Zenith SR 3547DT

[RobtWB]

A lady at work, knowing of my obsession with television sets, offered this beast to me for free. She said it just quit working. Naturally I couldn't turn it down, even if it turns out to be a parts set.

My question - this is a 1995 model 35 inch vertical console, home entertainment style set, with multiple inputs and outputs on the back, and something called StarSight. Is this monster worth looking into? I have heard mid 90's Zenith sets are problematic, but I have no experience with them. Not really sure what to do with the thing yet. It is in one of those damn ugly black particle board swivel cabinets, heavy as hell, but not beat up like they usually are. What the heck do I do with it? Scavenge it for parts? Or look into repairing it. Based on the multiple input/output hook ups and StarSight(???) I believe that this was probably one expensive set when new.

[radiotvnut]

Since it's a 35", it might be worth at least pulling the back and checking into it. I don't think Zenith made CRT's this big; so, you probably won't have the bad CRT issue to deal with. If it were a 27" or smaller set, I'd tell you to throw it away, since those are the ones with the bad CRT's.

[sampson159]

that may have a toshiba crt.if so,it will be a good performer.lots of vertical issues with that set.relatively easy to repair.good luck!

[radiotvnut]

I fixed one of those that had audio but no HV. Turned out that the 130whatever volt B+ diode that's on the secondary side of the switching transformer was loose. Resoldered that and the TV worked great. Maybe you'll get that lucky.

[colortrakker]

I think StarSight was like the TVGuide Plus+ that Thomson had in some of their RCA sets at the time. On-screen listings.

[DaveWM]

My recent exp with a 2005 tv that would not turn on turned out to be a single bad 22uf 50v cap just off whta I think was a power supply regulater IC chip (i had no schematic).

If you have an ESR meter I would just hit everyone of those caps with it.

Fun part was it came with a HD digital tuner, so I can get OTA with out a converter box.

[edison64]

Originally Posted by colortrakker

I think StarSight was like the TVGuide Plus+ that Thomson had in some of their RCA sets at the time. On-screen listings.

That was exactly what it was, I had a set with that feature, on screen guide and would switch channels when you selected them. this was a feature on most top of the line sets. I got rid of mine because the kids lost the remote, the original remote had several "special function buttons" RCA wanted something like $300.00 for a replacement at the time. with out the remote these sets are a bit*h to use and set up. as everything is semi auto set up.

[RobtWB]

I googled StarSight and found out what it was.

Oh yipee - the original remote to this set is long gone - I hope it isn't too difficult to wade through the setup without it. I have a '95 RCA 20" tv/vcr combo with the VCRPlus guide - tried many generic RCA remotes - will work most functions but not all -a real pain in the butt.

I looked over this set again this am - I hope it is an easy repair - this looks to be a top of the line set for 1995 - although the black cabinet is as ugly as sin!!! I'll look it over this week - maybe I can get it ready for the super bowl in a couple of weeks.

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by edison64

That was exactly what it was, I had a set with that feature, on screen guide and would switch channels when you selected them. this was a feature on most top of the line sets. I got rid of mine because the kids lost the remote, the original remote had several "special function buttons" RCA wanted something like $300.00 for a replacement at the time. with out the remote these sets are a bit*h to use and set up. as everything is semi auto set up.

That's a shame, that you had to get rid of that set just because the remote got lost. I bet it would have worked with a generic universal remote; at least then you would be able to operate the TV's basic functions. (I use a GE universal I bought several years ago for $5 at Big Lots; it operates my entire video system--TV, VCR, DVD--just fine, which proves one does not have to spend a fortune on a new remote when the old one goes bad.) Most universals probably wouldn't operate the advanced features of your set, like Star Sight and RCA's Guide Plus+ (I remember Star Sight myself--saw the ads for TVs with this feature back when they were first introduced, and one of my friends has an RCA 25" TV with Guide Plus+) and so forth, but at least you could operate the most-used functions. The one feature I'm sure most if not all universal remotes (except perhaps the Logitech "Harmony" series learning remotes, but they are expensive as the dickens) will not operate would be the Star Sight on-screen TV listings.

Your mention of Zenith Star Sight reminded me of another feature many of Zenith's high-end color TVs had in the mid-1980s. This feature was called Z-Trak, which was operated with a remote that had a miniature trackball; the ball controlled the movement of a cursor in on-screen menus.

As with RCA and other televisions with advanced features, however, if anything happened to the original remote, you probably could get the set to work (volume +/-, channel +/-, mute and on-off) with a cheap universal, but the advanced bells and whistles wouldn't work at all unless, as I said, you were to get a Logitech "Harmony" universal remote--and even then there would be no guarantees that the remote would operate the special features. The "Harmony" series of universals are made for today's home-theater installations; while they probably would work with a 1990s-vintage TV on a basic level, I wouldn't count on them having setup codes for Star Sight and other high-end features found in Zenith and RCA CRT TVs twenty years or more old. For example, I wouldn't count on even a Logitech learning remote to have the setup codes for late-model RCA TVs with Guide Plus--the technology is just too old, and these remotes are made to operate current sets. Most universal remotes will operate almost any brand of television, VCR, DVD, cable box, etc. that was made since a certain year; I have several RCA universals that can control almost any of these devices made since 1990. I don't know what the date range is for today's home-theater remotes--probably late '90s or early 21st century.

I'm curious. Did you find the remote for your RCA TV after you gave up the set? I read at least one post here, some years ago, describing just such a situation. I think Doug, drh4683, told the story of the time he got a TV from an estate sale; the set was supposed to have a remote, but at the time he got the set the remote was missing. Some time after he got home with the set, however, he said his phone rang. The call was from the set's former owner, who said he or she had found the remote--either behind something, stuck in between the sofa cushions, or who knows where. In a house with small children or animals, this sort of thing can and probably does happen all the time. One of the checkers at the local supermarket told me the story of how her dog chewed up the TV remote; fortunately, she had another remote that would work with her set, so it wasn't a total loss.

[RobtWB]

Well nuts, I looked over this set today, after first giving it a thorough dusting with a paint brush and the vac cleaner. A NON SMOKERS SET!!! Amazingly clean set inside.

Plugged it in and hit the power button and discovered it will not power on. Blown fuse - replaced that and instantaneous blow again - dammit. Looked over the entire set again - no burns, arcing points, broken traces, swollen caps, or anything else obvious. I suspect the trouble may be isolated to Module 9-1270-03, the SMPS/Sweep Module. I'll pull that module in the next day or 2 and see what I can find.

A dinosaur by todays standards, but in its time, a top dollar set I have no doubt.

[radiotvnut]

I would check the raw B+ bridge rectifier diodes, the chopper transistor, the horizontal output transistor, and any diodes off the secondary of the switching transformer.