Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeffhs
Hmmm.  Judging from the solid look of the cabinets of the System 3 Zeniths of the eighties such as this one, I would never have guessed they were built more cheaply than the Chromacolor IIs--but that's progress, I guess. Nothing is built as solidly or as well today as it once was. I have a friend whose parents owned a System 3 Zenith color console; it lasted them 15 years before the power supply (I think) gave up the ghost some time in the '90s. They replaced it with an RCA/Thomson "Guide Plus" 25" set that lasted all of two years (!), then the CRT went bad and the set was junked. They got another RCA Guide Plus 25-incher after that; the second set lasted and is still working very well, last I heard.
I was very surprised to read that the Zenith System 3 sets were actually built to less exacting standards than were the CCIIs. Zenith had been my all-time favorite brand of home-entertainment equipment--TVs, stereos, audio--at the time, and all my old sets gave me excellent service (I still have several tube-type Zenith radios from the '60s that work very well for their age) until GoldStar took over and moved the company from Chicago to Korea in the late 1980s. That must have been when the quality standards were lowered for the System 3 line of televisions. 
I understand the Zenith "Sentry 2" color TVs were a step down from the System 3s, but my own nearly 14-year-old Sentry 2 still works almost as well as it did when it was new. Even has the original in-line CRT. The only problem I can ever remember having with that set was trouble receiving one cable channel in the mid-'90s. The cable tech told me he thought it was a problem with my set's tuner. I moved about two years later, brought the set with me, and tried it on the cable connection in the bedroom of my then-new apartment; the TV worked perfectly well (and still does to this day) on all cable channels. The only thing I can figure is that there must have been a problem with an outside connection at my former home. As I said, my Sentry 2 has been working just great, no chassis trouble at all. I intend to use it to replace my 9-year-old RCA CTC185 XL-100 when that set finally dies, although as good a picture as it makes now I'm not expecting any trouble from it. |
The first generation system 3's from '78 were probably the best. They used a power transformer type power supply similar to a CCII. The modules were 9-151 (IF), 9-152 (chroma/video/vertical), 9-153 (HV/horiz. sweep), and 9-155 (video output) and were connected by oddball plastic edge connectors (which often gave trouble). This chassis also used the tri-pot inline CRT. The HV modules gave the most trouble in these and the CRT's didn't hold up like the old delta gun tubes.
The second generation system 3's from around '79 until around '82 eliminated the power transformer and used a 9-160 HV/power supply/horiz. sweep module. All the other boards were the same as above and still used those crappy edge connectors. Once again, the 9-160 PS/HV/sweep module gave the most trouble in these. bad flybacks, shorted HOT's, shorted diodes, loose solder connections, and other oddball problems were common. Really, those 9-160 modules were fairly flimsy and had too many heavy components mounted on them, IMHO. The flyback and other heavy transformers and filter chokes were mounted on this module. I've gotten so called rebuilt modules that needed to be resoldered! And, these used the same CRT as the first generation system 3's.
The third generation system 3 chassis was made from around '82 to '86; and, was my least favorite of the 3. They used a 9-181 main module and a 9-186 sweep module. The chassis design was nothing like the 1st and 2nd gen. sets. The earliest versions of this chassis used the same tri-pot tube as above. Then, they went to a more modern inline tube like what you'll find today. IMHO, the picture was not as good with this newer tube. I feel sorry for anyone having to repair this chassis; especially if it's dead. Both modules can cause a dead set and one module can fail and ruin the other module. I have gotten lucky and fixed several of these sets to the component level. However, many of them I gave up on because I could not find any parts bad. In those cases, I just changed both modules (if the set was worth it). Now, these modules are hard to find and are often expensive when they do turn up.
After this, the quality just went further downhill and the system 3 name was eventually dropped. If I were to buy a system 3, I'd go with the 1st or 2nd generation models. It would have to be clean and be an interesting model even at that. The only way I'd take a 3rd generation would be if someone gave it to me and I still wouldn't invest much time in it before passing it along to someone else. I know there are many 3rd gens. still going after 25 years; but, when they do die, you've got a headache. I don't think Zenith intended for any of the System 3's to be repaired to the component level. They wanted you to swap a module. I'll admit module swapping is quick and easy; but, modules are usually expensive and are generally un-available today unless you find a NOS one.