Hey,
I wanted to share with everyone what I got for Christmas: a GE locomative. It's unrestored and in fair shape. Two of the front knobs are mising, and there are 2 hairline cracks in the top of the cabinet which I think I can glue back where there will be unnoticeable.
I've still got my RCA 17-S-7093 on the table, and I don't want two projects apart at one time, so this one will wait til later on. However, I am waiting on parts for the RCA, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to slip it out of the cabinet and get acquainted with it.

First impressions: I was astonished by the number of filter capactiors in the unit. I've ordered a Sams, but it has not aarived yet, so I guess what I am looking at is correct. I see 2 tubular units on top of the chasis at the front left, one can on top of the chasis partially hidden under the CRT, and several units looking to be connected in series underneath the chasis.

I decided to go ahead and check the tubes and clean them while doing so. Most of the minature ones already had the numnbers rubbed off, so I can't check them til I get my Sams. The tube layout chart is missing from the cabinet. Most all the tubes except for 3 are the GE originals including the CRT. I did find the 1B3 was bad and the 6SQ7 was weak. I wonder if the 1B3 was what put the set out of service?

Here are a few pics.
Doug

I may have the knobs you need. I will check my junk box.

Nice score! Yes, it uses that many caps below the chassis. They're part of the power supply circuit that doubles, rectifies and filters the AC line voltage.
You can download the Riders service info in PDF format for free here: http://www.earlytelevision.org/tv_schem ... grams.html

Good luck,
Bob

Good Goin' Doug,

After watching bandersontvs you tube videos on restoring one of these, they certainly have my interest peaked.

Lloyd
______________________________________________________________________

Sometimes, the heart can only SEE, what the EYES Cannot

Classic set - I always wanted one of these myself.
Good luck and enjoy it!

Thanks Guys!
TVdude, if you do have knobs, that would be great!
As I said, this project will be put on hold til my RCA 17-S-7093 is finnished. However, since the RCA is in limbo waiting for parts, I could't resist the urge to "play" this afternoon!
I've never had a Variac until a few weeks ago. Got a good deal on one from Ebay. I went ahead and replaced 1 electrolytic in the GE, a 150 @ 150V. I decided to try a small reduced power up over time. I started about 30 volts and slowly increased it by 10 volts at a time over the next 30 min. I did not intend on going upto the full 110V with the other old filters in place. I did get it to 90V and could not hear anything or see any signs of a dim raster, so I powered it down. I'm going to go ahead and replace a few paper caps tonight.
I did check the CRT. It had low emission, but I was able to rejuvinate it. If it is bad, I do have a spare 10BP4 in my attic.

Doug

Yep, there are quite a few caps to change out in this set. Here is one I restored.

http://radioremembered.org/getv.htm

Very informative article Bill. One thing I did realize was that I ordered the wrongs Sams. I thought this model was in Set 78. It's in #96. Oh well, I just downloaded the Riders for it. That will do. I've got most of the paper caps replaced and will continue tomorrow.

Doug

A few things you should know...

This is a hot chassis set that uses a B- as well as a chassis ground. The switch is on the B- side. You will need to rewire the switch so it goes to the heater string and thermal cutout. The B- would then go to the other prong on the line cord interlock. You will need to polarize the plug so the wide prong goes to B-.

The boards on these are not fun. You might want to do simple hook splices when replacing caps that go to the hard to reach areas.

You need right angle eyes to get to some of the caps.

The shunt resistor across the filaments of the 6AB4 (tuner) may be open. This is very hard to get to.

From my own experience, ohm out the horizontal oscillator coil. One side of mine was open.

Check the resistors in the vertical section. There are some 2.2 Megs that may have drifted up. Replace these as a precaution.

Check all the tubes for grid or heater-cathode leakage. In my 14T2 (similar), two of the video IF tubes had both kinds of leakage. This caused a humbar and screwed up the vertical hold (of all things).

Hope this helps.

Big Dave, Thanks for the advice. I will check out everything you suggested. I've got most of the paper caps replaced on the terminal boards, but only 1 electrolytic. I did try another reduced voltage power up last night and now have a short. Around 90 volts, the tubes start to light, but the thermal cutout trips after about 2 seconds. I hope it's just a shorted filter. Actually, the filters seems harder to reach then the rest of the caps.

Doug

Make sure you didn't put the lytic in backwards.

The rest of my electrolytic capacitors came today. In the meantime, I have replaced the two rectifiers with modern diodes. I went ahead and replaced C3,C4,C5,C6, and C2. I had replaced C1 earlier. Tried anoither reduced power up and the thermal cutoff tripped again. I disconnected all B+ except the AC going to the filaments and was able to get a full 110V power up. I started hooking up the B+ again, and this time something started burning when I powerd it to about 25V.

The problem is I can't find this part on my schematic (Sams 96-4). It looks like a 1wt resistor, and it was faded before it started to burn. It is coming off the two positive lugs of C3 and C4 which are both 60uf electrolytics. The other end is going to C7A which is a 10Uf. I find nothing like this on my schematic or shown on the pictorials.

The Sams list 2 resistors in the B+ line that I can't find on the set either: R 112 (220 ohm) and R113 (470K ohm) which should be located between the two positive terminals of C5 and C6.

One other puzzle. The Sams lists and shows a filter choke (L1). My set doesn't have this but seems to use a field coil in the speaker instead.
Can anyone that has restored one of these sets assist me identifying that resistor that burned?

Thanks
Doug

Doug, a field coil on a speaker would often be shown as a choke because that is what it is doing. So at least, that part of the Sams is correct. If you are burning a resistor, it sure appears that there is a load that should not be there. It could be a defective electrolytic, even if is new or one that is in backwards. You may want to disconnect all of the B+ and reconnect each leg one at a time and when the problem shows up, trace down that circuit.

I just followed the links to the schematic. It does look rather complicated to me, voltage doubler etc. Could be easy to connect an electrolytic backwards if it were me working on it

Hello Doug,
wow you scored far as x mas gifts go

Every collection needs a GE Locomotive.

You have no choice but to comply...

Just ask Carolyn Jones:




"LISTEN TO ME !!!"

BTW, the Globar Resistors in the HV Cage are a weak spot. I replaced mine.

Lee,

I couldn't agree more. One just hasn't happened my way. And if it does, it is often not in the best of condition.

Keeping my fingers crossed!

'Scuse me for stealing this thread. I have this set, and, I HATE it!
I got mine out, again, thinking of rebuilding it, until I saw the valuew of electrolytics I need... 150mfat 250 volts?
Good luck!
And, mine has been messed with. Only one globar resistor in hv cage.
Me no like!
My circuit breaker also appears to be bad.
UGGHH....
Bill Cahill

Are you talking about the filament drpooing resistors in the high voltage cage? 75 ohm at 10W?

Bill, I'm beginnig to share your disillusion with that set. BTW, Just Radios has the 150 electrolytics. I used 68s to replace my 60s.
Today I replaced C7, which was a 3 section and C9. I still have to replace C8. I followed Don's suggestion and unhooked all B+ and started hooking up 1 at a time. With no B+ I was able to get a full power up to get the filaments to light. Hooking up C4 caused a 1500 ohm resistor to start to overheat which was coming off C9, so I replaced C9.
That resistor that was burning last night, that I never could find on my schemtatc, comes off the positive terminals of C3 and C4 then hooks to C7A. That's what I went ahead and replaced C7. I next tried a reduced power up with my Variac and had that resistor in question disconnected from C7A. I did find I think that the resistor did not fry after all and brings the power to C7A. Unhooked, C7A has no voltage.

Anyway, I can get a reduced power up to about 80-90 volts then another problem starts. I hear an arching and see a purple glow coming from the HV cage. I opened that cage and replaced C109 which is the .0022 @ 100V on the flyback. This did not help any. The purple arching is coming from the 19BG6 tube which had checked good when I checked it in my tube checker last week. Any ideas on this arching? I've got to get that fixed before I can do a full power up.