Is it bad to adjust covergence rings in tube?

MKtrill

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The convergence is off on one of my monitors by a tad, and i was just curious if it was harmful to adjust the 3 convergence rings on the tube while it is on, or period. Im simply asking becuase i heard from someone to " never touch them" and thought i would ask the experts on this.

Thank you
 
unless its real bad leave it alone. Most convergence issue are due to the yoke bieng bumped, out of place, or because it lost a rubber wedge.

If you feel you must mess with those, CAREFULLY mark them before messing with them

if converge is good in the center but krappy on the edges, messing with the rings prolly wont help
 
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I'd leave it alone unless it's really bad. I tried improving the convergence on my Space Duel and it just made it worse (after an hour of futzing).
 
Don't fear the rings.

Seriously, I've adjusted them with the monitor on. I couldn't imagine trying to converge it without seeing it :confused:

Put a big mirror in front of the game and give yourself an hour to mess around with it.
 
The rings are there FOR adjustment. That said, you're not supposed to be mucking with them unless you're a qualified technician.

I agree, this would be impossible to do with the monitor OFF. It helps to have a good mirror for showing the screen while your hands are in the back.
 
Just adding my limited convergence knowledge to the thread...

Several (many? most?) Wells-Gardner manuals explain the convergence adjustments fairly well. I just looked at a K7000 manual (p5-7), and a K4600 manual (p4-6). These manuals, and many others, are found here: http://arcarc.xmission.com/PDF_Monitors/ (scroll down to "Wells..."). I found the diagrams very helpful. I skipped the "color purity" and "vertical centering" steps, and went straight to the "static convergence adjustment". I've got one monitor that appears to need the "precise adjustment of dynamic convergence", but I haven't got around to messing with it yet...

One other thing, don't just try reefing of the adjust tabs lest you break them off. Some (newer) monitors have a "locking ring" that squeezes the assembly to lock them in place. Many monitors have a stripe of glue applied after factory adjustment. If the glue is old and hard, be very careful. I have broken the plastic rings trying to get it off. The best advice I've seen for dealing with this is to use a razor to cut straight down between the rings (parallel to the rings) to allow them to spin, but leaving the glue attached their edges.

I agree with the posters that say don't be afraid of them... they are there for being adjusted. But words of warning are apt; if not carefull and patient, one could easily get frustrated and end up with things worse off. And as cadillacman said, it seems more likely to me that the yoke has become wonked over the years than the ring adjustment being tweaked. That said... I suppose changing components on the chassis could necessitate a convergence adjustment.

Oh, and yes it pretty much must be done with the power on; preferably with a test pattern (i.e. grid) being fed in.
 
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Its certainly not for the faint of hearted, or low skil level.

You must work slowly and carefully. If in doubt, leave it alone, call someone, or take it somewhere to adjust.
 
Thank you to all for the help and time, when i find the right amiunt of time, ill check it out, and let you know how it goes!
 
Use a game pcb that will put out a grid pattern. With a grid you can tell if your yoke is rotated/crooked (the grid will be tilted) and you can easily see the convergance problem, and which gun it is, with the white lines. See what color is off of the white grid, then adjust the corresponding ring.
 
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