Museum of early consumer electronics and 1st achievements
www.rewindmuseum.com
Vintage televisions
Old televisions can take up a great deal of space so we try to be selective.
Ekco TMB272 portable TV. 1955
The is an amazingly heavy 1955 Ekco TMB 272 valve (tube) portable TV.
This TV was on our stand at the 2006 IOV show and a visitor gave us some interesting
information. He used to work for the BBC and in the late 1950 they had quite a large
number of these Ekco TMB272 portables. He said they were used as outside broadcast
monitors. TV presenters, in front of camera, liked to see themselves on these
monitors to check the shot was fine.
There is an interesting story behind this particular TV. It was acquired early in
2006 and the owner originally bought it from an antique shop where she lived.
This particular shop had been clearing out some stuff from a house locally.
The owner had owned this TV from new and was Richard Todd the actor.
He was probably best known for his leading role in "The Dambusters" film
but he stared in many films including "The Longest Day". During the second
world war, in the British army, he did actually participate in the allied
invasion of Normandy. The Antique shop was called "Aladdin’s Cave"
and was in Grantham (UK) where Richard Todd lived.
Bush Model TV-12 1948
The landmark Bakelite TV - the 1948 9-inch screen Bush Model TV-12. The
picture above was taken at the IOV show in 2003 where Rewind Museum had a stand.
This set is probably the most well used example of an old TV by television and media.
It is a classic bakelite design which gets away from the box shape that televisions
had in those days. This one is in very good condition and is a valued part
of the museum. The TV-12 had a 9-inch screen and a single channel tuner.
In 1950 the TV-22 was introduced with a 5 channel tuner (still with a 9-inch screen).
It looked exactly the same as the TV-12. In 1953 Bush upgraded
the set with a 12-inch screen and that model was called the TV-24.
1971 Sony TV-110UK
This set was recently donated to the museum. It had originally been purchased on the
2nd Nov 1971 from Peter Jones (John Lewis an Company Ltd.) Sloane Square, London SW1.
It is an ideal addition to the museum as it is exactly the sort of 12 volt / 240 volt
small TV that would have been used with the reel to reel video recorders and the early
VCRs of that era (like the ones on this site). It has an 11-inch 90 degree CRT
(Cathode Ray Tube) and UHF tuner. Weight 15lb and 7oz. It is complete with
manufacturers packaging, guarantee card and Sony advertising pamphlet.
HMV Model 2647 1967
Dual Standard TV. VHF and UHF
This television was my own TV in the early 1970s. I bought it second hand and used it
for many years. It has been stored ever since and is now part of the on-line collection.
It was taken to the first IOV exhibition in 2003 when we had a stand and the public
really enjoyed seeing it. Many comments were made. The service manual and a spare
chassis are in the collection. During it's use in the 1970s I repaired it several times.
I seem to remember problems with the system switching from 405 line VHF to the
635 line UHF being a problem as it was with many duel standard sets of the day.
This TV used the Thorn 1400 Chassis and was the same as the Ferguson Model 3652
apart from some minor cosmetic differences to the cabinet and switches. In
particular, the Ferguson had a silver strip behind the controls whereas the
HMV was wood all the way down to the bottom.
In my opinion, the HMV has clearer line but then I am biased.
The Ferguson Model 3652 can be seen at
www.tvmuseum.co.uk/
"South West England Vintage Television Museum" on the Black and White TV page.
1971 RGD SV237 black and white UHF TV.
Manufactured by ITT Comsumer electronics.
This is also a TV that I owned from the 1970s, hence it's inclusion.
An interesting feature is the original purpose built stand
that came with the set from new.
This is a single standard black and white TV. Later than the HMV dual standard TV above.
Dual standard sets were no longer available new by 1971 but it was still only a black
and white TV. Colour TV started in 1967 with BBC2 and extended to BBC1 and ITV in
1969 but it was into the mid 70s before colour sets were more widely found in
the home. Black and white sets did continue for many years after the mid
70s but usually only as small portable TVs.
Toshiba 12SBB TV.
Black and white portable TV from the 1960s.
12 volts, Made in Koria by the Japanise company - Tokyo Shibaura Electric Co. Ltd.
Toshiba merged with Tokyo Shibaura Electric Co. Ltd. in 1939. They became Toshiba Corporation in 1978
The Sinclair Pocket TV FTV1. 1983
The Sinclair pocket TV set was officially launched on September 16th 1983. It was only available direct by mail order.
The price was £79.95 (inclusive of VAT and delivery) with the Polaroid flat batteries at £9.95 each in packs of three. The
set was less than 1/2 of the price of the Sony Watchman (1982). The set has a 2in. cathode ray tube (CRT) screen and weighs 9½oz.
The Sinclair Pocket TV was multi-standard with auto switching between most u.h.f. standards worldwide (except for SECAM).
The circuitry is mostly contained within a single integrated circuit which was manufactured by Ferranti but was developed
by Sinclair Research and Ferranti. The flat-screen tube was manufactured by Timex and the set was assembled by Thorn.
The Sinclair flat-screen TV has the electron gun at the side of the screen, emitting electrons at right angles to the
line (plane) of vision. The phosphor coated screen is at the back of the tube, not the front. This made for a very
compact CRT compared to the type of CRT in normal television sets where the electron gun is directly behind the screen
and tend to stick out of the back of the set. An article in the November 1983 issue of Television Magazine
announced the arrival of the Sinclair Pocket TV.
Casio Pocket TV-400. 1987
The first portable mass-produced TV with liquid crystal screen (LCD) was the CASIO TV-10 (1983) and in
May 1985 the Casio TV-1000 was launched in Japan, this was the first pocket TV with a Color LCD. The
TV-400 was introduced in 1987 and this sample was purchased in 1989. See invoice above - price £89.95.
Popular Science Magazine 1971
An interesting new invention??
More background.
When I was a very young, our first set was a 1953 GEC 3-channel 14-inch desk-top
model. This lasted many years. Always being interested in Electronics, at
the age of 17 while in the 6th form at school, I went into business with a
friend in the same class. This was 1968. We bought second hand TVs from a
trade supplier. Did a little work on them, if needed, and sold them.
We also on occasion repaired the teachers televisions. After a few
years I became a teacher and later a University lecturer but
little did I know in those days that eventually, 20+ years later,
I would be back in business. This time as the MD of a
successful satellite TV business.
Another interesting set I owned was a 1953 Pye console.
(Technical stuff - This was a very advanced set in it's day
with a 13 channel switch tuner gated AGC and flywheel Sync.)
The chassis was mounted on a sloping shelf in the console so that
is glided out. The coil assembly on the CRT used a complete
quick release spider chassis. It was a dream to service.
It was an old set when I bought it in the 1970s but due to it's size
I regret to say that I could not store it. There are few items
I have not kept but this unfortunately was one of them.
Practical Television magazine. June 1950.
Volume 1. Number 3.
Making a donation.
The Rewind Museum is a non-profit making endeavor. The web site and the touring exhibitions are run on
a voluntary basis. Donations,
not money, just old items you no longer want, are always welcome.
If you have something that you think would be of interest, please contact us with the details.
We can send in a courier to pick them up. (Even an international courier). Thank you.
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