I’ve had a faithful old analog CRT TV for a couple of decades. Last night I looked up and saw that the screen was overwhelmingly green, with some yellow shades. All the blue was sucked out of the picture.
The problem is not the channel (I flipped through the spectrum) nor the input signal (I disconnected the external HD converter box), so it must be the set itself. I know I can buy a new HD TV for cheap, but I’d like to stick with my old set if it is easily and cheaply fixable.
So, you electronic gurus out there, can my old set be saved or is it a goner?
It’s certainly fixable, but it’s probably not economically sensible now. It seems like every garage sale around here has at least one 19" TV going unsold even when it’s tagged $10. For the most part, people are all too happy to get rid of their bulky old TVs.
First, note that novice DIYer fixing of CRT TVs is a Bad Idea*.Which means taking it to a repair shop. Which involves several issues, from finding one still in business to the heart attack from hearing what it costs to fix it.
Several possibilities, in increasing badness:
A loose connection, possibly at the connection to the back of the CRT.
The blue circuit has a fault.
The blue filament has blown.
Things like the latter 2 mean it’s gone. Try a good whack to the side to see if the color changes and maybe the first is going on. But don’t count on it.
I agree that this is definitely not a DIY adventure unless you’ve worked with lots and lots of electronics before.
My boyfriend restores antique televisions for a living. I’m guessing that yours probably isn’t that old, but he might be able to give you some advice. If you’re interested, send me a PM.
I am in no way condoning repair, this is not advice, I am not an electrician nor am I a lawyer.
But I watched a guy repairing a refrigerator. There’s a pretty hefty capacitor used to kick over the compressor. It holds a similarly hefty charge. He used a special tool to discharge the capacitor to make it safe to handle:
A well insulated pair of needlenosed pliers. each end placed across the leads, causing a short.
Course, on a big enough capacitor, I’d imagine it’d weld the pliers to the leads.
Standard method is to wear gloves, take the HV lead off the picture tube and short it to the chassis with a screwdriver. It draws a 1" long blue spark before it gets there.
I burned a hole in the blade of a screwdriver with a mere 110v at some point in my youth.
Back when I was a Methodist, I wired a light dimmer in the auditorium of a church for a musical the youth group performed. I turned off the circuit breaker and posted a former friend of mine to keep folks away. He went out for a smoke anyway, somebody reset it, and I grabbed 110v. I lost fives minutes out of my life, apparently spent walking up and down the hall making reference to “The Motherfucker who turned out the fucking circuit breaker”.
The Preacher asked to speak with me, and I told him about the screwdriver, escaping excommunication.
