'66 Motorola color console, 19" CCII, & '83 Zenith console found today
 

Well, I think I done good today. A lady called me last week and said she had two console TV's and a 19" I could have for free. I had pictured a '94 Zenith with bad CRT, a '96 RCA Thomson set, and a 2001 Orion 19". When me and my neighbor got there to pick them up, I was surprised to see a circa '66 Motorola color console, a 19" solid state Zenith CCII, and an '83 Zenith console. The lady said they bought the Motorola when they got married in '66 and it lasted longer than any of the other TV's. Someone cut the cord off all 3 sets (no major problem) and they all need a major cleaning. The Motorola has a pretty cool looking control panel. Also notice the Motorola Color Television badge under the CRT. I'm going to try to keep the Motorola and the CCII. The '83 will either be given away, fixed and sold, dumped, used for parts, etc. The owner said she was about to throw them in the dump when a lady she knows told her that I picked up a TV of hers. See, it does pay to pick up those BPC sets. They'll tell someone that actually has an OLD set to give away!

Done real good! That CCII is a sweet find by itself!

The Motorola lasted longer than the Zeniths? Wow, surprising especially since it's not a solid state set.

I bet that '83 needs the 9-246 HV module swapped out. They run hella hot.

Yes, those HV boards run hot, are expensive, and can take out the main module when they fail. I've had very little luck repairing that particular chassis.

I too find it hard to believe that the Motorola lasted longer than the Zenith, since Motorola's were not considered that great to begin with. I wonder if it has the dreaeed 23EGP22 Motorola tube? I'll know after while.

What chassis is in the CC2? If it's a 19GC38Z chassis I have a complete parts chassis if you need parts.

The chassis is a 19KC48Z from October, '78 and was made in Mexico. When I fired it up, I was greeted with a white raster with retrace lines. I changed the low level video module and got a picture back; but, it looked bad (like a bad CRT). The CRT tested bad at first; but, came up after I cooked it at 8 volts for a few minutes. I think this is the first Zenith delta gun CRT from the CCII era that checked bad. I still need to redo some of the module connections and clean the controls and tuner.

I think this is the newest 19" Zenith delta gun set that I've seen. Wasn't the "K" line the last CCII chassis?

The Motorola does have what appears to be the original Motorola 23EGP22 (anode connector on the side). The tube checked bad at first; but, the red and green came up to about 55% and the blue at 40% after cooking it at 8 volts for a few minutes. I did notice that this set uses two horizontal output tubes. I have not fired up the TV yet. I'll save that for tomorrow.

I fired up the Motorola and it did come to life; but, it has several problems. There is no color, the vertical sync is not stable, and the purity is way off. The picture is also very dull, washed out, and out of focus.

Can anyone ID the chassis number?
 

Here's the chassis out of the Motorola. There is no model number or chassis number that I can find. Does anyone know the chassis number by looking at the chassis? I'd like to be able to find the Sams Photofact on this model. As can be seen, this chassis uses two horizontal output tubes. Notice, in the last picture, the ultra-professional electrolytic cap replacement. No terminal strip, no heat shrink, no electrical tape. It was just dangling below the chassis with exposed terminals!

Also, would it be safe for me to attempt cataract removal on the 23EGP22 CRT? I've read all the post about cataract removal; but, I think I remember someone saying that trying to remove the safety glass from this particular tube was very dangerous. If that's the case, I have a Zenith Chromacolor (25XP22, IIRC) tube that's good that I might could mount in the Motorola.

000

The '83 Zenith
 

Much to my surprise, I spliced a cord on the '83 Zenith and it powered up with a lousy picture. A good shot from the CRT checker improved the picture. Here's a picture of the chassis. Not one of my favorite chassis. I would have liked it if I had better luck at repairing the boards instead of swapping them. This set is going to have to find a home. I'm not much into '80's consoles and I'm running out of room.

I've got to do some purity and convergence touch-up's on the 19" CCII and it will be done.

The Motorola is just sitting there until I figure out what chassis is in it. Could it be a TS908, which I think was their first rectangular set?

1983 Zenith
 

The 1983 Zenith looks almost the same as my 1982, I assume it is a System 3. Does it have Space Command remote control and does it have a green LED channel indicator? If you ever dump it, I wish I was closer, I'd like to have a look at it, I'm looking for parts actually but I would hate to cannibalize a perfectly functioning set, IMHO. Anyways, I'm just curious.

23EGP22 cataract removal
 

When I removed the cataracts from my Admiral with the 23EGP22, it was the first tube I had ever done. This particular tube was easy since the cataract went all the way into the center of the picture, with about a 4" circle that was still bonded. I just put the tube neck down into a heavy garbage can and hit it with the heat gun. The 25SP22 in my other set was much more difficult - the PVA had started to form little green balls inside it and that one took a lot more heat and time. I was definitely worried by the time the glass started coming loose.

Speaking of these two tubes, other posters in the forum have said that the 23EGP22 was a poor tube, and that there weren't many replacements available for it even as a new tube. They've mentioned replacing it with a 25SP22 or XP22. How was this done? Did the manufacturers provide a new bezel or are the tubes similar in dimension? In my Admiral, the tube is held in place at the corners with little rubber blocks that fit over posts molded into the bezel. There isn't much room for a tube larger than the original. Just curious...

-Jim

Yes, it is a space command set and it does have a green LED channel readout. The keypad is behind the door. There is also a chromatic switch.

I don't know what I'll end up doing with it. Most of the general public wouldn't have it if I gave it to them. If I gave it to the thrift store, it would just sit there forever with a $100 (or higher) price tag until they got tired of it sitting there and dumped it. I gave the last console I had to a needy person; and, they actually appreciated it. If I strip it, I'll keep you in mind on the parts. It really needs a new CRT to play really well. This looks like a very high hour set. This set uses the tripot tube that was used in the earlier system 3's. In '84, I think they went to the newer version inline tube that's still used today.

The 25ap22/xp22 tubes should just drop in as they are the same size.
The color looks good on your set so I would leave it in till it goes dead.
Ed

Ed -

Thanks for the info. I hadn't planned on replacing the tube since as you said, the colors are decent. In fact, I get compliments from everyone who sees it as to how good the color is. Hopefully I never have to worry about changing it out; this set supposedly has low hours on it, but was curious as to how they interchanged. Is that something you can tell from the part numbers or just through experience?

-Jim