Next Project: RCA 17-S-450 with a KCS 87X Chassis
 

Got this from the same seller I bought the RA-103 from. He showed me documentation this was essentially a time capsule. NOS out of the box and displayed in a museum in northern New Jersey. Barely used and the condition suggests this. The 17HP4 tests new and has excellent emissions down to 3 volts. The cabinet is metal and is virtually flawless. There is no greasy dust thick with cigarette tar anywhere including the HV anode safety cup. The seller demonstrated the TV to me and claimed it was running on original parts. The picture was perfect. I have not tested the TV in my shop yet and I don't know what I should do. If it works like it did in the demonstration, should I just enjoy it as is until I need to work on it, sorta like Shango's Packard Bell experiment or do I risk an issue with the transformers if I don't do, at the least, the electrolytic caps?

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/voyhNd.jpg

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/PHzETE.jpg

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/Agdnk3.jpg

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/NYGzct.jpg

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Emissions at 3 volts

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/GPWuH4.jpg

Emissions at 2.5 volts

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/zeXKxw.jpg

Picture is perfect. Controls need cleaning but it's crisp and clear.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/ld65sH.jpg

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/nUCqCe.jpg

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/9rpbTj.jpg

I had one like it before the plandemic. They're not rare or expensive sets so there's no harm in experimenting with it.

As I have mentioned before, the RCA sets made from the late forties used excellent quality electrolytics. I have restored and have in my collection 5 pre 1950 RCA sets and found only one bad electrolytic. I posted earlier in 2020 the restoration of my 1947 RCA 721TS with all it's original electrolytics and it is fine in 2024 after more than 1000 hours. I would let it run for an hour, switch it off and grab each electrolytic can in your hand. If it is hot, only then would I consider replacing it.

An IR camera like Shango has would be great for monitoring the lytics in something as rare as this.