GE Portacolor II knob
 

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did not realize there was a HV focus dot matrix type. I agree the slotted type is worse than the orig large bore 11SP22 triads. What is the tube number, I will have to keep an eye open for one, maybe replace the sloted if it ever dies.

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PC 2's are rare birds. They also put that chassis in a 19" set
also fairly rare. For the knobs its prob best to get a set of four
from a similar GE & reindex the numbers if needed.

Behind the HOT is a big white cap. I would strongly recommend updating
it. Newer ones were european IIRC & didnt come apart. The OEM's
were trouble & made us $$$$.
If it opens will take out fuse, HOT, sometimes the FBT & vert module.

GE was the only sets I have seen with "backwards" tint controls
so the slider issue doesnt surprise me. Even my 3 yr old GE stove
has backwards oven temp up-down buttons, up on left, down on right !
Strange cats at GE :sigh:

73 Zeno:smoke:

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Give George over at talonix a try - he may have your knob. You have to use their contact form, but I know they have GE, RCA and some zenith stuff. I got a power switch for my Quasar WITD from them. Lots of off-web stock, I guess. IIRC, knobs are either ES/ET/EP 43 or 49 prefixed parts.

Oh, and GE had a service bulletin on the across-the-line caps. UL requires them to be 400V/dual AC-rated, and GE specified a nice dark blue Paktron film cap. We replaced them by the tons for a while, all free under the service bulletin. One house fire, and the UL got all wanky....:D

I've got a whole box of those 1000V Elmenco white ceramic bombs. The box is oil soaked, and none of the caps has ever been used or exposed to high temps. Mine are all from Zenith OEM bags. Zenith used them in the boost circuits, and we used Orange drop 1600V replacements.

you can transplant the center part to an existing knob, there is a spring clip type retainer, you must destroy the shaft to remove it, you do this to the knob with the broken handle, saving the numbers. Then from the donor you have to destroy the metal retainer to separate the donor shaft from the channel part.
just make sure you are only destroying the part that is already broken. I tried to see if I could get the metal retainer off, no way. you have to break the metal ring or the plastic shaft.

The idea is to save your channel indicator which matches and only use a new donor shaft with the part you turn. the reason... wait for it....

sometimes the channels don't match up, that's right it may look like a perfect match but channel 3 will show as channel 4 etc...

the D retainer is not consistent, so you can find a perfect set of knobs and have it still not be right. However the donating process worked, there is a molded in detent that locks the two parts and that is consistent, just not the actual numbering on the dial. I know cause I just went thru this on a PC with a busted knob handle.

it sounds confusing until you get the knobs in front of you.

so if you have a supply of knobs just look for a matching inside part, that way you have more to choose from.

What is the outside diameter of the knob? Turns out, I've got my dad's old knob box and a ton of GE knobs. Lemme know...

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Andy,

I had no luck with my GE stash or used knobs. I found some repair lit that shows your PCII - attached are the pertinent info for part numbers. Maybe Moyers or talonix might have your knobs.

Cheers,

That tuner that GE used in the porta-color sets must have been a real terror to turn. I replaced many VHF knobs on them when they came in for service.

I think at one point we tried to buy a stash of knobs from GE for these sets. I don't think it ever came to pass, though.

Seeing these pictures of your set brought back some real dog memories for me. Most of the time, they were straight-forward repairs, and other times they were dogs.

dont forget you can replace just the inside part of the knob, that way it does not have to be a perfect match.

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indeed there are a lot of knobs that have that style, easier than finding the exact match.

PM sent.

Tried to turn the channel selector knob on my old Portacolor. It refused to turn.
I applied a little more force and the tuner, it self, broke into pieces.
That was all she wrote for that set. This was many years ago.

-Steve D.

I forgot what brand tuner GE used but the strips would break
& grind up the others. Usually you could pull strips from a
junker & save the day. GE knobs were just plain cheap.
We sold more of them than any other. Also on the C-2 ??
chassis 18 /19" sets the tuner bracket was plastic & would
dry up leaving the tuner falling into the set. It was a stocked
item. You get what you pay for.................

73 Zeno:smoke:

My Portacolor was a first year of introduction set (1966). Couldn't wait to go to the GE distributor and by this set. Used it for several years then went into storage. It was working at that time. Perhaps that tuner bracket did dry up. Just know the tuner was in many pieces after the "forced" turn of the channel selector. Photo is similar to my early model. The ad exclaims "light weight".
Not hardly.

-Steve D.

They had a turret tuner with a strip for each channel & one for UHF.
Normally a turret tuner is better cause you could service them
much easier than a wafer switch job. Problem was if the plastic
failed on a strip & you forced it to turn it was like making hamburger.
Not the end of the world if you got a junk tuner to pull the strips from.
Funny thing is other brands used the same tuner but it was a GE
problem. Probably heat related.
Portacolors are strange animals kinda like a Studebaker, you either
love them or hate them, no middle ground........
BTW I love Stude's:banana:

73 Zeno:smoke:

I've got two of those exact sets (one mint the other rather rough), and a newer parts set (missing newer type CRT). If things go right (or wrong if I look at it another way), then I may have a spare set of tuners for you down the road...

Ha Ha 73 Zeno,

I also love Studes. I've been a member of the Studebaker Driver's Club since 1971. I've owned and restored several Studebakers.

And Electronic M,

Thanks for the offer of the Portacolor tuners. Unfortunately that set was tossed many many years ago.

-Steve D.