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EKCO TC269

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  • Released early 1955
  • Channels 1 to 9 T.V. plus 3-
    station V.H.F. radio
  • 17" 90-degree C.R.T.
  • Mazda valves
  • AC/DC Mains
  • Band II V.H.F radio
  • Original cost unknown
NOTES Just a typical mid-50's set bought out at the dawn of the start of I.T.V. The 17" screen is typical, the simple two controls at the front is typical as is the V.H.F. radio typically fitted to consoles sets of the period. The cabinet is of a typically understated design with a speaker grill material typically fitted on Ekco sets going back to the 1940's (see the TS1105 for example).
SERVICE DATA Nope. There is a trader sheet for a later version, the radically named TC267/1 but there are apparently so many differences between the two models that the trader sheet doesn't cover this one. That's just typical :-(
CURRENT STATE Excellent cabinet, not far off mint, and a factory-clean screen surround. Internally very clean with wax caps that look like new (they'll still be duff though). Just a shame that the LOPTY is a charred pile of ex perspex :-( Typical Ekco !
WHERE FOUND BVWS auction at Harpenden, March 2006. Some say I only bought it 'cos nobody wanted it. Not true ! Two other people also bid on this set which is how come the final price soared to 1,000 pence. This is typically how much these kind of sets fetch.
Chassis view [30K]   Slightly second hand line output stage [17K]
A chassis so super clean I bet if I put all the connectors
back in their sockets it'd work first time ...
 
...Or maybe not :-(

Around this time Ekco loved to use line output transformers caged within a perspex former. Unfortunately heat took its toll and eventually cracks would develop. These cracks then became leakage paths for the high voltages , the results of which can be clearly seen in the picture on the above. B**g*r :-(

Rounc the back [25K]
Ah ha ! I _knew_ if I looked hard enough for something that wasn't typical I'd find something. Here we are, second half of the 50's and there's an EHT smoothing cap (towards upper right of CRT), the very thing that dissapeared when televisions stopped generating EHT voltages from the mains way back at the end of the 40's. Er, no, hang on, it's typical Ekco (and here's another, the typically box-like Ekco T283).

Ooo, oo, I know. How about that light socket at the bottom of the cabinet ? Watching a set with the room lighting turned down would reduce reflections from the screen and hence make the picture look a lot better. However if you've ever tried watching TV in a darkened room you've probably noticed your eyes get quite tired. By haveing a gentle light behind the set you get some room lighting without degrading the picture. Well, at least thats the theory.


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Last updated
26th March 2006