RCA Victor 6T74 Finally Finnished!
 

And, here is the moment we've all been waiting for!
Except for minor adjustments, the set is finally finnished, and, working great!
Final things needed:
5U4 rect. New old stock tube wasn't putting out enough B+.
6BG6 Horizontal Output. New old stock GTE Sylvania wasn't filling out picture.
Many adjustments later, here are the end results.
Sorry. Still haven't figured out how to shut off flash on camera.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...nished0009.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...nished0016.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...nished0013.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...nished0010.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...nished0012.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...nished0007.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...nished0008.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...nished0011.jpg


Bill Cahill :D :D :D :D :!:
:banana::banana::banana:

Great, now show us the shots from 'after'.

:banana: That looks quite good. :thmbsp:

I thought I sensed a disturbance in the force!

Congratulations! Now you can sit back and enjoy it!

John

Something seems to happen to these mechanical focus assemblies, and, the adjustment freezes.
They may be made of pot metal, or, aluminum. Not sure which.
The one on set now is not adjusting well.
I found another, and, it's in much better shape, so, I'll eventually install that, and, hopefully get focus a little sharper.
Other than that, set is crittical on line voltage, but, no great surprise there.
Works best at 120 volts ac.
Set isn't perfect, and, I want to do minor tweaking, some of it with another pair of better seeing eyes.
As a whole, though, I'm very happy with the way it has come out....

This set has come through alot in it's existence.
I'm just very happy that it's fixed....
Bill Cahill :yes:

Hey Bill, that looks great! Knowing all the work and patience you've put into this set, it's pretty reassuring knowing that even some of the most challenging problems can be overcome. I would be just as determined to see my Zenith glow like that!

Enough of those capacitors, tubes, and wires, already! McHale's Navy's coming on! :thmbsp:

Wow....+/- 60 years old, I doubt if it was really designed to last that long...

GREAT! it is always nice to see one of these sets that are remembered from childhood going again! :yes:

On one of my early Philcos, I was able to "free up" a stuck focus assembly and apply a light coating of grease to the moving surfaces... operates smooth as a babys' bottom now.
jr

Thanks, guys. Your comments are much appreciated! :D
With all the insults, and, barbs going 'round both here, and, lately at VK from ARF members, I was beginning to have my doubts that it was worth it.
My goal has always been to assist others in the pittfalls of antique tv's, and, how to service them. I just never expected it to get anywhere NEAR that bad! :shock: :!:

To be honest with you, set still has some bugs, but, mostly, it's adjustments.
I do have a bit of a problem, yet, with vertical height shrinkage as it warms up, but, I see no reason to go into that alot. When I find the problem, I'll keep you posted on it.
I may take more pics after I finnish initial adjustments, but, as far as I'm concerned, the set is otherwise finnished.
It's been otherwise playing reliably.
I may make a list of the parts installed in set, and, keep a copy in the cabinet.
Admittedly, if I had known this set was this bad, I don't know what I would have done.....
This set was obviously defective from the get go, barely kept running with numerous break downs over the years, and, was used into the ground.
What dammaged volume, and, tone controls?
Easy...
There is a tone capacitor going from the plate of the 6AV6to the tone contro, which is also connected to the volume control through resistors to two taps. When that cap shorted, it put B+ on tone control, which in turn, put voltage on volume control.
Fried 'em both.
I replaced them early on, but, other tone control was also bad, and, UPS wrecked vol control two years ago.
I'm on my third set, and, they are good.
Well, thanks for your support. I couldn't have done it without you....
Bill Cahill :D

Here are more pics I took with a different camera...
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...nished0023.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...nished0024.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...nished0022.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...nished0025.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...nished0018.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...nished0020.jpg
Bill Cahill :D :!: :yes:

Bill, the different camera really helps us see it better. Looking good! :thmbsp:

That looks super Bill! I wonder if the wooden crt mask from a set like yours would fit in my 8-T-243 with the rectangular mask. It just looks so much cooler to me, but I guess it would hurt the value of the set. I wish I had the money to go back to work on re-capping the set. First I have to get more sound out of my TC-127, which is my pride and joy. I miss watching it.

My mask isn't wooden. It's plastic. And, quite a bit larger than yours. It's a 16" set.
And, yes, it would ruine the value of your set.
Bill Cahill

Nice job, Bill :thmbsp: Glad to see it up and running :D

I was just stunned by the amount of problems that TV had.

But you have the tenacity of a bulldog, and it looks as though you have finally smote it!

Congratulations.

I've said this on the ARF site too:

Congratulations Bill!

Here I will say: This set will be around for a long time to come. I've read about the problems for several years on ARF and am so glad that it is now fixed. Seeing McHales Navy for the first time in many years is fun. I saw all of them from the beginning of the series to the end on the network run. Made me really like seeing Joe Flynn as Binghamton (the accent is on the ham) and Tim Conway as Parker play off of each other.

I'm still surprised that RCA allowed that set to get out of the QC area. But, I dont know how they were back then. It's like when they have a car that wont start at the end of the assembly line... They push it out of the way. I hear they are known as "goodies for the dealer."

Again, Bill, Congratulations!

Bruce McGee

Thanks, guys. Still have my vertical problem. Looks like a resistor is changing value, but, if that's the worst that happens, I'm happy.
Once I saw it go into a vertical bar, black out, then, come back a full picture, but, it hasn't done it since, so, why borrow trouble??
Anyway, slight audio tuning problem is easily fixed. Probably tube drift.
All, in all, I'm happy with it. Picture is good. And, the round ball on Huckleberry Hound actually looks round, now.
Bill Cahill

Just finnished enjoying 6 programs of The Dick Van Dyke Show on DVD.
Great program.
Except for slight vertical shrinking at bottom, set played great.
Enjoyed myself very much!:banana:
Bill Cahill

And, here are the latest pictures of it playing..... :D
Bill Cahill
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...anDyke0013.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...anDyke0012.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...anDyke0008.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...anDyke0007.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...anDyke0005.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...anDyke0004.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...anDyke0003.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...anDyke0014.jpg

Hey Bill, what is the difference between your set and my RCA TC-127? Your CRT looks bigger. Mine is a 12". That's great that you have figured out everything and the set looks great! I would still love to get more volume out of mine, but I can hear it in the room, so it hasn't had high priority lately with all of the really broken stuff I have.

I have the same sound issue.
Mine is KCS 47. Yours is KCS 38, I believe.
Maj0r differences in the two.
Mine is a 16", consisting of a 16GP4 pin. Tube.
Bill Cahill

And wood makes a lousy insulator - especially at those voltages!!



Pallophotophone

Actually, I see nothing wrong with wood as insulation, even at 13KV.
Bill Cahill

I concur! :thmbsp: Especially remembering how Motorola, for one, used the underside of the chassis as a high voltage cage in the early to mid fifties. There was a metal cover from the factory for the flyback and HV rectifier, but I have had three such sets and two of them had no metal cover. Now metal cabinet sets have always sort of freaked me out anyway because it's way too easy to get zapped like that. I recently brought home a Zenith color "roundie" with a metal cabinet. All of that color second anode voltage and other high current circuitry and a piece of woodgrain metal is all that keeps it from me!:scratch2:

Two words....Isolation Transformer!
Being a transformer power supply set you should be ok. Once the the set is in running condition you can always take a meter and measure chassis ground to a A/C plug ground to detect any leakage. I've been around a lot of metal cabinet sets in the day and I'm ok! Really!!

But if you're unsure of that Zenith I'll be glad to remove it from your premises!!:D

Bill, I do love your set..It's good to sit back, and enjoy it!!

A friend of mine recently gave the opinion that due to a combination past problems, and, old age the set may not be totally reliable. Possibly not. Not sure.
I do know that once in awhile, with, or without a pop in speaker, I will see entire picture completely fold into a jagged, arc like vertical white line for about a second.This only happens once in awhile, and, not long enought to try to find out what's going on. There is no average time to it, and, it only lasts no more than a second. I'm concerned about that, but, what can I do? I'd like to tap the damper tube, but RCA has made that impossible with the horizontal output right in front of it. Not a great design.
I had to detune second vid. I F in order to get more volume out of set, but, this has caused it to have a little less contrast.
Oh, well.
Set really needs realignment. Some day I'm going to take the chassis to John Folsom's.
He said he's realign it for me.....

On another related note, this Saturday, a friend from Michigan is bringing me the following items:
Stromberg Carlson 16" round tube upright I won on ebay two years ago.
6T84 RCA Victor combination set from a collector friend. Needs work, but, set has been worked on extensively, and, tv plays.
RCA 17" red metal cabinet table model set. Sort of plays. From same friend.
Admiral 17" metal table model series string set. Still works, but, needs rebuilding. Same friend.
1954? Bakelite table model 16" rect. Admiral. Has had alot of work done. Plays, but, needs some electrolytic work. Two cans are used, and, gatting quite hot.
Same friend.
4 am fm table radios.
Tubes.
He was going to work on this stuff, but, found his collection is in overload, so he decided to cut back slightly.
I appreciate these goodies from him very much.
I will have to put new electolytics in comb RCA, some cabinet work, and, perhaps replace used rebuilt weak pix tube.
Some one replaced many paper caps in tv chassis. My friend replaced a few more to get horizontal oscilator to stabilize. He said it's got an excellent picture.
I think I'll enjoy working on these simpler projects....
Am I nutz? Probably.....
Bill Cahill Thanks, Dennis, er, Mr. Detrola, for the goodies. :banana:

You should pay more attention to Craigslist, Bill.

http://images.craigslist.org/3mc3o83...3f856c1ce6.jpg

Yours for a song, or if you can't sing $1 will suffice. lol

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/atq/1840948653.html

"I know nothing about this high definition television... It may work it may not but I honestly think it does."

OMG! :lmao:

And, how do you reccommend I pick it up????
I'm in Florida. Not exactly around the block, and, I don't drive.
B C

And, that is not model 6T74.
It's model 6T76.
BC

"Alright, I've had enough! I'm done with it! I'm just fed up here with the sniping."

Ring any bells???

:lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:

Every hear of shipping? I just shipped a CTC-7 to my house from Portland, it's only money.... I figured with as close as it looks to yours, you might be interested. Guess I was wrong. :no:

I didn't mean to upset you. Let me put it this way.
Yes, I would be interested in the set, except I know the shipping would be over 500.00. I'm on a tight budget, and, have an ailing dog.
Looks like it's in nice condition, but, well, let me contact the guy, and, see if he's got any ideas....
I tried to get a tv shipped from the other side of Florida, and, they wanted 250.00 for that.... That waqs two years ago.
Sipping costs are high.
It just cost me 17.00 to ship a very small children's rp from two states away...
Bill Cahill :no:

I just received an e mail reply from owner. He said he already sold the set for fifty dollars!
I thought it was only ONE dollar!
Thanks for link, anyway.
Please pm me.
Bill Cahill