Hitachi CNP195.
 

I picked this set up on Sunday afternoon. The seller told me it had been retired in the mid 80's.

When I got it in the house I put it up on the kitchen counter on Sunday night, the wife gave it a quick once over with a damp cloth as it was covered in fluff and dust, it must of sat in a bedroom for a long time.

Against my better judgement, I said I wonder what it will do (I don't usually do anything in the house with old gear), so expecting the bang I plugged in.

The set came up straight away! I've had it running for 5 hours so far today with no issues, CRT is lovely and bright.

The convergence is out quite a bit and it could do with a good deep clean, though it will have to wait it's turn to get on the bench.

Quite impressive for a set heading for 50 years old and a real testament to Japanese engineering.

Re: Hitachi CNP195.
 

We used to sell these, they hardly ever broke down! Pictures weren’t that sharp if i remember and the button unit could be poor after 10 years use.
I think a dried up electrolytic caused blue misconvergence in that or a similar model with the rotary channel knob. It’s a long time ago!
That it worked first time for you didn’t surprise me!

Re: Hitachi CNP195.
 

Looks like a version of the CNP190 which was sold here - your version has more pushbuttons (ours had 4!) and presumably UHF and VHF tuners. Very reliable sets and with a mains isolated chassis as well. Type 490DKB22 CRT if I remember right. There was a later version here, the CNP192 which was similar but with a different control presentation and 12 channel buttons. All the sets in this range used the "low focus" type tubes proving they could give good pictures! Certainly the one I have does.

Re: Hitachi CNP195.
 

Thanks for the replies lads,

Bikelectro, I had heard they were good sets. Thanks for the tip on the cap.

Bobby, nothing wrong with the focus on this one. This is my first "low focus voltage" tube. Except for the convergence the picture is very good.

Re: Hitachi CNP195.
 

I had a CNP192, bought new, had it 10 years and passed it on to a family member as their main set for another 10 years, then used as a second set.
Two faults in all that time, unfortunately later Hitachi sets were not as reliable.

Re: Hitachi CNP195.
 

I too have a CNP192, given to me in 1986. It saw a fair bit of use until the early 90's then just kept as a backup set.
It fired up fine the last time I tried it, even after 8 years in the garage!

Japanese sets of this era were extremely reliable and well made, I have a 13" Sony, never had it's back off since it left the factory nearly 50 years ago.
:beer:
Mark

Re: Hitachi CNP195.
 

That channel selector looks very European.

Re: Hitachi CNP195.
 

It could very well be, I have a Thorn 3500 with an identical tuner with the band selection by pulling out the knobs and selecting the appropriate band

Re: Hitachi CNP195.
 

Yes that Varicap push button unit was used by Saba and ITT / KB on the CVC5 although the CVC5 lacked the band switches.
I also had lots of the 4 button version of this set out on rent all of them bought second-hand.
The button unit did get a little intermittent when the contacts tarnished, but most could be cured by cleaning the contacts and the connection where the rotor of the potentiometer contacted the common rail.

Re: Hitachi CNP195.
 

I still have a CNP192 bought new in November 1974 from a stack it high pop up store to beat the VAT increase. It is still occasionally switched on in combination with a Sony digital tuner and digital to analogue scart to aerial box. It has a slight problem with the vertical not being able to get to full scan, I suspect the small PNP driver that looks similar to an AC128 germanium. Convergence has a lot of complex controls and takes time to get right.

Re: Hitachi CNP195.
 

That reminded my of where my Hitachi ex-rental sets came from. A place in Sloper road Cardiff. In the early 1980s they had huge rows of these and Nat Pan 85Gs stacked on their end three or four high.
I was always cautious of buying from ex-rental disposal outlets as the sets were often pre gone through and the worst sets that were robbed and had dud tubes sold as "untested".
I had a cousin who lived in Cardiff so I bought a few and checked them over in my Auntie's kitchen. They all worked Just needing a tweak up and the odd A1 capacitor in the Pans, so I went back and bought a van full!
I gave my Auntie a Hitachi for her dining room, it was passed through the family over the years and ended up in my Cousin's flat for years. I don't think it ever went wrong...

Re: Hitachi CNP195.
 

That'd be Centrevision. The shop where I part timed, used them a lot. I still have a price list somewhere.

Those channel selectors on the Hitachi were a bit of a pain - indeed the ones on mine are very intermittent causing flashing and drift. Temporarily replaced by a potentiometer. Anyone got a new old stock four button unit knocking about?

Here's a pic of mine taken over a year ago. Now that's scary. I thought it was few months ago 8-o

Re: Hitachi CNP195.
 

I thought the CNP190 was a 4 push button set and the CNP192 an 8 button.
Is this correct?

Re: Hitachi CNP195.
 

Hi Frank,

From what I read I believe that's correct.

Re: Hitachi CNP195.
 

Thanks.

Re: Hitachi CNP195.
 

The problem with the 190's selectors was that they weren't Japanese! Otherwise they were great sets, with some odd colour faults, frame cramping and convergence problems (yes, a capacitor) all you had to worry about. And that after fifteen years of reliable running.
I lost count of the number of customers in the late Eighties with a more modern Hitachi requiring repair who told me their parents still had a 190 still going strong with no service needed.

Re: Hitachi CNP195.
 

These must of worried the British manufacturers when the came out with regards to their reliability, I couldn't imagine a Thorn 8800 coming on without some serious issues after such a long hibernation!

I must keep a look out the the cap when I investigate the convergence issue.

Re: Hitachi CNP195.
 

The 1970’s were not a good time for quite a few UK manufacturing industries.

It has to be said that at that time small screen Japanese CTV’s were the norm, less stress on components etc and they had many years suppling their own and the USA with TV’s in which to gain experience. They were not cheap either, very often more expensive than the UK small screen sets.
Can’t remember the prices but I think the Pye CT200 was about £200, the CNP190/192 were quite a bit more.
When the larger sets were being made the reliability of their sets I saw did go down.

Re: Hitachi CNP195.
 

Very fair points Frank.

Re: Hitachi CNP195.
 

I think the reason all the Japanese sets were small screen was because of import restrictions at the time. I am fairly sure there was a restriction on screen size for sets imported from Japan in the early to mid 70s. This seems not to have applied to sets from Europe as they were mainly 22 and 26".