GEC BT1156 First Light & Vidor CN4216

[oldticktock]

The GEC & Vidor arrived after being dropped off by Grimjosef, nice fella.

Decided to do what everyone seems to do and select one for plug-in.

The Vidor has a lot of wires chassis interconnects removed and the EHT unplugged so someones been at it. Not confident of this one.

GEC looked tidy so that was selected, so found my rubber pants, a broom handle and powered on.

Thats what i got, not much wrong with this then.

[oldticktock]

Vidor pics, I maybe completely bonkers but I cannot see where you would plug an aerial in on the vidor. I've looked and looked and there is not an aerial socket

[Sean Williams]

Well Done Chris!!!

See, the universe doesn't end when you plug a set straight in - and you now know more about its condition, than you ever would have by replacing components before switch on.

Great Stuff

Sean

[oldticktock]

A couple more of the vidor and one of the GEC

Just found the Vidor CN4216 in RT&S vol IV page 427, that weird paxolin input socket on the 4th pic in post 2 is the aerial socket!!!! not come across that before. Thinking about it this TV is quite a strange layout from what I've seen so far.

The GEC is a lot different too, very compact and sort of PCB type boards although no tracks just components wired to it and hard wiring.

[mickjjo]

Originally Posted by oldticktock

I cannot see where you would plug an aerial in on the vidor.

I think it's those sockets at the bottom right, I don't think coaxial aerial sockets were standard fittings on earlier sets.

Regards, Mick.

[matthewhouse]

Your Vidor looks better than mine. I had lots of problems with the leads dropping off the low value caps in the rf deck. I was lucky as someone had left a plug in the aerial socket on mine. It's an odd thing with 2 short quite fat pins, the smaller being signal. Pins are about 10mm long, with pins roughly 4mm and 3mm in diameter. Mine still needs new electros as the current ones are dead short. I've just noticed one side of the lopt screen has been cut away, perhaps this one ate the valves inside and the customer wanted easy access!

[Steve_P]

Like Sean said, well done. Just a few checks if you want, then plug it in. Most cases that is all you need. It varies from set to set of course, but most will come up into some sort of life.

That Vidor looks a lovely set by the way. The antenna socket is not what you would expect, but it will work. Just make sure the chassis isn't live... As before, use the circuit to remake the missing connections, plug the EHT in and hit the button, so to speak.

Now, when will you start on that G6......

Cheers,

Steve P.

[oldticktock]

Left the GEC on for a bit and noticed that the screen was shrinking. Eventually it went dark, left with the tone and a dark screen.

At first it seemed to fade then come back then settled as in pic1. Then the tone faded too, I rotated the turret around and back again, the tone was restored nice and loud but the raster went, did it again and now a bright raster again. A bit of twiddling of hoz,vert,bright etc and it sort of got better.

V4 seems to a bit dodgy, if I waggle it the picture and tone fluctuate

Guess a few more probs than I thought.

[mark pirate]

The gec should be a straightfoward recap job, these were a very reliable set in thier time, the vidor looks more of a challenge, but should be easy enough to sort out.

Mark

[oldticktock]

Just opened it up as raster now gone, line whistle present and aurora tone.

Glum........ it's been capped before, although it looks like a good job may have been done, all the yellows axials are neat even the .05 on the CRT has been stuffed and re-filled.

I removed the lopt housing and the U25 did not look like it was lit. I tried the EHT meter on it and nothing it should be around 16kV. looking at the base of the valve it all looks very poor condition, the little cap which i think will be the EHT resevoir possibly .001uF looks sick too, the little solder cups are not formed perfectly and one cup which has one leg of the little cap has corrosion. However the U25 valve looks new

Anyway this is going to one side for another day. I have work to do on the bush anyway.

[Steve_P]

Don't run a set for very long like this.... first light means you still have a long way to go. Capacitor changing isn't everything you know...

Clean V4 socket and pins and if you have another one, put it in, otherwise leave the original. Also clean the PL and PY sockets and pins. Give the set time to cool and then try it again. See what it does.

The EHT valve might be OK, but the PCB looks a bit dodgy. Give it a clean and resolder it. I haven't got the circuit for this set to hand, can't exactly go and fetch it but I can transfer GEC valve numbers to Mullard if needed. Most are regular bottles.

Cheers,

Steve P.

[murphyv310]

Hi Chris.
I don't know the Vidor so can't really help with that one, I'll look at the circuit at the weekend and get to know it a bit.
The GEC may have lost its EHT possibly that EHT cap is breaking down under load, I believe that the LOPTx are good on these sets, looking at your photos I would think that the line speed is a fair way off.
Good luck with both sets and keep us posted.

[oldticktock]

I have not got the service sheet for a BT1156, which it says it is on the back fibre board , I have a reference in RT&S 1957/1958 volume II page 351 but that refers to the BT1155 but the valve line-up is way different.

Edit:
Hi Trevor, yeah the LOPT looks in excellent condition underneath the tar around th windings looks prisitine and no cracking, it reminds me of the good ones i had in the Bush TV62 & 63. I digressed on these I was like a kid with new pressies but have put them to one side, a sensible rule for me is one set at a time so back to the 22.

P.s hope you manage to get some work done on your project this weekend.

Chris

[Techman]

I've got one of those Vidors packed away somewhere. Mine hasn't been switched on for 30 years & unlike a lot of my old stuff, this one had stopped working at the time when it was stashed away. I'll be watching how you get on with yours & it might tempt me to dig mine out from the loft.

I think I had one of those GECs too, many years ago - now long gone.

[oldticktock]

Could not resist have a look at the Vidor in closer detail, this will tax me I think.

It's a very unrefined affair, I was wondering about tuning then realised that this set must have been a fixed tuned set. I think this is confrimed by London stamped on the LOPT housing cover.

Someones been in it and pulled all the internal plug connections out, theres a loose wire hanging about a missing valve, the EY51 both bottom wires have become attached and I have never seen such mucky one. The lopt is most bizzarre lots of clear wire wrapped around it, a couple of caps underneath have one end snipped or broken away, lots of 'unts' all over the place. Original cloth covered cable, but a fantastic round 12" crt which I think is a MW31/16 athough it does not have a lable to confirm this

[oldticktock]

more pics

[murphyv310]

Nice one Chris.
Go on fix the loose wires and plug it in!
Have you got enough room in that loft? Or are you moving downstairs and moving the wife into the loft?

[jay_oldstuff]

that clear insulated wire round the lopt probebly means the origonal heater winding for the ey51 has failed rapping insulated wire round the lopt like this works quite well i've done it myself before with sucsess.

Jay

[oldticktock]

Nice one Jay, I thought it must have been something other than original. I think this set will wait until I've developed larger metal unmentionables

I finally figured out how you,Trevor, John, Steve,Taz and the like developed iron ones! the clue was in John's stuffing waxies thread (referencing the nail polish)

it's sniffin all that lead solder for years & years & years & years.... only kidding

got a horrible feeling about this set though, it maybe taking the place of the V4 as my nemesis

[Steve_P]

Nah, I doubt it. They were not well liked back in the day don't forget. Put all those wires back and rearrange the EY51 section - might need cable! - and go for it.

Cheers,

Steve P.