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Vintage Television and Video Vintage television and video equipment, programmes, VCRs etc. |
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13th Aug 2020, 6:22 pm | #21 |
Octode
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Stockport, Greater Manchester
Posts: 1,208
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Re: Which was the worst TV set / chassis you had to repair
I agree about the frail print and SMD on Philips chassis that almost weren't worth repairing.
Going back a bit further the Pye 110 degree colour sets with those awful sliding out panels that will not slide, the convergence panel that uses underrated (plastic) pots and the myriad of single push-on connectors with the tiny tags and even smaller terminals on the board. Why did they bother with the 110 degree tube as well? Oh and the "thick film" units. I have some nice Dynatron examples with smart cabinets and even one with a VCR in the top, but they are sadly mutton dressed as lamb...!
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13th Aug 2020, 6:54 pm | #22 | |
Nonode
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Coningsby, Lincolnshire, UK.
Posts: 2,814
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Re: Which was the worst TV set / chassis you had to repair
Quote:
As to the worst set I’ve worked on, probably the Philips 385U, I didn’t like the rats nest of components under the chassis, not even slightly neat! It probably didn’t help that it was a bit rough to begin with, and the frame blocking TX went pop.. and also the LOPT eating Philips Style 70! Nice picture when it worked! I never had chance to work in the trade, so didn’t get to experience the wonders and horrors of it, I always wanted to, but it had died by the time I’d left school. What does anyone make of the Bang & Olufsen MX2000? Mine is playing up, and I’m about to open it up to see if it is going to be a pain or not! If anyone says they are awful to work on, then I won’t bother! Regards Lloyd |
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13th Aug 2020, 6:57 pm | #23 | |
Pentode
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Champaign, Illinois, USA.
Posts: 227
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Re: Which was the worst TV set / chassis you had to repair
Quote:
but, except for audio, works quite well. Was this a barn find, or a salt water aquarium find? (P.S.: no, not really, but only sure because its long form tube shield. What does it look like now?) Last edited by dtvmcdonald; 13th Aug 2020 at 7:15 pm. |
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13th Aug 2020, 6:59 pm | #24 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Haarlem, Netherlands
Posts: 4,185
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Re: Which was the worst TV set / chassis you had to repair
MX2000 is just a Thomson ICC3 chassis (possibly the German made version) with some modifications, mounted in a posh case.
I think they're worthwhile, I like it better than the ICC5 anyway. |
13th Aug 2020, 7:13 pm | #25 |
Pentode
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Champaign, Illinois, USA.
Posts: 227
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Re: Which was the worst TV set / chassis you had to repair
Sony KVX-370. I actually gave up and sent it to a guy that specializes
just in those sets. It's one the the Indextron sets. All special unique ICs. But they were and are all good. The problems are two: its a 5 inch cube packed with like 8 PC boards connected with cables. Tightly packed. The boards are held in with yellowed plastic "claws" that break if you wave your hand in their general vicinity. Electrically, only one problem: Sony decided to use "top notch" 105 degree C electrolytics in some places, teensy tiny things as low as 0.47uF. They leak corrosize goo that slithers underneath chip capacitors and resistors. It turns out that the only hope is to put in in water in an ultrasonic, after removing the LOPT. Then you check and if necessary replace every chip part anywhere near where the goo was. Also, it can't be aligned because you'd need special extender cables ... and the index circuitry has lots of adjustments, oh yes, it has "clamps" on the RGB signals ... in series! The "user controls" don't work as the user expects because of the clamps. But it of course has great novelty circuit value. |
13th Aug 2020, 7:17 pm | #26 |
Heptode
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: West London, UK.
Posts: 865
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Re: Which was the worst TV set / chassis you had to repair
Rediffusion MK 7A
John |
13th Aug 2020, 7:44 pm | #27 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Eindhoven, Netherlands.
Posts: 640
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Re: Which was the worst TV set / chassis you had to repair
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13th Aug 2020, 7:52 pm | #28 |
Octode
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Dorridge, West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 1,475
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Re: Which was the worst TV set / chassis you had to repair
John, thanks for the reminder about the EMO sets, I had the misfortune to buy one, brand new but not working, took absolutely ages to get going and even then was mediocre. The fault turned out to be someone must have miss loaded the resistors into the PCB machines as I was reduced to checking every component and found if i remember correctly 10K resistors where there should be 1k and vise versa. Could not have possibly been checked/powered before leaving the factory! So my vote for the 1970s goes to EMO
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13th Aug 2020, 8:11 pm | #29 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Croydon, Surrey, UK.
Posts: 7,550
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Re: Which was the worst TV set / chassis you had to repair
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An Amstrad something or other was the worst chassis I encountered. Can't remember the model now but I never got the power supply working. I once got as far as the power supply running a dummy load (60W lamp) but as soon as I connected that line stage ........BANG. I gave up!!
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13th Aug 2020, 8:16 pm | #30 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Edinburgh, UK.
Posts: 3,273
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Re: Which was the worst TV set / chassis you had to repair
Quote:
Peter |
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13th Aug 2020, 8:16 pm | #31 |
Nonode
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Redruth, Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 2,562
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Re: Which was the worst TV set / chassis you had to repair
Hi.
Some of the early colour receivers weren't that easy to work on and took up more time in the workshop than was necessary. Whilst I liked the G6 both d/s and s/s versions, they were quite difficult to work on with a bird's nest of fragile solid core wiring at the rear of the vertical chassis panels. With most of the panels being hard wired it didn't help either. The little Philips TVette, a set that I like was very awkward to repair. Access to the IF/timebase board could be difficult. Unusually, the Philips LOPT in these sets seems to be quite reliable. Pye 713/Philips 570 and the Thorn 8000/8000A often regarded as rubbishy old sets were nevertheless easy for repairs, most of the time. The RBM A774 was not a pleasant set to service. Although its vertical chassis had good access it was let down by the reliability of the LOPT. I always remember having that heart in your mouth fear of LOPT failure even if a new one had recently been fitted. In some sets namely the RBM A774, Philips G6 and G8, 210/300 series, you often had that feeling! Why couldn't some manufacturers have taken a leaf out of BRC's book and used the reliable technology of the jellypot LOPT? I can't say that I was enthused by most of Rank's offerings. A823 series not that brilliant for servicing or performance. T20 series were unreliable but fairly easy to fix. The Z718 wasn't bad though. The T26 was OK. Many service engineers hated the unreliable Pye hybrid colour receivers but I found them easy to repair with a set of fairly common stock faults. I learnt a lot on these including the transistorised Mullard design colour decoder. They were good fun to repair. When the Pye was correctly set up it could produce quite a decent picture. There were a few Japanese sets which spring to mind that were terrible for servicing. The Sony KV1810UB was also a heart in your mouth set what with the cost of those fragile GCS devices. I'll stick my neck out and say there can't be many in the repair trade that actually liked this set. There was a horrible little Teleton colour set with really obscure valves. It had a simple PAL (PAL-S) decoder complete with Hanover blinds! There was a Sanyo set, possibly CTP7118, that was also nasty to service. I'm sure I'll recall other difficult/awkward sets as I jog my memory. Regards, Symon |
13th Aug 2020, 8:38 pm | #32 |
Octode
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Willington, County Durham, UK.
Posts: 1,498
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Re: Which was the worst TV set / chassis you had to repair
Brc 4000.
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Malc Scott |
13th Aug 2020, 8:44 pm | #33 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Rugeley, Staffordshire, UK.
Posts: 8,809
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Re: Which was the worst TV set / chassis you had to repair
A 1939 Ekco TA201 vision only set with 7" screen. Parts missing, faulty EHT transformer, 'all' caps u/s, most valves low emission, etc etc. A true labour of love. But I got there and my write up was published in 'Television' in '87.
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13th Aug 2020, 8:48 pm | #34 |
Nonode
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Redruth, Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 2,562
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Re: Which was the worst TV set / chassis you had to repair
Hi.
Regarding VCRs, The Panasonic G deck despite being a good performer was difficult to service, the Philips Charly deck being easier IMHO. Some of the Amstrad machines could be a nightmare with tape crinkling/damage along the edge as the tape rode over the guides due to problems with the clutch assembly. Some pattern replacement clutches were often the root cause of the problem. ISTR an unofficial bodge was to dismantle the clutch, remove the coil spring and snip off one turn of the spring and reassemble. I think you could also replace the stick on felt rings too. If the clutch felt juddery then there were going to be problems. As was often the case, pattern replacement clutches, idlers and pinch rollers was a false economy resulting in repair bounces. Remember those unreliable Sharp pattern idlers, a waste of time and money. After a few unpleasant experiences I tended to fit only genuine deck parts for a quiet life! Regards, Symon |
13th Aug 2020, 8:53 pm | #35 |
Nonode
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Redruth, Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 2,562
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Re: Which was the worst TV set / chassis you had to repair
Hi.
I never came across this chassis but is known for many problems with thick film unit failures. I think most Thorn 4000s were rented out rather than being sold. Also an export set. The TELEVISION magazine had a good servicing article on this chassis in the March 1981 issue. Regards, Symon |
13th Aug 2020, 9:38 pm | #36 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Durham, County Durham, UK.
Posts: 640
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Re: Which was the worst TV set / chassis you had to repair
Sony AE5 anyone? If both line output transistors were s/c it was going to be a long day. Sony SLV-E40 VCR, deck was a cheap plastic clone of of the Amstrad 6000 and impossible to do any electronics fault finding if you didn't have the extension leads. Oh, and appalling playback picture quality. Icing on the cake would have to be the Thomson/Ferguson FV31R/32L with a blown up PSU.
John. |
13th Aug 2020, 10:07 pm | #37 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Warnham, West Sussex. 10 miles south of DORKING.
Posts: 9,145
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Re: Which was the worst TV set / chassis you had to repair
Quote:
The 12 pin 'Compactron' valves were manufactured by Toshiba. The frame output valve was the weakest in the line up. Obviously originally made for the American market the valves having .45amp heaters. There certainly was a dodgy Sanyo hybrid. The model was CTP370. It had horrible service access and I remember spending a while tracing a vision AGC lock out fault. It turned out to be a 47K 1 watt resistor in the AGC circuit, one of those glossy ones that fail with a thin burnt ring around the whole circumference of the resistor body. It worked well and once you learned it's oddities they were just about OK. The local discount sheds sold hundreds of them and it appears a good percentage of them had the pleasure of being on my service bench at least once in their lives. To be honest, on the whole there weren't many horrors. The manufacturers did a good job for the price. How the years fly! John. |
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13th Aug 2020, 11:05 pm | #38 |
Hexode
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Dublin, Republic of Ireland.
Posts: 492
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Re: Which was the worst TV set / chassis you had to repair
I haven't dabbled in tv repair for very long (just a few years) but right now the most difficult chassis is my little dansai portable. GT9313 Chassis (Also called CA-2 Chassis in the AKAI Version of the exact same TV), made finding a manual for it difficult because this chassis Actually has many different variations and was in a boatload of Portables from about 5-10 different makes. The vertical fault i have with it should (In theory) be very easy to fix but its throwing out new issues each time i get close.
Also, I Love Philips but despise their over reliance on SMD components. My Anubis and GR2.2 sets are Littered with them. Easiest Chassis ive ever worked on is My Ferguson IKC2, simple layout and easy to work on, It is a bit compacted in the power supply but thankfully ive never really had to dive right in there.
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13th Aug 2020, 11:25 pm | #39 |
Nonode
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Stockport, Cheshire, UK.
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Re: Which was the worst TV set / chassis you had to repair
I remember the EMO sets from a thread on hard to find / extinct sets.
Didn't they have a SECAM decoder converted to PAL? Also the transformers weren't really designed to run on 240v from what I remember. Where any other difficult to work on sets imported during the colour boom? I think someone mentioned the original plan with the likes of EMO were to just rent them out temporally until the supply of British made colour sets caught up with the demand. This took longer than expected so, many ended up being rented out until things started to go wrong.
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14th Aug 2020, 12:41 am | #40 |
Octode
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Evesham, Worcestershire, UK.
Posts: 1,415
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Re: Which was the worst TV set / chassis you had to repair
Only ever saw one example, what struck me was the excellent build quality compared to the much more plentiful 8500's etc, I seem to think they were made for export but hurriedly converted to UK spec due to a failed export order, horribly complicated with various thick film hybrid assemblies everywhere.
Greg.
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