RCA CTC-111 or CTC-121 chassis?
 

What's the difference between them and which one is considered to be more rugged and reliable? Please choose one.

I would say from experience that the CTC-121 is a really good chassis. I've also heard from others that it is quite reliable as well. It produces a very nice picture too.

the early ctc111 chassis had a cap that would short in the horizontal section and would take out almost everything on the +26volt line. there was a diode that you removed when you fixed this problem. later run production chassis did not have the diode installed. the ctc121 was a great chassis. steve

Thank you for your responses. I asked because I was not sure if RCA quality peaked in 1982, 1983, or 1984. Originally, I thought the CTC-111 was better than CTC-121 because the CTC-111 was made in 1982 and the matching VHS VCR is RCA VGT650 that was made by Panasonic. I always get the impression that Panasonic-made VCRs always last longer than Hitachi-made VCRs, indicating that 1982 might be a better year for RCA. The CTC-121's, which I have, matching VCR is RCA VJT700 (standalone) and RCA VJP900 (portable dock), but they were made by Hitachi. However, with your saying that CTC-111 suffers from horizontal cap failure, the problem looks more severe to me than dealing with seven belts in Hitachi-made VCRs. I uploaded a photo that shows the complete 1984 RCA CTC-121 entertainment set (they are pretty) :yes:. Photo shows the TV (VJM2023S), VCR (VJP900), camcorder (CC010), and CED player (SJT400). I am picking up a SJT400 videodisc player on Saturday. Now I only need to find the VCR and camcorder. :smoke:

I used to work for RCA Labs back then, and if I recall correctly, the CTC111 had no A/V jacks, and was a hot chassis design. Using a bridge rectifier on the line, so it's hot no matter which way you plug the power plug. 19 inch set with comb filter.

I had a CTC101, the one with the infamous flyback.

http://www.geocities.com/wa2ise/radios/rcactc101.jpg
And my CTC115: http://www.geocities.com/wa2ise/radios/rcactc115.jpg
My CTC108: http://www.geocities.com/wa2ise/radios/rcactc108c.jpg
The CTC121 at my mom's: http://www.geocities.com/wa2ise/radios/rcactc121.jpg

Looks like CTC-121 is the winner here so far. Is there anything better and more rugged than the CTC-121, or is the CTC-121 the best I can get? It has to be made after 1979.

I realize the world is bigger than this but I just have to ask anyway. Did you know of an RCA distributor called Frank Lyon Co in Kansas City or know of Ron Stout who may have worked in their service dept (and later owned his own company, Video, Etc.)? Ron was very active in RCA service during the mid 80's and quite the tech. I knew OF Ray Cunningham but never met him personally. I worked for Ron's successor in the late '80's. Just wondering...
Brian

No, but we in the labs back then rarely knew of anyone in the rest of the RCA TV operation aside from some people in the Indy design center.