Convergence-problems with WG U3100 & Happ

[Carsten Carlos]

Hello overthere!

I got a big convergence-problem with a WellsGardner U3100 19" (M2TS26H-chassis) I bought 1.5 months ago from Happ. Basically at the bottom I got a very annyoing red shadow / the red line is about 2mm above the rest of the horizontal lines there. In the middle of the screen convergence is quite good enough, though not perfect, at the top it's noticable, but still something you can live with.

I'm mailing with them for 24 days now.

Now they finally found out that it's not an easy adjustable thing (yesterday they told me I could try the rings around the tube but this is not a job to take on lightly) and that they can't do anything about it -  guess what they mailed me?

We have today emailed your latest photos to our Chicago head office and the
monitor manufacturer.

Convergence specs on the 19" TV type CRT are < 3 mm
at edges and < 4 mm at corners.  These pictures show the misconvergence to
be less than 3 mm at bottom edge which is in spec.

The consensus then is that this monitor is within specification.  Please
bear in mind these 19" Game Monitors are not the same specification as the
computer monitor on your desk both in the chassis or the tube specification
and are obviously larger and more curved which exaggerates the problem.

It may be possible to improve the current setting a little by adjusting the
convergence rings but this is not a job to take on lightly as you can make
the situation worse.  

>From the front of the tube there are two purity rings first and these are
even harder to set, so I really don't suggest you move these.  If they have
been knocked, look for the glue or paint line which is usually used to lock
them in place.  If it appears miss-aligned then carefully re-align them but
remember first where you found them in case you have to set them back.

Behind the 2 purity rings are three pairs of convergence rings.  adjusting
these together and individually will alter the convergence of each colour
but, as I said moving these should not be considered lightly.  With care
however, and by marking exactly, and carefully, how they were when you
started, you can try adjusting them and simply put them back to the original
setting if it doesn't help.

Hey, I can't believe that a convergence-issue around 2mm is in there specifications! Wells Gardner is the biggest and most used in game-monitors, or did I got something wrong?
Anyone here that got such a bad convergence, or got a knowledge what their specifications really are?

To add, I ordered this from Happ UK 'cause I live in germany. They billed me about $780 for this monitor - I somehow get the feel that they just want to take it back and refund me 'cause its that much money! In one of the earlier mails from them they stated me that this could also happen with a new one, so in my opinion they should fix it or refund me.  

[Carsten Carlos]

I got some pictures online of the screen showing a white grid:

http://www.mittelalterlicher-markt.de/temp/bottom.jpg

http://www.mittelalterlicher-markt.de/temp/middle.jpg

http://www.mittelalterlicher-markt.de/temp/top.jpg

I also have a total of the whole screen, but the digicam just doesn't catch the effect anymore when I photograph it like this. Of course, looking at the monitor in normal gaming distance shows the effect very strong, even during gameplay!

[SNAAAKE]

carlos,
i am having similer problem ..not as bad as yours but similer..try and get in touch with MAMEFAN..he knows what you can do to solve..but if you ask,i would say..try putting back the black coil wraping around the monitor in place..it happens when you use drill and other electronic device around the monitor,that wraping automaticlly moves or something by itself.i am still not sure what happend to my monitor,only has like a round spot where i am missing some color.

[x-wing]

Carlos - That sucks.  Does the monitor happen to still be under warranty?  If so, find a reason to return it and ensure that they won't just send you the same one back, if you know what I mean.  After having paid that much for the monitor in the first place, having to live with that problem would be unacceptable.

sNAkke - Most likely the black coil you are trying to describe is the degaussing coil.  Degaussing the monitor won't correct the convergence problem shown in Carlos' photos.

[Carsten Carlos]

Xwing, I bought the monitor from them just 6 weeks ago - plenty warranty on it!
Problem is that they now want to cheat me telling me that this is in the specifications!

I mailed one of the technicians at Wells about this, maybe I'm lucky and he mails me that they are wrong.

[Carsten Carlos]

The convergence spec is 1.2mm at the bottom.

Found this in the mail today, from one of the technicians at WellsGardner.

Either they try to cheat me, or this is all a big missunderstanding! Anyone else had problems with Happ? Always thought that american companys are very consumer-friendly

[SNAAAKE]

yeah i had problem with happ..they slaped a shiping cost for $36 on my bezel and retainer.its odd but last time i remember paying like $26 for a monitor and shiping cost on retainer and bezel is even more. SHAME SHAME SHAME

[MameFan]

SNAAKE wrote:
"i am having similer problem ..not as bad as yours but similer..try and get in touch with MAMEFAN..he knows what you can do to solve..but if you ask,i would say..try putting back the black coil wraping around the monitor in place..it happens when you use drill and other electronic device around the monitor,that wraping automaticlly moves or something by itself.i am still not sure what happend to my monitor,only has like a round spot where i am missing some color. "


Actually SNAAKE, we're talking about two different things here. While they sorta exhibit similar things, your problem clearly sounded like magnetism affecting one small part of the screen changing complete color representation (or lack thereof)

Carlos's problem is exactly what Happ/WG suggest... it's impurity in the manufacturing/configuration process that, unfortunately, IS in spec with the series of monitors.

Since his problem affects the WHOLE screen around the edge, and it's uniform, AND the colors arn't skewed (e.g. White consists of R+G+B, and you see all 3 in his pics), it's only that the gun's arn't aligned to hit the edges in the stripe at the same horizontal level.   (A magnetic problem will bend ALL of them horizontally as well as vetically, causing the red gun to actually hit the green stripe, making it colored wrong)

The degaussing coil will do nothing to help Carlos.

Basically, he CAN attempt to use the convergences rings (getting a good service/tech manual for his monitor, and  good convergence test pattern generator, which it looks like he has), and then adjust the purity rings around the neck.)


Yes, at the lowest level, magnetism is affecting both of you.  His is around the neck of the tube in the movable magnetic rings that bend ALL 3 beams of electrons before they ever come close to the front of the screen)

Your's with the discolored portion of the screen was where part of the shadow mask (screen with tiny holes in it just behind the phosphor coating) became magnetized and then bends the electrons into the wrong color spot because it's affecting it after the shadow mask, where it's job is to ensure the beams can only hit ONE color of phoshphor.


I NEVER have played with the convergence rings on an arcade monitor. I did it on a TV set that was miscolored where the rings slipped.  I didn't spend that much time as it wasn't important to get it "perfect" for video, where computer text from a game screen on an arcade monitor is much more precise.   I definitely don't envy you should you embark on this fix-it task!  But good luck!

[Carsten Carlos]

Carlos's problem is exactly what Happ/WG suggest... it's impurity in the manufacturing/configuration process that, unfortunately, IS in spec with the series of monitors.

Nope, at least I'm lucky with that. I mailed WG, there spec is 1.2mm at the bottom -I have 2mm which is fairly above, and Happ even stated that the manufacturer says its 3mm. Very very strange...

[Davestar]

Carlos,
     Are you going to return the monitor? I guess your in Germany, so I would think this would be an expensive proposition. I was considering one of these, instead of trying to fix my current monitor.  What's your next step?

--------------------
Dave

[Carsten Carlos]

Are you going to return the monitor? I guess your in Germany, so I would think this would be an expensive proposition.

Dave, at least I got it from Happ UK, so shipping shouldn't go about 70 Euro/$ I hope. This is still quite a lot of money - but I don't wanna keep the monitor this way. 790 Euro/$ for a monitor with this convergence is just to much.
I'll try to return it to them, but obviously they don't want to take it back and refund me.

I'll keep you informed what happen next.

Apart from that I still think that this is basically a very good choice for a MAME-only-cabinet, as I'm pretty sure that most of the WGU3100-owners don't have such convergence-issues.

[Davestar]

[quote author=Carsten Carlos

Apart from that I still think that this is basically a very good choice for a MAME-only-cabinet, as I'm pretty sure that most of the WGU3100-owners don't have such convergence-issues.

Carlos,
       Thanks, that helps give me a bit more confidence.  This would be a MAME only cabinet.

----------------------
Dave

[Arcade Video Games .co.uk]

If you get your money back take a look at www.hantarex.com
see what they have to offer ,there  based in europe and have an office in germany.there polo range is second to none and come in 15,25,31,35 and 38khz versions
there monitors are far better than those american crap.Dont settel for "its within our specification"thats bull.

[Carsten Carlos]

Things are starting getting better

I mailed them about there wrong statements (still politely), and they are now willing to refund me when I send them the monitor safely back.

Today the journey started - when I'm in luck the monitor might even be in the UK on Friday, we'll see. If everything wents ok and I have the money I'll post it here!