New Project...RCA 6-T-65 "Highland"

[Chris K]

I have had this for a couple of years. Really beautiful piece. 15Kw metal cone CRT.





I hope I'm not posting pictures of deep burns on my hands and forearms soon!!!

[Chris K]

All kidding aside regarding the metal cone, this unit's chassis can be removed as an individual unit. The yoke, speaker and CRT can be unplugged and the KCS47A can be put on the bench for component testing and replacement. The issue is picture tube substitution using the 5" testing CRT. The 16GP4 is supported in the cabinet by brackets in the front and by braces in the back around the yoke and focus coil. There really isn't an easy way to use the CRT/Yoke/Focus coil outside the cabinet other than fashioning an elaborate, custom mounting jig. Additionally, the chassis needs speaker connection to the filtering voice coil. If I were to go the small CRT route, the HV output would need to be modified to connect an anode to the 5" tube. Even with the smaller and safer tube, at minimum I need to remove the yoke and speaker and set all of them up next to the chassis on the bench probably in some sort of a supporting jig.

Honestly, I don't really see an option easier than working on the chassis from the power section on downstream while occasionally putting it back in the cabinet to check on progress or, in my case, possible mistakes. Unfortunately, the cabinet, CRT and speaker are still in my living room while the chassis is in the basement. I'll need more discipline than I've shown in the past and stop and test often so I don't burry an untraceable mistake.

Any advice or suggestions from the experts here? This would be easier if the CRT was mounted to the chassis but it's not.

[Electronic M]

I did a different KCS47 console in the past. I have a speaker extension cable for that speaker connector (a lot of makes used it so when I eventually scrapped something with it I repurposed the plugs into an extender cable. I already had extender cables for the octal yoke, and made one for the CRT out of a brightener, the HV lead on mine unplugged from a connector cup on a plastic insulator on the top outside of the HV cage so I took a BPC HV lead and used it as an extender. I parked the cabinet next to my bench, set something on top to protect what was left of the finish and worked on the chassis from on top of the cabinet so I didn't have to mess with leads to power it.

The KCS47 isn't exactly the best thing RCA made in that era.

[Chris K]

Why Tom? Because of these serviceability issues or circuitry, alignment and picture/sound quality problems? Your idea about creating links seems doable.

[Electronic M]

They were a lower tube count chassis, not great reliability(someone on ARF had a ~47 page thread on his woes with one of these that wouldn't stay fixed) , and they used a goofy set specific air core flyback and unusual impedance yoke which weren't great (RCA would have stuck with them if they were because they were cheaper to make) and you can't really use a universal test jig yoke with them because of how they're made.

They're not the worst sets out there, but mine I acquired dirt cheap as a CRT donor for my Zenith porthole, gave a resurrection for YouTube content, immediately tried to sell after that, ended up selling the cabinet and scrapping the chassis.

They can be made to work ok and your cabinet style is less ugly than mine was, but it's not a chassis I have desire to have back.

[Kevin Kuehn]

Oh fun! When I work on one of these era RCA consoles I pull the yoke and use it with my test crt. HV connection simply needs an adapter cable fabricated from spare parts. You don't need the focus coil with the test crt, so set that aside. I prefer the sets speaker out of the cabinet and hung on a hook or screw off the side of my workbench. All said and done it's not a huge undertaking to pull those items from the cabinet. Picture shows a KCS 40 which I made a wood test CRT jig for and screwed to the front of the chassis through some preexisting holes. Notice the goofy air core horizontal output transformer Tom mentions in the rear left corner. When properly restored these aircore flybacks work just fine in my opinion.

[kvflyer]

I certainly remember that model set. My uncle had one and Dad had it in our basement for months, working on it. Of course, I don't remember much because I was probably only about 10 years old at the time. But one thing that I do remember... that darn metal cone on the CRT!!! I got Dad more than once. We never had a "Test" CRT back then.

[Chris K]

Originally Posted by kvflyer

I certainly remember that model set. My uncle had one and Dad had it in our basement for months, working on it. Of course, I don't remember much because I was probably only about 10 years old at the time. But one thing that I do remember... that darn metal cone on the CRT!!! I got Dad more than once. We never had a "Test" CRT back then.

I don't think a test CRT would have helped him much unless he built a jig for the yoke. The TV's yoke and focus coil (not needed for the electrostatic 5") are suspended from a strut structure that depends on screwing and anchoring it on the inside of the cabinet.