Un-restored Capehart TV

This is a mostly working, un-restored Capehart/Farnsworth CX-37-1 TV. The original CRT was broken, and I was lucky enough to find a replacement on eBay that doesn't need the ion trap (type 21FP4D). The connections to the socket and yoke are made with alligator clips because I was testing the circuit with other CRTs before I found the one in it now. The functions seem to be working well for the most part. It has good brightness, vertical sync locks in nicely, horizontal sync is fairly good, contrast is good, and picture shape, linearity, and positioning seem to be fine. The only problem I can see with it now is occasional loss of line sync (horizontal "pulling") and snow. The snow seems to indicate a problem with the RF or IF section, the part of the TV I am scared to work on for all its many transformers and coils that need to be adjusted ever so carefully. Note that no recapping or restoration have been done on this TV. I have made no modifications except for changing a bad vertical linearity potentiometer and changing the CRT. I will recap it in sections as soon as I can obtain a schematic for it.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• vintage
• television
• tv
• capehart
• farnsworth
• tube
• electronics
• crt

[Organgrinder010]

Impressive that set plays so well unrestored! Very nice, bright tube, too. :)

[CameramanLink]

I'm probably just as surprised as you are. The tube is bright because it's NOS. I bought it off eBay (a very lucky find).

[KuggeR23]

@CameramanLink how much you paid for this tv?

[CameramanLink]

@KuggeR23 It's been years so I don't remember. I'm thinking in the range of $50-100.

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

Ah, alligator clips. Capehart/Farnsworth, should be a very collectable TV. Hope you can get it recapped before Feb. 2009.

[CameramanLink]

I plan on using a modulator connected to a DVD player. There's not much that I can pick up where I live.

[K4BOJ]

I was 18 in '58 and repaired those TV's. Those video IF tubes up front were a dickens to reach when it was in the cabinet. Think they were 6CB6's as best I recall. Fond memories. We charged 3.50 for a service call and most of the tubes sold for about 1.50 to 3.50.

[pvx]

Well, a modulator, aka an RF modulator, is a device that converts composite video to a RF singal int he form of a television channel, since most older TVs don't have a composite video input.

You can get a modulator at your local Radio Shack, Best Buy, or Walmart for usually $20-30.

And "recapping" is simply the process of replacing the capacitors in a electronic device. Most caps, especially the electrolytic caps, usually tend to go bad after some time, especially in vintage electronics.

[SebiStudios2]

Very nice.

[atomjelly]

A handycam! I have one of those. :)

[SmashCOBamberg]

even unrestored this set looks kinda cool :)

[thedest1ny]

i think the tv's from the 40-50 look realy scary

[vmelkon]

Crazy Eddy's has a sale.

[diodiamond21]

Very good operating condition for an un-restored set.

@K4BOJ - I've got an early-50s b/w Admiral with the crt mounted like this, and the audio & vertical tubes are a real pain to reach!!