The 1967 Vidicon camera

[Harry Dalek]

Thanks to our member Troy he got me onto this camera on ebay it was a pickup only 24Km from me
This i plan looking into fixing in the future perhaps after the NBTV Television Analyst is done
Its a ITC Viewfinder TV Camera VF 302 made in 1967 almost as old as me a Transistor job needs a bit of work as you can see but in a good state for over 50 years least the vidicon is still working its light sensitive crt viewfinder works some of the pots are worn out and i would think a lot of caps need replacing after all those years

Same camera and number but different letter name GBC i think this is the USA 525 line version i don't like their lens thing perhaps an early motor lens control

https://www.sportscards.com/…/tv-cameravf302-…/263400616739/

Yes not in the best of shape but the vidicon and crt still seem fine ...B/w cameras from this time are pretty rare first i have ever come across .

[Steve Anderson]

Ikegami are well known in the broadcast industry for their professional TV cameras and picture monitors...as you might guess, costing a fortune. Even this camera shows some of the same thinking as their broadcast products. Plug-in boards and generally ease of access...to a degree.

Unusual that it's turned up in Australia and 240V, and if it does turn out to be 525 that does seem a bit odd. Japan used to use 525 lines and some parts of the country are 240V, other areas 120V - still the same today! What a mess! (I was in Japan last year). Also some areas are 50Hz, others 60Hz.

At least you have deflection of the CRT which probably means the Vidicon (or whatever) too. A wholesale replacement of every electrolytic capacitor is probably a worthwhile exercise - it may fix the problems displayed.

Steve A.

[Harry Dalek]

Ikegami are well known in the broadcast industry for their professional TV cameras and picture monitors...as you might guess, costing a fortune. Even this camera shows some of the same thinking as their broadcast products. Plug-in boards and generally ease of access...to a degree.

I had never seen one before Steve this sort of thing was pretty rare in the 60s in my neck of the woods ,you mentioning the name is also a first can't say i know of them ,Tv cameras were as you say not cheap and no real cheap versions in the 60s state of the art things i suppose and with a viewfinder ,it was 50 dollars i am sure it was way higher than this in the 60s when new .

Unusual that it's turned up in Australia and 240V, and if it does turn out to be 525 that does seem a bit odd. Japan used to use 525 lines and some parts of the country are 240V, other areas 120V - still the same today! What a mess! (I was in Japan last year). Also some areas are 50Hz, others 60Hz.

[/quote]

Well it seems to have been rebranded for the usa market and that dreadful looking lens mentioned in the last post with the link ..i like this one better !
I did't think it might be imported and not 625 line standard not so much a problem since it has a viewfinder at least i will know in time camera to viewfinder works .
Well the japanese and Americans could be the cause of the 2 mains frequencies and we pretty know pretty much whos idea was what .

At least you have deflection of the CRT which probably means the Vidicon (or whatever) too. A wholesale replacement of every electrolytic capacitor is probably a worthwhile exercise - it may fix the problems displayed.

Yes that does seem wise ,its petty clean for all those years the lady i got it from said it was her dad whos past away now used to collect this stuff he had it wrapped in plastic and in a box stored away ,he must of just been a collector has it has not been touched inside.

[Steve Anderson]

Aside from replacing the caps mentioned before as best you can without a manual check the high-value resistors, say over 100K where you can find them, with age they often go high or open-circuit. Also, although I can't see any in your photos, look out for any small dark brown non-electrolytic caps. These were made by a company called 'Hunts', a curse to old radio restorers. They often 'break' at one end with an obvious crack, horrible things. Though as this is transistorised you're unlikely to find any, used mainly in bypassing heater chains in valve/tube radios and TVs.

Until you get a proper picture out of this leave the lens alone, it's not a cheap one and may prove quite valuable. If it's an Ikegami lens it'll be a good one! The only other contender would be Canon. In the 60s there were few zoom lenses, TV studio cameras were fitted with 3 or 4 fixed focal-length lenses on a rotating turret, they looked more like an oversized Gatling gun!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oek_-0jbX0

Steve A.

[Dave Moll]

I would agree with Steve about Hunts Mouldseal capacitors. Along with those horrible capacitors in cardboard tubes covered with sticky wax, these are generally replaced en masse by the vintage radio fraternity, because the dielectric absorbs moisture, making them more like resistors.

[Harry Dalek]

I would agree with Steve about Hunts Mouldseal capacitors. Along with those horrible capacitors in cardboard tubes covered with sticky wax, these are generally replaced en masse by the vintage radio fraternity, because the dielectric absorbs moisture, making them more like resistors.

I know those well Dave the good thing about this cameras design as Steve noticed plug in boards makes the whole job so much easier ...so will do ... i also noticed the control pots back of the camera are a touch warn not so for the trimmers inside they have been left alone ..
Its in a Box at the moment when i get to it i will post up any improvements

[Steve Anderson]

Ah! That's the proper name for those Hunts capacitors = Mouldyseal, how appropriate!

Steve A.

[Harry Dalek]

Ah! That's the proper name for those Hunts capacitors = Mouldyseal, how appropriate!

Steve A.

This is a good chat on old Capacitors the thing about replacing every capacitor is some thing i am wondering about ,i think it would be wise on the ones we were talking about .

i think on others i would do a one at a time and test nice to know which one was the cause of the problem.

https://www.radiomuseum.org/forum/repla ... itors.html

[Dave Moll]

Yes, capacitors with dialectrics such as polyester or mica tend to be pretty reliable. Electrolytics can also become electrically leaky, but it's generally worth testing them first before replacing them. Sometimes, they just need "re-forming" by applying a current-limited voltage across them. Bulging ends will probably mean they've died.

[Steve Anderson]

Not only old electrolytic caps, but even supposedly 'new' ones. I've had a few new and unused elects 'give up' on me. Presumably sat on suppliers shelves for some years, all of a sudden hey have a dose of charge and go short and/or explode...with the expected results. Lower voltage (say under 100V) elects seem OK, but any higher than that I use a Variac to slowly wind up the supply voltage...all the while keeping an eye on the supply/leakage current.

Re-forming old caps is a hit-and-miss operation, often they won't respond, but it's worth a try. There are websites worth finding for this, but I don't think the long-term success rate is that high...simply replace the buggers!

The problem is Variacs can be expensive and not often used which makes them hard to justify the cost...except mine which I usually use as a fan-speed controller here in my office/workshop. I picked it up in Singapore maybe 15 years ago for a few dollars, new. A simple solid-state version shouldn't be that hard to put together...say 100W?

Steve A.

[Jackli]

Vidicon camera from 1967? I'm really surprised that it still works. How do you fix these snowflakes? It will take you a long time.

[Harry Dalek]

Vidicon camera from 1967? I'm really surprised that it still works. How do you fix these snowflakes? It will take you a long time.

One capacitor at a time ,and keep it away from sun reflections ! I have so many things going at the same time this one is still in its box but has not stopped me thinking about it .
It was more than likely put away for 40 years ,i do also find it interesting to as to how and if something will work again after its been off for so long ...i was thinking it might be an idea before ripping out Polarized Capacitors run them in again for a time while the thing is on.....
It is depressing on a project you have worked on for ages and after its been put away for a few years and you turn it on its faulty or doesn't work at all ...arrr such is life