Educate me on the Predicta?
 

I'm starting to contemplate going after this unit. I don't usually mess with TVs, but there is something extremely cool about a Predicta. I know this one is the 4242 with the 21" tube. http://springfield.craigslist.org/clt/2010305739.html

What do I need to know before taking the plunge?

Tricky to disassemble. Some of the tube housings have a bad smell. Flybacks are frequently an issue. Printed boards can be somewhat fragile. And, you'll have a real conversation piece and a set that holds its value!

That one needs major cosmetic work but does appear to be complete.

At that price, I'd grab it. One that came out of a barn all rotted and rusty sold for like $135 on the bay in Milwaukee a few months ago. I don't think you can go wrong on this one.

I'd go for it too. The 21" don't seem to show up as often as the 17".

You might enjoy this video I made on the issues with restoring a Predicta: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFghaXEjSak

$50? I'd grab it. They aren't too hard to restore, they just have issues with unobtainium parts, as well as gremlins that can creep up in bad traces on the boards.

I believe that's the same chassis used in my barberpole.

http://antiqueradio.org/philc12.htm

Predictas are like the girl in the nursery rhyme, the one with a curl on her forehead. When she was good, she was very, very good, and when she was bad, she was horrid.

$50 is a good price and Predictas are well known. There will probably be some cussing before you finish the project, but you'll have no shortage of armchair quarterbacks.

Phil Nelson

There is of course the issue of the CRT. Predicta CRTs had a very poor lifetime, and very frequently are found to be dead. Rebuild was a great solution for them (the new gun is better than the original), but it's getting harder to find an affordable rebuilder.

I had my Predicta CRT rebuilt by an outfit in Los Angeles 15 years ago or so.

Your CRT enclosure and screen cover look very good. If you ask around a bit, you may find someone with a better lower cabinet but a trashed screen cover. Combining parts could result in one very nice Predicta.

Harder to find is putting it mildly. The last CRT rebuilder in the US has gone out of business and the ETF rebuilding project is still in early days.

Phil Nelson

Hi Phil,

Clinton Displays is still doing it, but it will cost you more.

I think it's a good buy at $50. I'd shoot for it and ask questions later! These sets are popular enough to have quite a following so I'm pretty sure there's more than a few guys here at VK who could steer you in the right direction. Knowing me, I'd probably tackle the cosmetics first just so I'd have a cool-looking Predicta to admire until I got around to tackling the electronics.

Is the lower cabinet photofinish or real veneer?

Lower cabinet on these is photofinish -- that's why I mentioned possibly trying to combine with another Predicta with a better lower cabinet.

Might make a nice victim for a transfusion of real veneer...

Well, guys...$40 later, I've joined you in the vintage TV world. Unless I trip over an early RCA color model cheap, it ends here, too. ;)

Plastic parts are in great shape except for the center of the lower knob - it's broken. The plastic has some light scuffs and a few discolored marks on the back, but no breaks, cuts, decay or nasty smells. The metal parts have some corrosion, they'll take a bit of work to bring back. I haven't looked at anything inside yet.

I would check the CRT, careful on the filament voltage, not sure what it is.

You could prob do some resistance at the fly to see if it seems good. Dont worry about how it looks, I have had flys that you would bet on as bad that work out fine.

IMHO on the fly try not to touch it. I know some folks like to recoat them if the wax is damaged. I dont think I would ever try that, besides the possilbe physical damage that could result from applying the stuff, I would be worried about how it may react with the wire isulation. I would just leave it alone.