View Full Version : Cool Zenith from eBay, model # SL2535X. Story!


Carmine
06-12-2006, 10:32 PM
I don't know if anybody remembers, but a while back there was a Zenith "avanti" on eBay in Detroit. It was pick-up only, so I figured I had a good shot at it. Since I need another TV like a hole-in-the-head, I told a friend who is re-doing a room with a 70s look (Shag carpet, big blobs of color, etc.) Since those sets look like they're straight from the set of 2001, it was a perfect fit.

Well I won the auction (lol, I was the only bid)... Turns out this set was not just in the Detroit suburbs, but in the heart of the city. The guy had such a cool apartment I decided to take a few pics from inside, no doubt this TV looked right at home, I almost felt bad leaving him with an ugly modern Chinese box to use as a TV.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v619/Chromacolor2/Det1.jpg

The tallest building on the left is GM headquarters.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v619/Chromacolor2/Det2.jpg

If you look to the left of the middle window pane, you can see Ford Field, where the last Superbowl was just held.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v619/Chromacolor2/Det3.jpg

Here's the guy's system for all you audio folks.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v619/Chromacolor2/Det4.jpg

The lobby... Straight out of the 60s, but still looking classy. It was kinda funny riding the rather small elevator down from the 6th floor apartment. Started with three of us and a big console TV.. Of course people wanted on at each level!

So we finally got the set to its new home, and discovered a few faults. The most notable being the half dark/half light picture shown below:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v619/Chromacolor2/Det5.jpg

I made a lot of effort to get a good pic with my cell phone in the above picture. (I did not for the "after" and it shows!) I probably could have fixed this problem with input from you guys, but simply did not have the time, so we called in a TV repairman. Who would come out to work on this set in 2006? None other than out own Capt'n Moody! :banana:

It was kinda weird, and brought back a lot of memories of when I was a kid, and the TV man actually came into your living room and fixed your huge console TV. Turns out that a bad capacitor was the cause of this particular problem.

Only use this picture to judge the light/dark repair... The picture is actually much better, but you know how hard it is to get a good picture of a TV, let alone with a cell phone.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v619/Chromacolor2/Det6.jpg

Now... Here's what remains problem-wise. I'm hoping you old techs will have some comments for me...

When the set is cold, it flashes no video/audio a good bit. (has HV, but goes to black screen) Goes away as it warms up. Capt'n Moody says it needs a tuner board.

Digital numbers display jibberish. Again, tuner board?

No remote functions at all. I want to try the ZOOM!! Came with a new remote, that does seem to work (if I press it to my ear, I can hear it go beeeeeeep) However, the Space Command on/off switch is trashed, so this could be the problem. Does anyone have one?

Inside the set is pretty clean, doesn't look like a smoker set, or much dust. Either way, its cool and I'm glad it didn't hit the dumpster. :thmbsp:

markdi
06-12-2006, 11:34 PM
I love the apartment ant the tv is nice too

I hope you get the zoom working

daro
06-13-2006, 05:29 AM
Nice set sort of reminds me of the RCA set from 1969 when they only made 2000 of them.

JCFitz
06-13-2006, 09:54 PM
You got any numbers for the tuner control modules in that set?I got a bunch of old Zenith parts from that era lying around the shop,some NOS.If you can get me a picture of the control panel I can look for that too?
BTW.Those tuner control modules were known for bad ground tabs under the bottom shield.That could be your problem with that.Or possibly bad capacitors in the tuner control module itself?

smoker76
06-13-2006, 11:08 PM
Hi Carmine,
I sent you an email but it didn't work so I sent a PM.
Thanks for the great photos!

smoker76
06-13-2006, 11:09 PM
Hi Carmine,
I sent you an email but it didn't work so I sent a PM.
Thanks for the great photos and info!

Sandy G
06-14-2006, 07:50 AM
In a strange kind of way, the apartment/lobby sorta reminded me of the one in "A Clockwork Orange"...it DID have better views from the windows than the one in the movie...if you accept Detroit is better-looking than London-at least from this vantage...

vintagecollect
06-14-2006, 10:28 PM
...

jstout66
06-15-2006, 05:53 AM
I've got some NOS Zenith parts as well, which you can have if I have the module you need. Nice set by the way!

Adam
06-17-2006, 02:13 AM
Another one of these cabinet-on-a-pedestal Zenith's! They must have made a whole lot of these. This is the first one I've seen from the system 3 era though. I like the 70s room, if I ever get a big enough place I might do that, except all early 60s with my Philco roundie.

I saw yet another one of these Zeniths on the SF craigslist (too far away for me):
http://www.craigslist.org/sfc/clt/171174617.html