My First Monitor Repair Attempt

[Mupes]

Pulled the Hantarex Polo 25" out of a Golden Tee. Zero burn, but monitor was doing the ticking time bomb thing. Threads here suggest bad flyback and/or HOT. Just got both along with a cap kit from Bob Roberts. I'll be recovering from knee surgery shortly, so I plan to spend some quality time de-soldering and soldering.

I did the monitor "car wash" using Simple Green and a garden hose. First the before pics...

 

[Mupes]

Now the after. What a difference! Will see how I do with the repairs...

 

[whoamonga]

How'd you get that monitor so thoroughly clean?

ignore that, read the entirety of your post...

 

[R3LL1K]

Some of you guys are real daredevils. I'm not brave enough to spray down a monitor chassis with a water hose. I'd be too worried that I didn't get all the water out from under an IC and it would end up causing a short. Besides I always felt that the back of the monitor wouldn't be viewable so who cares what it looks like. These things will end up getting dirty anyway, with the high electrical charge they hold these things really are dust magnets. The benefit doesn't outweigh the risk for me.

Good luck on your repair, you picked a helluva monitor to get your feet wet with.

 

[RetroHacker]

Some of you guys are real daredevils. I'm not brave enough to spray down a monitor chassis with a water hose. I'd be too worried that I didn't get all the water out from under an IC and it would end up causing a short.

Well, that's why you let it dry real good first...

If you let it dry out in the sun for a while, or let it sit for a day or two and dry, you're fine. Or, if it's not sunny out, I'll just put the chassis in the oven (at 150 degrees or so) for an hour or two.

You also don't have to use the hose and simple green if you don't want to. Sometimes I just run the chassis through the dishwasher. That works really well also.

-Ian

 

[eyeless]

let me know how your repairs go. Just pulled a 33" polo out of a deer hunter cab with no pic and just the clicking noise, so i am in the same boat as you.

Now my hot by the flyback is bu508a and bottom number of f9011, i look on ebay and they have bu508a but with different numbers on the bottom ?!? Is it just the bu number i should be concerned with?

 

[RetroHacker]

Now my hot by the flyback is bu508a and bottom number of f9011, i look on ebay and they have bu508a but with different numbers on the bottom ?!? Is it just the bu number i should be concerned with?

Correct. The number BU508A is the part number. The lower number is the date code. That part was made in the 11th week of 1990.

-Ian

 

[Mupes]

Some of you guys are real daredevils. I'm not brave enough to spray down a monitor chassis with a water hose. I'd be too worried that I didn't get all the water out from under an IC and it would end up causing a short. Besides I always felt that the back of the monitor wouldn't be viewable so who cares what it looks like. These things will end up getting dirty anyway, with the high electrical charge they hold these things really are dust magnets. The benefit doesn't outweigh the risk for me.

Good luck on your repair, you picked a helluva monitor to get your feet wet with.

As for washing, it does seem counter-intuitive to get electronics wet, but board washing to remove flux and other residue used to be a fairly common pcb assembly/manufacturing process. My wife and I both used to be engineers at Delco (eventually Delphi) Electronics in Kokomo, IN. It's less common now due to lead-free soldering and "greener" manufacturing. I know it'll get dirty again, but sure looks great now and couldn't really work on it in that condition. It is important t get everything dry.

let me know how your repairs go. Just pulled a 33" polo out of a deer hunter cab with no pic and just the clicking noise, so i am in the same boat as you.

Now my hot by the flyback is bu508a and bottom number of f9011, i look on ebay and they have bu508a but with different numbers on the bottom ?!? Is it just the bu number i should be concerned with?

Hopeful the flyback and HOT do the trick - Otherwise I'll be back here looking for help!

Correct. The number BU508A is the part number. The lower number is the date code. That part was made in the 11th week of 1990.

-Ian

Yes. BU508A is the HOT IC part # on my chassis, too. The Real Bob Roberts has them.

 

[R3LL1K]

Yes. BU508A is the HOT IC part # on my chassis, too. The Real Bob Roberts has them.

You can also use NTE 2300 if you have an electronic supplies store near you that stocks NTE parts. Fry's has them for $5-$6, that's not that great of a deal but if you only need a HOT it saves you wait time and with the shipping costs it doesn't end up costing that much more.

 

[eyeless]

Just ordered new flyback, hot and cap kit. I hope this works

 

[smalltownguy2]

Wow, your first monitor repair attempt, and it's a Polo?

You're a more adventurous man than I, sir.

Let us know how it goes....

 

[Mupes]

I will let you know - as long as you have that Vs Hogan's Alley kit ready for me when i finally land that Nintendo cab I'm supposed to get

 

[smalltownguy2]

It'll be here waiting for you, sir

 

[mecha]

to give you a glimmer of hope... usually the ticking is caused by a shorted HOT or bad flyback. if the Polo has a history of blowing the HOT frequently (like a chassis I have) then that's not good... but if it works fine for a long time and suddenly takes a shit, most likely it's a bad flyback.

I too had a 33" chassis that clicked, it wound up being just a bad flyback (with a visible 2 inch crack in the side) and the HOT tested fine against a new one.

to negate my previous statement, I have a chassis from my KI2 that worked fine for 2 years of me owning it, and I only discovered after the fact it had a backwards cap in it. while I don't suspect that cap to be the cause, it definitely must have a shorted HOT, I haven't had time to tear it apart though. I'm in the process of repairing a neckboard on a U5000 I just had rejuved the other day along with all the other work-related repairs I have to do lol

 

[Mupes]

OK - I got the HOT and flyback swapped. That was relatively painless, but it WAS a bit of a bear getting all the pins in the new flyback to line up in the pcb. I haven't done pcb-level part swaps like that in many years. It was kinda fun - but only if the stinkin' thing works now! Otherwise I'll be back here looking for help...

 

[eyeless]

good luck, hope it works for you

 

[Mupes]

Ok - got the chassis mounted back in the frame and the neck board reconnected to the tube, but it's like 15' away from any machine in my garage to test and hauling a 25" Polo with a knee I just had surgery on 4 days ago - while tempting - just doesn't seem smart. Wish my bro-in-law would get his butt over here soon. I really wanna see if this thing is gonna work - or go up in flames - or continue clicking like a POS....

 

[Mupes]

My First Monitor Repair Attempt - SUCCESS!!

Finally had the ability after surgery and the time and got back out in the garage. Moved the Polo into place outside the cab, reconnected the harnesses, and flipped the switch. No implosion, explosion, smoke or flames - so far, so good. No more ticking from the monitor chassis - also good. I hear the tube gently crackling as it warms up - not sure, but sounds like that's good. Hear the game sounds, but no image on screen - that's NOT what I was hoping for. Well, I swapped the flyback and it has pots that are meant to be tweaked, so I grab a screwdriver and VOILA! SUCCESS!! I am stoked.

Pics because it DID happen!

Gimme another chassis - bring it! Actually have a WG 19K4655, 25K7191, and a G07 that need some love.