TK-1

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Early Electronic Television

TK-1

Early Television

The following is a rough translation of information from the Moscow Polytechnic Institute:

This set was made at the Kozitskogo Radio Plant in Leningrad in 1938. It was designed for reception of 343 line broadcasts from the Moscow television center. The engineers at Kozitskogo used many of the features of the American RCA RR-359 set, which was made in 1934. This was a complex and expensive model using 33 tubes and circular kinescope about one meter long. Many parts were supplied by RCA. Six thousand TK-1s were made.

This is from a Russian website (rough translation):

In 1938 the TK-1, based on an American set manufactured by RCA was made. This electronic television receiver has a rather bulky cabinet, in which the picture tube is positioned vertically, while the audience did not look at the screen, mounted horizontally, but at its reflection in the mirror, fastened on the inside of the hinged lid. The CRT had a diameter of 23 cm. Such a design was determined by the size of the tube, which was about a meter long. Televisions were installed in "Workers' Clubs", the "Red Corner", the Polytechnical Museum and other public facilities.

The TK-1 was made in a radio plant in Leningrad plant, called Kozitskogo, 6000 sets were made.

RCA provided about 75 of its RR-359 receivers to the USSR in the late 30s, along with broadcast equipment. The TK-1 shown above looks similar, but is shorter. The speaker area is about half the height of the RR-359. Since the CRT in the RR-359 extends to the bottom of the cabinet, it is unclear how the TK-1 would work, unless it used a different CRT. Below is another TK-1 with a taller cabinet.

Early Television

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