Hitachi CT1385W 13" Color TV from 1989 - Videokarma.org TV - Video

radiotvnut · #1 10-08-2022, 06:48 PM

Sets this new really don't interest me much, but I sort of felt sorry for this woodgrain plastic-cased 13" Hitachi color set that was sitting under a table at a church rummage sale (a church that has sales on a regular basis). When I asked for a price, she had to email the preacher a picture of the set and I was thinking to myself, "go ahead and give him the model number, so he can wurf it on Ebay." As it turns out, there are some on Ebay, for ludicrous prices, and they'd never sell for those kinds of prices at a yard sale. Heck, they probably won't even sell for that on Ebay.

Anyway, she came back with $10. Not knowing what I'd have to do to the set and knowing that I'm about the only one who'd want it, I offered $5, she came back with $7, I stuck to $5, and she took it. She told me that they still have customers who buy these kinds of sets, but I find it hard to believe.

It fired up with a raster, but it needs a greyscale touch-up and the speaker sounds raspy.

Back when CRT sets were still hot, I don't recall seeing many 13" Hitachi sets. However, I saw a good many 19", and larger, models and from what I remember about '80s and '90s Hitachi TVs, they were flyback eaters. Also, bad solder joints and bad capacitors (especially in the power supply and vertical sweep circuits, and the boost filter capacitor).

One day, I'll open this one up and revive it.

BTW, the "coming soon" you see on the screen has been that way for the past 1-1.5 years. I guess one day, it will come.

zeno · #2 10-09-2022, 08:40 AM

Yes FBT eaters. Strange thing was the 13" FBT net us over $50
but the 19" was about $30. Needless to say not many 13" got fixed for FBT.

73 Zeno

LFOD !

radiotvnut · #3 10-09-2022, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zeno

Yes FBT eaters. Strange thing was the 13" FBT net us over $50
but the 19" was about $30. Needless to say not many 13" got fixed for FBT.

73 Zeno

LFOD !

By the mid '90s, the prices of new 13" sets had gotten to be fairly cheap and not many people were bringing in an older 13" set for repair. You tell somebody that it's going to cost $75+ to fix a set that can be replaced for $129.95 (or less) and they are likely going to decline the repair.