halo-light, which I’m thinking might date around ’59. It’s a real sweetie-pie and I would love to see it working again.

Unfortunately, this is about as good as the picture gets, hooked up to a VHS. Pretty much non-existent, with absolutely no waver to the activity whether the tape was on or off. Sound, on the other hand, is great, as is the halo-light.

Any thoughts on where to begin?

If it is the same as your avatar then I believe it is a 1963 model.

Doing a 5 tube radio first is good to get a feel for electronics on a much simpler device.

Have you adjusted the fine tuning knob? Best picture and best sound don't always line up. Try adjusting fine tuning for best picture. The fine tuning knob is often concentric (the rear one on the shaft) with the channel tuning. Channel tuning will click, fine tuning will smoothly turn. Sometimes setting the VCR to an adjacent channel, or the TV to an adjacent channel will get beter signal.

The capacitors (electrolytic and paper) are dead or dying, and need to be replaced....Especially those in the vertical circuit (which is why there is no light at the bottom of the screen).

You will want to get a copy of the set's schematic....If it is a Canadian made model that may be hard as the major sources did not completely cover Canadian sets.

VCRs are not the best signal sources for TVs made prior to 1980....VCRs have VERY crappy synch timing (since the mechanics effect it, and the mechanics are rarely close enough to ideal). Sets not made to deal with VCRs will often have the top of the image pulled to one side, and straight vertical lines appear as zig-zags...

Did one a few years back.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bUxHpMFG5w

Here's the thread on my restoration. It was a pain in the ass :D

http://www.videokarma.org/showthread.php?t=259581

need to be replaced....Especially those in the vertical circuit (which is why there is no light at the bottom of the screen).Also -- you should not play the TV for any length of time while it's displaying that bright horizontal bar. That might burn a dark horizontal bar in the face of your picture tube, for which there is no cure. If you must play the TV briefly while working on it in this state, turn the brightness way down.

Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios
https://antiqueradio.org/index.html

My Halolight is giving me fits currently, but they are good performers when restored. Where are you located?

As old as these TVs r always b thankful you've got 1 that at least produces high voltage CRT is lighting up 1st check service switch use a little wd40 NOt a lot ROC switch bac and fourth check vertical output tube always try the easy mantinence 1st if that doesn't do it scumatic check voltages and caps red etc

As old as these TVs r always b thankful you've got 1 that at least produces high voltage CRT is lighting up 1st check service switch use a little wd40 NOt a lot ROC switch bac and fourth check vertical output tube always try the easy mantinence 1st if that doesn't do it scumatic check voltages and caps red etc

Uhh, That set is monochrome...Monochrome sets never had service switches, and even if it did a dirty service switch would not cause partial vertical deflection like pictured...Those switches are either all, nothing, or rapidly jumping between the two.

The Vert output tube is possible, but more likely is the lytic on the cathode of that tube, and other caps in that circuit. The earlier Halolite I own sort of worked as is but had various cap related issues.