Getting a GE 800C "Locomotive" Set
 

I have been put in contact with somone who is looking to find a home for a GE 800C. The price is right FREE! All I have to do is make a trip to Akron to get it. The person with it has at least told me they have not and will not plug it in :thmbsp: I have been sent pictures and it looks in good condition with a missing knob.

I also took a trip to the local library and have been able to xerox the Riders for the set onto 11x17 paper and also have enlarged the schematic to fill 3 11x17 sheets. I have also Xeroxed the Sam's for the set with some of those pages also enlarged to 11x17, all good for me because even though i am 33 my eyes are not that great.

This looks like a fairly simple set all things considered, is there anything that I should be aware of?

Thanks,

Matt

I saw a picture of that over on AK and that's a damn cool looking set. I woulda' loved to have it for a display but........ too far away.

Better you're getting it as you're actually intending to get it up and running!

I restored one - a GE 805 model. Practically identical to the 800C
Not the easiest, not the hardest to restore.
Nice performing TV.

There is a person by name of Thomas Albrecht who is very knowledgable
on these TVs and has some good information about them.

They clean up nicely.
You can find that missing knob by posting in the classified.

Here is my restoration thread:
http://antiqueradios.com/forums/view...p?f=3&t=189602

Good luck with the restoration.

Carl

Well I picked up the set on saturday.

It had something living in it at one time there was a nets and crap all over the tubes, rust caused by the urine or whatever.

It has a replacement 10BP4A which tests reasonably good on my B&K tester.

Here are some picts.

Here are a few more pictures. not sure what to think of the HV rectifier, I have never seen one look like that.

Matt

Not sure of the purpose of the band, but it's supposed to be there. I've had a couple made like that.

I've had a few like that. I think I read someplace that the band is radiation shielding. I guess with enough HV those tubes can make a lot of X-rays

OK cool,

I will put up a video of ,me going to acquire it and first impressions.

Will fix some broken wire and maybe try a slow power up with variac and dim bulb to see.

Matt

Yes. Selenium rectifiers, hot chassis, paper electrolytics, bad paper caps., and, the likeliness of bad mica caps.
Also, the fact that all this fun is plasterred onto two fibre boards with wiring on both sides, and, several electrolytics mounted on the side of the chassis, and, another paper one on top.
Tuners aren't great, either. Set does seem to perform will, but, then, there's the two filament resistors in the hv cage................
Bill Cahill

Matt,

Back in the mid-to-late 1950s, these sets were known to be very flaky in deep fringe areas and went through IF and tuner tubes very rapidly. Today, you will be using a local signal source so this should no longer be a problem.

Back then, in the small 4 man shop where I was apprenticed, all of these narrow chassis GE's were dumped on me, since as the youngest by far, I had the smallest hands and could change out the failed capacitors on and under the vertical component boards without removing the boards.

My suggestion is to carefully draw the connections to each of these boards before removing them for recapping. Before starting the recapping take careful pictures of both sides of each board, and compare that to the finished recapping, because you don't want to try to find a wiring error that requires a second removal of these boards.

If your set was kept in service for 6 or 7 years, expect to find replacment capacitors in the sync and sweep circuits.

James

HI!

That person who rescued the GE loco and gave it to Matt is me!

I'm glad I kept it out of a landfill and that it's getting restored!

And Matt was nice enough to give me an old Ibanez guitar pedal too, which works great by the way!

I'll watch this thread and see how it comes along.

Loomis

Wow Bill, glad there was one good thing about the sets ;)

Here is the Video, yeah I know the title is messed up...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaM1RrvY04o

I have a set with similar chassis, and would say that while the recapping can be challenging, I did not have to remove boards to do so. The worst parts were the electrolytics and one power resistor tucked by the tuner.

I solved the problem for all but one of the electrolytics by leaving them mostly connected and using a pipe cutter and heat gun to gut and restuff in place. The central chassis mounted cap was a pain, and took patience to remove.

They likely used these shitty wirewound resistors that get all corroded, and it happens to be odd values that are hard to find. I recall that 2-3 are used in the filament circuits. They are in white ceramic cylinders and probably have characteristic green crud on the leads. I'd personally replace them on sight.

+1 on how cruddy it is that those resistors are in the HV/sweep cage.

I removed the 10BP4A and stored it away for safekeeping while I work on the set. I was able to get a better look at the chassis and what all should be involved.

Took some more pictures as well.

Im guessing in that last pict are the infamous "Glowbar" resistors. I was thinking of replacing them with 82 Ohm 15 watt wirewounds.

Matt

Matt, I restored one of these GE 805s and several others also.
They are unique sets. I too replaced those globars with
power resistors.

Its a little tight in there recapping with those "daughter boards"
but still very doable. When you get done with it, it performs
very well.

Carl

Today I cleaned up the chassis, Sprayued it down with "Mean green" cleaner form Dollar general and scrubbed it with a brush. Rinsed all the gunk off with hot water, then put on "Naval Jelly" to dissolve rust in places, let that sit and rinsed again with hot water.

Then let the whole thing drip dry for a few hours, then put the chassis in the oven for 2 hours at 150F.

I let it cool to the touch and is now sitting on my workbench all clean and shiny, no trace of any of the nastiness that was there before.

Matt

Nice work Matt. I too like a nice clean chassis before
I start the recapping process.

Have you decided how you are going to deal with all those
Electrolytic Capacitors? Stuff cans? Mount soldering tabs
for under chassis Electrolytics?

Carl

Chassis: "Ahhh..."

When i bought Caps form Just Radios i ordered Axial caps to replace the under side ones. I have heard suggestions to use rubber tape around them to fill them out so they just snap back into the original holders. The axials ordered are 105C rated caps so they should be good, and i tried where possible to go at least 50v over in spec form the original. All the Film caps are the little yellow 630v ones from just radios and 1 Panasonic 1.25 KV one to replace the singe 1 KV cap.

Today I started Recapping the set. Only got a few done and had to run and get some replacement tools, as stuff grew legs and disappeared.

http://youtu.be/VzFfB98U5Kc

Matt

Good Video. On my GE 805, I stuffed the Electrolytic Cans and dumped the under
chassis Electrolytic capacitors. I mounted terminal strips on the chassis
to attach the underchassis Electrolytic capacitors. I'm not a "purist" who stuffs
wax capacitors either.

Carl

Yep I am going to do Terminal strips and radial Lytics underside. Panasonic 105C 200V. Just removing and replacing the paper/wax caps. Authenticity went out with the first repair done on the set who knows when.

A GE 800C is my latest aquisition and I love the set! I bought it with a restored chassis and it performers beautifully. I try not to leave sets on long, but with this one I just don't want to turn it off! No issues with it's performance what-so-ever.
The picture got washed out a bit with the camera:
http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/...ps51977012.jpg

why?

I leave some of my setsa on almost all day while i watch them, it doesnt hurt them.

I always had the habit of limiting the time I have a vintage set turned on, but I do know that it is not necessary. I'm loosing up a bit recently though! Others collectors I know also leave vintage radios and TV's on for hours on end.

Have finally gotten back to the GE after the holidays and a bout of the Flu. Have started replacing top side paper caps, and i also started replacing the GlowBar resistors with some Dale 82 ohm 25 watt ones.

Matt

Seems like everyone has been sick lately. Glad you're back to working on it :)

You'll wear the picture tube out. They have a finite lifetime and good luck finding a replacement.

Yeah tell me about it,

Everyone in our house has had the flu at least once since thanksgiving. Getting better through cleaning up my eating and going to the gym 5 days a week, and have lost 5 pounds since thanksgiving.
More work on it tomorrow, going to finish with the power resistors now that I have them mounted. Then really digging into cap replacement starting with the electrolytics so i can get some more room to work.

Riding the same bus for 30 minutes or more is even better than going to the gym for virus reception...

I have an 800C Locomotive set too. It was recapped by the previous owner so I've not done a thing to it since acquiring it. I do have a question about its behavior though - when turned off, the CRT drive capacitors apparently have enough charge to keep the (unrasterized) beam on, maintaining a very bright dot in the center of the CRT for about 3-5 minutes. It fades alarmingly slow. I've never had a set maintain a beam artifact more than a few seconds, so it has me concerned. Should I be worried about my very good 10BP4 or is that considered normal behavior for that set?

I know electronics only in basic laymans terms, but I would be a bit concerned with that. I have a RCA set where the picture suddenly went to a very bright line across the screen. I had taken the back off and tried to fiddle around with the tubes to see if I could fix it. When I finally called my tech. he asked how long I had the set on like that, because a bright concentrated spot on a CRT, left on, can possibly cause a burn to the CRT.

Watching this thread with great interest. Love seeing the set get a new life. Staying tuned...