Pair-o-Portacolors
 

I was going to wait & post this in the gallery but what the heck. These are my twin Portacolors, both are model HE5206WD. The bottom one I picked up last fall at a flea market in Ohio where it was being used to demonstrate video games. I was happy to rescue it! The one on top I got this winter from Colortrakker. The flyback was on it's last legs-my first flyback replacement. It went smooth, aside from me somehow breaking the HO tube. Going by the serial number its slightly older than the other; date codes are from '73. I haven't cracked open the other one to check the dates. Colortrakker's has a little better contrast while the flea market find has stronger reception. I think ultimately what I'd like to do is trade the one from OH for another model Portacolor. Maybe I can swap it at the ETF convention.

Very nice - two working Port-a-Color's in the same general vicinity. <grin> I've got a Port-a-Color here, an older model I think, but it doesn't work. All I get is a horizontal line. Haven't done much troubleshooting on it yet, it's one of those projects that's been on the back burner for quite some time now. I'll get to it... one of these days.

Nice work though. The Port-a-color's are neat little sets, and as much of a bad rep they've gotten, they were probably the very last all tube set ever made, and quite possibly the longest lived model line. (except maybe XL-100 - anyone happen to know the answer to this? I'm too tired for intelligent thought.)

-Ian

Bryan, it looks like you got your money's worth from the one on top. Nice to see it working :D

Ian, looks ike a close one between XL-100 and Colortrak. The first XL-100s were released in 1971, but I can't find anything, even on RCA's site, that indicates when the last ones were made. Looks like it's only been a couple of years. The first Colortrak came out in about 1977 and RCA still has one in production - a little 13-incher.

I think the portacolor has to be the longest running design. I've read it was in production until 1980. The original XL-100 only lasted until about 76, or 78 with quite a few changes along the way. Just because Thomson can slap the XL-100, or Colortrak name on a Chinese TV, it doesn't make it the same design.

The XL-100 is "eXtended Life, 100% solid state". I believe it refers to the modular sets with the vertical chassis and copper fingers on the modules...this first generation was from 71 to 78. (the first solid state RCA's from 68-71 used transistors soldered directly to large circuit boards, no modules)
In 77 or so the sets with the "hot" chassis and the horizontally mounted modules came about...these were also branded as XL-100.
In '80 or 81 RCA introduced a more modern design with a "hot" chassis and large non-modular circuit board, also an inline tube in 19 and 25" sets. This too was referred to as XL-100.
Like Andy I have seen "XL-100" on sets up till the late '90s and even probably early 2000's. It has been used on so many totally different types of chassis.

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As good a reason as any to post a pic of my own PortaColor. First model, 1966. Works and looks perfect, haven't touched it. Came with the original cart, too! Cost me $60. I love these little Port-os, the way they maxed out the use of that relatively small number of multi-function tubes to actually come up with a decent color picture (for 1966 and 10 inches, anyway!) Makes for an excellent space heater too ; )

If you haven't done any repairs to the set, there is a cap near the damper or HO tube that is ceramic encased paper that should be replaced, it can short out and explode...have seen this happen on several portacolors.

Man, Frenchy, how can anyone complain about that? Great picture! One thing about these sets, you can build a big collection of 'em with little space, and with lots of variety since they made so many versions over all those years.

My living room TV is a Thomson-built RCA 19-inch set, manufactured over five years ago. The words "XL-100 COMMERCIAL SKIP" appear above the CRT, at the upper left-hand corner of the cabinet. I asked RCA about this (whether XL-100 meant anything on modern sets) about three years ago (called their customer-service 800 number) and was told no, XL-100 on today's "RCA" branded TVs was just a model designation.

Nice Portacolors bgadow! They look great!

I myself have taken a liking to these little TVs. I have a 1976 Portacolor and with some tweaking, really looks great for what it is. I even have a GE 19" solid state modular color TV from the following year that uses the same cabinet style and dials.

Is that the modular right there behind the Porta Color in the pic, or some other GE?

Yup it is. I know that type of TV isn't collectible and GE sets are usually regarded as junk, but surprisingly, it gets a very, very good picture. In fact, it gets as good of a picture as some Zeniths from that era. Although it took a little bit to get it going again. But it seems that most TVs up till the early 80's were still real TVs. I was born in '82, so for some reason I find anything older than I am, whether TVs, appliances, or anything electronical, fascinating.

Electronical? LOL Is that some new tech form of Ebonix....perhaps Elektronix?

Yo, mah flygirl flyback iz on da hizzy wit wax a-drippin. WORD.

Anthony

Say WHAT ?!? <grin>-Sandy G.

At Motorola, one of the things we did was competitive design analysis, (would be called "benchmarking" today). The GE sets were the most cost-reduced of any. Where other manufacturers had at most a 3-step design process (research, advanced development, and chassis design), GE followed the first 3 steps with a formal cost-reduction step before production. Resulted in such things as three potentiometers on one substrate for the set-back secondary controls. (The controls' carbon tracks were all three on one phenolic substrate, and there was no metal enclosure.)