New project - Ferguson "Personal" 3629

[Dr-Watts]

Hi all

So, Harpenden proved to be massively exciting, many thanks to all of you who took the time to say hello.
I've been under the weather since, unfortunately, in fact I've been off colour since late last year. But I won't bore you with all that...



I bought this telly at Harpenden, I saw one years ago in a book and promised myself that one day I'd get one, problem is, I never did see one until Harpenden, I bought it right away, another guy wanted to buy it to scrap it and use the spares

Anyway, after a couple of hours on a 40 Watt bulb, an hour on a 100Watt bulb then 20 mins or so on a 150 Watt bulb it began to show signs of life !
I applied the full goodness of the mains and the line output stage whistled up: then a collapsed frame stage, so the LOP transformer is all good (Thank god!)
The other interesting, though slightly worrying thing is that the thing whistles like mad on both standards? Any ideas? In fact, the whistling is the same volume just different frequencies when you change the standard switch.
I've only got as far as blowing the muck out and sorting the sound out (dead O/P Valve) so any tips would be greatly recieved.

I love the little set, I don't know what it is, but there you go.

Kind Regards

Dr. Dave

[Racalfanatic]

Nice telly Dave
I'd start by replacing all of the capacitors in your timebase circuits. I'd do both frame and line timebases at the same time and check your resistors while you're at it.
All of the heater decoupling capacitors should need changing too. I assume it is a valve set?
It really annoys me when people but really nice tidy stuff to strip for parts

[Steve_P]

Especially these, which are worth a bit. It's a 10 inch version of the 900 series, I think. Good sets when they work, and BRC Lopts rarely (if ever) die.

Cheers,

Steve P.

[Tazman1966]

Nice one Dave...and small enough not to annoy the missus!

Mikey405 has one of these and he had a couple of frame faults. Cured by a capacitor replacing spree I think. I'm sure he's got a diagram if you haven't. There's a picture of his set on his website, www.oldtechnology.net in the mono gallery.

Good luck with it and the cabinet looks good too.

[Hunts smoothing bomb]

Hi Dave,

I'm kicking myself here! I used to have this set, I bought it cheap ten years ago at a flea market when I didn't know anything about the value or how valve TV's worked.
The set is a Ferguson "Personal" 3629 and I think it is in the 1965-66 R+TV service books. These sets use the Thorn "jelly pot" LOPT and it very rarely fails. I seem to remember mine being very whistley on both line standards too.
It uses a BRC 950 chassis from memory, mine had no raster but good sound, it played for hours like this with no other faults. I traced the prob to a shorted boost cap. After replacing it I had full raster but the contrast control had no effect, the picture was at max contrast and smoke started emitting from several resistors, because I knew nothing more I scrapped the set after some time

I would so like to have this set again knowing what I know now!!

Good luck with the resto mate and keep us informed!!

Cheers
Lee

[Dr-Watts]

Originally Posted by Hunts smoothing bomb

Hi Dave,

It uses a BRC 950 chassis from memory, mine had no raster but good sound, it played for hours like this with no other faults. I traced the prob to a shorted boost cap. After replacing it I had full raster but the contrast control had no effect, the picture was at max contrast and smoke started emitting from several resistors !

Cheers
Lee

That's a great story

[beery]

Hi Dave,
I've got one of these and it really is the best dual standard small screen set of its time (unlike those KB/STC offerings that don't really work on UHF and the case melts!).
The lack of mains transformer is a real plus. There is a great lopty which shoves loads of EHT and a really high A1 into a tiny tube so it produces lots of light.
The downside is the valve UHF tuner which tends to drift with temperature.

in fact I've been off colour since late last year.

Hence your current interest in black and white sets?

Andy

[Dr-Watts]

Originally Posted by Dr-Watts

Hi all

I've been off colour since late last year. But I won't bore you with all that...

Dr. Dave

I wondered how long it'd take... LOL