CRT Graveyard

[j.fitzenr]

I haven't been around here in a while, but I saw something this weekend that made me think of y'all.  So, in my state, or at least my county, they're about to start charging fairly substantial money to recycle old CRT TVs.  (I believe it's $25 for a smaller one, up to $50 or $60 for a larger one) so they're having events and groups getting together to basically try to rid the world of the awful old CRT technology.

This picture makes me sad.  And I can't help but feel that somebody here, had they the time, awareness of it, and equipment, would've probably packed up every bit of this pile. 

I hope they're all having fun in Cathode Ray Heaven.

[jeremymtc]

I'd park a train there just out of protest.

[Slippyblade]

Charging to recycle is a sure fire way to get these things dumped into the nearest construction dumpster.  Stupid.

[GeoMan]

I am glad that my Viewsonic PF790 CRT is still working perfectly... (bought Feb 2000)

[aldub516]

50-60 bucks to recycle a tv? thats more money than i sold  my 65" rear projection tv... im good.. ill just kick the tv out the back of the truck on the side of the highway at that price..

[JDFan]

50-60 bucks to recycle a tv? thats more money than i sold  my 65" rear projection tv... im good.. ill just kick the tv out the back of the truck on the side of the highway at that price..

OR just stop by the local goodwill drop off 

[aldub516]

i have neither a truck, nor crt tv, no worries

[lilshawn]

we just got rid of probably 2 dozen arcade tubes. Blown out guns. We are having a hard enough time keeping buckhunter pro monitors going. damn guns are blowing out on them. they drive the ever living ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- out of these poor tubes.

in fact... I swapped one out just this morning. blue had zero emissions. nothing. zero. no shorts, no leakage. just....nothing  blasted it with the rejuvenator. still zero. it's like open circuit.

another one for the recycler. 

that is also my LAST spare working monitor... so any that crap out from here on out... SOL. 

[ChadTower]

OR just stop by the local goodwill drop off 

All such charities here stopped accepting TVs years ago.  Recycling charges for a CRT here are anywhere from $10-20 but Best Buy will accept one TV at a time for free.


The reality is that most TVs are now worthless for long term keeping.  They're of no use to us here in this hobby unless they have SCART or can be modded for RGB input.  Maybe that tiny percentage that have VGA inputs as well as composite and coax are useful.  Most are just big bulky boxes that don't serve much purpose anymore.

[pbj]

Same here, they won't accept them.  Goodwill still messes around with 13", but I live in the ghetto.

One charity, "Order of the Purple Heart" had a literal mountain of TVs next to their trailer.  Reminiscent of the burning tire pile in The Simpsons..... 

[Slippyblade]

Not sure if the Goodwill here in Phoenix still accepts them.  I see them in the stores all the time though...  with $1 price tags.  I actually bought a little 13" with built in VHS player the other week.  I needed a way to test VHS tapes and, for $1, that little guy was the ticket.

I also currently have my Pitendo plugged into it. 

[Thenasty]

goto to a local tv repair guy, said something wrong with TV. Call me with estimate to how much to fix it......... then just forget about it (let tv guy keep it) 

[ChadTower]

goto to a local tv repair guy, said something wrong with TV. Call me with estimate to how much to fix it......... then just forget about it (let tv guy keep it) 

They will either decline a CRT repair or take it in and then charge you storage after it is abandoned.

[pbj]

Well, your first mistake was going to a TV repair shop.  Nobody's done that in 10+ years.

[ChadTower]

Yep, around here that is about when they all went out of business. 

[Slippyblade]

When it's cheaper to replace than repair, why would you?  Not that I support that kind of consumerism, but that's where society has gone.

[CheffoJeffo]

For years I hoarded old monitors and TVs, preparing for the barren wastelands of the tube apocalypse and projects that would never materialize. Every one of them ended up at the curb during the great purge of sensibility. Fortunately Toronto has gone the opposite way of other communities and pickup of old tubes is free.

I guess I have three or four spare arcade monitors lying around in various states of repair and my tube rejuvenator isn't going anywhere, but no more stockpiling.

[pbj]

Black trash bag + those city issued cans that use a robot truck to empty them = free CRT disposal

Did get a notice on my door asking the community to stop putting dead animals in the recycling can. 

Stay classy, San Antonioians.

[Slippyblade]

Black trash bag + those city issued cans that use a robot truck to empty them = free CRT disposal

Nothing like heavy metals in the water table!  Good times.

Did get a notice on my door asking the community to stop putting dead animals in the recycling can. 

Duh, those go on the grill, not the recycle bin.

[ChadTower]

For years I hoarded old monitors and TVs, preparing for the barren wastelands of the tube apocalypse and projects that would never materialize. Every one of them ended up at the curb during the great purge of sensibility.

Same here.  For quite a while I had a stash of 20" VGA CRTs and a couple of spare Motorola b/w arcade monitors.  Eventually they all went (the Motorolas to other arcade collectors).  Now the only spares I have are all vectors.  I'm even starting to try and track down a VectorVGA or two just in case.  I already converted my Pin2k and PPII to LCDs.  My Berzerk has a VGA CRT in it (too much black level for an LCD).  My Defender monitor is dying again.  That one might be next if I can manage to sync it with a Gonbes and find a 20" VGA CRT (wish I had one of those back now, heh).

[lcmgadgets]

I still have 2 big crt monitors, 1 in use with a very old pc, the other collecting dust under the work bench in the basement.

Our governments should use a stick & carrot approach to getting rid of these. Incentives to recycle or reuse them, penalties for disposing of them in harmful ways

[j.fitzenr]

Just to let us all know that things aren't too grim... I shared these details with a group of kids I instruct.  One kid, about 13, said "as long as I have my one CRT I'm good," and elaborated saying that he has a "console" TV, that he uses to play SNES, N64, Genesis, etc. 

All is not lost!

[Ginsu Victim]

My local Goodwill still takes 'em, dropped off a few 13" - 19" TVs there. I still keep a 32" Sony on the opposite side of the living room for my classics corner.

[pbj]

Today I drove past a flat screen in a trash pile.  First one I've left behind.  They're easier to hoard but meh how many does a man need.

[matsadona]

That pic reminds me of my basement 

[ChadTower]

I just don't have the sapce to hoard anything anymore.  I'd like to be able to use my space, I guess, rather than just store crap in it.  Been selling off a lot of stuff lately. 

[ABACABB]

OR just stop by the local goodwill drop off 

The reality is that most TVs are now worthless for long term keeping.  They're of no use to us here in this hobby unless they have SCART or can be modded for RGB input.

Has anyone tried something like this VGA to S-Video or composite for a crt TV? 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/171592699798?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[pbj]

That pic reminds me of my basement 

You ever turn them all on at the same time and walk around naked with tissue boxes as shoes?

I would.

[Slippyblade]

That pic reminds me of my basement 

You ever turn them all on at the same time and walk around naked with tissue boxes as shoes?

I would.

Your next project thread going to be a Spruce Goose?

[pbj]

ITS NAME IS THE HERCULES

[matsadona]

That pic reminds me of my basement 

You ever turn them all on at the same time and walk around naked with tissue boxes as shoes?

I would.

Haha, never really considered that option 

Actually I'm going to do a videogames exhibition at the local museum later this year.

[DarthBS]

RIP so many CRTs

[Thenasty]

you can always dig a hole in the yard and bury it