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#1
07-22-2010, 09:10 PM
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'84 19" Curtis-Mathes metal cabinet color TV
About 12 years ago, a TV repairman friend of mine gave me this 19" Curtis-Mathes color TV from July, '84. It came to him with an intermittent loss of video. It might work an hour, week, five minutes, or month before acting up. A good slap on the cabinet would usually restore operation. It was in another shop before he got it and they couldn't find the bad connection, he could not find the bad connection, and I couldn't find the bad connection, either. I gave it to a friend of mine for him to use in his basement. Today, he told me that the TV was still working and it still needed a slap from time to time. Then, he gave it back to me. I brought it home and, sure enough, it still makes a fairly decent picture; but, it has either a loose connection or a cracked trace somewhere.
It appears that this TV was built by NEC for Curtis-Mathes. I doubt it was even assembled here; rather, shipped here from Japan already assembled. The CRT is of the ultra small neck inline type. I do wish I could find a replacement control door; but, I doubt that will ever happen. I'm really not much into TV's this new; but, I guess I'll keep it since it's a CM and is in a metal cabinet. Over the years, I don't think I've seen too many 19" CM sets. Besides this one, I remember having a couple of slightly older 19" sets with the fake wood trim plastic cabinets and 14 position varactor tuner and I had one 13" from the mid '80's with a bad flyback. I never could find a flyback and it went to the trash. I have, however, had my hands on many CM consoles from the late '70's-mid '80's. Many of them were TV/stereo combinations. I think CM was probably one of the last to make a combination TV/stereo console.   
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#3
07-23-2010, 04:40 PM
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Thanks for reminding me about the sockets. I removed all IC sockets and soldered the IC's directly to the chassis and it appears to be OK (at least for now).
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#5
07-23-2010, 05:37 PM
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I wasn't expecting the ultra small neck inline CRT. I thought it was 2 or 3 years later before those appeared in a 19" size.
What really looks strange are the later model console TV's with a small PC board for a chassis and all that empty cabinet space. IDK, if someone comes along that needs a TV, I might give them this set or sell it for $5 or $10. I'm going to have to realize that I can't keep everything that comes along. If I sold it for $5, they'd just bring it back, wanting a refund, when it blew up. That seems to be the trend here lately.
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#7
07-23-2010, 06:41 PM
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Quote:
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#8
07-24-2010, 09:59 PM
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These cheap import Curtis-Mathis sets were sold in chain discount stores in the 80's. A lot of former well known brands showed up on the discount shelves. Admiral, Hoffman, DuMont. All in name only. Like RCA today.
-Steve D.
__________________
Please visit my CT-100, CTC-5, vintage color tv site: http://www.wtv-zone.com/Stevetek/
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#9
07-24-2010, 11:23 PM
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Magnavox, Philco, Emerson, Sylvania, Crosley, Detrola, and the list goes on and on....
I really never cared much for any CM solid state TV set. I guess some were OK performers; but, they were overrated, IMHO. I recently had a '74 NEC built CM combo. Well, at least the TV chassis was built by NEC and the CRT was made by Westinghouse. I don't know who made the stereo and the record changer was a BSR. The CRT was shot, the TV chassis had many problems, and the stereo and speakers were cheap junk made in Taiwan, about the same thing as a Lloyds or Electrophonic. And, I do remember those Colortyme/Curtis-Mathes/Rutherford brand sets of the '80's that were staples at those "rent-to-own; but, you'll be dead before it's paid for" stores.
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