CD REVIEW

VINTAGE TV SERVICE DATA

We take Jonathan Evans's CD-ROM for a spin..

One of the first things I always tell people who want to restore vintage TV sets is GET THE SERVICE MANUAL. This used to mean trawling through boxes of sheets, a tour of your own set of Newness Books or a trip to the local library.

Now almost all the service data you are likely to need is in one place. Just one CD Rom carries all this imformation and if you are a regular TV restorer like myself, then this disc will soon pay for itself in time and cost of service manuals.

The disc covers Immediate Post War sets through to early colour sets, indeed up to the Ferguson TX9 chassis from the 1970s. All the common chassis are covered and there is a wide range of interesting sets to read about. Indeed I also enjoyed browsing through the CD rom looking up the sets I own, sets I want to own and sets that I’ve never heard of! There is also data on some imported sets such as the Finlux Peacock and also home constructed and rental ‘specials’.

A handy aspect of this CD is the way Standard Chassis are handled. Certainly by the late 1960s many sets were fitted with standard Chassis. A Good example of this is the Philips G6. Stella models fitted with the G6 chassis are listed and when these are selected they direct the user straight to the G6 Manual. For newcomers to Vintage TV this is a definite benefit as they may not yet be aware of the such similarities between apparently unrelated manufacturers!

Despite the age of some of the material, the quality is good and you can of course print off your own copy of any sheet to use on the bench, which saves you from being tied to the PC and also means that you can keep the precious PC away from 15kV EHT flashovers on the workbench!

Access time is good and the viewer you need, Adobe Acrobat, is available on the disc. If you already have any of Paul’s other CD-Roms you will already have this. This software allows you to zoom in on any section of the sheet you are looking at, a must for those of us who are working through a haze of Newcastle Brown Ale! Even at close quarters, definition is good and it makes circuit diagrams even easier to read and follow.

Its also pleasing to note that the disc also covers Projection Sets, Wired TV Terminals, Band III adaptors and other Vintage TV gadgetry that was also available in the good old days. This makes the CD into interesting reading as well as a functional item. Obviously not everything ever released into the TV market over the past 50 years or more could be included in one disc, but it carries an excellent range of sets and I for one, even with my vast collection of Old Tellys, had to go a very long way to find something that wasn’t included!

I’m also impressed that we are not tied to Windows when using this CD-Rom, as it can be used with Apple, iMac, Linux/Unix and OS/2.

Vintage TV collectors have been waiting a long time for a CD-Rom like this, and its a very welcome addition to my library and toolkit indeed! I can recommend this CD-Rom to anyone with an interest in Vintage TV restoration and repair.

To order this CD ROM: Contact JON EVANS via his own website which can be found on our links page, or E-Mail him by clicking here.

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One of the first things I always tell people who want to restore vintage TV sets is GET THE SERVICE MANUAL. This used to mean trawling through boxes of sheets, a tour of your own set of Newness Books or a trip to the local library. Now almost all the service data you are likely to need is in one place. Just one CD Rom carries all this imformation and if you are a regular TV restorer like myself, then this disc will soon pay for itself in time and cost of service manuals.
The disc covers Immediate Post War sets through to early colour sets, indeed up to the Ferguson TX9 chassis from the 1970s. All the common chassis are covered and there is a wide range of interesting sets to read about. Indeed I also enjoyed browsing through the CD rom looking up the sets I own, sets I want to own and sets that I’ve never heard of! There is also data on some imported sets such as the Finlux Peacock and also home constructed and rental ‘specials’. A handy aspect of this CD is the way Standard Chassis are handled. Certainly by the late 1960s many sets were fitted with standard Chassis. A Good example of this is the Philips G6. Stella models fitted with the G6 chassis are listed and when these are selected they direct the user straight to the G6 Manual. For newcomers to Vintage TV this is a definite benefit as they may not yet be aware of the such similarities between apparently unrelated manufacturers! Despite the age of some of the material, the quality is good and you can of course print off your own copy of any sheet to use on the bench, which saves you from being tied to the PC and also means that you can keep the precious PC away from 15kV EHT flashovers on the workbench! Access time is good and the viewer you need, Adobe Acrobat, is available on the disc. If you already have any of Paul’s other CD-Roms you will already have this. This software allows you to zoom in on any section of the sheet you are looking at, a must for those of us who are working through a haze of Newcastle Brown Ale! Even at close quarters, definition is good and it makes circuit diagrams even easier to read and follow. Its also pleasing to note that the disc also covers Projection Sets, Wired TV Terminals, Band III adaptors and other Vintage TV gadgetry that was also available in the good old days. This makes the CD into interesting reading as well as a functional item. Obviously not everything ever released into the TV market over the past 50 years or more could be included in one disc, but it carries an excellent range of sets and I for one, even with my vast collection of Old Tellys, had to go a very long way to find something that wasn’t included! I’m also impressed that we are not tied to Windows when using this CD-Rom, as it can be used with Apple, iMac, Linux/Unix and OS/2. Vintage TV collectors have been waiting a long time for a CD-Rom like this, and its a very welcome addition to my library and toolkit indeed! I can recommend this CD-Rom to anyone with an interest in Vintage TV restoration and repair.