Murphy V1400 14" portable TV
 

I spotted this rather classy looking little set in the auction at Harpenden today. I could come up with no justification for bidding on it, so I set my price at £10 max. As it turned out, no-one else wanted it so I got it for a fiver!

It must be one of the nicest looking portables I've seen and is well built. Nice chrome knobs rather than nasty sliders & wood effect cabinet. Inside it has that typical look of Japanese sets from the mid to late '70's.

Being Japanese, I decided it would probably work and it does. It has a few issues and all the pots are a bit dodgy. The frame sync is also a bit tetchy. Rather strangely, the frame hold control is on the front and the contrast on the back.

Does anyone have the circuit for it please? It would seem to be in the R&TV servicing books but mine stop at 1970. The index puts it in the 1978/79 edition.

Many thanks
Nick

Re: Murphy V1400 14" portable TV
 

Great find and a bargain! A real looker. Not too many sets with that look around, just the 1990s rather dull black square boxes or the more recent garish silver ones.

Re: Murphy V1400 14" portable TV
 

I worked for an RBM dealer and these arrived late 73 early 74. I'm not sure but I think it may have been a rebadged Toshiba. Manuals turn up very regularly on Ebay.

Re: Murphy V1400 14" portable TV
 

It looks like you picked up a good ones there at a reasonable price.

I'm wondering if it's badge engineered, are their any tell tale major components?

Re: Murphy V1400 14" portable TV
 

Hi Nick,
I might still have the original service manual for the V1400. I sold a few of these sets in the early 1970s.
I'll take look for it tomorrow.
I believe the set was made by NEC, but I could be wrong.

DFWB.

Re: Murphy V1400 14" portable TV
 

I would say without doubt the whole chassis is Japanese in origin. all the components have that Japanese 'look' about them. The two transformers are encased in pressed tin enclosures with lead out wires & the TO3 transistors are 'Toshiba'.

On the back it says 'Made in Japan for Rank Industries'

Probably not surprisingly for a portable, the tube looks in excellent condition:- very bright and sharp.

Hi David,
Many thanks. Just a copy of the circuit bit of it would be really useful if you can find it.

Cheers
Nick

Re: Murphy V1400 14" portable TV
 

A very good set. When they were new they had little sliding station markers by the dial marked 'BBC1', 'ITV' and the like, it never took that long for them to fall off. I think I still have some somewhere, PM me with your address and I'll send them to you if I can find them.

Re: Murphy V1400 14" portable TV
 

Around the same time Bush released the 12" TV300, this was also Japanese but I don't think it was the same manufacturer as the V1400. Very much stop gap sets as shortly after these the Bush Ranger arrived with RBM's UK produced T16 chassis (?). The T16 had the option of a couple of self contained rechargeable batteries behind a door in the rear cover.

The TV300 turned up later in the guise of a Dansette.

Re: Murphy V1400 14" portable TV
 

I went to an old radio swap meet and there was a Magnavox color set that was as neat as that one marked FREE!
While carrying it to my car, two younger wise-guy types gave me the horse-laugh, proclaiming they had fifty more I could have.
The set does work well and was very well kept. :thumbsup:
Cheers, DAVE. :beer:

Re: Murphy V1400 14" portable TV
 

Looks to be in very good condition and decent Japanese build quality. An advantage with portables is that they often have very low hours use.

Re: Murphy V1400 14" portable TV
 

I have a Rank-Dansette mono tv in the same style cabinet to that. Also very japanese, mine needed a replacement eht diode which I dug-out of the top of the LOPT. Nice high quality thing and a cracking picture.

Re: Murphy V1400 14" portable TV
 

I have an ERT Service chart for this model. If you want to borrow it, please feel free to pop round next time you're in Wroxall.

Re: Murphy V1400 14" portable TV
 

That would be great:- i'll send you a message.
I don't have any plans to do anything with the set in the near future- I really must finish some of the current projects first! It will be nice to have the circuit though.

All the best
Nick

Re: Murphy V1400 14" portable TV
 

Thanks to 'Vectamart', I now have the full service information for the set :thumbsup: Probably the first thing to check is the 11V HT rail.

I see the service sheet is dated September 1973 so it's rather earlier than I thought. Sadly, although not unexpectedly, the video is fully AC coupled to the CRT cathode. The wandering black level was very evident when I had it working, so this might also get a black level clamp modification.

But I must be strict and finish my current projects before I start on this one!

All the best
Nick