chrz@ihlpf.ATT.COM (Chrzanowski) (06/27/88)
[ Mid-1960's Motorola color TV still works well after 20+ years] > I wouldn't have even thought that this was possible (drying out of > capacitors, transformer windings breaking from 20 years of fatigue, > etc.). Has anyone else had experiences with such long lived electonics? When my mother died she still had her old 1950's B&W TV, and it still worked well. I had no use for it, however, and there wasn't much of a market for tank-sized B&W televisions. Her 1951 GE clock radio (5-tuber with metal octal-base tubes) still works whenever I blow the dust out of the tuning capacitor. If I could just find something I wanted to hear on it! I'd guess these old sets lasted so long because they weren't used much. Some people watch only a few hours a week while others leave the TV on 18 hours a day. An all-tube color TV uses close to 400 watts. The heat shortens the life of electrolytic capacitors and transformer insulations and, of course, vacuum tubes lose their cathode emitting material when used. Those old audio components with the tubes sticking out the top (point-to-point wired chassis, no cabinet) also seem to last forever. BTW, I have a vague memory of reading about some new "electrolytic" capacitors being developed in Japan. These contained no moisture; the "electrolyte" was a polarized polymer. Anyone know anything about this?