WG 4900 chassis/monitor, what to do?

[ifkz]

Hi All,

I have what I think is a dead Wells Gardner 4900 series monitor.  There isn't a model number on it, but from all pictures I've seen it looks like a 4900.  I would really like to get it working again (obviously).  It's been hacked, the neckboard is cracked and the previous tech jumped the cracks with wires, but this fix didn't last long.  My attempts at re-jumping things haven't worked out 
 
I've found that is a common monitor; parts should be easy to find.  I think a good neck board would fix it up.  It says a cap kit was installed in 1999, so they should be okay.

On the net, I can buy
1.  A WG K4900 chassis in need of a cap kit for $45 plus shipping
2.  A universal chassis from Alva Amusement International for the same price
3.  A universal chassis from 8liners for $65
 
What would you do?
 
I have a feeling I would be sending good money after bad because the monitor really isn't in that great of a shape. The burn on the tube is from the title screen of 1942...but then burn in is common to almost all arcade monitors, especially one this old.  Free advice is welcome and appreciated!!!

[Ken Layton]

Remember that the 4900 series has a flyback that is no longer available anywhere. The flyback generally goes bad with bad focus voltage so the picture can't focus sharply.

I'd say go with a replacement chassis from Alva.

[ifkz]

Thanks, I didn't know about the flyback on the original chassis.

I've seen your prior posts about Alva vs. 8-liners and you mentioned that Alva has two sites with different prices:
http://alvaamusement.com
http://yp.bellsouth.com/sites/alvaamusement/

How much should I insist on paying?  $45 seems to be in the back of my mind...

[alexred]

     One word of caution with the universal chassis.  I bought a Wei-Ya replacement for my K7000 and was disappointed.  There was significant blooming and the screen would brighten and then dim when the screen transitioned from one screen to another.  I have seen others reporting similar complaints.

[Pac-Fan]

One word of caution with the universal chassis.  I bought a Wei-Ya replacement for my K7000 and was disappointed.  There was significant blooming and the screen would brighten and then dim when the screen transitioned from one screen to another.  I have seen others reporting similar complaints.

Agree. I've tried both WeiYa (Alva) and JenShin (8Liners aka Atlas) in both the 19 and 25 size, and the JenShin win hands down for image sharpness (no blooming), none to least amount of geometric distortion with most donor tubes, and no image pulsing based on screen brightness changes.

Well worth the extra $20.  Note that I used the low impedence versions not the high impedence vesrion that a 4900 would require, so don't know about compatability with your existing tube.  I seem to recall seeing some posts here about some issues with either G07/4900 tubes/yokes, but don't recall which, as they vary between 40 and 55 ohms, and whether it was a WeiYa or JS problem. 

In that case, plus the fact you say it already has screen burn, I'd just recommend grabbing a tube from a TV (free to nearly no cost at garage sales/thrift stores/side of street/relatives) with low impedence and ordering the 8liners chassis. You won't be disappointed in that. Another minor benefit is the 8liners have onboard isolation as well.

Just mount it all in your existing 4900 frame and you're set, then remove the yoke from your old tube and sell it with the dead 4900 board and recover a few bucks from it, someone will probably pay $10-$15 for it on the auction sites.