RCA "Briefcase" Television Restoration Part 1/2

[@THE_DOC_RAD]

What a great find. Very clean, undamaged set. For some reason, you taking a video of the tv sitting next to you on the plane, I had a vision of some sort of Superbowl commercial! Sounds like the cat was quite disappointed with the vertical hold issues! The "goo" around the power interlock pins was probably the tell-tale sign of the power cord going bad--the plasticizers are starting to leach out and you end up with a green goo when it contacts the copper strands in the cord. When it gets really bad, you end up with green goo around the prongs on the end that plugs into the wall socket. I believe this model was apart of RCA's "Sweet 16" line for 1965 / 1966. Looking forward to the next installment.

[@daleburrell6273]

16:08...aw, you've got KITTY!!!

[@jamesglasbergen7506]

Glad to see the handle didn't break.

[@oystercreek9]

Good to see you back, Jack. I'm guessing that the 70s really are the end of the line for reliable tube-based equipment...

[@alexinnewwest1860]

That is a cool looking portable

[@tectalabyss]

Great find. I hope you will be able to find a CRT for it. I have a soft spot for Cat's . I liked and shared. All my best.

[@Peron1-MC]

wow after you cleaned it up it looks fantastic :) mint

[@MichaelJacobi01]

You are very knowledgeable on these old TVs! I am looking into a Stromberg Carlson Chinese Classic as my first vintage tv. After watching some of your videos I am not so sure if I should take this on as a beginner.

[@daleburrell6273]

20:12...HOO-RAY!!!

[@daleburrell6273]

25:23...aw, go catch little MOUSIE-!!!

[@eDoc2020]

I think this TV is a bit older than you first suggested. It still has the RCA "meatball" logo but I believe they switched to the modern logo in 1968. I've also heard that most TVs since around 1963 use mostly plastic capacitors instead of paper so replacement is much less likely to be needed.

[@daleburrell6273]

9:50...send the filter capacitor(s) to REFORM SCHOOL-(?)

[@oldradiotvsc9836]

Very nice set and nice kitty cats, too! I wonder if the soft vertical lock could be something in the integrator or sync separator/amp circuits- bad or off value cap or resistor, or tube in that area (regardless of tube testing good on a tester). If the ETF in Ohio has a good CRT for sale, it might be worth it!

[@daleburrell6273]

...there are a LOT of things that can cause it: the first thing I'd do is replace ALL of the paper capacitors in the sych circuits and the vertical sweep circuits- then go from there...

[@daleburrell6273]

17:25...many years ago, I had a small portable TV set that produced a usable picture- even though the CRT tested BAD-!!!

[@anthonydibart1126]

you skedaddled out of their real quick

[@daleburrell6273]

21:55...aw, you've got KITTY again...(!)

[@mitchellbarnow1709]

My TV’s growing up in the 1960’s never had the optional UHF tuner so I couldn’t watch PBS channel 28 in Los Angeles.

[@daleburrell6273]

26:35...Vacuum tube equipment produces an awful lot of HEAT!!! I'd carefully inspect the solder joints on the vacuum tube socket pins- because they are subject to thermal cycling/fracturing- and I'd treat the tube socket contacts- and tube pins with DeOxid...(!)

[@SeekingTheLoveThatGodMeans7648]

Cat says "Nine lives?"

[@daleburrell6273]

17:58...ALL of the controls could use a shots of control/contact cleaner...(!)

[@televisionforever]

I always clean the tube sockets and controls with Deoxit early in the process. I did find a replacement brightness pot that works but still did not affect the picture getting brighter. And also, usually those antennas do fold all the way down into the set but this one didn’t.

[@MrHBSoftware]

wavy lines on the crosshatch pattern can be that the agc is turned up too high...crooshatch pattern is very aggressive to some tvs even when they are working fine...causes distortion buzzing and other effects

[@daleburrell6273]

15:21...looks like the the resistance element and/or the internal wiper contact(s) are oxidized...I have had VERY good luck with DeOxid-(!)

[@daleburrell6273]

16:37...is that an ION TRAP on the picture tube?!!

[@daleburrell6273]

23:05...and check the HV rectifier...

[@daleburrell6273]

15:28...the word is: "INTERMITTENT"...(!)

[@daleburrell6273]

15:07...these days, that's HIGHLY unlikely- and even if you WERE lucky enough to find a NOS replacement control- it would probably not be much better than the existing brightness control in the set...

[@daleburrell6273]

5:35...I know I'm late- but doesn't the antenna totally collapse inside the cabinet?!

[@daleburrell6273]

14:54...the brightness control needs a shot of contact cleaner-(!)