Some Vintage Electronics

[cadman]

Until I can show off that vintage washer/drier combo, this is the next best thing, some of my vintage sets.

The RCA that folds into a coffee table needs a light cabinet cleaning but is in otherwise nice shape. These sets use infamous PC boards and this one got the full recap, a pot replacement, and a diode changed. I've got a second one of this model, along with a couple unique upright "corner" models that were only made for a short time, all thanks to a tip from a fellow collector.

 

[cadman]

And these are some of my other misc. sets..and uncontrollable collection addictions that I'm sure you guys can sympathize with! If anyone else is into this stuff drop me a line, I'm in the midwest and would love to check out your guys' stuff and learn a thing or two.

Cory

 

[gansky1]

Your collection is beautiful! Love the typewriters too - certainly becoming a lost art, like handwriting!

Thanks for the pictures!

 

[tolivac]

Learned something new-didn't know a TV that folded down into a coffe table existed in those days-Pretty neat.I am assuming the PC boards you refer to are the early phenolic ones and were baked to brittleness by the tubes!Those were always fun to try to repair-esp cracked ones!!Usually cracked around the tube sockets from the heating of the tubes and former users pulling the tubes out of the sockets for replacement.

 

[Unimatic1140]

YOUR TV's are so COOL!

Thank you so much for sharing your collection with us. Your vintage television are so cool! My friend Gary would just die to be able to find an RCA Fold Down TV.

As promised here are a few shots of my pride and joy's from my television department upstairs:

 

[frontaloadotmy]

Brand Specific

Hello Cadman,
a wonderful collection. Do you do phonogrphs? Check out www.thevoiceofmusic.com

 

[cadman]

Neat phonos! I don't have anything that really sticks out, other than a very "modern" RCA New Orthophonic High Fidelity set from the late 50's, an early Edison cylinder model and the misc changers in some of my Hi-Fi's. What I really need is a high-freq needle to play some quadraphonic discs : ) When it comes to building tube amps I can sling some solder, but I'm phono pre-ampless at the moment.

Unimatic, I thought that was your porthole, too cool. And that RCA Deluxe- one day I'll find a nice color roundie in a blonde cabinet.

Glad to see I'm not the only midwesterner here!

 

[kenmore1978]

VM Corp

How interesting, it was based in Benton Harbor, MI, just like Whirlpool Corp. Wonder how far they were from each other?

 

[ironrite]

Halovision?

Was going to post a new topic, but thought it might work here among these wonderful TV sets. Tonight saw several of the same commercial for a new Phillips flat screen TV. It has some sort of backlighting that changes colors and projects on the wall while you watch.

As I recall, there were those Sylvania Halovision sets, with the light around the picture tube, to make it easier on the eyes. Yet another old idea is new again!

 

[jasonl]

Yeah, I saw those. It's supposed to reduce the glare from the screen or something like that. Those halovision sets look freaky to me. Not sure why. I guess I'm not used to seeing a tv with a light around the screen.

 

[tolivac]

Halovision TV

I knew a freind that collected radios and TV's-he had one.Was very strange to watch with that what looked like a flourescent tube around its screen.Now-today-for home theater-some veiwers of large RPTV's suggest putting a small Flouresecent light Behind the set.They call it a "bias light"The idea is to keep your eye pupils the same size during the veiwing session.They open more during very dark scenes.I keep the room dark while watching my RPTV set.-then just like the moveie theater.I thought the Halovision light was too bright-Too bad they didn't have dimmers when the set was made.With the light dimmed-would be better.Too the same idea as the small lights sold in the 50's-60's that you put on top of the TV.

 

[DADoES]

video bias lighting

I have a halogen torchiere positioned to the side and slightly behind my plasma, and generally have it on but turned down to a very low level when settling back to watch a DVD. It's true that some sort of 'bias' lighting can be beneficial. It's especially jarring to the eyes when a very bright scene comes on as compared to darker scenes. I do think the constantly changing colors on the Phillips panel might be distracting.

 

[tolivac]

Bias light

Sometimes when I am watching my set I have a light on in the neighboring hallway.Shines thru the doorway by my TV.If I want to really watch and conecentrate on a movie-I have the lights out so its like the theater.Then there are no distractions so you can conecentrate on the show better. And the details show up well too!Especially interesting that you can see the strings and cables early sci-fi effects are done with.In one of the Lost In Space episodes-was able to see the cable rig used to pull the robot character with in the scene.The large screen and darkness revelas many things-also fun to watch "Plan 9 From Outer Space"this way-you can see the shadows of boom mikes in many scenes.-The shower curtain in the airplane "cockpit" doorway .also the joints in the masonite panels in the airplane cockpit.

 

[drmitch]

Plan 9?

So Rex, Are you a vintage Sci-Fi fan too? I`ve collected about 200 Vintage scifi and horror movies and love to watch them on my 1950 Rca and my 1950s tv light for backlight. Shhaaazzzaaaammm!

 

[jaxsunst]

Sci Fi

I LOVE 1950'S SCI-FI!!!!!!

 

[tolivac]

1950's Sci-Fi:

Yes I am a 1950's-1960's Sci Fi fan-grew up with it-watching the movies at the theater later-on TV-Now I can really enjoy them on DVD-but there is a rub-the "restoration" process used in the DVD reissues of the films destroys the origianl "soft focus" that early movie producers relied upon to "hide" early Sci-Fi effects.But its sure fun to see it-you have to watch on a large screen-RPTV,plasma,front projector-to see the effects.Also shows like "Lost In Space" were origionally fimed for TV-the small screen.When this program is shown on a large RPTV or front projector-the effects hidden for the small screen are visible.They used lots of fog to try to hide them.They even show the fog machine used by the actors to "fog" spray spaceships to "decontaminate" them in some scenes.I have some old Mole-Richardson catalogs(movie equipmenmt supplier) that shows the same portable fog machine used in the films.Oh-Oh got to sign on a 1960's SW transmitter-love this job!!

 

[drmitch]

50s sci-fi

My two favorites are Them (with the giant ants) and The Thing with James Arness. I enjoy the films and also the icons like the cars they drove and planes,trains, the fancy restruants and hotels and clothes-hats( Yes men wore hats!) and other things, and like Rex I`m interested in the way the films were made, I love Filmfax magazine that gives you inside looks at the filmography. I could go on but somebody might delete me! See Ya!-----------------------------but my alltime favorite is The Ghost and Mr. Chicken!---------

 

[tolivac]

50's sci-fi

Yes-I also like "The thing" and "Them" both are classics.I also liked the first "The Fly".Excellent soundtrack-and in stereo.The next version-in BW and poor Mono sound-the budget showed there!Those originals were much better than the later ones.

 

[radiobill1966]

Here's one of my collection--my niche is in portable radios, mostly from the '40s and '50s. But I had to have this one, a 1925 Radiola 24. It was sold to me as a "kit,"--the original owner was going to re-cover it, so he tore it down to pieces and never got around to finishing it. It took me about a month to do what you see here. All I have to do is mount the carrying handle.

BTW, yes, it plays! I built my batteries for it.