Is Pye V14 suitable for TV novice?
 

I have been offered one of these for FREE but having looked at a few articles on the web it appears that this very set was almost the downfall of Pye and might be mine as a TV novice.

If it's thought unsuitable I'll post something on the offered section...Peter

Re: Pye V14 suitable for TV novice
 

The Pye v14 was actually quite a reliable set spoilt only by the rather highly strung flywheel sync circuit.

It was more the problem of the rather poor tolerance capacitors used in 1956.

It would be a doddle to repair these days........Honest. Plenty of help available but it's a pity you had not been presented with a RGD 'Deep Seventeen'. Now that was a novice set. It never went wrong!
Regards John.

Re: Pye V14 suitable for TV novice
 

Even the period Television magazine's artical on the set ran along the lines of replacing a valve and it still doesn't work then try another and if that doesn't work then try another !

But as far as i'm aware, it wasn't the major bits (LOPT's, CRT's, ect) that were the issue, rather the dubious quality of the components (or maybe the designers just not taking into account normal component tolerances).

I'm sure with modern caps stuffed in there the set will prove a darn site better than it was in its day. Late 50's sets such as these must surely be a good choice for a newcomer. Go for it Peter !

TTFN,
Jon

Re: Pye V14 suitable for TV novice
 

Hi Peter,
well I would say that this set is a little more challenging than most to restore.
This set has rather a high component count. The other thing you will see when you look underneath is PYE's birds nest construction technique :)

Particularly if you are new to TV restoration you need to take note of all the components you have had to remove to reach the one you need to replace!

Don't let this put you off however. As with everything the trick is to do it methodically and not in a rush. Also remember that there is lots of help available through the forum, so don't hesistate to ask anything.

I wish you luck with the set. When it is restored you will have a set you can watch which probably outclassed all others in its day for picture quality (though not reliability). Also with all the wax capacitors replace the set will be very reliable.

Cheers
Andy

Re: Pye V14 suitable for TV novice
 

I rather like these little sets. They have a tidy 14" rectangular tube within a compact cabinet coupled with neat, typically '50s looks.
Even if it is difficult to get one to work perfectly, they are small enough to justify keeping in a collection.
Neil

Re: Pye V14 suitable for TV novice
 

I agree, have a go!

When a family "using" set goes wrong it's a disaster and a nuisance, when a set in a collection goes wrong it's a chance to have some (more) fun. I'd rather do a V14 than an HMV 1807 any day for example, at least when the Pye is working it should be a good performer.

Looking at the "Setmakers" book (for the n-millionth time!) it seems that the faillings of the V14 can be split into 3 main areas:

1) The PCF80 (so just keep trying them, they are not expensive or difficult to find, you can have some of mine if you like)
2) Hunts capacitors (nothing new there!)
3) Valveholders (potentially the most tedious thing to repair but not impossible and replacements are easy to find)

This set is covered in the red R+TV S books so there is no probelm getting repair information.

Good luck!

Re: Pye V14 suitable for TV novice
 

The pictures of the V14. Cabinet fairly scratched about and the speaker has gone for a walk. It is VERY dusty which I guess is a good sign and a corner is missing off the back panel. The LOPT looks clean but the bitumen is a little cracked but not on the EHT winding itself. The scan coils look different from the one here http://www.thevalvepage.com/tv/pye/pye_v14/pye_v14.htm.

Is it a lost cause? Is there anything I should look out for before I start looking at it? Also where can I get service info. from?

Re: Pye V14 suitable for TV novice
 

Looks okay to me! The cabinet will clean up, a speaker can be found and that Line Output Stage looks OK. Give it a good clean, make sure there's no wires off or burnt looking bits, change any suspect caps and try it.

Like already stated, the Flywheel Circuit was a bit of a problem. Change all the caps here.

The circuit is on his Television Circuits CD.

Cheers,

Steve P