Why's my monitor sparking??

ELutz

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So, I get a call from a pizza joint I do work for, from time to time. They tell me their Contra's monitor is looking "funny". They opened it and said sparks are flying around the monitor. I assumed a flyback with a pinhole.....NOPE! They've had this game running like this for a year, or so:eek:

Edward
 

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It must have just taken a year or so for the dirt to build up to the point that it created a conductive path. Heh. The rubber boot is there for this exact reason - but it's not strictly necessary, it does nothing for the actual connection at the tube. Really old sets did not even have rubber boots.

I once was working on a TV set - an old one, which required removal of the picture tube to get at the chassis easily (the tube was bolted to the chassis/frame, and supported by it. Very different construction than a modern set). I had done some repairs, and reassembled it, reinstalling the tube. I fired it up, and it was working, but the picture was a little small and jumpy, and I kept hearing this buzzing noise. I look over on the other side of the tube, to find that I forgot to reattach the anode wire - it was hanging from the chassis support, about an inch or so from the tube, arcing through midair to the anode connection on the tube with a nice blue arc. It was enough to make the tube light up and work!

-Ian
 
For those of us monitor newbs, what's in the pic that's wrong?

The annode suction cup is missing! With the metal retainer clip just completely exposed. Combined with the rusty metal frame and some rust laden droppings onto the back of the tube, I imagine that all kinds of arcing to nearby metal was taking place. Reminds me of a Vanguard I went to check out one day. The cup was off the back, and the guy had it plugged in trying to make it work. I think he was lucky that his lead was long, because otherwise he would have had a nice light show for me when I showed up.
 
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Oh duh, I thought it looked like it was on there...I guess that was just the clean coating underneath ;)
 
ahhhha hahahaha

I guess I didn't look at the picture close enough.

It looked to me like the suction cup was on UPSIDE DOWN! Holy cow! Spray that tube down with some Windex and wipe that crap off!

I wondered how the HV could be producing a suitable image without direct contact, but figured it was getting juiced from the back of the wire through a crack or something

Yeah- just spray it, wipe it DRY, and slap a piece of shipping tape across that anode. It'll be good for another year!

K
 
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