CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

listenlounge · Joined: 29 Apr 2007 Posts: 48 Location: NSW, Australia

Hi everyone
I am in the process of putting some rebuilt tubes into my 8500.
Have followed the Bill Blue cheat sheet and have discovered something odd that I thought I'd put out there for comment.

In the interests of getting the best possible setup, I pulled the harnesses on the astig board and the convergence board when I did all my raster centering, scan yoke levelling and toe in. The ring magnets were also set to their neutral point too. All convergence and astig settings were set t default as well.

Net result was a fairly good grid on screen, perfectly level, and tight in the middle. The astigmatism was good and the focus was tight at a setting of about 20.

So once I had that under control, I plugged in the convergence and astig, and the focus went to sh*t. Like massive. Have narrowed it down and it is the astig doing it. My dots now look like finely slanted lines. I cannot get it focused no matter what setting I use

Is this normal? Can I correct it with the flare magnets?

I just don't see how it can be all sweet until the astigmatism is plugged in and THEN get worse...

Am I missing something?

Cheers

redfox001 · Joined: 16 Mar 2009 Posts: 2257 Location: The Netherlands

You know the astig is controlled from the menu's?

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2016 2:10 pm Post subject:

It sounds like your astig settings are way off, or the astig output board has an issue on it. Both are possible. If the astig settings are at 50/50 across the board, plugging in the connectors should have no effect on the image.

draganm · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 8990 Location: Colorado

only time I've seen ans astig board turn Flare Halo's into Comets is on a board with a blown channel. Is it doing it on all 3 colors or just 1?

Make sure you haven't forced the connectors on upside down.

listenlounge · Joined: 29 Apr 2007 Posts: 48 Location: NSW, Australia

Tah guys

Redfox - yes.
Curt - yep, they're all at 50/50 across the board.
And it's all 3 channels. If you pull a channel, the problem goes away.

I figured that if the settings were 50/50 that the affect SHOULD be nil. But it's not.

I have a scope and can investigate, but wouldn't know what to look for. Curt is it worth digging around?

Bummer, huh?

What do you reckon? New Astig amp might fix it?

Cheers lads

Ben

Nashou66 · Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 16171 Location: West Seneca NY

It might be the Timings for the Astig . It is a complicated process to set the timings for that in the super secret Menu.

Nashou

listenlounge · Joined: 29 Apr 2007 Posts: 48 Location: NSW, Australia

So here's a random thought. I haven't used this unit since it was converted from an 8000 to an 8500 by using parts (CLM AWB and Amp, and yokes ) from an early 9000. Would the timings be different between the 8xxx and 9xxx series machines, considering they had different tubes?

Other possible culprits might be

1. I've just changed the battery? The set has not been used for seven years, it's been safely in a roadcase. Presumably the battery was dead, I never tested it, just swapped it out. I found the G2 levels set around 40 and the drives around 10 on this new CLM. Wondered why it wasn't too bright. Is this a likely side effect of the battery change out or was it set this way previously?

The focus is weird too. I get SHARP SHARP focus on the green at a setting of ZERO and the other tubes at about 15.

I do have the original CLM and yokes sans astig components. What say I switch them back?

Thx for your help.😀

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2016 3:51 pm Post subject:

The first thing to do is to pull the Astig connectors .
See if your dots go back to normal then .
If so then either the output board is bad or the CLM module has a problem on it

draganm · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 8990 Location: Colorado

listenlounge · Joined: 29 Apr 2007 Posts: 48 Location: NSW, Australia

Have pulled the astigmatism connectors, and straight back to dots. Plug 'Em back in, straight back to comets. Have checked astig settings and they are definitely at 50 across the board.

Anyone want to hook me up with some new yokes? I've got a spare CLM and amp on the way.

Cheers

listenlounge · Joined: 29 Apr 2007 Posts: 48 Location: NSW, Australia

Ah yes, and just did a full initialisation before any of this started.
Cheers

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2016 6:21 am Post subject:

I've got yokes!

barclay66 · Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2016 2:46 pm Post subject:

Hi,

As You put Your PJ together from several sources, are You sure that all of the magnetics are mounted onto the tubes correctly?
The right sequence is tube bell - deflection yokes - astig yokes - focus/convergence yokes - flare magnets. Each of those's ring holders should look away from the tube bell. Unexpected results could also be related to one or more of the magnetics being rotated wrongly. Maybe You should compare with an unmodified assembly...

Regards,
barclay66

mp20748 · Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2016 3:05 pm Post subject:

Tube Bell - Deflection Coil - Convergence yoke - Focus/astig yoke - Flare magnets(rings) - Neck card

barclay66 · Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2016 4:21 pm Post subject:

Oops, right...

listenlounge · Joined: 29 Apr 2007 Posts: 48 Location: NSW, Australia

Hi Gents and Ladies
At the advice of Curt I pulled the SWB off of the CLM, leaving the coils plugged into the Stig Amp. Everything went back to normal. Thus the supposed likely culprit is my SWB daughter board.

The CLM is original 9000, and has no Diagnostics menu in the Utils/Service menu, so I switched back to my original CLM for now - which is the same version board, but newer software and - BANG - will not detect the (supposedly) dodgy SWB. It comes up with "Stigmators not available"

I can now tell you this

200 hours since new. In 1995. Awesome.
CLM U35 Version 2.0 ( Old 9000 board was 1.1)
CLM U16 Version I1.5
DPB U7 Version D4.7

Do we agree with the SWB being the likely culprit?

Should I try buying another SWB and seat it into the original ( Newer software ) board and see if it is detected?

Gotta say, stig or not, I'm not really that fussed. Its going on the roof in 8 days and if I can't get it going with electronic astir ny then, to hell with it. It's throwing an awesome picture as it is, and I have new tubes in it, and another new set spare. I figure at 1 movie a week, I'm pretty much set until I'm dead.

Love to have further input...

Cheers

Ben

draganm · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 8990 Location: Colorado

barclay66 · Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2016 8:38 am Post subject:

Hi,

I agree with draganm. The software is older than anything that I've seen to date (my oldest versions are U35-3.1 / U16-2.4 / U7-4.8). But: Never change a running system!
If it was my machine, I wouldn't invest a single cent for some kind of patchwork-type improvement. This beast is now more than 20 years old and You don't know how long You will be able to use it until one or more parts start failing. I would use it as it is until this happens and then switch to a newer machine. Use the time inbetween for finding a replacement PJ.
Trying out a known working SWB is something that I would recommend only if (a) You're able to get one for a low price and (b) You expect that the picture improvement will be significant...

Regards,
barclay66

listenlounge · Joined: 29 Apr 2007 Posts: 48 Location: NSW, Australia

I'm Hearing you, Barclay
Curt is looking at pricing up a recent chassis, stripped down to VIM CLM BACKPLANE etc to go with my two sets of tubes, lenses and moome card. If the price is right, I think I'll do that. That way I have a known working chassis and two good sets of tubes.

Let's hope

I could always buy that NIB VDC 9500 LC ULTRA from eBay....

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2016 2:38 pm Post subject:

I've got two coming in this week, most likely at less than ebay pricing. Wink