I’m working on an old RCA-Victor console television for a client. They want a new TV inside the old TV, so they can watch TV on the console (ish). It’s been a fun project to think through.
When I got the cabinet, the picture tube and circuit boards had been removed already. The tuning knobs and their mechanisms are still in the cabinet. You get that “chunk-chunk” sound when you change the channel, but of course it’s not connected to anything now.
Finding a Small Enough TV
I started out by spending time trying to find a 4:3 TV which would fit in the same opening as the original picture tube. The client said a flat screen would be OK, but still no dice. I looked for a 4:3 20″ computer monitor, which would have been a close fit. I could have added something like an Amazon Fire Stick or something to get TV on the TV if I had to go the monitor route, but no luck on the monitor either.
Do we really need all of our TV’s to be 50″ or larger? A 40″ TV used to be considered pretty big.
– Chris Chevalier
I finally found a 16:9 TV that would fit width-wise in the original picture tube opening, but of course that leaves a gap above and below the new TV because of the different aspect ratios.
Fitting a 16:9 TV in a 4:3 Opening
I decided to build a picture frame around the new TV, wide enough to cover the gap above and below. I built a frame out of 1×6 pine literally around the new TV. I’m surprised I didn’t end up gluing the TV into the frame, it fit really tight, which I was happy with.
Now, the frame around the new TV couldn’t be 6″ all the way around and still fit into the case, so I calculated such that the center of the new TV would be in the center of the original picture tube opening, and trimmed the outside frame to fit snugly into the cabinet.
I was concerned about the mismatch of materials between the TV bezel, which is painted metal, and my frame, which is wood. Plan A is to sand the wood super-smooth and use a couple of coats of primer, then paint to match the bezel in an attempt to hide any texture of the wood. If that doesn’t look good enough, Plan B is to use thin metal sheets over the wood on the visible portions of the frame, then paint to match the bezel metal.
General Cleanup
A grinder was used to clean up mounting studs after the removal of the picture tube. The heat it created discolored the paint on the bezel. I’m repainting to correct that, and allow for a perfect color match between the new frame and the metal bezel. The paint color match is actually a lot better than it looks like in the pics here.
The cabinet was in good shape, but needed some cleaning up. The wood veneer was pretty dried out, so I gave it my trusty old wood treatment.
Putting it All Together
With the frame painted, it was time to start putting the TV into the frame and the frame into the TV cabinet. I want the future owner to be able to get the TV out, should it become necessary, without having to do anything destructive. The frame is actually snug enough to hold the TV all by itself, but let’s say for some reason that becomes not true in the future. The metal bezel from the original TV will keep it from falling out of the front. I added some clips on the back to keep from coming out that way, but kept it serviceable.
The frame, on the other hand, needs to be fixed to the cabinet. If it were to come loose, damage could be done. I used simple angle brackets to screw it to the inside of the cabinet.
Here’s what it looks like mounted into the cabinet:
A Couple of Finishing Touches
I wanted to add a couple of things, to smooth out some rough edges so to speak.
On the back panel, I brought a cloth covered cord out to plug in to the wall. Had I kept the original cord from the new TV (a) it would have been tacky black PVC, and (b) it would two feet shorter than it should be since it has to go from the front of the cabinet through the back. I also brought the RF connector out to the back panel so the TV could be connected without having to remove the back panel or reach into the cabinet.
And that leaves my favorite part of the whole TV. I made it so that the channel will light up when you pull the power switch out on the original TV controls. You can rotate the VHF knob and change the channel number.
Epilogue
The TV is now for sale at Mid-Century Market in Phoenix, seen on their Instagram feed. Like it on Insta and then go buy it and enjoy it!
For me, it’s on to the next project…