I SCORED THIS AT AN ANTIQUE MALL ON THE EAST SIDE OF COLUMBUS. I HAD ALWAYS WANTED A PREDICTA AND GOT THIS ONE CHEAP. COMPARED TO WHAT UNRESTORED, INCOMPLETE PREDICTAS WERE GOING FOR ON flEaBay AT THE TIME, THIS WAS A STEAL.
UNFORTUNATELY, I FOUND OUT THE HARD WAY ABOUT THE 2 VOLT HEATERS IN THE CRT'S. THE BASINGS OF THESE TUBES ARE DIFFERENT THAN THE 110 DEGREE TUBES OF THE TIME. THE CATHODE AND G2 ARE REVERSED. A BRIGHTENER CAN DONATE BOTH SOCKETS. YOU WILL NEED A FILAMENT TRANSFORMER OR A POWER SUPPLY THAT SUPPLIES 6 VOLTS TO USE A TEST TUBE LIKE THE 8YP4. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND USE OF A TEST TUBE WHEN RESTORING ONE OF THESE. I DID FIND A PARTS SET WHICH HAD A GOOD TUBE.
PREDICTAS WERE A RADICAL DESIGN FOR 1950'S STANDARDS. MARKETING BEAT OUT ENGINEERING. AS A RESULT, THESE WERE SOME OF THE BIGGEST PIECES OF SHIT PHILCO MADE. THE CRT'S OVERALL DID NOT LAST LONG. THE 17" TUBES TENDED TO HOLD UP, WHILE THE 21" TUBES DIED EARLY. THESE TUBES HAVE A SHORT NECK, SO SUBBING IS DIFFICULT. A STANDARD 110 DEGREE TUBE WILL WORK IF YOU REWIRE THE SOCKET AND TAP THE 6 VOLT SOURCE (TRANSFORMER SETS), OR INSTALL A FILAMENT TRANSFORMER (SERIES STRING).
THE LACK OF ACCESS TO THE UNDERSIDE OF THE PC BOARDS MAKE THESE A MOTHER TO RESTORE. THE FOILS ARE EXTREMELY FRAGILE. THE TUBE SOCKETS WERE NOT THE BEST. THE K-NETWORKS LIKELY NEED TO BE REBUILT (FORGET ABOUT FACTORY REPLACEMENTS). THESE FACTORS LED TO POOR QUALITY, AND THE EVENTUAL BUYOUT BY FORD.
TO PROPERLY RESTORE THESE, WHETHER IN PREDICTA CABINETS OR NOT, YOU MUST REMOVE OR RAISE THE PC BOARDS TO RECAP. SAMS GIVES THE EQUIVALENT CIRCUIT TO THE K-MEMBERS, BUT SAMS DREW THE HORIZONTAL AFC ONE WRONG ON ONE MODEL. BASICALLY, IF YOU ARE RESTORING A TV FOR THE FIRST TIME, AVOID PREDICTA ERA PHILCO.
IT WAS NOT UNCOMMON TO SEE PREDICTAS IN MOTELS. PHILCO COULDN'T GIVE THESE AWAY. THE LACK OF AN ANTENNA TELLS ME MINE WAS A HOTEL SET.
CHASSIS BEFORE ANY RESTORATION. I AM USING AN 8YP4 TEST CRT. I SOFT STARTED THIS AND ACTUALLY GOT A PICTURE. I DID NOT RESTUFF THE CAN LYING HORIZONTALLY, SINCE THERE WAS ROOM TO TIE REPLACEMENTS IN ELSEWHERE.
NOW, YOU WILL SEE WHY THESE ARE A PAIN IN THE ASS.
HERE IS THE TYPICAL UNDERSIDE OF A PHILCO PREDICTA CHASSIS. NOTICE THE LACK OF ACCESS.
HERE IS THE SWEEP BOARD MOSTLY REMOVED. THIS IS A PAIN IN THE ASS TO DO.
NOW IT'S TIME TO HAVE YOUR PRINT HANDY. MARK ALL WIRES YOU WILL HAVE TO DISCONNECT. YOU WILL HAVE CONNECTIONS BREAK WHILE YOU ARE WORKING ON THIS. SAMS USED CIRCUITRACE FOR THIS. IT IS VERY HELPFUL. FOR SOME REASON, PHILCO DECIDED THAT WIREWRAP WAS A GOOD IDEA. THERE ARE TABS ON THE CHASSIS THAT WILL NEED BENT OUT, AND THERE ARE ALSO TABS SOLDERED TO THE BOARD. THESE ARE GROUND CONNECTIONS. AT LEAST ONE OF THESE WILL BREAK DURING RESTORATION. YOU NEED A SOLDERING GUN AT LEAST 100 WATTS FOR THIS. I DISCONNECTED JUST ENOUGH TO FLIP THE BOARD AS SEEN HERE. IF YOU BREAK A SOLDER TAB, 14 GUAGE SOLID WIRE WORKS WELL AS A REPLACEMENT. REMEMBER, THE FOIL TRACES ARE EXTREMELY FRAGILE. YOU MAY HAVE TO HARD WIRE SOME CONNECTIONS. DO NOT RUSH THIS PART.
THE BOARD AFTER RECAPPING. I WAS GOING TO RESTUFF THE CAN SEEN HERE, BUT I SAID THE HELL WITH IT. I DID HAVE TO HARD WIRE SOME OF THE TRACES.
THE FINISHED CHASSIS. I DID REPLACE THE VERTICAL LINEARITY CONTROL. THESE SETS WERE HARD ON CONTROLS. IF THE VERTICAL OUTPUT TUBE GETS ANY KIND OF LEAKAGE, IT CAN FRY THE LINEARITY CONTROL. IT TOOK A FEW DIFFERENT TUBES UNTIL I COULD GET DECENT LINEARITY. ONE TRICK I DID ON A PREDICTA I RESTORED FOR SOMEONE ELSE, I ADDED A 5 WATT POWER RESISTOR EQUAL TO THE VALUE OF THE CONTROL (1.7k), ACROSS THE CONTROL. I GOT BETTER CONTROL OF THE LINEARITY AND IT RAN COOLER. THE NEXT TWO SHOTS ARE THE FINAL RESULTS.
