Certainly brings back memories. We used to go over to the neighbor's to watch "Hullabaloo" each week on their roundie color TV, so that would be 1965-66. By the time we got color (and a rotating antenna) the sets had rectangular tubes, probably 1967 or 68.
Really cool. My first 7 or 8 years of life I watched my Dad fix TVs like this in this similar manner. The first TV I recall as a baby was a Zenith just like this. It had slightly different knobs. But Dad would buy TVs like this all his life and just try to get them working. He always could, even if he had to trace down a burnt out capacitor or resistor with his multi-meter, which was 1950s vintage itself if not 40s. RadioShack had tube testers and tubes in those days and that was a typical weekend trip with Dad, to go test a few tubes and get a few parts at RS or one other electronics store with a tube tester. This was late 1960s and early 1970s. You really got that Zenith picture looking great!
The picture on that color set looks *really good!* Other than fixing the kine arcing, I wouldn't think it would need any additional work. The three cathode rays that bombard the shadow mask in the CRT cause it to emit radiation to the back, but low-level exposure shouldn't be a problem. The techs who worked on several of these sets every day got significantly more X-radiation exposure, but even moreso those who worked on the assembly lines making IF and efficiency coil adjustments to several hundred sets daily.
Looks like the CRT is in great shape on that set! I'm glad Doug is still around - he hasn't posted a video in a while. That set looks like it's a great starting point for a color roundie. The convergence even looks like it's close!
I have a 1981 Zenith and the picture is still beautiful, no fade in colors or convergence problems! A testament to Zenith, the quality goes in before the name goes on!
Very neat looking set, the enclosure is in mint condition, if you ask me! Also, it didn't take much to make it work reasonably good, Zenith sets are known for their quality. Shango066 managed to power up Zenith devices that have been sitting in desert for decades and half-packed with dirt. Impressive stuff.
Except for some deep scratches in one corner on the top :( Not sure how that happened. I'm glad it's working but a little disappointed I didn't need to break out a soldering iron.
I must've missed those, you have enough skills to fix it up, I'm sure :) I too get frustrated when something gets fixed so easily ;) When it is your hobby, some difficulty in repair/construction is like an icing on the cake.
Troubleshooting is my favorite part of the hobby. I'm sure I'll find something wrong if I keep looking ;) I didn't show the scratches in the video. The cabinet is steel with a vinyl simulated woodgrain coating - sort of like wallpaper. I'm not sure how to touch it up.
You could rewrap it, but that may look tacky and won't be original anymore :( Maybe try to fill the scratches up with something like a putty and then paint it to match, just a wild guess.
Very Nice! I just acquired a Zenith 25LC20 console from 1964 that seems to have low hours on it. Don't know the model # since the back was missing. Just completed the CRT cataract repair, which was so bad, the safety glass came off surprising easy. It is a labor of love on these old roundies, especially the Zeniths.
Very interesting. Years ago I used to restore relatively old (early) colour sets. Adjusting the convergence on the sets with round tubes is fairly easy but those with early rectangle tubes had around 80+ adjustments for convergence that all interacted, Many hours of fun. I suppose the top breaking off the tube may have been a blessing in disguise as it forced replacing it and may well have helped to get such good results. I think I still prefer your video's on the older B&W sets. (glad to see you making video's again by the way and I hope the new house is working out).
Cool early color TV....Interesting about the X-Rays.... I remember years ago my Grandmother saying you should sit 10 feet away from the TV ...because of radiation....
Really great to see a Bandersentv video again, this set is one year younger than me, enjoyed it very much, you do it so good and interesting, thank you 😊
Yes, it's a great little tester. Very sensitive grid leakage and shorts test. I was quite surprised when it came to life. I was sure I'd have to pull the chassis.
I have the 1965 Zenith Marsielle rectangular. It works but it does need some things done to it. You have a very nice set. I really enjoyed the explanation of how the HV works and is regulated. Nice set!
This thing is awesome! You should set up a raspberry pi at some point to display weather, headlines, traffic reports, and play a selection of your own music with titles and graphic EQ meter. sort of like your own channel-6 for in your house.Just turn on any TV in any room and have music and information handy.
What a find, a Zenith that the C.R.T. screen laminate is intact and that has good emission too. Haven't worked on a round tube set for over forty years. Glad you got that classic set going. Enjoyed the video.
Not bad for a TV that's almost as old as I am, swap out a few tubes and it's holding its own after 50 plus years. I've been missing your videos since the move but I know how it can be, I moved about the same time you did.
Bob great to see you it's been a while what a beautiful set definitely low hour bright picture and no cataract I would love to have that set I used to work on these sets back in the 70s have fun with it scott
The first vintage tv I ever bought was a late 1964 Zenith B/W 23" screen and it had that exact same tuner Zenith called it the "bullseye" tuner I believe. It is a little tricky to adjust that light deflector because it has to be rotated to the correct position and then the flap has to be adjusted for the proper digit illumination.
A well working delta gun set will have better colour and contrast than most modern TVs. The delta gun CRT was the gold standard for colour television monitoring for many years. It was only recently when Sony introduced reference OLED monitors that the delta gun reference monitor became obsolete.
That set is a great introduction to color consoles. You got lucky, but what you see is a pale shadow of what that set is capable of. The "blooming" when you adjust brightness is usually either a weak horizontal output, or a weak CRT. When testing those tubes, remember that if the tester says it's bad, it's bad. If it says it's good, it might be bad. Sometimes the only way to tell is to substitute a known good one. And *always* replace the horizontal output and the damper as a set. Yes, those horizontal output tubes are expensive; always were. If you were to use that set as a "daily watcher" you'd be replacing the horizontal output pair about once a year. Usual failure mode: no picture, plates of horizontal output are glowing cherry red. A new horizontal output and damper will fix it. Never, never replace the horizontal output without replacing the damper, too. Dampers don't last any longer, and a bad one will kill the horizontal output tube. Don't fear the convergence panel; you're going to have to deal with it eventually. The color rendition can be a little odd at times, but the picture should be razor sharp. After it's run for a while, set the white balance (screens and drives) and it'll make a world of difference. Have you got a degaussing coil yet? You need one, and a high voltage probe. And a service mirror is essential.
When powering up old tube electronics of unknown condition, you should use a variac. This allows you to slowly reform the electrolytics as well as letting you immediately kill power if something bad/unexpected happens without causing additional damage. Get the Sams Photofact or other reliable schematic diagram for this set so you know what you're dealing with. This was one of the best color receivers of that period. Take good care of it.
My family's first color set, was this chassis, the venerable 24MC32, with a 21FJP22 CRT, all that was packed into a French Provincial cabinet, and connected to a (then) $200.00 amplified antenna, so that the old man could watch Johnny Unitas, from Baltimore, and we lived near Philly. I started "TV Dx'ing" around 1967. Had my dad threatened to "stick the tuner" somewhere - if I didn't stop ratcheting the thing around the dial. I hope that Doug H. is doing well!! (please tell me he isn't retreating from the 1960's!)??
Yes, Doug is fine. He posts pretty regularly on Facebook with hi estate sale finds and is definitely still in the 60s :) Not sure why he's not doing videos.
47:46 - "El Menco"? I never heard of them. A quick search sez they were rebrands of Mullard? But also Japanese tubes? Great. Now I've learned something unique, something else has been randomly forgotten. I won't know until I need to remember it.
One of my favorite TV episodes of all time is this one where Lucy and Ricky buy a TV for the Mertzes for their anniversary. Then Ricky tries to fix it by connecting two wires together. www.imdb.com/title/tt0609350/
Neat looking Zenith! It has a great picture too. It would be fun to watch old color shows like “I dream of Jeannie”,”Lost in Space”,Gilligan” and “Star Trek” on. Is the Doug you’re talking about Doug Harland (drh4683) ? If so,I hope he’s doing well. I haven’t seen him post a video in over a year now. I really enjoy his videos of his collection,and where he’s driving around in his 1960 “vista roof” Impala or one of his old MoPars. He made some great finds like the Sep1 console. I was lucky enough to finally get one locally in mint condition with the original boomerang legs. It came home in the trunk of my 58 DeSoto. Cars used to have real trunks back then! The videos of Doug’s house were always enjoyable too. It’s nice to see others who have turned their backs on the modern world and live in the past.
@@bandersentv Sorry it took a while to reply. I hope Doug’s doing well and he will continue to make videos.he has a great collection. I look forward to seeing the videos of the Motorola set and the philco when you get the new shop bench built.
Wow, what a promising first look! I'd be on the lookout for those black plastic "bumblebee" caps---Zenith loved using those, and since they're just paper caps housed in plastic, they're quite leaky and unreliable. I can't wait to see more on this set.
The guys in the vintage color TV forum tell me that these really are all plastic film caps. I'm not sure since I haven't worked on a mid 60s set before. We shall see...
hello guys! Just wanted to relate a story about a real set of this era. my friend ricky got a color tv rca in 1965 . it broke down three months later with rainbow bars rolling thru the screen. they called a tv service co. we were courious teens and watched the tech repair the set. he prtoceded to tap on tubes ans ask for our input on any reaction in the picture. he got out of the house with a bill of over 90 dollars including the hor. output tube. we cost his family a big bill since i know the onle tube that was bad was the chroma occilator tube! oh well.
Yeah, you really have to search around for 6JS6 tubes. I've seen them as little as $15 and for as much as $45 apiece on eBay. All tested good btw. A 6KD6 will work but the plate cap is smaller and the clip will have to be adjusted to compensate.
These delta tubes need far more alignment than PIL tubes from the point of view of the service engineer. PIL are generally never touched after manufacture alignment and come with the yoke fixed to the neck. Delta tubes require that you re-use the yoke from the previous tube and proceed with purity checking and setting then static alignment (with the 3 adjusters around the yoke) and then dynamic adjustment from the convergence board - which was by far the most evil thing devised in the known universe. As an apprentice TV engineer my main job was changing tubes (I guess the engineers weren't too keen to align too many tubes themselves, why have a dog and bark?).
Great video! I'm new to your channel. You do a nice job! Just a thought... the focus range in these sets is a product of several high value resistors (>1 Meg). They tend to drift even higher...
We had a Zenith square with the same knobs and controls I don't know what year it was. That thing scared me when the high voltage kicked on. But we always for compliments on the picture....
Cool find :) Well, those colour roundies, I'm told, are quite difficult to get to work well. But they are the real deal where vintage colour tv's are concerned. It's actually fun to get this one to work just by replacing a few tubes. I would replace the electrolytics though. I suppose the cabinet is full metal jacket, or are there still wooden parts in it? Anyway, the best part is, you're back with a bang... imagine you working on a colour tv, that in itself is Great News :) Thanks for a fun video Bob
Yes, it is quite a treat to finally have a vintage color roundie :) This is near the end of the roundie era though and they had worked out the circuits pretty well by then. The early color sets from the mid 50s are more chellenging from what I've read. The only real wood is in the four screw on legs.
I read Phil Nelson's page on restoring a CTC 10 colour roundie; pretty much the Holy Grail of colour tv's. I'm not very familiar with vintage tube colour tv's, but from what I understood reading the blog, the circuitry is incredibly complicated... almost experimental. But well, I guess this Zenith will be the perfect entry point for you to get a handle on early colour tv technology. I'm sure with your savvy, you'll be able to tackle much more complicated models in no time :) Sometime during the year, I intend to do the same with an early 70's vintage portable transistor colour tv, I think. The problem is, as usual, however, I haven't succeeded in finding a service manual just yet. Will you replace a lot of, if not all, parts in the Zenith? Or will you just replace "as needed" ? Also, how critical is it to have a cathode current meter to measure current on the HT (flyback) tube? It doesn't seem like very common equipment to have. By the way, if you're worried about Xrays, you can buy a röntgen detector for a few dollars on Ebay. That way you can always rest assured you won't get overexposed to ionizing radiation.
Phil has restored many sets and has a great website. I wouldn't call a CTC 10 the holy grail though. That would be the first two RCA color sets the 15" CT100 and 21" 21CT55. By the time the CTC 10 was made the circuits were more reliable but stil complicated. My set uses some multi-function Compactron tubes which simplify the circuits a little. I plan to replace the electrolytic capacitors and any out of spec resistors. The current is important and it would be difficult to measure without this meter while the chassis is in the cabinet. If it was on the workbench, I could simply measure the voltage drop across the cathode resistor and calculate the current. I'm not worried about xrays but will fabricate a replacement metal shield or try to find an original
yes, you're right of course. I meant to say CT100, not CTC10. I guess my brain was sidetracked when I typed my comment. In any case, getting a CT100, or the other one in a reasonable state, would be really hard or costly, since relatively few colour roundies of that era survived. I think of the CT100 only a goodly 100 are known to exist. So you could argue they are getting very rare. I would love to lay my hands on such a one, but I think that's a vain hope considering the rarity of such a tv. Not to mention working roundie picture tube themselves, which are downright "unobtainium" :) Can't wait to see your next episode. Thanks Bob :)
The Achilles heel of the CT100s was the metal-glass 15GP22 picture tubes they used, which are notorious for loosing their vacuum. Most of the early M-G picture tubes were bad for that so most were replaced with glass versions sometime during their life but I don't believe that there was an all glass replacement version of the 15GP22 CRTs used in the CT100s.
is it because of the modern programming that words in opening or closing credits get cut off so severely as on this roundie or was older programming like this too. its been so long since I've seen shows on a set like this, I just don't remember. it's going to be a good set for you when it gets restored.
Very interesting!Did you chaps use Flywheel as opposed to Direct Synch with your C.R.T. Analogue T.V. Line Timebases like we did in Britain?This would make the picture verticals straighter when the broadcast was too weak or too far away although I was never sure if it was worth the extra complexity.
I wasn't familiar with those terms and had to do a little research. If I understand them correctly, we use Direct Synch in the earlier tube sets from the 40s, 50s and 60s. I don't know about newer, transiorized sets,
With regard to that 6JS6 and it's lack of availability, it may be worth looking into substitutes, even non 12 pin tubes. I wonder it it would be possible to use a more common octal based HoT like a 6CU6 with an adapter? (not that specific one but one appropriate for a colour television)
Possibly but given how scarce replacement flybacks are I'm reluctant to do any modifications. Plenty of 6JS6s are out there they're just expensive. For now I've not one god NOS tube and one with an occasional short. I'll keep my eyes open for them at swap meets.
I have a feeling that the current pricing on those may be due to a similar pump and dump scam to the one the online tube boutiques tried pulling with 6AW8s a few years ago. In fact after I saw this video I looked up the tube on fleabay and they were anywhere from $30 a piece on down to $10 for a pair of supposedly NOS ones. It seems that many forget that whilst the tubes are no longer longer being made neither is the equipment that uses them, and it's not like someone is going to run a 1960s vintage TV, day in and out, seven days a week like a modern TV
I have heard that the some of the horizontal output tubes were used in illegal CB amplifiers that were created a lot by hobbyists in the 1970s which is why there aren't a ton of them left and that is why they are so expensive.
I suspect quite a few as it's working fairly well on original parts. It does take a few minutes for the image to fill out the screen though. Likely some of the power supply electrolytics are a bit leaky.
Great video, thanks for the insight. I just picked up one of these 5311U models. I KNOW the controls need to be cleaned badly, but it does have light on the screen. If I get this working good, what are they worth? :)
HI. Well that depends on a few factors - condition of the cabinet, how much life does the picture tube have left, how good an image does it produce, etc.. Perhaps most importantly - location. These sets are difficult and expensive to ship. All that being said, I think I paid round $150 for my set. Maybe I could get $300 restored. The metal cabinet with faux wood grain is kinda cheap and it's one of the last roundie color models. The earlier, older color sets are worth more.
Hello, thank you for your videos, i learn a lot from you and shango066 about tube televisions. I have a question for you. I restored a hybrid 1970 b/w television. The tuner, IF and video circuits are transistorized. Vertical osc and output, horizontal osc and output, booster, sound and sync separator are tubes. I replaced all capacitors and 10% tolerance resistors and the tv works great. But i did a mistake. Instead of connecting my vcr rf output to UHF input, i connected it to VHF. The horizontal whistle became louder and of course no image. A minute later, i realized what i did and connected it the right way. Now it has a great picture. My question is: Did i made some transistors to overheat and soon to fail? Did i overheated the flyback?
Hello! Judging by this you are my hobby colleague from the other end of the planet. I also restore the technique of past years. And for what purpose do you do this - a hobby?
Ah, I did not know that. Looking up the correct tube number confirms the prices you mentioned. I've always wanted a color roundie set, keep up the good work in getting them running!
You mean the HV lead arcing ? I applied HV putty which pretty much stopped it. An occasional arc isn't going to hurt anything. I'll do a thorough cleaning and replacing the HV lead when I pull the chassis.
Certainly brings back memories. We used to go over to the neighbor's to watch "Hullabaloo" each week on their roundie color TV, so that would be 1965-66. By the time we got color (and a rotating antenna) the sets had rectangular tubes, probably 1967 or 68.
Really cool. My first 7 or 8 years of life I watched my Dad fix TVs like this in this similar manner. The first TV I recall as a baby was a Zenith just like this. It had slightly different knobs. But Dad would buy TVs like this all his life and just try to get them working. He always could, even if he had to trace down a burnt out capacitor or resistor with his multi-meter, which was 1950s vintage itself if not 40s. RadioShack had tube testers and tubes in those days and that was a typical weekend trip with Dad, to go test a few tubes and get a few parts at RS or one other electronics store with a tube tester. This was late 1960s and early 1970s. You really got that Zenith picture looking great!
The picture on that color set looks *really good!* Other than fixing the kine arcing, I wouldn't think it would need any additional work. The three cathode rays that bombard the shadow mask in the CRT cause it to emit radiation to the back, but low-level exposure shouldn't be a problem. The techs who worked on several of these sets every day got significantly more X-radiation exposure, but even moreso those who worked on the assembly lines making IF and efficiency coil adjustments to several hundred sets daily.
My parents had a 1963 Zenith color roundie. A color tv was a real big thing back then. It even had the Space Command ultrasonic remote!
This is the exact Zenith model that my parents bought in 1963. I was 10 at the time. We had the 1st color TV on the block
Looks like the CRT is in great shape on that set! I'm glad Doug is still around - he hasn't posted a video in a while. That set looks like it's a great starting point for a color roundie. The convergence even looks like it's close!
A tube colour roundie from the mid-60's - something we Aussies did NOT have.
Imagine watching repeats of Bonanza on that Zenith!
I have a 1981 Zenith and the picture is still beautiful, no fade in colors or convergence problems! A testament to Zenith, the quality goes in before the name goes on!
I did TV repair in the 60's. Zenith absolutely made the best sets back in the day.
Glad your back on,Now we have Interesting videos to watch again!
Very neat looking set, the enclosure is in mint condition, if you ask me! Also, it didn't take much to make it work reasonably good, Zenith sets are known for their quality. Shango066 managed to power up Zenith devices that have been sitting in desert for decades and half-packed with dirt. Impressive stuff.
Except for some deep scratches in one corner on the top :( Not sure how that happened. I'm glad it's working but a little disappointed I didn't need to break out a soldering iron.
I must've missed those, you have enough skills to fix it up, I'm sure :) I too get frustrated when something gets fixed so easily ;) When it is your hobby, some difficulty in repair/construction is like an icing on the cake.
Troubleshooting is my favorite part of the hobby. I'm sure I'll find something wrong if I keep looking ;)
I didn't show the scratches in the video. The cabinet is steel with a vinyl simulated woodgrain coating - sort of like wallpaper. I'm not sure how to touch it up.
You could rewrap it, but that may look tacky and won't be original anymore :( Maybe try to fill the scratches up with something like a putty and then paint it to match, just a wild guess.
Very Nice! I just acquired a Zenith 25LC20 console from 1964 that seems to have low hours on it. Don't know the model # since the back was missing. Just completed the CRT cataract repair, which was so bad, the safety glass came off surprising easy. It is a labor of love on these old roundies, especially the Zeniths.
Dude your back! Hope every thing went well in your new home. Good to see your vids again ;-)
Still tons of work to do - refinish floors, paint walls, plumbing etc. I'll make videos when I can but I don't expect they will be as often as before.
Well i'm going to enjoy this one with some tea, take care.
Very interesting. Years ago I used to restore relatively old (early) colour sets. Adjusting the convergence on the sets with round tubes is fairly easy but those with early rectangle tubes had around 80+ adjustments for convergence that all interacted, Many hours of fun. I suppose the top breaking off the tube may have been a blessing in disguise as it forced replacing it and may well have helped to get such good results. I think I still prefer your video's on the older B&W sets. (glad to see you making video's again by the way and I hope the new house is working out).
Cool early color TV....Interesting about the X-Rays.... I remember years ago my Grandmother saying you should sit 10 feet away from the TV ...because of radiation....
PS: What you've done is what I used to do for a living - just enough to get it working well enough to watch.
Really great to see a Bandersentv video again, this set is one year younger than me, enjoyed it very much, you do it so good and interesting, thank you 😊
I love my "mighty mite" tester! My uncle and aunt had the same T.V. I believe they bought it around Christmas 1964! Cool that it fired right up!
Yes, it's a great little tester. Very sensitive grid leakage and shorts test. I was quite surprised when it came to life. I was sure I'd have to pull the chassis.
As a Brit those old US roundie colour sets fasinate me as we never had colour sets like this in the UK.
Seems like pretty good color for an early set!
I have the 1965 Zenith Marsielle rectangular. It works but it does need some things done to it. You have a very nice set. I really enjoyed the explanation of how the HV works and is regulated. Nice set!
That is awesome Bob!! Fantastic result for your first color roundie.
This thing is awesome! You should set up a raspberry pi at some point to display weather, headlines, traffic reports, and play a selection of your own music with titles and graphic EQ meter. sort of like your own channel-6 for in your house.Just turn on any TV in any room and have music and information handy.
He's back!
Two in a row, in quick succession.
Very much looking forward to seeing you tackle a vintage color set!
Never went anywhere - I've been posting in the forums but didn't have time to edit videos. This was actually recorded a while ago.
What a find, a Zenith that the C.R.T. screen laminate is intact and that has good emission too. Haven't worked on a round tube set for over forty years. Glad you got that classic set going. Enjoyed the video.
No laminated safety glass on this 21FBP22 CRT type. It's a separate piece of glass so no chance of a "cataract" :)
It's been so long and worked on so few I forgot, just like the ancient B& W's Safety Glass. Again thanks for the great video.
Nice bright vivid color on that Zenith, I wish my 1966 had a picture like that.
Not bad for a TV that's almost as old as I am, swap out a few tubes and it's holding its own after 50 plus years. I've been missing your videos since the move but I know how it can be, I moved about the same time you did.
Interesting, that TV is as old as I am. Lol! Glad to see something that old still works. Great vid.
That TV _is_ as old as I am, lol. I'm sure a few of my tubes need replacing, too.
Great to see 'snow' coming out of Chicago again. Hope you are keeping well and the house jobs are coming on OK.
Andrew
Glad you are back, Bob. Missed your videos. Hope the house is going well.
Bob great to see you it's been a while what a beautiful set definitely low hour bright picture and no cataract I would love to have that set I used to work on these sets back in the 70s have fun with it scott
"All in the Family" I love that show and the TV it in...always wanted that show's TV.
Great to see you at 25kV :) Can't wait for the chassis restoration!
The first vintage tv I ever bought was a late 1964 Zenith B/W 23" screen and it had that exact same tuner Zenith called it the "bullseye" tuner I believe. It is a little tricky to adjust that light deflector because it has to be rotated to the correct position and then the flap has to be adjusted for the proper digit illumination.
Beautiful Zenith! I have an rca roundie but I hope to get a zenith someday
damn that picture is very good for a old tv like that would love to see that in person
A well working delta gun set will have better colour and contrast than most modern TVs. The delta gun CRT was the gold standard for colour television monitoring for many years. It was only recently when Sony introduced reference OLED monitors that the delta gun reference monitor became obsolete.
Nice set, Bob!
That set is a great introduction to color consoles. You got lucky, but what you see is a pale shadow of what that set is capable of. The "blooming" when you adjust brightness is usually either a weak horizontal output, or a weak CRT. When testing those tubes, remember that if the tester says it's bad, it's bad. If it says it's good, it might be bad. Sometimes the only way to tell is to substitute a known good one. And *always* replace the horizontal output and the damper as a set. Yes, those horizontal output tubes are expensive; always were. If you were to use that set as a "daily watcher" you'd be replacing the horizontal output pair about once a year.
Usual failure mode: no picture, plates of horizontal output are glowing cherry red. A new horizontal output and damper will fix it. Never, never replace the horizontal output without replacing the damper, too. Dampers don't last any longer, and a bad one will kill the horizontal output tube.
Don't fear the convergence panel; you're going to have to deal with it eventually. The color rendition can be a little odd at times, but the picture should be razor sharp. After it's run for a while, set the white balance (screens and drives) and it'll make a world of difference.
Have you got a degaussing coil yet? You need one, and a high voltage probe. And a service mirror is essential.
Thanks for the advice. No, I don't think I have a deguasing coil, but I do have a good Fluke 40kV HV probe. I'll have to get a mirror too.
When powering up old tube electronics of unknown condition, you should use a variac. This allows you to slowly reform the electrolytics as well as letting you immediately kill power if something bad/unexpected happens without causing additional damage.
Get the Sams Photofact or other reliable schematic diagram for this set so you know what you're dealing with.
This was one of the best color receivers of that period. Take good care of it.
This video is 7 years old. I sold this set last year. Worked very well and I was sad to let it go.
Roundie colour- don't think we ever had them in the UK. Really interesting- thanks
Rectangular tube came in prior to the U.K. getting colour. Rectangular tube was common starting in 1965, UK didn’t get colour until 1968.
Glad your back on, greetings from Poland
My family's first color set, was this chassis, the venerable 24MC32, with a 21FJP22 CRT, all that was packed into a French Provincial cabinet, and connected to a (then) $200.00 amplified antenna, so that the old man could watch Johnny Unitas, from Baltimore, and we lived near Philly.
I started "TV Dx'ing" around 1967. Had my dad threatened to "stick the tuner" somewhere - if I didn't stop ratcheting the thing around the dial. I hope that Doug H. is doing well!! (please tell me he isn't retreating from the 1960's!)??
Yes, Doug is fine. He posts pretty regularly on Facebook with hi estate sale finds and is definitely still in the 60s :) Not sure why he's not doing videos.
47:46 - "El Menco"? I never heard of them. A quick search sez they were rebrands of Mullard? But also Japanese tubes? Great. Now I've learned something unique, something else has been randomly forgotten. I won't know until I need to remember it.
Short for "Electro-Motive Corp" and better known for capacitors. I bought a bunch of empty El Menco boxes to store used tubes.
One of my favorite TV episodes of all time is this one where Lucy and Ricky buy a TV for the Mertzes for their anniversary. Then Ricky tries to fix it by connecting two wires together.
www.imdb.com/title/tt0609350/
Boy I would like to, have a Zenith TV like that one !
Been waiting for this. Nice to see you're doing OK. :)
Neat looking Zenith! It has a great picture too. It would be fun to watch old color shows like “I dream of Jeannie”,”Lost in Space”,Gilligan” and “Star Trek” on.
Is the Doug you’re talking about Doug Harland (drh4683) ? If so,I hope he’s doing well. I haven’t seen him post a video in over a year now. I really enjoy his videos of his collection,and where he’s driving around in his 1960 “vista roof” Impala or one of his old MoPars. He made some great finds like the Sep1 console. I was lucky enough to finally get one locally in mint condition with the original boomerang legs. It came home in the trunk of my 58 DeSoto. Cars used to have real trunks back then!
The videos of Doug’s house were always enjoyable too. It’s nice to see others who have turned their backs on the modern world and live in the past.
Yes, that's the Doug. I also got a mid 60s Motorola color set from him. I'll post some videos of it soon.
@@bandersentv Sorry it took a while to reply. I hope Doug’s doing well and he will continue to make videos.he has a great collection. I look forward to seeing the videos of the Motorola set and the philco when you get the new shop bench built.
THAT IS A BEAUTIFUL SET!
Very nice repair, thanks.
Wow, what a promising first look! I'd be on the lookout for those black plastic "bumblebee" caps---Zenith loved using those, and since they're just paper caps housed in plastic, they're quite leaky and unreliable. I can't wait to see more on this set.
The guys in the vintage color TV forum tell me that these really are all plastic film caps. I'm not sure since I haven't worked on a mid 60s set before. We shall see...
OMG ! Они еще остались в обиходе )
hello guys! Just wanted to relate a story about a real set of this era. my friend ricky got a color tv rca in 1965 . it broke down three months later with rainbow bars rolling thru the screen. they called a tv service co. we were courious teens and watched the tech repair the set. he prtoceded to tap on tubes ans ask for our input on any reaction in the picture. he got out of the house with a bill of over 90 dollars including the hor. output tube. we cost his family a big bill since i know the onle tube that was bad was the chroma occilator tube! oh well.
Thanks for the video, Bob!
Yeah, you really have to search around for 6JS6 tubes. I've seen them as little as $15 and for as much as $45 apiece on eBay. All tested good btw. A 6KD6 will work but the plate cap is smaller and the clip will have to be adjusted to compensate.
These delta tubes need far more alignment than PIL tubes from the point of view of the service engineer. PIL are generally never touched after manufacture alignment and come with the yoke fixed to the neck. Delta tubes require that you re-use the yoke from the previous tube and proceed with purity checking and setting then static alignment (with the 3 adjusters around the yoke) and then dynamic adjustment from the convergence board - which was by far the most evil thing devised in the known universe. As an apprentice TV engineer my main job was changing tubes (I guess the engineers weren't too keen to align too many tubes themselves, why have a dog and bark?).
Great video! I'm new to your channel. You do a nice job! Just a thought... the focus range in these sets is a product of several high value resistors (>1 Meg). They tend to drift even higher...
Thanks. I'll be sure to check those when I pull the chassis.
nice tv wow never seen one those
We had a Zenith square with the same knobs and controls I don't know what year it was. That thing scared me when the high voltage kicked on. But we always for compliments on the picture....
Yes, you can definitely feel the HV kick it. Especially when the back is off.
Cool find :)
Well, those colour roundies, I'm told, are quite difficult to get to work well. But they are the real deal where vintage colour tv's are concerned. It's actually fun to get this one to work just by replacing a few tubes. I would replace the electrolytics though.
I suppose the cabinet is full metal jacket, or are there still wooden parts in it?
Anyway, the best part is, you're back with a bang... imagine you working on a colour tv, that in itself is Great News :)
Thanks for a fun video Bob
Yes, it is quite a treat to finally have a vintage color roundie :) This is near the end of the roundie era though and they had worked out the circuits pretty well by then. The early color sets from the mid 50s are more chellenging from what I've read.
The only real wood is in the four screw on legs.
I read Phil Nelson's page on restoring a CTC 10 colour roundie; pretty much the Holy Grail of colour tv's. I'm not very familiar with vintage tube colour tv's, but from what I understood reading the blog, the circuitry is incredibly complicated... almost experimental.
But well, I guess this Zenith will be the perfect entry point for you to get a handle on early colour tv technology. I'm sure with your savvy, you'll be able to tackle much more complicated models in no time :)
Sometime during the year, I intend to do the same with an early 70's vintage portable transistor colour tv, I think. The problem is, as usual, however, I haven't succeeded in finding a service manual just yet.
Will you replace a lot of, if not all, parts in the Zenith? Or will you just replace "as needed" ? Also, how critical is it to have a cathode current meter to measure current on the HT (flyback) tube? It doesn't seem like very common equipment to have.
By the way, if you're worried about Xrays, you can buy a röntgen detector for a few dollars on Ebay. That way you can always rest assured you won't get overexposed to ionizing radiation.
Phil has restored many sets and has a great website. I wouldn't call a CTC 10 the holy grail though. That would be the first two RCA color sets the 15" CT100 and 21" 21CT55. By the time the CTC 10 was made the circuits were more reliable but stil complicated. My set uses some multi-function Compactron tubes which simplify the circuits a little.
I plan to replace the electrolytic capacitors and any out of spec resistors. The current is important and it would be difficult to measure without this meter while the chassis is in the cabinet. If it was on the workbench, I could simply measure the voltage drop across the cathode resistor and calculate the current.
I'm not worried about xrays but will fabricate a replacement metal shield or try to find an original
yes, you're right of course. I meant to say CT100, not CTC10. I guess my brain was sidetracked when I typed my comment. In any case, getting a CT100, or the other one in a reasonable state, would be really hard or costly, since relatively few colour roundies of that era survived.
I think of the CT100 only a goodly 100 are known to exist. So you could argue they are getting very rare.
I would love to lay my hands on such a one, but I think that's a vain hope considering the rarity of such a tv. Not to mention working roundie picture tube themselves, which are downright "unobtainium" :)
Can't wait to see your next episode. Thanks Bob :)
The Achilles heel of the CT100s was the metal-glass 15GP22 picture tubes they used, which are notorious for loosing their vacuum. Most of the early M-G picture tubes were bad for that so most were replaced with glass versions sometime during their life but I don't believe that there was an all glass replacement version of the 15GP22 CRTs used in the CT100s.
is it because of the modern programming that words in opening or closing credits get cut off so severely as on this roundie or was older programming like this too. its been so long since I've seen shows on a set like this, I just don't remember. it's going to be a good set for you when it gets restored.
Love to get a Port hole TV and predicta . Those two and working properly and watching some Good classics unlike today's garbage tv programs
Very interesting!Did you chaps use Flywheel as opposed to Direct Synch with your C.R.T. Analogue T.V. Line Timebases like we did in Britain?This would make the picture verticals straighter when the broadcast was too weak or too far away although I was never sure if it was worth the extra complexity.
I wasn't familiar with those terms and had to do a little research. If I understand them correctly, we use Direct Synch in the earlier tube sets from the 40s, 50s and 60s. I don't know about newer, transiorized sets,
With regard to that 6JS6 and it's lack of availability, it may be worth looking into substitutes, even non 12 pin tubes. I wonder it it would be possible to use a more common octal based HoT like a 6CU6 with an adapter? (not that specific one but one appropriate for a colour television)
Possibly but given how scarce replacement flybacks are I'm reluctant to do any modifications. Plenty of 6JS6s are out there they're just expensive. For now I've not one god NOS tube and one with an occasional short. I'll keep my eyes open for them at swap meets.
I have a feeling that the current pricing on those may be due to a similar pump and dump scam to the one the online tube boutiques tried pulling with 6AW8s a few years ago. In fact after I saw this video I looked up the tube on fleabay and they were anywhere from $30 a piece on down to $10 for a pair of supposedly NOS ones. It seems that many forget that whilst the tubes are no longer longer being made neither is the equipment that uses them, and it's not like someone is going to run a 1960s vintage TV, day in and out, seven days a week like a modern TV
I have heard that the some of the horizontal output tubes were used in illegal CB amplifiers that were created a lot by hobbyists in the 1970s which is why there aren't a ton of them left and that is why they are so expensive.
The round CRT's were much more durable than the early rectangular color TV CRT's.
I would be interested in knowing how many of those caps and resistors survived.
I suspect quite a few as it's working fairly well on original parts. It does take a few minutes for the image to fill out the screen though. Likely some of the power supply electrolytics are a bit leaky.
@@bandersentv yeah, thats what i thought to.. just overly curious to see how much is still good.
Great video, thanks for the insight. I just picked up one of these 5311U models. I KNOW the controls need to be cleaned badly, but it does have light on the screen. If I get this working good, what are they worth? :)
HI. Well that depends on a few factors - condition of the cabinet, how much life does the picture tube have left, how good an image does it produce, etc.. Perhaps most importantly - location. These sets are difficult and expensive to ship. All that being said, I think I paid round $150 for my set. Maybe I could get $300 restored. The metal cabinet with faux wood grain is kinda cheap and it's one of the last roundie color models. The earlier, older color sets are worth more.
Your Zenith 5311u. Roudie. Color tv p10
I think that my Drake transceiver takes three 6JB6. sweep tubes.
Hello, thank you for your videos, i learn a lot from you and shango066 about tube televisions. I have a question for you. I restored a hybrid
1970 b/w television. The tuner, IF and video circuits are transistorized. Vertical osc and output, horizontal osc and output, booster, sound and sync separator are tubes.
I replaced all capacitors and 10% tolerance resistors and the tv works great. But i did a mistake. Instead of connecting my vcr rf output to UHF input, i connected it to VHF. The horizontal whistle became louder and of course no image. A minute later, i realized what i did and connected it the right way. Now it has a great picture. My question is: Did i made some transistors to overheat and soon to fail? Did i overheated the flyback?
HI. I don't have any experience with hybrid TVs but it seems very unlikely to me that you did any damage.
bandersentv
Thank you!
Hi Bob.....I noticed your Mighty Might VII TC 162 hums just like mine...Do you know why?.... thanks,, Buzz
Buzz1151 It's the power transformer. I've been told it's normal for this tester
Mine hums quietly! It does not know the words! lol
This is your first color tv on the bench.
Robert Estes I showed a ge portacolor a while back
This is the first one you have repaired.
Hello! Judging by this you are my hobby colleague from the other end of the planet. I also restore the technique of past years. And for what purpose do you do this - a hobby?
Mostly a hobby but I sell some of my restored sets and do work for other collectors.
@@bandersentv Thanks to you, a piece of history is saved for posterity! Wish you luck!
i love your videos, do you repair hifi aswell?
Thanks. Nope. I try to stick with radios from the 30s-40s and TVs from the 40s-60s.
Doesn't B+ come off the rectifier tube[s]?
Yes, did I say otherwise?
@@bandersentv no
Anybody seen a 54 super zenith?
The cheapest NOS 6J6A I found was $2.50
I needed a 6JSC6A beam power tube. A 6J6A is a common small 7-pin tube.
Ah, I did not know that. Looking up the correct tube number confirms the prices you mentioned. I've always wanted a color roundie set, keep up the good work in getting them running!
You do realize when you aren't making videos there is virtually nothing to watch?
I like how there's a high voltage leak and you don't appear to give a single shit
You mean the HV lead arcing ? I applied HV putty which pretty much stopped it. An occasional arc isn't going to hurt anything. I'll do a thorough cleaning and replacing the HV lead when I pull the chassis.
bandersentv I'm just used to repairing solid state, if I ever saw arcing I'd be scared shitless