Here's a set that's nearby which I found on Craigslist. Sent the person an e-mail and am waiting for a reply. It's not working and they "believe it needs a new computer board" What gave them that idea I dunno.

Can anyone guesstimate what model this is, and which series Chromacolor etc it may be? Am curious if there's a common failure mode to these. I really like the looks of this for a daily driver. Thanks

It's not working and they "believe it needs a new computer board" Nah! I bet it needs a new fuel filter! :lmao:

Nawwwww, it needs a new Annacannafrannastan. Doncha remember? They went thru a whole bunch of bad 'uns 'round then...-Sandy G.

Someone told me that the Cochran drive may have lost the interphasic interlock....either that or the squirrel croaked.

The owner just e-mailed me the following info:
April 1988,
Model #VRD530HF
Serial #7N002483

Would this be the vintage with the horrible CRTs or is this right before they became poo-poo ka-ka?

You're going to need a left handed soldering iron to get at the computer bearings.

Yeah, check that squirrel. If it's still alive, look at the third fetzer valve. It's underneath the dumoflozzie.

I thought you need to lift the tail to get at the third fetzer valve, if so, then this will have to remain broked as I ain't no aminal molester. I specialize in blonde asian girlies with ghetto boo-tays.

The owner just e-mailed me again to inform me that it has a vertically mounted VCR on the left side hidden behind what appears to be the speaker grille. I checked the model number and it comes up as a VCR so am pretty sure that's not the TV's model number. Am again waiting for him to get back to me.

So, what's the deal with this vintage CRT? Is it the flavor that works better as a fishbowl?

Ok, the correct model number for this is SD2753H

Doesn't that just make your chiffon wet?

I had a buddy who's parents had one of those. I'm not familiar with the model but I'm pretty sure they bought it in 1994 when they had their house built, so that might be the Zenith's with the bad CRT's but am unsure... I do know theirs had a GREAT picture when it was new.

I keep reading that '93 was the year Zenith tubes went downhill. Since this set was made in '88, it should be OK. Aunt's Zenith has been going with its original tube since about '89. BTW, the set in the ad is a 27" - a 25" wouldn't have those square corners. Built-in VCR's a nice touch in a console.

He says the VCR is also kaput. Maybe it's just a belt. Anyone have any spare boards for these? I've now forgotten who, but a couple of AKers have offered Zenith boards in the past. Anyone remember?

The Zenith my parents bought in 1990, which was used daily for maybe 10-years, and is now my "daily watcher" (albeit in an old cabinet) still plays as good as new. :thmbsp:

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=14928

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Hey Carmine, i swear to gawd that has to be the most beautiful cab. that i've seen on a late model anybrand! Anyway, as for my 2.5 cents worth, Zenith crt quality started to take a nose dive 20 years ago when they followed matsushita's(quasar, not the panasonics) lead into the "tri-potential gun" crt design arena. Thankfully this was abandoned in favor of "me too" in line guns. Unfortunately, Zenith found it increasingly impossible to make a decent one of those also. I aint sure which model that is because i aint took the time to sam the numbers but i'm finding some late 80's - early 90's zeniths with a pwm power supply chip made from unobtanium and havent been willing to go the pts module route for comeplete boards. I reckon i need to check Mouser. Long Live Chromacolor and Chromacolor 2 (i love delta guns, got em a plenty)

Heathkit, I've got some boards. Post which one you're looking for and I will look. I am in the process of moving, so I may not be able to check for a few weeks.

Anthony, the people may be right when they say it needs a "digital" board as that set is likely a "digital system 3" that uses the 9-700 board that was a problem over and over again. I have one of the last Zenith digital system 3 sets that I sold in 1990, got it back in 1999 when the purchasers upgraded to a 36" RCA. That one of mine must have been the exception as it has never been serviced.
I would still get the set though, it would be pretty cool once you get it working.

Thanks for the input fellers. May be picking this up today or tomorrow and will post pix. Have never played with such a "modern" Zenith as this. Am wondering if they ever offered a Heathkit version of this.

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Andy, my opinion (which is just that) was formed after 20+ years of making money off of the glass and metal contrivances. When I restored my first 2 CT-100's back in the 80's, 15gp22's with good vacuum still weren't all that rare. True, the tri-pot tube will give an excellent picture when in good shape (and as long as the voltage divider in the ihvt hasn't gone south) But, I saw quite a few of these tubes go soft long before some of their simpler in-line gun contemporaries. Then again I have an 83' model in my shop in an early american cab. that I'll have to get real hard up to let go. Go figure.

Update, I won't be picking this up until next Saturday the 6th.

What flavor of CRT is in this? I really love the Chromacolor and System II sets look (lollipop color LOL). I had a Zenith set from 1987 or so that lasted for 10 years before something shorted out BIG TIME one day, and the color was very good on that....am wondering if that was the same style tube construction as this "new" set.

The tri-pot gun design was phased out in the mid 80's. From that point on Zenith (probably their Rauland division mfd.) used a simplified in line gun with seperate cathode\G1 assemblies and a unitized g2 structure pretty much like everybody else with the exception of Sony. Its generically known as a COTY tube (computer optimized tube\yoke) Some Manufacturers, Esp. Rca decided to bond their yokes to their tube necks so if one go, both are useless. This was supposed to minimize convergence errrors and few adjustments. I've pulled tubes from 80's to 90's Philips, Rca, Zenith, Panasonic and various chinese knockoffs time and time again and have seen the same COTY III imprint in the glass of all of them. My MOM just retired her '86 swivel base 25" Zenith because of brightness loss and severe red bleed-I'm eventually gonna re-tube it. I gave her a 36" JVC I rescued so she can see it better (she's 82!). Anyhow it was one of the early good Zenith COTY tubes. A friend of mine who is a tech for a Zenith distributor swears the whole CRT mess started prior to the '95 buyout of Zenith by LG of Korea - he says Zenith was Rebadgeing Goldstar blemish Crts early on. I have seen this on some early 90's 19" sets with the 23mm Neck, so who knows. At the end of the day, all during the 90's, there was some real crap crts with Zenith - Made in USA wrote all over them. I've had some luck subbing in used crts out of some competitors sets but sometimes you have to get creative with the mounting hardware. This is a little easier in wood sets than in the all molded plastic thingys. I've never been one that was tied to conventional wisdom (I've just had a lot of junk to play with) You know, this whole thing is taking time away from my first and second gen. Motorola Quasars that are begging for attention (not to mention my Roundies) I will take my leave now. Regards to everyone subject to my ramblings. Your a patient lot!

Patient? My shrink told me that I need to learn more patience....I asked him "How long is THAT gonna take?"

He threw me out on me bum, he did.

Thanks for that greatly informative post.....even though you were lying between your teeth (fingers?) LOL

4 of the 5 voices in my head told me to quit seeing the shrink-the 5th one, Irving, is always non-commital...-Sandy G.

That Irving, he's such a nebbish. Has he been to shul lately?

Yeah, an' all the other ones tease him constantly. I try to take up for him-he's really a nice fellow-but them other ones ride him unmercifully. Especially Zandor. He claims to be Swiss. My ass, he's Swiss...-Sandy G.

I feel more like I do now than I did when I got here.

The older I get, the better I was. ZANDOR SPEAKS! Into the vaporization chamber with you.

that set may be one of the deluxe zenith/bose with a jvc vcr.
iirc these came before the 9-700 sets.
the crt is a a68act11x or 00x
i just put a rca a68aeg? in one of those.
had to carefully heatgun the yoke off it though.
the customer was a zenith distro and he got it as a retirement gift.he said it now looks better than it did when new.

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Heathkit, I've got some boards. Post which one you're looking for and I will look. I am in the process of moving, so I may not be able to check for a few weeks.

Any Zenith boards? I have a 1982 System 3 with a 25 incher screen. IIRC, Zenith was still making the System 3 chassis in 1982.

How was the convergence with that RCA CRT? I've used a few RCAs in Zenith sets, but I could never get the top and bottom convergence to be very good. The green was either too small, or too big.
got it close enough to not notice 5 ft or so away.
i save the magnets on tape strips that many tubes use.
if you take your time the green/red blue error can be reduced to less than 1/16 in.sometimes perfect.