While we're on the subject, did anyone ever write up what can/can't be run unplugged while testing deflection boards?
I'm currently tracking down a problem on some deflection boards, and it's rather difficult to get a probe in there with everything plugged in, which has reduced me to trial/error and/or comparing components in-circuit between known good units and defective ones. There's gotta be a more efficient way...
I usually start with the bare deflection board connected to nothing other than the bit of wiring that goes to the power transistors. After I've verified the low voltage part of the supply is working, I hook up the rest of it and work my way through by trial/error/symptoms.
But it would be a lot more convenient to run it on a bench for more than just low voltage testing. It'd be pretty easy to put a set of "spare" power/deflection transistors onto a heatsink, maybe add some sort of dummy load for the yoke... (Can I cheat with a suitable pair of resistors, or do I have to worry about impedance matching and find a suitable inductor? And do I need to bother, for example, with the connectors associated with the neck board and/or the connection to the HV supply?)