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An unusual TV component

Hello, all.

I have an unusual question for you, perhaps you can help me. It's about
a very clear and, to me, very puzzling childhood memory, related to a
television set.

When I was a child, my parents had a black and white TV as the
centerpiece of the living room. This must have been in the mid-to-late
1960's. It was in the U.S.A.

Eventually, the TV went on the blink and couldn't be repaired, so my
parents bought a new one and relegated the old one to the basement
playroom, where my brothers and I would spend our free hours. My dad,
though not an electrician, was fairly handy, so I suppose he wanted to
hold onto the old TV for a while in case it could be cannibalized for
parts. It was clear, though, that it was considered "junk", never to be
repaired and eventually to be discarded, so it was OK for us to mess
around with it.

In the course of exploring the insides of the set, I came across a part
that generated heat - it was warm to the touch. I don't remember its
exact appearance, but it was about the size of a man's fist. I seem to
remember it had a rectangular frame and what ever was in the middle of
the frame protruded on both sides. The whole thing was covered, maybe
with tape or some other sort of silvery-grey insulation, I don't
remember. Looking back, it may have had the general shape of a small
transformer.

But the puzzling thing for me is that it generated heat, for weeks and
months after the set was disconnected from the power mains. It gave my
hands a tingly feeling, but it did not cause any shock or static
electricity. It mystified me. It suggested radioactivity to me, but
even as a child I knew that radioactive materials in such quantity
would not be part of a TV set. Still, I made sure not to mess with it
for extended periods of time. I dismounted the part from the TV
chassis, and the effect continued.

I don't remember what happened to that part; I may have just lost
interest and discarded it eventually.

Does anyone have any idea what could have been that heat-generating
part, something that was warm to the touch for weeks after the TV was
disconnected from the mains. I suppose it could have been a large
capacitor or battery of some sort, but I'd prefer to hear from the
experts. I suppose it's true, too, that because this happened so long
ago my memory of it could be distorted and inaccurate, but the basic
facts I've related here are pretty clear in my mind.

Thanks.
 
C

Charles Schuler

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hello, all.

I have an unusual question for you, perhaps you can help me. It's about
a very clear and, to me, very puzzling childhood memory, related to a
television set.

When I was a child, my parents had a black and white TV as the
centerpiece of the living room. This must have been in the mid-to-late
1960's. It was in the U.S.A.

Eventually, the TV went on the blink and couldn't be repaired, so my
parents bought a new one and relegated the old one to the basement
playroom, where my brothers and I would spend our free hours. My dad,
though not an electrician, was fairly handy, so I suppose he wanted to
hold onto the old TV for a while in case it could be cannibalized for
parts. It was clear, though, that it was considered "junk", never to be
repaired and eventually to be discarded, so it was OK for us to mess
around with it.

In the course of exploring the insides of the set, I came across a part
that generated heat - it was warm to the touch. I don't remember its
exact appearance, but it was about the size of a man's fist. I seem to
remember it had a rectangular frame and what ever was in the middle of
the frame protruded on both sides. The whole thing was covered, maybe
with tape or some other sort of silvery-grey insulation, I don't
remember. Looking back, it may have had the general shape of a small
transformer.

But the puzzling thing for me is that it generated heat, for weeks and
months after the set was disconnected from the power mains. It gave my
hands a tingly feeling, but it did not cause any shock or static
electricity. It mystified me. It suggested radioactivity to me, but
even as a child I knew that radioactive materials in such quantity
would not be part of a TV set. Still, I made sure not to mess with it
for extended periods of time. I dismounted the part from the TV
chassis, and the effect continued.

I don't remember what happened to that part; I may have just lost
interest and discarded it eventually.

Does anyone have any idea what could have been that heat-generating
part, something that was warm to the touch for weeks after the TV was
disconnected from the mains. I suppose it could have been a large
capacitor or battery of some sort, but I'd prefer to hear from the
experts. I suppose it's true, too, that because this happened so long
ago my memory of it could be distorted and inaccurate, but the basic
facts I've related here are pretty clear in my mind.

You have perhaps described the horizontal output transformer. You have
perhaps also described a psychological phenomenon.
 
L

Louis Scheffer

Jan 1, 1970
0
In the course of exploring the insides of the set, I came across a part
that generated heat - it was warm to the touch.
Does anyone have any idea what could have been that heat-generating
part, something that was warm to the touch for weeks after the TV was
disconnected from the mains.

The heat generation is probably a trick of your mind. Your fingers sense
rate of heat loss combined with temperature. For example, a marble floor
seems colder than a wood floor, even though they are at the same temperature,
since the marble sucks heat out faster.

In this case, if the part is covered with a thermal insulator, it may suck
out heat more slowly than your mind expects. Your brain may interpret this
as 'it's warmer than I expected' rather than 'this part has lower thermal
conductivity than I expected'.

Lou Scheffer
 
M

Meat Plow

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hello, all.

I have an unusual question for you, perhaps you can help me. It's about
a very clear and, to me, very puzzling childhood memory, related to a
television set.

When I was a child, my parents had a black and white TV as the
centerpiece of the living room. This must have been in the mid-to-late
1960's. It was in the U.S.A.

Eventually, the TV went on the blink and couldn't be repaired, so my
parents bought a new one and relegated the old one to the basement
playroom, where my brothers and I would spend our free hours. My dad,
though not an electrician, was fairly handy, so I suppose he wanted to
hold onto the old TV for a while in case it could be cannibalized for
parts. It was clear, though, that it was considered "junk", never to be
repaired and eventually to be discarded, so it was OK for us to mess
around with it.

In the course of exploring the insides of the set, I came across a part
that generated heat - it was warm to the touch. I don't remember its
exact appearance, but it was about the size of a man's fist. I seem to
remember it had a rectangular frame and what ever was in the middle of
the frame protruded on both sides. The whole thing was covered, maybe
with tape or some other sort of silvery-grey insulation, I don't
remember. Looking back, it may have had the general shape of a small
transformer.

But the puzzling thing for me is that it generated heat, for weeks and
months after the set was disconnected from the power mains. It gave my
hands a tingly feeling, but it did not cause any shock or static
electricity. It mystified me. It suggested radioactivity to me, but
even as a child I knew that radioactive materials in such quantity
would not be part of a TV set. Still, I made sure not to mess with it
for extended periods of time. I dismounted the part from the TV
chassis, and the effect continued.

I don't remember what happened to that part; I may have just lost
interest and discarded it eventually.

Does anyone have any idea what could have been that heat-generating
part, something that was warm to the touch for weeks after the TV was
disconnected from the mains. I suppose it could have been a large
capacitor or battery of some sort, but I'd prefer to hear from the
experts. I suppose it's true, too, that because this happened so long
ago my memory of it could be distorted and inaccurate, but the basic
facts I've related here are pretty clear in my mind.

Thanks.

Nothing in a tube set that would remain warm to the touch months after it
was unplugged. Perhaps it was just a youthfull apparition?
 
C

Charles Schuler

Jan 1, 1970
0
Funny John ... it never crossed my feeble mind ... I like it HOT!
 
D

David Naylor

Jan 1, 1970
0
Meat said:
Nothing in a tube set that would remain warm to the touch months after it
was unplugged. Perhaps it was just a youthfull apparition?
I think it is the sixties drugs return to you WOW Are you sharing
those??? there is nothing in any tv of any time that would still be
hot or even warm after just a few hours. unless it was next to a heater vent
 
M

Michael A. Terrell

Jan 1, 1970
0
Charles said:
Funny John ... it never crossed my feeble mind ... I like it HOT!


So did Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0053291/


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida
 
M

me

Jan 1, 1970
0
I think it is the sixties drugs return to you WOW Are you sharing
those??? there is nothing in any tv of any time that would still be
hot or even warm after just a few hours. unless it was next to a heater
vent

I recall most of the TV's of that vintage had the HV transformer and
drive tube (still have 2 or 3 sitting in a box) enclosed by metal
shielding with the high voltage and xray warnings on the outside. It
could have been the massive power transformer for running the da.. thing.
 
K

Ken Weitzel

Jan 1, 1970
0
me said:
I recall most of the TV's of that vintage had the HV transformer and
drive tube (still have 2 or 3 sitting in a box) enclosed by metal
shielding with the high voltage and xray warnings on the outside. It
could have been the massive power transformer for running the da.. thing.

Hi...

Now you have me wondering.... he said it was unplugged, but suppose it
wasn't; and was one of those instant on sets that held the filaments up
just a bit. Memory isn't so good anymore, but I think they were around
back about that time.

Anyway, if that's the case it would account of a bit of warmth, and if
the set was sitting on a concrete floor, even a bit of the "tingling"
he remembers :)

Take care.

Ken
 
E

ehsjr

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hello, all.

I have an unusual question for you, perhaps you can help me. It's about
a very clear and, to me, very puzzling childhood memory, related to a
television set.

When I was a child, my parents had a black and white TV as the
centerpiece of the living room. This must have been in the mid-to-late
1960's. It was in the U.S.A.

Eventually, the TV went on the blink and couldn't be repaired, so my
parents bought a new one and relegated the old one to the basement
playroom, where my brothers and I would spend our free hours. My dad,
though not an electrician, was fairly handy, so I suppose he wanted to
hold onto the old TV for a while in case it could be cannibalized for
parts. It was clear, though, that it was considered "junk", never to be
repaired and eventually to be discarded, so it was OK for us to mess
around with it.

In the course of exploring the insides of the set, I came across a part
that generated heat - it was warm to the touch. I don't remember its
exact appearance, but it was about the size of a man's fist. I seem to
remember it had a rectangular frame and what ever was in the middle of
the frame protruded on both sides. The whole thing was covered, maybe
with tape or some other sort of silvery-grey insulation, I don't
remember. Looking back, it may have had the general shape of a small
transformer.

But the puzzling thing for me is that it generated heat, for weeks and
months after the set was disconnected from the power mains. It gave my
hands a tingly feeling, but it did not cause any shock or static
electricity. It mystified me. It suggested radioactivity to me, but
even as a child I knew that radioactive materials in such quantity
would not be part of a TV set. Still, I made sure not to mess with it
for extended periods of time. I dismounted the part from the TV
chassis, and the effect continued.

I don't remember what happened to that part; I may have just lost
interest and discarded it eventually.

Does anyone have any idea what could have been that heat-generating
part, something that was warm to the touch for weeks after the TV was
disconnected from the mains. I suppose it could have been a large
capacitor or battery of some sort, but I'd prefer to hear from the
experts. I suppose it's true, too, that because this happened so long
ago my memory of it could be distorted and inaccurate, but the basic
facts I've related here are pretty clear in my mind.

Thanks.

It's no wonder the set died, and could not be repaired.
That was the perpetual motion image modulator. A few were
manufactured in error - sort of like that stamp where the
image was printed upside down. How do you think they got
the images to move around in the picture tube? The
modulator did that. Unfortunately, the fact that it would
not shut down with the set turned off caused unavoidable
damage, and all of the sets where the mis-manufactured
modulator was installed died. As proof, consider that
none of them are working today. :)


Ed
 
H

Homer J Simpson

Jan 1, 1970
0
But the puzzling thing for me is that it generated heat, for weeks and
months after the set was disconnected from the power mains. It gave my
hands a tingly feeling, but it did not cause any shock or static
electricity. It mystified me. It suggested radioactivity to me, but
even as a child I knew that radioactive materials in such quantity
would not be part of a TV set. Still, I made sure not to mess with it
for extended periods of time. I dismounted the part from the TV
chassis, and the effect continued.

That was the nuclear power pack.
 
J

Jan Panteltje

Jan 1, 1970
0
Does anyone have any idea what could have been that heat-generating
part, something that was warm to the touch for weeks after the TV was
disconnected from the mains.

The name of that movie was 'batteries not included'.
 
C

CWatters

Jan 1, 1970
0
Ken Weitzel said:
me wrote:
Hi...

Now you have me wondering.... he said it was unplugged, but suppose it
wasn't;

Then heat would be the least of his problems. Too easy to get jolt from an
old TV.

I did wonder if there were some capacitors in there that might have held a
charge and produced a mild shock after a few months... but I suspect they
wern't that good (high leakage) and they certainly wouldn't have stored
enough energy to produce heat for months.
 
M

Meat Plow

Jan 1, 1970
0
Then heat would be the least of his problems. Too easy to get jolt from an
old TV.

I did wonder if there were some capacitors in there that might have held a
charge and produced a mild shock after a few months... but I suspect they
wern't that good (high leakage) and they certainly wouldn't have stored
enough energy to produce heat for months.

The CRT could store a charge for months. They actually could rebuild a
charge on their own.
 
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