Quote:
Originally Posted by dieseljeep
I used to be a hastle looking up part numbers for RCA and GE, as they used drawing numbers on the part. You had to go to the distributor with the model or chassis number and look up the part in the factory manual or even the Sams. Zenith, Motorola and most others used the original part number, so it was a bit easier.
Back in 1974, those parts were probably special order.  |
For RCA, I've got the 1974, 1979 and 1984 price guides, and a 1976 Drawing number to part number cross. I also have the Parts software to look up CTC175 - 2008 parts, and I also have several 1964-1972 RCA knob guides, and the ubiquitous Module to chassis and RCA IHVT to chassis lists. I also have a original part number to RCA part number - helpful with VCR parts, as Panasonic and Hitachi made RCA VCRs, and had the weird EQB0048RTA or so part numbers...
I've seen boxed, new RCA parts with drawing numbers not listed in the Drawing-to-part number guide. RCA issued "blue sheets" to distributors to correct/add info, but sadly, I don't have any of those.
GE also used a drawing number (early were the M128XXXXX style, and the later were 23c/73C-prefixed stuff, out of Portsmouth.) I can cross those as well, and have a couple GE price guides - 1/3 the thickness of RCA's, thanks to RCA's inclusion of their Communication Parts. Later, the two were merged - some GE part numbers went away completely, superseded by RCA parts.
RCA used the drawing number system as it was intended - the drawing number corresponded to the design drawing, on file at RCA. Even in 1983, you could call Camden for a lookup on a 50's part and they'd tell you the closest RCA part or subsequent RCA part suggested for obsolete stuff. This was the problem mostly with cabinet parts and knobs, but we called once on a detent tuner. RCA's response was a tuner with a multi-sized shaft - cut off what you don't need, and it included a guide to cut it to fit several obsolete tuner profiles. With one, you had to sub other knobs, as the indexing was different from the original.
On the other side, I have TV parts where neither the drawing number or part number appear in any RCA guides - clueless as to their application. They came from RCA when the bosses' daughter did some creative ordering to win a trip from RCA - a trip down the Nile. We swam in triplers, modules and Nipper crap for a few months after that. RCA sold us a bunch of no-demand parts too....probably for the Mural hotel-Motel sets...