[RESOLVED] Anybody know anything about TVs?

[window_washer]

I know this isn't PC related... but do any of the brains around here know anything about TVs?
It's a really nice Zenith, about 10 years old, and the picture has just become compressed into this bright pulsing line across the center of the screen. Whatever was causing the picture to expand vertically is gone (horizontal, sound, and signal are still just fine).

It happened over the weekend, lasted a couple of days, then went back to normal. Now it's screwed again, the same way.

I realize there's probably not a damn thing I can do about it... but I thought I would try the techs here anyways and see what the expert opinion was.


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In another lifetime, I USED to be known as Wayward Clam. But the Powers That Be have spoken, so who am I to argue...?

[Fubarian]

Sounds like either a short or the tubes goin'

heh, I'm a pc tech, not a tv tech though

try takin it to a repair shop?

[Blehboy]

Give it a whack on the side or wrap some tin foil around the rabbit ears. That usually does the trick. lol

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"Oh, baby. You are so talented...and they are so dumb." - Sheriff Bart, Blazin' Saddles

[MacGyver]

Some of the older TV's (15-20 years old) used to have a myriad of controls on the back for things like vertical hold, horizontal hold, etc. Sometimes those extra controls could salvage a picture, sometimes not. Try turning down the brightness all the way, sometimes that helps, too.

But if it's only 10 years old, it likely doesn't have any of that stuff. Best to toss it and buy a new one.

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I help others in the name of my Lord, Jesus Christ.

[bad_mojo]

There might be some pots on the insides that you can adjust that'll bring back your horizontal, but I wouldn't advise getting in there if you don't know what you're doing.

I have a degree in electronics and I learned just enough about tv's to know enough to stay out of them cause I don't know enough!

TV's can light you up like a christmas tree, even if they have been unplugged for months!!

[TheComputerKid]

My dad was a TV repairman :-D

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It says: "Cannot read from drive D:...."
It means: "... However, if you put the CD in right side up..."

It says: "Directory does not exist...."
It means: ".... any more. Whoops."

It says: "The application caused an error. Choose Ignore or Close."
It means: "....Makes no difference to me, you're still not getting your
work back."

[Fubarian]

<font face="Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Geneva" size="2">Originally posted by bad_mojo:
TV's can light you up like a christmas tree, even if they have been unplugged for months!!</font>

Naa, only the older ones don't have a bleeder on the 30,000v (give or take, depends on the tv) cap. Those you gotta look out for, but those are from TVs that the screen is 1/4 the size of the actual box and from like 1940s and 50s.

30,000v caps are FUN to play with. Kinda like a 1 farad 220v cap...hehe, sparky sparky

[bryan_the_tech]

I have a bad feeling that we are going to have a fried clam

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“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" Edmund Burke

[LPetrarca]

<font face="Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Geneva" size="2">Originally posted by TheComputerKid:
My dad was a TV repairman :-D

</font>

That would be me. Sounds like the deflection yoke is shot. It'll cost you as much or more to fix it than to buy a new one.



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"what'dya mean I hosed the whole thing? Is that bad?"

[AbSoLuTeZeR0]

hmmm 10 year old tv, maybe it sounds like its time to buy a new tv.

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I am the dreamer, You are the dream

[AbSoLuTeZeR0]

how big is the tv?

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I am the dreamer, You are the dream

[furlong47]

<font face="Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Geneva" size="2">Originally posted by LPetrarca:
That would be me. Sounds like the deflection yoke is shot. It'll cost you as much or more to fix it than to buy a new one.

</font>

Do I know about television? Why, that is my major

He is correct. The electron gun is simply tracing over and over the center of the screen without moving vertically. I would suggest finding a good repair shop (working inside a television receiver can be very dangerous) or buying a new TV.


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[window_washer]

Thanks for all the advice, folks, you have been very informative. I was considering bringing it to our local TV repairman for a quote, but I know he charges $60 an hour and takes forever to finish his jobs, so we are probably just gonna look into getting a used TV as a replacement. That is, unless it turns out our house insurance covers it.

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In another lifetime, I USED to be known as Wayward Clam. But the Powers That Be have spoken, so who am I to argue...?

[Jpbtennisman]

<font face="Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Geneva" size="2">Originally posted by bryan_the_tech:
I have a bad feeling that we are going to have a fried clam

</font>

Mmm and i'm damn hungry too ..here clammy clammy clammy...dinnertime..hehe

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[This message has been edited by Jpbtennisman (edited October 16, 2001).]

[GJFowler]

Deflection Yoke failure is possible, but uncommon. If it comes & goes it's quite likely to be dry solder joints. If you know a radio ham or electronics hobbyist who would be willing to solder over the circuit board for you, that may bring it up. ONLY if they know what they're doing, as others have said, there are dangerous voltages in TV's.

Don't fiddle with any adjustments to see if it fixes it, it won't & we hate getting "fiddled" sets in for repair.

Other possibilities for a 10yr old set include dying electrolytic capacitors, or some other component failure, possibly temperature sensitive. A set of that age will use a combination of discrete transistors and integrated circuits for its operation, there will be no tubes, except for the CRT (picture tube).


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