RCA CTC185AB3 power supply question - Videokarma.org TV - Video

radiotvnut · #1 07-08-2008, 10:55 PM

I picked up a '99 27" RCA CTC185AB3 from the repair shop today. They decided to bail out on it. It will play at 100V and shut down at normal line voltage. I've determined that the B+ regulator is not working.

I seem to remember two different power supply repair kits from RCA for various versions of the CTC185. Does anyone know the correct RCA part number for the CTC185AB3 power supply repair kit? Any other information would be appreciated.

radiotvnut · #2 07-09-2008, 10:53 PM

Nevermind, I decided not to fix this. If anyone needs the chassis for parts, let me know and you can have it for the shipping cost. I also have other boards out of later model sets if anyone needs any parts.

I have been fighting with a 36" CTC197 that is reminding me why I don't need to fool with this modern crap anymore. I got it from a TV shop and he thought it needed the usual flyback and HOT replacement. I had good parts on a junk chassis that actually had seen little use. After installing them in the set, I had an excellent picture - for about five minutes and then BAM, the HOT shorted again. The heatsink was not hot at all. I'm going to resolder all the connections in the HOT circuit. If that does not work, it goes to the dump.

It never fails! It's always the nice, big, late model sets that I could still get some decent $ for that turn out to be non-repairable, a dog, or any number of not so nice phrases. I can bring home some POS 19" off brand TV from the '80's with a broken control door and 19 cigarette burns on the cabinet and it will be fixable with a $1 part and ten minutes of my time! But, nobody wants those beacuse they are TOO OLD LOOKING!

I used to be pretty good at fixing the later model sets. Here lately, it seems like everything newer that I've brought home has been junk or I invest money in parts just to discover that the set has other problems. Of course, most of the newer stuff I bring home comes from the repair shop. I might do better to get sets from individuals that have not taken them to a shop. I'm about to the place where if I can't fix it out of my junk pile, I'll toss the set. If I'm going to pull my hair out, I'd rather do it over some vintage electronics than some of this modern junk!

bgadow · #3 07-10-2008, 09:09 PM

It is a sad state of affairs-I have tried to get into fixing newer sets but as soon as I crack open the back all the excitement goes away. Right now I have somebody wanting me to take a rather large screen Toshiba CRT set with no vertical drive. I'm tempted, sounds like an easy fix, but having to wrestle that monster out of her house and into mine-then trying to find someone to take it-I don't have time for all that right now.

radiotvnut · #4 07-10-2008, 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bgadow

It is a sad state of affairs-I have tried to get into fixing newer sets but as soon as I crack open the back all the excitement goes away. Right now I have somebody wanting me to take a rather large screen Toshiba CRT set with no vertical drive. I'm tempted, sounds like an easy fix, but having to wrestle that monster out of her house and into mine-then trying to find someone to take it-I don't have time for all that right now.

That Toshiba may have a bad vertical output IC and bad caps around the IC. Some of the older Toshiba's had a couple of low value red or brown caps that would fail. There may also be an open resistor in the B+ line to the vertical IC.

I worked on the CTC197 and wound up "losing it". I know it was childish; but, I finally said "enough is enough" and slung the chassis across the back yard and then I stomped on it. I did feel better, though! My neighbor was willing to help me haul off some junk and we got rid of a bunch of stubborn BPC TV's. I really hate working on those 36" TV's because they are so dang big and heavy and it's hard for me to get one on the bench by myself. In the case of the CTC197 that I trashed, it was: pull chassis, hunt and peck, reinstall chassis, blow up parts, remove chassis, hunt and peck some more, reinstall chassis, repeat above procedure a few more times, then "lose it". I guess it's just as well that it worked out this way. Those are the kind of sets that will usually turn around and bite you in the butt after you sell it to someone.

The ONLY reason I'll will work on a modern TV is because the little bit of money they sometimes bring can go towards my vintage electronics hobby or some emergency.

I will say that used CRT sets appear to be selling better now than they did a year or so ago. Around here, people are finding out that they can't go to Wal-Mart and buy a $79.99 19" TV anymore. What few CRT sets they have are over $100 because of the built in digital tuner. A larger CRT set will be over $200. After those, you start getting into the several hundred $ and up LCD's, Plasma's, etc. There are still many people that don't have big $ for an LCD; but, can come up with $100 for a quality used 27" CRT set.

MRX37 · #5 07-11-2008, 12:18 AM

I sometimes give up on TV's too. With older 19" TV's, if it's not an easy fix, it gets tossed. Older Toshiba's are usually an easy fix. Just replace all the red capacitors.

Heh, people still want 19" TV's? I got 3 of em that are just basiclly sitting around. I fixed all 3 of em.

radiotvnut · #6 07-11-2008, 12:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRX37

I sometimes give up on TV's too. With older 19" TV's, if it's not an easy fix, it gets tossed. Older Toshiba's are usually an easy fix. Just replace all the red capacitors.

Heh, people still want 19" TV's? I got 3 of em that are just basiclly sitting around. I fixed all 3 of em.

A friend sold a 19" RCA CTC146 from the early '90's for $50 the other day. It was just a plain mono TV with no jacks. It did appear to be a clean low hour set. So, there are still a few people wanting 19" sets. The 27" and larger sets do sell quicker, though. Most of the used TV's that me or my flea market friend sell go to the middle age and older crowd. Most of the 20's and early 30's crowd around here think they are too good for anything used.

Consoles of any kind and non-remote sets are a pain to get rid of. I just gave away an '83 Zenith console because it was taking up space. It was a chore just to find someone who would take it, for free! It actually went to a friend. That means I'll see it again when it breaks. I turned down a nice early to mid '90's RCA console for $25. It was at a moving sale and worked fine; but, no one wanted it. I would have had a hard time getting my $25 back if I had bought it. A few years ago, that would have been a $100 set.

MRX37 · #7 07-11-2008, 01:12 AM

Yeah. I won't even touch consoles anymore, except maybe to get parts off them... They're too d**n heavy to carry without trouble. (I can just barely lug a big one into the garage), and they're "too old looking" for most people, but "too new" for the vintage TV collectors... The end result is a big honking cube that gets used to set a smaller TV on.

radiotvnut · #8 07-11-2008, 01:42 AM

I'll still take vacuum tube console TV's and the early solid state consoles by Zenith, RCA, Motorola, etc. That's mainly for my interest rather than having something to sell. I don't want any part of those '80's and '90's jobs in the particleboard and plastic cabinet. The vintage consoles that I do have must stay in my building. There is no room in the house and my Mother wouldn't let one come in even if there was room. She says that consoles sit too low to the floor. Right now, the living room TV is a '80 19" RCA XL100 with rotary tuner and a cable box sitting on top so the TV can receive the cable channels and have remote. My Mother does not like having to adjust the volume at the set, though!