Well, I get it in a big box. According to the fedex packing slip, everything weights about 110lbs. So I open it up and put it in the garage. The next day I dissasemble the cabinet. I remove the top, then the bezel. I remove the 10BP4, then remove the knobs and the chassis. I then tested the CRT in the Air King A1000 chassis (630TS clone) and the filament lit, but I got no picture despite how I positioned the ion trap. The plastic cap is loose. I forget how to tell if it lost it's vacuum, but it probably did. No worries, because the Air King had an RCA 10BP4 that works. Who can repair this dead 10BP4 that I have?

I then blew out the dust, fuzz, and spider wens from inside the cabinet and the chassis. I then cleaned the cabinet, inside and out to remove the dirt. It will definately require a bit of touchup, but it's in really good shape.

As for the chassis, it's complete, not missing any parts. It has an ion trap that consists of two electromagnets. The way it was held onto the neck of the CRT, something tells me it's going to be a pain to adjust. The one made of the perminant magnets in the Air King is easy to adjust.

With this set I'll take my time and take extra care so I don't make any wiring mistakes. Because I worked so hard on the Air King chassis, I think I'm going to keep it.

Also, the front bezel of it had a piece of glass covering it. Is this normal? The ones I've seen on the net never had this, like the one on Steve McVoy's website.

Thanks.

Jonathan

If the filament lit-and stayed lit-it should be okay. They won't last long in air.

...

Glad to hear the '630 survived shipping. That is a minor miracle.

The ion trap on the '630 is no more difficult to adjust than a PM type, simply loosen the 2 thumbscrews and slide the ion trap around for best performahce, and then tighten.

Hawkeye Picture tube co. can rebuild your tube, but I suspect the expense is not worth it. There are still plenty of new and used 10BP4s in the world.

The '630 should hav a piece of safety glass covering the entire front of the bezel. There are 2 styles of bezel used on the 630. If you go to Google images and type rca 630ts, you can see lots of photos of '630s.

http://images.google.com/images?q=rca+630ts&hl=en&btnG=Search+Images

Thanks guys for the replies. It was on for about a minute, and the filament glowed bright. I do suspect vthe wires connecting the innards of the CRT to the plastic cap. How can I fix this or can it be easier fixed by someone else?

And I was wondering what the glass was for. I'm glad it's there. :)

As for the ion trap, I suppose it won't be too much of a pain then.

I wonder though, did the 630TS use a field coil inductor and not an electrodynamic speaker? Mine has a electrodynamic speaker as the field coil, with the audio transformer and speaker on a vertical braket, like how they are mounted in radios. Hammond part number 158T is a modern replacement for the field coil, btw.

Thanks.

Jonathan

Here is a technique I have used many times to repair loose bases on CRTs.

1. Heat each pin and use a solder sucker to get as much solder out as possible. Once you have done this to all the pins, the base will usually pull off. A little reheating of any stubborn pins will convince them to come loose. Heat each pin on the removed CRT base and blow out any residual solder from each pin.

2. Now dress the end of each exposed CRT wire by scraping with the edge of a knife or sanding with fine sandpaper to expose bright metal, then tin the exposed metal with a very thin dressing of solder. You need only do this to 1/16-1/8 inch at the end of each wire.

3. Strip a 6" or longer piece of stranded wire, and separate the individual strands.

4. Wrap one strand tightly around the tip of each CRT wire for 2-3 turns, and trim the short end of the strand flush with the pin, leaving the 6" strand extending the CRT wire. Solder each strand to the end of the CRT wire with as little solder as possible.

5. Once all CRT wires have a wire strand "extender" soldered on, feed the extender strands through the corresponding pin in the CRT base, and feed the base down over the strands to the CRT wires, tugging gently on the extender wires to get the cRT wires to feed into the pins on the bas. Feed the base all the way down till it is sung against the CRT.

6. Now heat each CRT pin and use the wire extender to aid flowing solder down into the tip end of each CRT pin.

7. Once all pins have been soldered, snip off the excess extender wire sticking out of the end of each pin, and you are done.

8. I will let you choose what kind of adhesive to use to attach the base firmly to the CRT. Some like super-glue, I do not. I prefer some sort of epoxy. I have also heard some use RTV.

Anyone else have first-hand advice on gluing CRT bases back on?

If the base is loose, but the electrical connections are OK, all you need do is glue the base tightly to the glass.

But if the electrical connections are bad, you can try just soldering each CRT wire to its pin by flowing solder down into the end of each pin, and sometimes this works OK. And if you have already pulled the base of the CRT off, you may be able to coax each CRT wire back into its pin without the extra trouble of soldering on the extender wires. But I find this method very helpful for 7JP4s and Color CRTs.

Good luck

John,

Thanks so much for your help. Your write up is perfect. It's actually VERY easy to fix. Knowing what I know now, I wish I never missed http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-7JP4-Electrostatic-Picture-Tube_W0QQitemZ6200043793QQcategoryZ3638QQssPageNam eZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem for the excellent price. I'd rather use the 10BP4 that came with the 630TS, for thr sake of being closest to the original as possible.

Also, by looking at the serial number, how can I be able to figure out the date of manufacture? And did any of the 630TS's have a DC choke or was the speakers field coil used? My 630TS has an electrodynamic speaker.

Jonathan

Your lucky you missed out on that one, that tube has gone to air, look at the white getter in the neck! Putting the base back on a 7JP4 is a nightmare anyway with 12 pins!



John,

Thanks so much for your help. Your write up is perfect. It's actually VERY easy to fix. Knowing what I know now, I wish I never missed http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-7JP4-Electrostatic-Picture-Tube_W0QQitemZ6200043793QQcategoryZ3638QQssPageNam eZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem for the excellent price. I'd rather use the 10BP4 that came with the 630TS, for thr sake of being closest to the original as possible.