CRT TVs

[eccerr0r]

Re: CRT TVs

If you have your CRT tuned wrong, nevermind UV from LCDs, you get X rays from CRTs...

[stj]

Re: CRT TVs

tuned? anode voltage too high you mean.

[rievax_60]

Re: CRT TVs

I have seen many non-original EHT transformers cause higher EHT voltages. I used to correct it by reducing the HT voltage or increasing the flyback tuning capacitance.

[ahendricks18]

Re: CRT TVs

I have a cheap RCA from 1998 that I use for all my old games and computers (C64, sometimes my Tandy 1000EX). They don't hurt my eyes at all. I just don't use it for new consoles. Which I don't have many, so there you go.

[kc8adu]

Re: CRT TVs

any tv from the 70's on has a shutdown feature if the hv exceeds a preset value.
even old sets the xray thing was overblown.hv rectifiers and shunt regulators were the source but they were in steel cages.

[momaka]

Re: CRT TVs

any tv from the 70's on has a shutdown feature if the hv exceeds a preset value.
even old sets the xray thing was overblown.hv rectifiers and shunt regulators were the source but they were in steel cages.

Ha, good to know. I guess things were just made better back then. I think it was precisely because of all of those X-ray safety stuff that CRTs were just better built. That, and the fact that there was plenty of space inside for components to be properly cooled.

By the way, I found some pictures of our 27" Philips 27RF50 CRT TV right before I gave it out on Craigslist.

[Pentium4]

Re: CRT TVs

^ Damn, that thing is a beast! I wish cameras did justice as far as displaying the quality of picture of the TV. They always look funny. I'm sure the picture looked great in real life?

Meanwhile...I have been keeping the CRTs in Washington state circulating The Zenith was given to Goodwill, the 27" Sony was given to a friend who had no TV at all, the 30" HD Sony was left with my old roommate to use (In exchange for free haircuts for life, ha!) Btw, she thought the thing was junk until she actually saw it in action.... She fell in love with the picture but mostly the sound, she's used to cheap LCD TV speakers, which are awful. Anyways....I couldn't live with having no tube so I snagged a 20" Daewoo from 2003, which had an excellent sharp picture, but the Stereo speaker didn't work no matter what, and the previous owner ruined the antenna jack so I gave that to Goodwill. Which leads me to....

My new toy!! I found this for free on craigslist. I absolutely love the look of this TV! For being made in 2002, it looks pretty sleek. Apex Digital had a very short run as a company, 1997-2010. Maybe a collectors item one day? I like the design on the front speakers and the front panel buttons. I haven't tested it yet, but it was said to work fine. All the caps in it are Jianghai but they look okay...for now. I've never opened or worked on a CRT before, still. I had to hold it up so it wouldn't tip over on the bed lol.

I plan on keeping this beast forever! It's a pretty darn cool TV and I'm glad I got it for free I expect the picture to be excellent. Anyone have experience with Apex CRTs?

[goodpsusearch]

Re: CRT TVs

Ive never heard this brand name before. Is this the maker of the TV?

[kaboom]

Re: CRT TVs

worstbuy house brand

likely funai guts

[Agent24]

Re: CRT TVs

The crappy silkscreen font for the rear jacks is a big give-away of it being a cheap Asian brand

[Pentium4]

Re: CRT TVs

Does Apex have something to do with Dynex? I thought they were worst buy's house brand. Looking through the back grille, every board has a strange logo on it. It could be Funai. I'm not as worried when it comes to CRTs. Even the cheapest brands seem to last forever! One of my friends had an Emerson (Funai) CRT in his work shop. It only had cable and he literally never turned it off. Vacation/gone, thing was always running...Not sure when he started doing that but it was 15 years old. Years of doing that though. Thing was disgustingly dirty but kept on working! CRTs seem to be built very tough

[goodpsusearch]

Re: CRT TVs

I have to agree. And the caps seem to hold better than LCD's power supplies

[Pentium4]

Re: CRT TVs

Yeah they do. How?? They use more power than LCDs, maybe because they are more open in the back so they breathe better?

[goodpsusearch]

Re: CRT TVs

Better ventilation. All the CRT sets I have seen have breathin holes in the bottom and on top or left and right side of the chassis. Lcds are crammed and they are getting thinner and thinner...

[kaboom]

Re: CRT TVs

Does Apex have something to do with Dynex?

IIRC, they both are, or were at one point. I think the OEM/brandholder behind Apex "diversified," and at one time spec'ced models for failmart.

Just like those "GE" walmart can openers, which are actually made by HKFA (hongkongflyapart), complete with plastic gears. No wonder they only last a month or so. WM bought the rights to the "GE" name for nasty small countertop appliances. If you flip one over and read the dataplate, the "Manuf." field does not indicate "GE," it shows walmart (povertymart). IOW, it's a "walmart" appliance, branded "GE." It's a reversal of what Sears did with the old Kenmore brand. Whirlpool made all the KM washers/dryers for Sears and KM was Sears-exclusive.

But now, those KM washers are LG monstrosities and hardly wash anything in their two cups o' water- that's another thread.

Looking through the back grille, every board has a strange logo on it. It could be Funai. I'm not as worried when it comes to CRTs. Even the cheapest brands seem to last forever! One of my friends had an Emerson (Funai) CRT in his work shop. It only had cable and he literally never turned it off. Vacation/gone, thing was always running...Not sure when he started doing that but it was 15 years old. Years of doing that though. Thing was disgustingly dirty but kept on working! CRTs seem to be built very tough

The latest/last Funai CRT design was "perfected" from the late 90s-early 2000's; they had plenty of time to practice. The combo units with either/both DVD and that horrible VCR deck (that always jumped gear timings) used the same basic chassis, but main power would drop out when (not if) that VCR locked up. Dirty/cheep mode switches and loose tolerances in mechanical parts always doomed those units. The VCR'd lock up, then the micro shut the power off, so as not to damage the nonexistent cassette they'd keep trying to eject.

But the basic ones, the 14 inchers without that damn VCR, seemed to be solid, refined designs other than caps. That Funai DVD drive often lost the red laser after between 1 and three years, killing DVD playback. The easy test was to try an audio CD- guaranteed to play. The IR lasers held up far better. Or they overdrove the red one to improve the SNR into their (questionable?) photodiode array and analog front end when playing DVDs.

FWIW, it would not surprise me if, during the 90's, there were some major "shake up" at Funai- this whas when they were dumping those $99 "supermarket" VCRs, with odd names like Symphonic and Broksonic. "Emerson" and "Sylvania" were also used (not the 80's Sylvania, which were Panasonic)- there were others, but I don't remember now.

I wonder if Funai was on the brink of something like a DVD chipset design/partnership, hence their giving all VCRs a bad reputation by dumping their junkboxes.

[eccerr0r]

Re: CRT TVs

I was always wondering about that "Brokensonic" name...

I still have one of their CRT TVs. My mom bought it, after telling her NOT to buy it...

[trebo]

Re: CRT TVs

I was always wondering about that "Brokensonic" name...

I still have one of their CRT TVs. My mom bought it, after telling her NOT to buy it...

Thanks for that, I needed a good laugh

[momaka]

Re: CRT TVs

^ Damn, that thing is a beast! I wish cameras did justice as far as displaying the quality of picture of the TV. They always look funny. I'm sure the picture looked great in real life?

Yes, the picture was quite good indeed.
Wasn't that big of a TV, though. Could move it myself if it had handles on the side (but it didn't).

If I ever get a CRT TV again, it would be (preferably) one of those 30+ inch sets. In particular, I really like the older (mid/late 90's) Sony CRTs with the flat vertical but curved horizontal screens - those are their best CRTs IMO... and toughest, too. The only "downside" is that they are SD only. But we all know resolution is NOT the only thing that matters.

Meanwhile...I have been keeping the CRTs in Washington state circulating

Well, I guess now is probably the best time to do that anyways. The best part is you can probably get several sets at a time and pick out the best. Lol, maybe even start a CRT TV review channel on YouTube . I know the Craigslist free section here has daily posts with CRT TVs.

I haven't tested it yet, but it was said to work fine. All the caps in it are Jianghai but they look okay...for now.

They will still probably last a long time.

I've never opened or worked on a CRT before, still.

You should. Maybe just open it to have a look inside and clean the dust. They are not as dangerous as people make them out to be, especially modern sets. And dis-assembly is easy.

It could be Funai. I'm not as worried when it comes to CRTs. Even the cheapest brands seem to last forever!

Indeed.
I am curious who made the tube in your Apex TV, though. And what technology it uses (i.e. shadow mask, aperture grille, or Chromaclear).

Whirlpool made all the KM washers/dryers for Sears and KM was Sears-exclusive.

O/T, but our house was built in the 90's and still has the original Kenmore appliances (fridge, stove, microwave). All work fine. Hence why I keep telling my parents they shouldn't get rid of them just quite yet. I think both the fridge and the stove will easily make it another 10-20 years.

But now, those KM washers are LG monstrosities and hardly wash anything in their two cups o' water- that's another thread.

Yeah, tell me about it!
Then again, the old 90's top-loading washer we had (Kenmore? brand) wasn't that much better either *and* it used.. no, wasted a ton of water.

I guess we do need us a washing machine thread, don't we?

[ChaosLegionnaire]

Re: CRT TVs

All work fine. Hence why I keep telling my parents they shouldn't get rid of them just quite yet. I think both the fridge and the stove will easily make it another 10-20 years.

aye, make sure they understand that they should never throw away anything thats still working. doing so just generates e-waste unnecessarily. u'd also be playing russian roulette and gambling with your money by buying "modern junk". doesnt make sense throwing away something that can last another decade to buy something that has planned obsolescence built into it and is designed to last only 1-3 years.

[Pentium4]

Re: CRT TVs

Just like those "GE" walmart can openers, which are actually made by HKFA (hongkongflyapart), complete with plastic gears. No wonder they only last a month or so. WM bought the rights to the "GE" name for nasty small countertop appliances. If you flip one over and read the dataplate, the "Manuf." field does not indicate "GE," it shows walmart (povertymart). IOW, it's a "walmart" appliance, branded "GE." It's a reversal of what Sears did with the old Kenmore brand. Whirlpool made all the KM washers/dryers for Sears and KM was Sears-exclusive.

PLASTIC gears?! Are you kidding me?? Wow. I didn't even think Walmart would stoop so low...No wonder it's cheaper! I have noticed that a lot of GE products don't seem to very good quality at all. What a shame, they have made some top notch stuff in the past.

The latest/last Funai CRT design was "perfected" from the late 90s-early 2000's; they had plenty of time to practice. The combo units with either/both DVD and that horrible VCR deck (that always jumped gear timings) used the same basic chassis, but main power would drop out when (not if) that VCR locked up.

Funny you mention that! The only Symphonic TV I've ever seen was my cousin's wayyyy back. I was jealous that he had a TV in his room, and I remember him saying: "Nah, that thing sucks. It was only a year old when the built in VCR failed. Now it's just heavier for no reason." And that was in 2002 when VHS was still "the thing" It's cool to now know why it broke. I wonder if he still has it. I could post about it

But the basic ones, the 14 inchers without that damn VCR, seemed to be solid, refined designs other than caps.

Yeah, even with bad caps I'd probably trust one of those over a recapped Funai LCD!

FWIW, it would not surprise me if, during the 90's, there were some major "shake up" at Funai- this whas when they were dumping those $99 "supermarket" VCRs, with odd names like Symphonic and Broksonic. "Emerson" and "Sylvania" were also used (not the 80's Sylvania, which were Panasonic)- there were others, but I don't remember now.

I wonder if Funai was on the brink of something like a DVD chipset design/partnership, hence their giving all VCRs a bad reputation by dumping their junkboxes.

I actually still see a lot of those Sylvania and Emerson CRTs kicking.

That's an interesting theory you have. It wouldn't surprise me!

Yes, the picture was quite good indeed.
Wasn't that big of a TV, though. Could move it myself if it had handles on the side (but it didn't).

I bet it did! I've noticed that even a SD CRT looks better when HD media is played through it though.

If I ever get a CRT TV again, it would be (preferably) one of those 30+ inch sets. In particular, I really like the older (mid/late 90's) Sony CRTs with the flat vertical but curved horizontal screens - those are their best CRTs IMO... and toughest, too. The only "downside" is that they are SD only. But we all know resolution is NOT the only thing that matters.

IF?! I think you mean WHEN Eventually you'll come across one and you won't be able to pass it up! HDMI on a CRT? It's one of the most cool things to exist I even prefer S-video on a CRT than SD on any flatscreen lol. Why was S-video even an option on non CRT TVs? It looks awful! (I'm talking video)

They will still probably last a long time.

Even being 14 years old?

You should. Maybe just open it to have a look inside and clean the dust. They are not as dangerous as people make them out to be, especially modern sets. And dis-assembly is easy.

Oh yeah? I'm still scared just because of what's been engrained in my brain over the years. To discharge, you just put a grounded screwdriver under the anode "cup" ? What I be at any risk just pulling the back off of one and analyzing it? I heard that a lot of units after the 90's had bleed resistors on the tube itself, is this true?

Indeed.
I am curious who made the tube in your Apex TV, though. And what technology it uses (i.e. shadow mask, aperture grille, or Chromaclear).

Me too. Since it's a true flat tube, doesn't that mean it has an aperture grille instead of a shadow mask? It looks like it's truly flat under the glass, I'll take a closer look. I'm really curious about these things. I get excited really easily, even over an old technology of a cheap brand. But I mean, come on, they're so cool I would LOVE to see how CRT technology would have developed by companies such as Sony. If I become a billionaire, I will hire the best engineers in the world to continue improving CRTs lol.