Thursday, April 11, 2024

Old Tube TVs

For those who don't remember, powering up really old televisions would start as an expanding dot in the middle of the screen.  It would only take a few seconds to reach full size.  Old televisions used vacuum tubes instead of transistors, which needed warming up.  They glowed orange.  You could see them through the heat vents in the back.  In a dark room, the TV would light up the wall behind it.

I remember going to a repair shop that had dozens of different types of replacement tubes.   A local drug store used to have a tube tester by the door.

Starting in the mid-1970s, manufacturers advertised televisions that were "Instant On".  I noticed these TVs kept some vacuum tubes powered up even when the TV was "off".

Old TVs put out a great deal of heat.

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