PACO E-400 joins the lineup...

[AE1PT]

:-D

Another "got to have it." I worked in a TV shop in the 70s that had one of these Precision E-400 sweep/marker generators--and its complement the E-200-C signal generator. These two coupled together with the horizontal and vertical inputs on a scope made the pretty IF alignment displays one would see in the Sams or Riders.

Could not resist this refugee from a shop long shut down and now being let out to run! This is hardcore old school for alignments. With a couple external signal generators one can create whatever markers and sweep widths they choose. The crystal markers are nice too--I have a 455Khz & 3395Khz in FT-243 cases headed my way.

Thinking seriously about 50s era TV sets for fun and profit. This would come in handy in addition to the sort of receiver alignments I am going to do with this. This critter weighs in at around 16 pounds--and the chassis is copper clad. Built like a battleship... :cool2:

ON EDIT: See the little black box with the terminal posts and leading back to the generator? This is the original output cable for this--something that almost never accompanies the ones floating around for sale today. The ORIGINAL manual came with it too...

http://ae1pt.com/photos/imh/web_8270.jpg

[WØTKX]

You gonna stuff a small DTV converter inside those restored sets for a small up-charge?

[K7SGJ]

I used to have one of those when I worked on TVs back in the day, too. I think E200 was the companion RF generator. When we got the B&K 415, I thought I'd died and gone to TV repairman heaven.

[WØTKX]

I would enjoy having the old Philco TV test set I used to have. 'Twas my first O-Scope, and I used the 455Khz generator on a lotta stuff. Learned TV repair in HS electronics, too late for a career choice. Luckily, I hung in there with magnetic recording, which led me to computers.

[AE1PT]

I used to have one of those when I worked on TVs back in the day, too. I think E200 was the companion RF generator. When we got the B&K 415, I thought I'd died and gone to TV repairman heaven.

The E-200-C was indeed the matching sine wave signal generator.

I know exactly what you speak with the b&k 415. Most of the shops had one. Perfect signals every time. Coupled with a b&k 1250 NTSC generator, fine stuff! I thought it could not get any better until I opened my own shop and a sweet talking Sencore rep sold me a VA48. That thing did everything except collect money from the customer... :clap:


You gonna stuff a small DTV converter inside those restored sets for a small up-charge?

Doing that with one of the old UHF set top converter boxes would really be appropriate! :idea:

[NQ6U]

[...]I opened my own shop and a sweet talking Sencore rep sold me a VA48. That thing did everything except collect money from the customer...

There's a used VA48 selling for eighty-five bucks on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B008C4D9W2/ref=dp_olp_used/186-4164297-0856537?ie=UTF8&condition=used) right now.

[K7SGJ]

The E-200-C was indeed the matching sine wave signal generator.

I know exactly what you speak with the b&k 415. Most of the shops had one. Perfect signals every time. Coupled with a b&k 1250 NTSC generator, fine stuff! I thought it could not get any better until I opened my own shop and a sweet talking Sencore rep sold me a VA48. That thing did everything except collect money from the customer... :clap:



Doing that with one of the old UHF set top converter boxes would really be appropriate! :idea:

I used the Sencores in later life, as well. You could do a complete alignment from stem to stern in less time than it took to get the Precision, or the B&K for that matter, hooked up, stabilized, and all the fucking cables rounded up and/or fixed. Seems like one or two were always broken right at the clip or ez hook, usually from hanging off the alignment cart and being stepped on. Built in bias supplies, so you didn't have to try to locate PS sources for the tuner and IF agc circuits. And 3.58 circuits were now a walk in the park to align, and repeatable. That was the thing about Sencore, they directed their service equipment to the service industry, and didn't try to branch out in to a shit load of other markets like B&K Dynascan. I still have some very nice, later mfg Sencore stuff for AV and such. Their capacitor/inductor, and transformer/coil analyzers/ringers are very handy and very accurate.

[N8YX]

Interesting thread, this.

Pat, I recently got ahold of several Tektronix 1434 video noise generators. These are double-width TM-500 series plugins. I'm going to check out/repair all three and since I only need one in my lab, the other two will be put up for sale.

What's that? You say you need a power module to run them in? I have a spare TM503 with a couple of accessory plugins going up for sale as well.

If you're interested in any of this stuff, let me know.

[K7SGJ]

Hell, I married a noise generator.

[w0aew]

Hell, I married a noise generator.

Any harmonics?

[K7SGJ]

Any harmonics?

Two, actually. One even and one odd.

[AE1PT]

You are right about the VA48. It would do the whole chroma burst and if you could not align to it there was something terribly wrong. What I really appreciated is the fact that a ringer was built in for yoke testing, and that both vertical and horizontal driver signals were available. This consigned the old yoke/flyback tester to the service call van.

The way the Sencore guy clinched the deal was telling me that the VA48 was a requirement to become certified for Sony factory warranty work. Indeed it was--and Hitachi & MGA/Mitsubishi as well. Sure wish that the cost to get one then was $85. I think I paid something like $1500 for mine in 1981. It paid for itself in the first six months. A quick lesson though--wonderful it was for the solid state stuff--it did not play nicely with the all tube sets that still wandered in the door. Those still liked the old equipment. Sometimes I miss the days (and nights) of TV repair...

Fred, what in the dickens does one do with a video white noise generator, except possibly look for losses in CATV systems?

[NQ6U]

Back when I was a CATV tech, we used a sweep generator and spectrum analyzer to test the system's frequency response every six months. I remember because I'd have to start at 03:00 and stop the sweep generator at the head end by 07:00 or else people would call the office to complain about the repeating blip that ran through the picture while it was running. Hell hath no fury like someone pissed off about the quality of their TV reception.

[WØTKX]

Taaa Daaaa, found that old friend. Philco 7008. :yes:

http://www.myvintagetv.com/testers/philco7008_sm.jpg

[AE1PT]

^^^^^^^^That is a work of art... Absolutely beautiful--look at the blue jewel in the pilot light and the engine turned finish.

Bet that this weighs in at least 30 pounds! Check out the Amphenol single pin connectors. These predate the more common 80-75 MC1F "mic" connector.

[WØTKX]

Yea. It got me through the re-alignment of an SP-600 and an HW-101 build. Wonderfully. Mine looked like crap, and was full of tobacco smoke. I cleaned it up after a while, but it was still pretty beat up looking.

Donated from a local TV guy who upgraded to Sencore stuff. I'd been hanging out and helping him clean his shop for goodies for a few years. But it was free, and worked well. I learned a hell of a lot playing around with that thing.