Hello shack, firstly I want to thank you all big time for such an invaluable site here. I have learned a lot since yesterday just from reading as many threads as I can find on this style of TV.
I will try to keep this as clear and concise as I can.
I was on vacation for 6 days, and came home yesterday ready to kick back and watch the bigscreen. Turn it on, and the red horizontal convergence was way off (was perfectly adjusted when I left). My roommate says that it was working fine for the superbowl the day before, and I have no reason to suspect that he did anything out of the ordinary to it.
The basic overall convergence can move both ways on both red and blue. When switching to the "advanced" red convergence adjustment, the lower/right portion of the screen is off by over an inch to the right, and will not move back to the left whatsoever. Vertical adjustment works fine and can be dialed in.
I removed the front screen to see what I could see, and everything appeared normal. That is, until I looked directly into each projector with the set on. The red gun looked rather blurry overall, and the lower half of the picture looked almost scrambled, in a manner which I can only describe as horizontal interference lines. I tried the AV reset, the system reset, then tried to reconverge again. If I center the red using the basic convergence adjustment, the red part of the picture starts to get very distorted and the horizontal interference is noticeable on the screen itself. Switch to advanced and the red is now off-line all over the screen. :rolleyesno:
So I fire up the laptop and start hunting for info. I see a lot about the convergence IC's and what happens to them, but I never see anyone describing the same interference in the red gun that I am seeing. I am wondering if I have a different problem with the red projector, or if this is simply another symptom of the IC issue.
My best friend is a electronics wizard and has tons of experience with soldering chips and boards, so I decide to open up the back panel to try and get the board out to take to him. I was seriously ashamed of how dusty it was in there... everything was CAKED with at least a half inch thick layer, tons of cobwebs everywhere, just overall a nightmare. I cleaned it all up with a can of air, and it all looks brand new now. No signs of coolant leaks like I had read about. Thinking that maybe it was all the dirt causing the problems, I fire up the set to check. Same problem.
I then pull several white harnesses to free up the board, pull it out so I can now actually see the IC, and then it hits me that the TV may be down for quite awhile before reassembly. I figure it might be a good idea to plug it all back in and take some detailed pictures in case I need help with where the different wires go. I also wanted to take some pictures of the screen itself for getting help with any additional diagnosis. Plug all the white harnesses back in, but one seems to be missing in the back left corner... there is a spot on the board for a harness to plug into, but I for the life of me can not find a harness to plug into it.
I plug the set in, and now I have the continuous green light of death. :hissyfit:
So that is where I am at now. My questions are as follows:
1. Is it possible that my issue lies in the red gun and NOT in the convergence IC?
2. Is it possible that the continuous flashing green light is caused by that one white harness not being plugged back in? If anyone is familiar with this particular set and can tell me whether or not that plug is supposed to be empty, you would be my hero.
3. How did this likely happen in the first place? Is it just random (bad) luck that it happened while I was out of town?... or is it likely that my roommate did something to cause this?
Any help or guidance would be GREATLY appreciated. I have background in mobile electronics and have done standalone engine management wiring, and just overall a DIY-type person when it comes to just about everything. I have also done a lot of stereo installs, so I am not completely inept when it comes to electronics, but RPTV's is a realm in which I have never dabbled. I purchased the service manual, and tried to contact a repairman that might be able to help. Being here in New Mexico usually creates a problem when trying to find good help, and this case is no exception. I would much rather attempt to fix this old box myself first before making 2 hour trips and paying several benjamins.
Thank you again for any insight.
-Rich
I will try to keep this as clear and concise as I can.
I was on vacation for 6 days, and came home yesterday ready to kick back and watch the bigscreen. Turn it on, and the red horizontal convergence was way off (was perfectly adjusted when I left). My roommate says that it was working fine for the superbowl the day before, and I have no reason to suspect that he did anything out of the ordinary to it.
The basic overall convergence can move both ways on both red and blue. When switching to the "advanced" red convergence adjustment, the lower/right portion of the screen is off by over an inch to the right, and will not move back to the left whatsoever. Vertical adjustment works fine and can be dialed in.
I removed the front screen to see what I could see, and everything appeared normal. That is, until I looked directly into each projector with the set on. The red gun looked rather blurry overall, and the lower half of the picture looked almost scrambled, in a manner which I can only describe as horizontal interference lines. I tried the AV reset, the system reset, then tried to reconverge again. If I center the red using the basic convergence adjustment, the red part of the picture starts to get very distorted and the horizontal interference is noticeable on the screen itself. Switch to advanced and the red is now off-line all over the screen. :rolleyesno:
So I fire up the laptop and start hunting for info. I see a lot about the convergence IC's and what happens to them, but I never see anyone describing the same interference in the red gun that I am seeing. I am wondering if I have a different problem with the red projector, or if this is simply another symptom of the IC issue.
My best friend is a electronics wizard and has tons of experience with soldering chips and boards, so I decide to open up the back panel to try and get the board out to take to him. I was seriously ashamed of how dusty it was in there... everything was CAKED with at least a half inch thick layer, tons of cobwebs everywhere, just overall a nightmare. I cleaned it all up with a can of air, and it all looks brand new now. No signs of coolant leaks like I had read about. Thinking that maybe it was all the dirt causing the problems, I fire up the set to check. Same problem.
I then pull several white harnesses to free up the board, pull it out so I can now actually see the IC, and then it hits me that the TV may be down for quite awhile before reassembly. I figure it might be a good idea to plug it all back in and take some detailed pictures in case I need help with where the different wires go. I also wanted to take some pictures of the screen itself for getting help with any additional diagnosis. Plug all the white harnesses back in, but one seems to be missing in the back left corner... there is a spot on the board for a harness to plug into, but I for the life of me can not find a harness to plug into it.
I plug the set in, and now I have the continuous green light of death. :hissyfit:
So that is where I am at now. My questions are as follows:
1. Is it possible that my issue lies in the red gun and NOT in the convergence IC?
2. Is it possible that the continuous flashing green light is caused by that one white harness not being plugged back in? If anyone is familiar with this particular set and can tell me whether or not that plug is supposed to be empty, you would be my hero.
3. How did this likely happen in the first place? Is it just random (bad) luck that it happened while I was out of town?... or is it likely that my roommate did something to cause this?
Any help or guidance would be GREATLY appreciated. I have background in mobile electronics and have done standalone engine management wiring, and just overall a DIY-type person when it comes to just about everything. I have also done a lot of stereo installs, so I am not completely inept when it comes to electronics, but RPTV's is a realm in which I have never dabbled. I purchased the service manual, and tried to contact a repairman that might be able to help. Being here in New Mexico usually creates a problem when trying to find good help, and this case is no exception. I would much rather attempt to fix this old box myself first before making 2 hour trips and paying several benjamins.
Thank you again for any insight.
-Rich