Obtaining Service Data

[Paul Stenning]

Before posting your service data request here, you may want to try these other sources:

On my website at http://www.service-data.com I offer service data instant downloads for £1.99 per set (pay online by PayPal or credit/debit card) or on a DVD-ROM containing thousands of service sheets for £39.99. Purchases from this website help towards the running costs of this forum.

There are a selection of manuals and schematics for test equipment on Jon Evans site at http://www.TheValvePage.com. Jon also sells a CD-ROM of television service data for £15.

If you require data for American radios, there is a large amount available for free download at http://www.nostalgiaair.org/, in the " Riders Online " and " Online Manuals " sections.

For online valve (tube) data try http://frank.pocnet.net/index.html. You can also download a Windows based valve data program from http://duncanamps.com/.

Other suggestions for reliable sources of service data are always welcomed.

[wireless_paul]

Would recommend that anyone into doing up old Radios should purchase the 3 CD-Roms of Service Data that Paul Stenning produces. Best money I have ever spent, extremely good value. The Valve Data CD-Rom is also amazing value.
Paul

[peter_scott]

Hi Paul,

Thanks for the service data links. Another good
boat anchor link is http://bama.sbc.edu/

Peter Scott

[adrian]

Another good boat anchor link is http://bama.sbc.edu/

Although you might be better off using an FTP client to access the BAMA site.

Another excellent source of schematics, service data, and component layout drawings. Unfortunately mostly USA manufacturers. http://techpreservation.dyndns.org/schematics/

[DoctorWho]

I have all four of your CD ROM's paul as well as the valve data CD ROM and I use them frequently, I would not be without them.


Any news about when you'll be including the 5th volume (with such sets as the Ultra Panther TRF etc) and the sets covered in the Newnes volumes which have not appeared elsewhere as yet? really look forward to this.

Are there any plans afott for a pre-war TV and early post-war TV service data CD ROM, this is so little service data available for any of the pre-war TV sets and some of the early post-war sets are extremely hard to obtain data for.
Thanks for the great work done on the current CD ROM's available.

[Duke_Nukem]

Originally Posted by DoctorWho

Are there any plans afott for a pre-war TV and early post-war TV service data CD ROM, this is so little service data available for any of the pre-war TV sets and some of the early post-war sets are extremely hard to obtain data for.

As regards telly CD's, I had started a second volume but am in two minds as to whether I'll release it. Instead, I'm bunging them on-line, admitedly at a lower resolution than would have been put on the CD but I do keep higher resolution versions in case vol 2 does go ahead.

The big problem is that of getting hold of pre-war and early post-war data. Theres no point buying it just for a (very low volume) CD, and those who do have access to such data often prize it so much that a loan is not forthcoming.

Currently, the pre-war stuff that's on-line is just for the Cossor 1210 and those horrid little HMV/Marconiphone table sets.

TTFN,
Jon

[peter_scott]

Originally Posted by Duke_Nukem

The big problem is that of getting hold of pre-war and early post-war data.
Jon

Attached is the "Workshop Manual" for HMV 901 / Marconiphone 702.

[peter_scott]

and...

[Paul Stenning]

As Jon said, the main problem is getting hold of data that isn't already on the existing CD-ROMs - especially the earlier stuff. It is too expensive to buy much (apart from bargain job-lots) for a CD-ROM that might sell a hundred copies in the first year if I'm lucky. Sometimes I can borrow the odd item, but with a target of 800-1000 manuals per CD, it takes a long time to accumulate enough good material for another CD. I have a box full of manuals under the spare bed, but have not looked through it yet - I suspect it's the usual post-war stuff.

There is also the issue of finding time to sort, scan and process it all; but once I have enough material to make it worthwhile I will find the time and get on with it!

[DoctorWho]

Jon - The work you are doing with compiling the data sounds great, I do hope you will eventually decide to release another CD ROM. I'd also like to buy a copy of your first one if it's still available please.

Peter - Thanks for posting the service data for the HMV 901, that's very useful to have.

Paul - I certainly understand how difficult it must be to locate the service data, hopefully you will eventually have enough for another volume. The four volumes you currently have available are so useful, I use them a great deal, there are so many sets which have not been covered by the trader sheets and hence your CD ROM's are essential.

All the best,

Peter.

[DoctorWho]

I just thought I'd pop in a post here and see if anything has changed since we discussed this last year?

Personally I still use dial-up instead of broadband, which does limit me in what I can download.

I'm extremely grateful for the data that we have made available by Paul and Jon here, I use it very regularly indeed, I did just wonder if there is any likelyhood of pre and early post war TV data and more pre-war radio data being available on CD ROM?

All the best,

Peter.

[Duke_Nukem]

There are some more pre- and early post war telly manuals and period brochures scanned (with a lot of help from Phil (SWB18)) and I'm most of the way through PDFerising them. I ditched any thoughts of doing a CD of stuff a long time ago, however you never know what might turn up on a BVWS disk one day.

All's I need at the moment is an injection of motivation - I'm currently totally fed up which is partly why the website hasn't been updated recently despite some nice acqusitions at the BVWS special auction.

TTFN,
Jon

[DoctorWho]

Sorry that you're feeling so fed up Jon, I know that many of us, myself certainly included, very much appreciate all that you have done in making the data available.

It can be difficult to obtain data for the earlier sets, certainly pre-1949 can often be a challenge. I've recently bought (but haven't yet got) a copy of a book issued by EMI after the war with complete service data for, supposedly, all of their pre-war sets.

It would be great if, eventually, as much data as possible for TV sets from the 1930's, 40's and early 50's could be available. Certainly a BVWS CD ROM of early TV data would be great, but I do realise that this can all take a great deal of time.

[Chris55000]

There are some other sources of TV Service Data available free or for nominal prices:–

1) Servicing Articles by Les, E.T., John Reddihough, etc., over the years in Television magazine, from the American Radio History site;

2) Elektrotanya, altho' it's a bit hit–and–miss what you find on there;

3) Radiomuseum, you no longer are forced to have a paid account to download a basic circuit, up to three pages, but above that you really need a Member's Account, either paid or earned by donations;

4) For anyone who wants to do 1967–1973 CTVs, the "Mazda Book of PAL Receiver Servicing" and Gordon J King's red, blue and green Hardback "Colour TV Service Manuals" cover most sets up to 1975 – the Mazda Book is on the Internet Archive, all these cover the inportant parts of the chassis they cover! (I don't think that sound intercarrier/audio circuit servicing is covered in these books, but that's bread–and–butter stuff!)

5) For anyone lucky enough to have been able to get hold of a British–made pre–1967 prototype CTV, there's a book of "Wireless World" derivation dated 1961, recently posted on A.R.H. that covers a lot of the theory of the circuits used in these prototype sets, containing many sections of example circuits with full component values given!

For anyone who can unravel Cyrillic, service manuals and circuit diagrams for very large numbers of Russian and Eastern European equipment, including a lot of T & M, is in the archives of tbe Soviet Area "Radio" magzine;

Chris Williams

[Chris55000]

Hi!

I don't know what's been going on with the Internet Archive lately over the past few months, but the Mazda Book of Pal Receiver Servicing is now on "1 hour borrow" only and "Practical Television Circuits" by REF Street has disappeared, and the only Electronics related books I found last night are all in rotten Italian or Spanish!

A great many of the semiconductor data books seem to be disappearing rapidly as well — has some commercial mercenary organisation taken it over?

Chris Williams

[emeritus]

I recently downloaded (free) a pdf of the encyclopaedic Philips service manual for my 1980's music centre from this French site:

www.rtvcenter.com.

It was not necessary to register. The manual is the French version, not a problem for my schoolboy french, but there is very little french text anyway: most of the manual consists of circuit diagrams, circuit-board drawings and exploded drawings showing the dismantling sequence, while much of the text of tabulated data and alignment instructions is in english.

[Chris55000]

Hi!

I have just sent an email to that Southampton chap that posted a huge list (text only) of service manuals, over many years with various domain names, including many T & M books, and unfortunately it seems he's not providing this service any more – this chap was the only known source of the Dynamco 72 Series Oscilloscope Dual/Delay 7202 TB Manual, his reply to my enquiry about this, a short while ago today, was that he's retired now and has no access to a photocopier!

If anybody did successfully obtain anything from him, I'd be interested to know how it went!

Why these people don't take down these totally useless lists of manuals, pages of dead links, etc., etc., when they no longer provide the service is one of my perrenial grumbles about online manual supply services!

I mentioned this, as people will still be pointed to that big list for a great many manuals for far too many things!

Chris Williams

PS!

I am on this Forum at least once a day and regularly keep an eye open for anything badly needed and take whatever reasonable steps I can to locate vitally needed circuit data, and if I cannot obtain a book, but get the actual gear, at a price that is affordable, then I will endeavour to draw out the gear – I have just started work on a new Cossor CDU130 Oscilloscope Drawing Project!

[AdrianH]

Paul

Is there any reason why you have to have an account to pay for and download for your data sheets, is it not possible to pay via pay-pal and specify a download email without having to first sign up?

Cheers

Adrian

[Chris55000]

Hi!

I don't know but far too many sites insist on registering with them before they'll let you have freebies, let alone anything that requires a purchase – surely, to me PayPal should only be what's needed – if you're ordering bookwork in electronic form, there is no need for a delivery address, but innumerable sites lock you out without giving one, and ELV for example, will refuse to supply anything out of Germany unless you can offer them a "bona–fide" address in Germany and fill in a German Captcha!

Chris Williams