Early 80's 10" Quasar Color
 

Hey TV people!
I was at the local thrift store today and saw a mighty fine looking Quasar color portable from 1982 for 8 bucks. I believe it looks like a 10", it looks slightly smaller than a 12" to me. I'm thinking about getting it. What do you guys know about these little TV's and is it worth grabbing or should I pass?:scratch2:

Channel numbers on top and a swivel base? If so, grab it. The original remote was a miniature version of the tv. Those may have been later though sicne one of mine was model TP2156YH April 1985.

Nope It's a knob tuned set. One thing I noticed that was interesting is that the screen is made up of dots instead of the usual color lines.

Edit:
I found a picture of a TV that I think looks near Identical to it.

Hell, I've got about 2 or 3 Panasonic's with the same CRT I bet. Free, working as found, trashday hauls. Two 19" one 13", one is LED electronic tuned ColorPilot IIRC. Landfill soon. Not that they're bad but I'm try'na save the old American workhorses.

I had a friend that called his girlfriend "Quasar". I asked him why he called her that and he said "Her works are in her drawers!" :scratch2:

For 8 bux, it's about a "no-brainer"...Get it, enjoy it, & rejoice in the knowlege you saved it from the landfill, or some other ignominious fate..

I got the TV! Pretty nice. I just had to make a few adjustments to it.

Now you need to watch some Lawrence Welk reruns on it!!!!

Enjoy.

No I'm watching "Airplane!" on it.

8 Bucks how could you go wrong? A combo at a fast food burger joint is 7 bucks and change. The TV will last longer than that!

The only think I don't like is that the audio buzzes when there's a bright image on the screen when I use my RF Modulator. Over the air analog looks and sounds fine though.

There are some coils in the audio circuit that you can probably tweak to get rid of the buzz.

Any idea where they might be located or look like?

One other thing I'd like to know is if there is a horizontal position adjustment. The picture is just slightly off center.

Not 100% sure, but the coils for an early 80s knob tuned set like this should be on the mainboard on or underneath a small silver (shielded) box that attaches via coax to the VHF tuner itself.

Do yourself a favor and mark down the original position before tweaking those coils though.

Nice set, let's see the chassis pics!

EDIT: about the horizontal width/centering, this can be either a coil or a VR. This set should certainly have a sticker inside with a layout of the testpoints and major components; possibly even a schematic. Take a pic of that and we'll know how to guide you.

If you have a model number, I can see if I have a sams photofact on that set and I can tell you exactly which adjustments you need to be concerned with.

The model no. is WP2132UW

It's in sams 2167-1. I'll see if I have it.

Great! Thank you very much!

T102 is the 4.5 MHz trap adjustment. It's located inside a metal shield. To adjust, tune in a strong signal and set the contrast to maximum. Adjust the fine tuning until a beat patten is visible on the screen. Adjust T102 for minimum beat interference.

The sound IF coil is T201 and is located next to the audio IF/output IC201. To adjust, tune in a station and adjust for maximum sound. Reduce the signal strength at the antenna terminals until distortion appears. Continue reducing signal strength while adjusting T201 for minimum distortion.

Thanks, Is there an adjustment for horizontal position?

I can't find a horizontal position adjustment; but, there is a B+ adjustment. If this adjustment is off, it will effect the horizontal size. To adjust, connect a DC voltmeter to TP91, low side to ground. Adjust picture for minimum brightness. Adjust B+ adjust control (R808) for 130 VDC +/- 1.5 volts @ 120 volts AC applied to receiver. This control is located close to the flyback and B+ fuse.

It is important that the B+ be correct. Do not use the B+ adj. control to compensate for a horizontal width problem. Also, the condition of capacitors C511, C512, C517, and C518 will effect horizontal width.

The width is fine. I guess the screen is just slightly off center.

I'd at least try adjusting the B+. That's good advice, IMO, since there will always be *some* circuit drift in a set of this age.

alrighty, I tried turning the B+ adjustment all the way down. The left edge of the picture fills the screen perfectly while the right edge doesn't take up the whole viewing area of the screen. All across the top of the screen shows flickering white dashes. I wish this thing had a horizontal position adjustment. That's all this thing needs to get it perfect.

Okay so by turning the B+ VR all the way down it is affecting other things, like the vertical (hence the retrace) which is why radiotvnut noted that its the wrong adjustment for an excessively wide horizontal. Meaning it will not correct a positioning problem either.

My guess is that there could be dry caps and drifted resistors in the horizontal circuit probably near the HOT heatsink. But setting the b+ as directed will make it a lot easier to troubleshoot for sure.

Hey isn't this set a 13 incher?

Yeah, the B+ is I guess basically like a zoom adjust. Nope it is a 10".

You need to adjust the B+ for 130 volts and then troubleshoot any other areas that seem to be causing trouble. If the B+ is too low, it will cause problems. If it's too high, it will still cause problems. These problems include producing excessive HV (which could cause x-rays) and stressing other parts in the set (such as the flyback and CRT).

Yikes X-rays?!? Well, I don't have a volt meter so I just hope I have it adjusted properly. I have the screen adjusted so the picture just fills the entire screen. I guess I shouldn't touch anything else until I have the proper tools.

The cheapest little DMM from walmart or wherever will do just fine for this task. You should be able to pick one up for less than $20. I forgot to mention that these sets are supposed to have a shutdown circuit to kill the set should the HV run high enough to cause x-rays or other harm; but, these shutdown circuits sometimes fail to work. That's why it's always best to keep the B+ running at the factory specified level.

Well, I think I've already tripped that shutdown circuit once. I was adjusting the vertical hold and the TV went dead. I thought I killed it but I unplugged it and plugged it back in and it came back on.