Philips TX14 black and white portable - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

dj_fivos_sak · 4th Apr 2018, 7:40 pm

Hello everyone. I found this little set a couple of years ago, and suprizingly there's nothing wrong with it, other than the broken channel 2 selector button. I have it hooked up to a Sanyo Betamax and it works fine but the picture is not very sharp. Do you know what year this set came out? It's missing the model number sticker. It would be great if there was an adjustment for the sharpness, but it doesn't look too bad anyway. I might replace the speaker though because there's not very much high frequency response out of this one. If you want pictures of the inside let me know.

Fivos

hamid_1 · 4th Apr 2018, 9:55 pm

That TV looks like an early 1980s model. If you open the back cover, there may be another label with the model and serial number stuck on the CRT, or on the chassis or inside the back cover. Sometimes the label has come unstuck and will be found loose inside the set. Hopefully you can find the Philips Tyoe number / Serial label inside, then post what it says. This will identify the chassis and the year it was made.

For the sharpness problem, there may be a focus adjustment inside the TV. This is often just a jumper wire which is placed on one of several resistors to change the focus voltage. There were several versions of the Philips TX chassis. If you can find the type number label inside, or just take some pictures of the PCB, it should be possible to identify the chassis and find the service manual which will show how to adjust the focus.

Maarten · 5th Apr 2018, 1:12 am

There might still be another sticker on the back or on the chassis with two letters, two numbers and three numbers. This actually gives the production date.

Also, there is often a model number label on the back of the chassis.

My best guess is that this set is a model around 1980, sporting the TX 14" chassis which is a first generation TX chassis.

Sideband · 5th Apr 2018, 8:06 am

Don't expect miracles from the picture! They are what they are.....used as a second set for the bedroom/sickroom/kitchen etc. Focus was never pin-sharp but was adequate for the type of intended use. Yes late 70's early 80's is about the right date. There may not be a focus adjustment.....

Argus25 · 5th Apr 2018, 12:53 pm

Love that Indian Head Test Pattern.

I think that the camera photo may have been a tad out of focus, I'm sure it looks better in real life resolution wise.

It is interesting to compare it though, to what the image looks like on a professional video monitor on an industrial class 14" CRT , looking specifically at the H & V scan linearity. I have attached an image I took of the same test pattern on my Conrac avionics video monitor.

Since most of the time the consumer didn't watch TV test patterns, just the TV shows, TV manufacturers could get away with less than perfect images.

Richard_FM · 5th Apr 2018, 1:46 pm

My gran had one of those for her caravan as it could run off a car battery.

When at her home it was in the spare room.

Sideband · 5th Apr 2018, 2:25 pm

Most of the TX series were pretty dire when it came to linearity. The 12" model had an egg-shaped 'circle' as normal. Several mods were introduced to improve it but it was never right. I suppose it didn't really matter considering the expected use of the sets and in practice, the picture didn't look too bad.

cmjones01 · 5th Apr 2018, 2:36 pm

We had a load of the TX 12" model at school modified with the tuners removed and a composite video input fitted, for use with BBC Micros. They weren't much good, to be honest. There was no DC restoration so the background was often grey, and the geometry wasn't great. I remember focus being OK though, and 80 column text was readable.

Chris

dj_fivos_sak · 5th Apr 2018, 4:01 pm

Thanks for the replies! I opened the set up and found the model sticker laying inside, so I glued it back where it belongs. I also snapped photos of the tube and the LOPT. A quick google search tells me this set is from around 1981. I ordered the service manual as well, once I found the model number.

Argus25 · 6th Apr 2018, 12:02 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by dj_fivos_sak

Thanks for the replies!

On the photo second from the left, about an inch or more in from the rear edge of the pcb, near the middle, there is an open frame type Philips brand preset potentiometer. These are particularly prone to go intermittent, especially when the silver plating has become oxidised and corroded over time, it gets a dark look to to it.

So if you get an intermittent fault this is one place to look.

To clean them up (note or mark the original position) spray with contact cleaner while rotating them 4 or 5 times a then a small amount of WD40 for lubrication (and rotate again) and corrosion protection helps. Philips used a lot of these presets in their lab gear too.

Maarten · 6th Apr 2018, 12:03 am

This looks like an export set, possibly supplied as a CKD to some assembly plant in the far east. Quite interesting. I don't see a final production date of the set itself in any of the pictures, but the LOPT was manufactured in week 6 of 1981. If you feel like it, could you maybe have a look what the first stamped line (the one above TR81) on the picture tube says, and also take a picture of the label on the tuner module? The latter might give some hint about the destination market.

Also, please take care that contact cleaner sprayed into pots (or anywhere for that matter), if you decide to use any, needs to be of the non-acidic type. Acidic cleaners are a.o. Kontakt 60 and the original Caig Deoxit and will make things worse in the long run. It is best to use isopropanol or Kontakt WL to clean a pot and then lubricate it with Kontakt 61.

Maarten · 6th Apr 2018, 1:07 am

With Far East in the above post, I meant to write Thailand, but had to verify. My speculation about the CKD is beacuse it says Made in Holland, but if it really was the origin letter on the type label would have been "A" not "SU".

Argus25 · 6th Apr 2018, 5:34 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maarten

Also, please take care that contact cleaner sprayed into pots (or anywhere for that matter)......,

CO Contact cleaner by CRC is fine and compatible with all electronic components.

Maarten · 6th Apr 2018, 8:55 pm

Thanks! Kontakt 390 (former Philips formulation) is probably also OK.

The fact that many other popular contact sprays are acidic (mostly oleic acid, not a very strong acid but it will make a mess of things when left in place) is unfortunately not widely known, hence my advice to generally steer clear of them or use sparsely and clean up very well.

4th Apr 2018, 7:40 pm	#1
dj_fivos_sak Heptode Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Lefkada, Greece Posts: 969	Philips TX14 black and white portable Hello everyone. I found this little set a couple of years ago, and suprizingly there's nothing wrong with it, other than the broken channel 2 selector button. I have it hooked up to a Sanyo Betamax and it works fine but the picture is not very sharp. Do you know what year this set came out? It's missing the model number sticker. It would be great if there was an adjustment for the sharpness, but it doesn't look too bad anyway. I might replace the speaker though because there's not very much high frequency response out of this one. If you want pictures of the inside let me know. Fivos Attached Thumbnails

4th Apr 2018, 9:55 pm	#2
hamid_1 Heptode Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: High Wycombe, Bucks. UK. Posts: 811	Re: Philips TX14 black and white portable That TV looks like an early 1980s model. If you open the back cover, there may be another label with the model and serial number stuck on the CRT, or on the chassis or inside the back cover. Sometimes the label has come unstuck and will be found loose inside the set. Hopefully you can find the Philips Tyoe number / Serial label inside, then post what it says. This will identify the chassis and the year it was made. For the sharpness problem, there may be a focus adjustment inside the TV. This is often just a jumper wire which is placed on one of several resistors to change the focus voltage. There were several versions of the Philips TX chassis. If you can find the type number label inside, or just take some pictures of the PCB, it should be possible to identify the chassis and find the service manual which will show how to adjust the focus.

5th Apr 2018, 1:12 am	#3
Maarten Dekatron Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Haarlem, Netherlands Posts: 4,199	Re: Philips TX14 black and white portable There might still be another sticker on the back or on the chassis with two letters, two numbers and three numbers. This actually gives the production date. Also, there is often a model number label on the back of the chassis. My best guess is that this set is a model around 1980, sporting the TX 14" chassis which is a first generation TX chassis.

5th Apr 2018, 8:06 am	#4
Sideband Dekatron Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Croydon, Surrey, UK. Posts: 7,571	Re: Philips TX14 black and white portable Don't expect miracles from the picture! They are what they are.....used as a second set for the bedroom/sickroom/kitchen etc. Focus was never pin-sharp but was adequate for the type of intended use. Yes late 70's early 80's is about the right date. There may not be a focus adjustment..... __________________ There are lots of brilliant keyboard players and then there is Rick Wakeman.....

5th Apr 2018, 12:53 pm	#5
Argus25 No Longer a Member Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia. Posts: 2,679	Re: Philips TX14 black and white portable Love that Indian Head Test Pattern. I think that the camera photo may have been a tad out of focus, I'm sure it looks better in real life resolution wise. It is interesting to compare it though, to what the image looks like on a professional video monitor on an industrial class 14" CRT , looking specifically at the H & V scan linearity. I have attached an image I took of the same test pattern on my Conrac avionics video monitor. Since most of the time the consumer didn't watch TV test patterns, just the TV shows, TV manufacturers could get away with less than perfect images. Attached Thumbnails

5th Apr 2018, 1:46 pm	#6
Richard_FM Nonode Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Stockport, Cheshire, UK. Posts: 2,002	Re: Philips TX14 black and white portable My gran had one of those for her caravan as it could run off a car battery. When at her home it was in the spare room.

5th Apr 2018, 2:25 pm	#7
Sideband Dekatron Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Croydon, Surrey, UK. Posts: 7,571	Re: Philips TX14 black and white portable Most of the TX series were pretty dire when it came to linearity. The 12" model had an egg-shaped 'circle' as normal. Several mods were introduced to improve it but it was never right. I suppose it didn't really matter considering the expected use of the sets and in practice, the picture didn't look too bad. __________________ There are lots of brilliant keyboard players and then there is Rick Wakeman.....

5th Apr 2018, 2:36 pm	#8
cmjones01 Nonode Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Warsaw, Poland and Cambridge, UK Posts: 2,677	Re: Philips TX14 black and white portable We had a load of the TX 12" model at school modified with the tuners removed and a composite video input fitted, for use with BBC Micros. They weren't much good, to be honest. There was no DC restoration so the background was often grey, and the geometry wasn't great. I remember focus being OK though, and 80 column text was readable. Chris __________________ What's going on in the workshop? http://martin-jones.com/

5th Apr 2018, 4:01 pm	#9
dj_fivos_sak Heptode Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Lefkada, Greece Posts: 969	Re: Philips TX14 black and white portable Thanks for the replies! I opened the set up and found the model sticker laying inside, so I glued it back where it belongs. I also snapped photos of the tube and the LOPT. A quick google search tells me this set is from around 1981. I ordered the service manual as well, once I found the model number. Attached Thumbnails

6th Apr 2018, 12:03 am	#11
Maarten Dekatron Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Haarlem, Netherlands Posts: 4,199	Re: Philips TX14 black and white portable This looks like an export set, possibly supplied as a CKD to some assembly plant in the far east. Quite interesting. I don't see a final production date of the set itself in any of the pictures, but the LOPT was manufactured in week 6 of 1981. If you feel like it, could you maybe have a look what the first stamped line (the one above TR81) on the picture tube says, and also take a picture of the label on the tuner module? The latter might give some hint about the destination market. Also, please take care that contact cleaner sprayed into pots (or anywhere for that matter), if you decide to use any, needs to be of the non-acidic type. Acidic cleaners are a.o. Kontakt 60 and the original Caig Deoxit and will make things worse in the long run. It is best to use isopropanol or Kontakt WL to clean a pot and then lubricate it with Kontakt 61. Last edited by Maarten; 6th Apr 2018 at 12:11 am.

6th Apr 2018, 1:07 am	#12
Maarten Dekatron Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Haarlem, Netherlands Posts: 4,199	Re: Philips TX14 black and white portable With Far East in the above post, I meant to write Thailand, but had to verify. My speculation about the CKD is beacuse it says Made in Holland, but if it really was the origin letter on the type label would have been "A" not "SU".

6th Apr 2018, 8:55 pm	#14
Maarten Dekatron Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Haarlem, Netherlands Posts: 4,199	Re: Philips TX14 black and white portable Thanks! Kontakt 390 (former Philips formulation) is probably also OK. The fact that many other popular contact sprays are acidic (mostly oleic acid, not a very strong acid but it will make a mess of things when left in place) is unfortunately not widely known, hence my advice to generally steer clear of them or use sparsely and clean up very well.