Recent acquizition

[GaryK]

Hello group;

I recently acquired a Zenith 25X6545 with a 23XC36 chassis. I hope to restore this set sometime within the year.

Can anyone point me to a source for a service manual?

Gary

[Electronic M]

I probably have the factory schematic if not the whole service manual. I'll check soon, and get back to you. The soonest I can scan it, assuming I have it, would be Monday.

[consoleguy67]

Is this the set that was on E-Bay for $49.00?

[Marco-nix]

Nice blondie Gary . this set has a cataract but repairable. there are so many videos about how to remove cataract on Youtube...


Consoleguy67, I beleive we saw the same tv set on Ebay...

[Electronic M]

I don't believe the youtube has a Zenith cataract removal video, so here is mine (click on picture to watch).


After the glass is separated you want to roll the PVA off in large sheets. If there is a stubborn center region go at it with 'Goof Off' and your finger nails. Any stubborn PVA spots smaller than pea size can be cleaned/dissolved off with 'Goof Off'.

After all PVA residue is gone I clean the safety glass and the CRT face with glass cleaner until perfectly spotless, attach the glass to the CRT at the mid points of the sides with pieces of 1/8" thick double stick foam tape (each piece is a 2 layer sandwich), and seal the gap between the tube and safety glass around the perimeter with a thin bead of clear bathroom silicone caulk to keep dust out....So far the tube in that video is has been used regularly since the cataract removal for about 4-5years and is still dust free and spotless inside the seal.


I'm at 3 tries and 3 successes on Zenith cataract removal so far. If you have any questions I likely have the answer.

[Marco-nix]

ElectronicM, i was talking about some TV sets not for spécific television..I guess that Doug has a video about a Zenith with cataract..I'm not sure.

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by Marco-nix

ElectronicM, i was talking about some TV sets not for spécific television..I guess that Doug has a video about a Zenith with cataract..I'm not sure.

There is a linguistic vernacular misunderstanding in your interpretation of my comment....There are two different types of PVA glue that have two different failure modes, and require different removal processes. Tubes made by Zenith, and Sylvania typically develop a green tinted halo, the glue even now remains elastic and sticky, and the only way to remove the safety glass is to cut through the glue with a wire....On this forum we call this cataract type a 'Zenith type' regardless of who actually made the tube that has that type of cataract.
In contrast an 'RCA' type cataract (the biggest maker of tubes that have the issue was RCA) creates a fuzzy white halo that sometimes develops black mold growing in it, the glue is hard, inflexible, and no longer is sticky, and there are three methods that can be used to remove an RCA cataract: Soaking it for several months, heating it in the sun and using wedges around the edge to slowly pry the glass off, or use a heat gun to propagate the de-lamination inwards.

If you use a RCA cataract removal method on a tube with a Zenith style cataract or the other way around the result will normally be either no effect, or damage to the CRT/safety glass being worked on.

Doug has some videos on RCA type cataract removal, but I've not seen any videos on 'Zenith type' cataract removal from him, or anyone else before....The only documentation of the Zenith process I've seen was pictures of it from username CTC-17 on his 'boxcarcabin' web site.

[Marco-nix]

Probably Electronic M. English is not my main language so it may be difficult to me to understand all the english language or the sentences .... But I do my possible and you or the other members can correct me without problem ...I'm here to learn . No worries. I don't use a translator because they translate word by word and by this fact, they are not correct. Good end afternoon Tom.

[GaryK]

Originally Posted by consoleguy67

Is this the set that was on E-Bay for $49.00?

Correct. The seller lives in Milwaukee and so it was convenient for me to pick up the set.

[GaryK]

Originally Posted by Marco-nix

Nice blondie Gary . this set has a cataract but repairable. there are so many videos about how to remove cataract on Youtube...


Consoleguy67, I beleive we saw the same tv set on Ebay...

It is the EBay set. Thanks for the info. As I understand it a Zenith bonded face plate is much harder to remove than an RCA lens. The procedure requires a hot wire but I have not seen it done on youtube. I have only seen the RCA lens removal procedure.

[GaryK]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

I don't believe the youtube has a Zenith cataract removal video, so here is mine (click on picture to watch).


After the glass is separated you want to roll the PVA off in large sheets. If there is a stubborn center region go at it with 'Goof Off' and your finger nails. Any stubborn PVA spots smaller than pea size can be cleaned/dissolved off with 'Goof Off'.

After all PVA residue is gone I clean the safety glass and the CRT face with glass cleaner until perfectly spotless, attach the glass to the CRT at the mid points of the sides with pieces of 1/8" thick double stick foam tape (each piece is a 2 layer sandwich), and seal the gap between the tube and safety glass around the perimeter with a thin bead of clear bathroom silicone caulk to keep dust out....So far the tube in that video is has been used regularly since the cataract removal for about 4-5years and is still dust free and spotless inside the seal.


I'm at 3 tries and 3 successes on Zenith cataract removal so far. If you have any questions I likely have the answer.

Thanks for the pictures and the video instructions. That looks scary but maybe after I have the electronics restored I'll get brave and give it a try.

[Electronic M]

On a warm day with direct sun it will work well. When that video was shot it was a bit overcast, and yet I was still able to do it WITHOUT using a hot wire (the transformer I had connected to heat the wire was not actually connected to power during the video so the wire was cold).

Use guitar string for wire, thicker handles (mine were pieces of paint stir sticks) so the screws stay in the handles, and if you find you need to heat the wire use a step down transformer with a 12V or less high current secondary (use the secondary for the hot wire)...As long as you do not use an auto transformer for the wire it will be isolated from line voltage and thus safe....12Vac is not enough for dangerous (or even noticeable in most cases) amounts current to flow through the high resistance of your body...Auto mechanics work with 12V all the time, and I don't think you will be able to find a single case of them being harmed by electrocution from battery voltage....

If you use a decent sized bucket you can keep all the neck hardware on the CRT (and let the convergence board hang by the yoke) and simply pack it in the bottom of the bucket...I've done it that way on sets that aside from the cataract were in perfect operating condition and been able to remount the tube without any need for adjustments....YMMV.

If you let the summer sun slowly warm it for an hour or more, and then let it cool in the shade after the wire trick the risk of implosion should be low...Heck I was once stupid enough to set a sun heated tube with the glass half chipped off (RCA procedure that went bad) into a shade cooled pool of water a good 30 degrees colder and it did not implode, but instead the screen cracked 30 seconds later.....Yeah, not one of my better moments.

I'm roughly in your neck of the woods, so if during the summer you want me to help you or do the cataract removal for you send me a PM.