[jlw37663]

Originally Posted by kudzu

Hi Tom-

I also have a 25" Colortrak 2000 with a panel of 10 RCA jacks in the rear and a sticker which reads Model Number FLR2523E and Manufactured in 1985.

It's been sitting in the closet for at least six to eight years as I seem to recall having some problems with the picture cutting out or some other erratic display issue and I would have to smack the box on the side to resuscitate it. I can't remember the specifics but do have a vague recollection of wanting to get it checked out as it's been collecting dust all these years.

Fast forward to about a week ago when I got the TV out, carried it to the exit in preparation to dispose of it when I impulsively tried to hook it up to one of the DTV converter boxes which had just arrived the week before. Lo' and behold, it worked again, so I switched it out with another, early 90s TV, reconnecting it to the DTV converter box, an old stereo and a DVD player, and it has worked without the erstwhile mishaps since--the stereo sound in particular, with the additional hi-fi receiver and speakers, is fantastic for such a dinosaur.

The picture may have faded a bit, though I'm not sure as I don't have good comparison.

One sure abnormality however is that the picture does seems to have rotated ever so slightly clockwise about the center axis about a degree or two, almost as if it's starting to drop off to the right. Can you picture this and does it make any sense to you?

What might be the cause of this? Any way to make an easy adjustment?

And what else might I expect with this particular model?

You mentioned one of yours had a "bad pin in the CRT socket." What is the symptom of this and was the TV still viewable? And if so, are you using that one and the other?

One minor difference is that I select Channel 91 or Channel 92 for Video 1 or Video 2 (which I've been using for the converter box and DVD player)--you mentioned Channels 98 and 99.

This is the remote control I still use to turn it on:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Command_Center

The only other component acquired which it could operate was an RCA VCR which gave up the ghost some time ago.

Any other insights you could give about the TV would be much appreciated as I would be interested in swapping idiosyncrasy tips if it turns out you're still using them and interested in talking about them.

Finally, I suppose that as you point out that as parts are hard to acquire, that if the TV does have any problems which make it unviewable, we should just junk it?

I can relate to what you say about having to jar the set to restore reception. I have had similar experiences with two similar RCA built sets of this vintage. Both were cured of this problem by removing the tuner unit and very carefully resoldering the entire circuit board. I used a controlled temperature Weller soldering station. I have had extensive experience in such soldering and I don't recommend doing this as a first time learning experience. I later read somewhere that these sets were notorious for such problems in the tuners.

The set I have is an RCA built JCPenny 685-2502KK which is similar the RCA FKC2022 (JCP had a good sale price going) which I bought '84 or '85. The other set with the same problem was about a year newer RCA bought by my inlaws. Their tuner problem started about a year later than mine and also after about the same amount of operating time on the set (go figure).

My JCP/RCA is still operating in a semi-retired location in the bedroom using an Insignia DTV converter and produces a very good picture still (but only when using external video inputs). For years this TV has produced a much better picture using an external VCR tuner than with the internal tuner. This set seemed to gradually lose its color fidelity and sharpness on the internal tuner over a period of years. One possible explanation would be physical changes in the RF/IF transistors due to long term effects of soft x-rays on the semiconductor doping. Back in the mid 80's, another recently graduated engineer was telling me that he had learned in school of an industry concern that this (soft x-rays inside TVs) might be a problem with certain transistor fabrications then being used in RF/IF applications. He seemed to think that the characteristics would gradually change and some device junctions would eventually fail (short out in the junction).

The RCA Colortrak2000 set belonging to my inlaws worked for many years after the tuner repair and finally went off line due to a probable failure in the horizontal sweep transformer assembly. They still have the set but have declined to pursue repairs. The HOT has that freshly roasted aroma.

I still have the JCP user manual. I'll check and see if they still have the the one for the RCA. Scanning is a possibility but there isn't a lot of information in the manual.