Score!!!!

[nasadowsk]

So, I'm busy driving the Saturn around trying to figure out a typical saturn problem, when I pass a garage sale. Well, screwit, i'm bored so I go in.

Nothing in the basement.

Nothing on the main level.

Upstairs, I'm walking around and I see a cute B&W Zenith, mid-late 60's.

And as I'm looking at it, I'm wondering "Why does a cute B&W Zenith Portable have a color control on it"

Well, gee, it's color!

For $15, I got it plus the stand it was on.

It's a 15" (15LP22) set. Hybrid - 3 transistors and ??? in the IF strip (it's got a little box for IF). 6LF6 output.

The chassis is a 15Y6C1. I have no idea what year - but I think 68.

It works It's a little tired, but it's darn watchable. Needs the convergence done (duh). Noisy controls. Dusty as heck, but no smokers in the house. Cleaned up well - the chassis is nice. I'll get pics.

No 6BK4! Must be a pulse regulator.

Anyone got a schematic or other info on this thing? Or any general info? It looks like it's an early portable - it's HEAVY and has a big friendly power transformer.

The sound's buzzy/distorted, but other than that, everything's nice. A bit soft, but nice. I'm gonna stick it up on my shelf aboce the computer once I get it fully tunned up..

Moral? Keep looking. You never know when a cute little color TV will pop up.

[andy]

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[nasadowsk]

Ah, yes, I missed the 5 at the end when I peeked in there.

Neato - it's a first!

Mine works, but has minor horizontal foldover and HV regulation that stinks - it'll drop into the mid teens on a bright picture. I'm gonna change out the caps in the horz section and also get a few electrolytics.

It looks like it hasn't been repaired much, likely because it hasn't been USED much. It came out of a little old lady's home. Sat unplugged for who knows how long?

The CRT is bright, doesn't shift color as it warms up. I'm guessing it's pretty much perfect. Though, oddly, it has a missing phsphor dot on the screen...

No green demons on the faceplate. It's *perfect*

$15! A bargain! And a heavy box, too.

Wow, it's got lots and lots of little diodes in there.

I could use a copy of the schematic, since the set's not perfect.

So far:

The HV regulation is pretty bad, at least vs what I'm used to on roundies. Maybe this is normal?

Horizontal foldover

Focus control pegged at one end, still a bit fuzzy.

On again/off again color (yes yes, I know, it's the 6GH8!)

Hue control goes from puke green to flesh, not puke green to flesh to smurf blue.

Hey! It's got a rare earth tube! Reds so red, they're orange

I need a spot in the room for it. Probbably on top of my 25LC20 chassis console....

[jstout66]

Cool!!! It's a "good day" when you can find a set that's 1) small 2) cheap 3) a Zenith! Those sets are pretty durable and it sounds like your problems are mostly tube related. It's sounds like your horizontal output tube needs changed. But that tube is expensive so I'd check it first. If it's bad, that could cause your HV Regulation, foldover, AND focus problems. The on-off again color problem is most likely a tube. I don't think Zenith used 6GH8's in that set, but it's been years since I've seen one of those so I can't remember the tube layout. The "buzz" has got to be a sync/agc tube, which would cause the "buzz" and could cause the "on-off" again color as well. As for the "hue", the set probably needs the control cleaned and possibly the set needs "re-tracked" As in example of how much testing all the tubes can make a HUGE difference, I just got a 1967 RCA B&W portable off eBay. The set "worked" but the contrast and focus seemed a tad crappy AND you had to fine-tune it all the time. I took the back off and discovered the set had never been worked on, and fully expected many bad tubes. I checked em all, and lucked out and only had 4 bad ones. Both "IF" tubes and both tuner tubes. Got the tubes yesterday, popped em in, and man.... I didn't expect that huge of an improvement. Now I've got great contrast and focus and I can pull in tons of stations! In your case I'm sure tube replacement will solve most, if not ALL of your problems. Again, what a great find!!!!!!

[Chad Hauris]

These Zenith portables appear to use a very robust chassis, it seems like they are very similar to the large console chassis. These usually use a 6HV5? HV regulator, yes it is a pulse regulator. You can probably try a tube subsitution check against the tubes in your console if it is a tube type as many tube types should be the same between both.

[andy]

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