*freeze frame*
*record scratch*
Yup, that’s my CRT Emudriver cab. You’re probably wondering how I ended up in this situation.
It all started with the Hantarex going out with sparks and a bang, and then only working with a loud hiss. There already was screen burn, caps needing replacement, and now a flyback on top of that list. Not to be left out, this machine doesn’t have a monitor chassis frame and no way of working inside. It was time to write this one off….
Here is a short summary of my search for a replacement monitor:
1. Bought a Sony Trinitron TV. Turned out to have 30.000 hours on it and not to fit in the cab.
2. Bought a Philips 50Hz TV. Fit perfectly but started humming and flashing before I could even decase it.
3. Bought a Philips 100Hz TV. Good picture but it turned out these TV’s use multiple circuits board with huge cooling so this was a no fit either. Also weird geometry issues depeding on the resolution.
*cue to me breaking down and buying an lcd*
A 26 inch 1920*1200 lcd is a perfect fit! With GSLS shaders it works quite well and the PC has been upgraded accordingly.
;
So, what have I learned from all this:
1. When you work on a big CRT like this one, make sure you have a big space and a monitor frame or your life will turn sour quickly.
2. 28 inch TV’s used to be the center of living rooms and are almost all end of life. Besides of it taking months to find them, every one I got turned out to have at least some malfunction. This is why it took so many months to follow up.
3. If you replace a tube in an old frame, get your bog standard Philips type TV. The fancy sony ones don’t fit the original mounting holes.
These pics contain a spoiler of the controls, that will be a topic for next time!