Sony PVM Series Monitor Questions..

[Zebidee]

That's good to know, Uprightbass360! I'm interested in knowing more too ....

I was wondering if someone could help me with another, related question. I've found on my PVM2730s that, over tiime, they will eventually develop a horizontal 'wobble' that will eventually become more frequent/worse over time, until you give up using it. So far I've lost one monitor to this.

A few years ago I was lucky enough to find myself talking to the guy that used to repair them for the audio-visual/TV industry (he worked for a big local company, not an individual). I say "used to", because even in 2004-5 they had fallen out of professional use and the guy told me that they didn't see them much anymore. 

Back on the horizontal wobble - he said something about it being horizontal deflection, and that it happens to all of the PVMs eventually. When I asked about servicing/repairs, he advised me not to because it would cost like $1-$2k just to get them serviced even though their million-dollar facility was mostly unused now.

Sooooo .... I was wondering if anyone out there is familiar with this problem and what to do about it? Mainly because I have like 5-6 of these monitors and the one I use in my main cab is starting to wobble sometimes ... I guess I could just replace the monitor, but it seems terribly wasteful ....

[mike boss]

Thanks guys for the info, im really upset. I got a good deal on the monitors no doubt, but myself taking the easy route has cost me. I say that because I decided to pay a few more bucks and have them delivered to save time. However had I gone there I would never have left with monitor number three. I guess with getting married I have very little time so the 1st option seemed the best. I have a limited (very, very, very limited) skill set...... and my know how is lacking to the fullest extent of the word.

This weekend (if I have time) I plan on trying to remove the monitor from the case. I will try to do the alignment. No doubt the green is off, you can see a clear green outline around the pictures on screen.

Now for the other problem I have. On the left side of the monitor the RESET button doesnt work. And any of the buttons on the LEFT that require you to press "+" also dont work. With that said I am unable to adjust the HUE,COLOR,SHARPNESS,ETC.

When I got the monitor the color was no doubt off, and I tried to tinker with it. Not knowing I could open the back and fix the alignment ? But shortly after realized the "+" buttons dont work. Now I dont know what I will do. I feel I am stuck with a monitor that is of no use to myself.

[Zebidee]

Now for the other problem I have. On the left side of the monitor the RESET button doesnt work. And any of the buttons on the LEFT that require you to press "+" also dont work. With that said I am unable to adjust the HUE,COLOR,SHARPNESS,ETC.

When I got the monitor the color was no doubt off, and I tried to tinker with it. Not knowing I could open the back and fix the alignment ? But shortly after realized the "+" buttons dont work. Now I dont know what I will do. I feel I am stuck with a monitor that is of no use to myself.

This seems obvious, so forgive me if you have done it already - I have a PVM 2530 here, and on the back of it there are two on-off switches for 'remote' and 'manual'. Have you tried playing with them?

[mike boss]

i did indeed, infact (on mine) if you dont have "manuel" selected that option wont even light up. i get it to light up, and again anything that is pushed with a "-" sign works. its everything else that doesnt.

[BASS!]

That you would probably have to disassemble the front of the unit and look at the adjustment board itself. As with all things these get worn out. I do not know exactly what type of switch they use, but I image you could re wire some micro switches to make the contact. It is also possible one of the cables has gotten loose or damaged over the years.

That's good to know, Uprightbass360! I'm interested in knowing more too ....

I was wondering if someone could help me with another, related question. I've found on my PVM2730s that, over tiime, they will eventually develop a horizontal 'wobble' that will eventually become more frequent/worse over time, until you give up using it. So far I've lost one monitor to this.

A few years ago I was lucky enough to find myself talking to the guy that used to repair them for the audio-visual/TV industry (he worked for a big local company, not an individual). I say "used to", because even in 2004-5 they had fallen out of professional use and the guy told me that they didn't see them much anymore. 

Back on the horizontal wobble - he said something about it being horizontal deflection, and that it happens to all of the PVMs eventually. When I asked about servicing/repairs, he advised me not to because it would cost like $1-$2k just to get them serviced even though their million-dollar facility was mostly unused now.

Sooooo .... I was wondering if anyone out there is familiar with this problem and what to do about it? Mainly because I have like 5-6 of these monitors and the one I use in my main cab is starting to wobble sometimes ... I guess I could just replace the monitor, but it seems terribly wasteful ....

I would say see if you could track down a service manual, and open up a new thread for qrz ken and grant to give you a hand tracking down bad components.

[mike boss]

Thanks guys for the advice, its been a big help.
I dont know when I will find the time, but I do plan on trying to take the monitor apart.
If I can even  get ONLY the RESET button to work im sure I would be ok.

When I first got the monitor it looked very green, in fact I think I will need to remove the backs from all of them and correct this problem. (if I understand correctly I can rectify this by doing that) ANYWAY ........ it looked very green. So I was playing around with some options. I had used the "-" button for each option, and planned to start using the  "+" to fix this. However it was later I realized ALL of the + buttons dont work, nor doest the reset. As per the instructions , the buttons should BLINK....they dont.

So if this switch option (which Im sure is out of my scope) works I should be good. Perhaps I will be able to find someone local who can help, even if it costs a few bucks.
As is I have wasted money anyway.

thanks

[Jack Burton]

hey mike,

I have a remote for one of these monitors I think.  I'm not sure since I don't have anything to test it on.  Does your monitor have an IR port? 

Also, does it have a REMOTE port on the back, cause if it does then your could probably use that to change the settings on your monitor. 

[BASS!]

I've got 2 and all they have is volume and input. I wonder if there is a way you can pass info to the set via the remote port, but I have no idea where that information would reside.

[Ummon]

That could explain the 'green-ness'. I initially though mine were messed up, or that my TV out sucked, and then I played with the tint and stuff enough and realised they were just set all screwy.

[mike boss]

I know the monitors say they have an optional remote, however Im not sure what functions it will controll.

[mike boss]

I have this link to the manual : http://www.mediacollege.com/equipment/manual/Sony/monitor/pvm2030.pdf

Looking thru it, it does apprear the remote doesn't do much. Sadly it looks like the majority of the adjustments need to be done from the front ! AGAIN ..... my major issue is the buttons don't work. I am working now on taking this monitor out of the case.
At that point I am going to see if I can clean the contacts or find a lose wire. That would be the easy solution. I'm such a NOOB..............no other way to say it, I'm a NOOB, and my knowledge of these things are slim.

Of the three monitors I got 2 of them work fine, the picture is good and I'm more then happy with how MAME looks on them. However the two working monitors are very green, one more then then other. I know in this thread it was said I could be able to adjust that from some controls inside. I will indeed look into that.

One of the monitors when displaying WINDOWS seems to always re-size the image on screen/flickr but during game play is fine.

I realize these are older monitors, and all be it they were cabable of displaying a wide array of images at varried quality I'm overall happy. I don't want to be a stickler. I paid a fair price and really cant complain. My only concern is when I see these Lil issues I feel they are going to break down soon ! But (fingers crossed I'm wrong!) and they don't!

They (well two) play and display MAME well and Street Fighter II: Rainbow looks good! End of the day that's what I wanted, however I cant stomach that one is BOTCHED ! So if I need to invest a Lil time and research I will.

I thank you guys all for your help. Any other ideas suggestions let me know.

As is (and let me know if I missed something) :

** When I remove the casing and back I should be able to adjust the alignment ?
IE - this could help to tone down the green and eliminate some of the "colored shadows" I see around text

** Once the casing is removed look for a loose wires in/around the adjustment board. This would be a simple solution and perhaps get my "reset" button working.

[mike boss]

I saw this on another forum I visit. I think all 3 of my PMV's could use this adjustment.


The yoke has a ring stack. The first stack is for purity, if your colors are good there's no need to adjust purity.

The next two stacks control convergence. Second stack converges blue and red at the CENTER of the screen. Separating the rings moves the beams horizontally and turning them together around the yoke moves the beams vertically.

Third stack converges Magenta (Red+Blue) with green and works the same way.
Of course this may differ slightly depending on the monitor, but the means and the end are the same on all. The best way to adjust this is a screen full of white 1's and 0's or a white crosshatch pattern.

In this case, if it's a convergence problem (Could be contrast or brightness, have to see what's drawn on the screen) it's due to yoke alignment IF the center area of the screen is fine.

It's perfectly safe to adjust this with the screen powered, just try not to touch the feeds from the board or you'll get a nice buzz (I got zapped about 5 times last night from the neckboard on one of my monitors, due to it being cramped in the cab where I needed to adjust)

[Ummon]

I think if it's green, it's likely you need to be able to adjust the tint, etc, from the front controls.

[BASS!]

Yeah, now that I look back, mine were way off when I got em. I did all of my convergence with a 640x480 crosshatch cropped to 640x240, then set the resolution to 640x240. You only want to adjust the mechanical convergence / purity if the digital controls have absolutly no effect. If they are broken, they need to be fixed first. You may be able to source some parts from someone selling the monitors on craigslist or the like. There is also the convergence board that will fine tune your convergence from the back of the unit to try before you mess with the yoke, and risk completely messing up your monitor. Mechanical convergence is a royal pain in the --I'm attempting to get by the auto-censor and should be beaten after I re-read the rules--.

* I actually bought some boards for mine off someone gutting one a while back, I wonder if he still has any left. I'll pm ya if there is any news.

[mike boss]

so you guys would not suggest i mess around with the back of the monitor ?
and concentrate on trying to see if i can get the front controlls to work ?

* i do recall in this thread that it was mentioned there is a way to adjust this in the back of the monitor (inside) - i take it that would be my best and 1st option ? *

[Zebidee]

If you open it up, try checking the white connectors, which you'll find (inside) on the left and right sides. Make sure that they are all plugged in properly, if you can.

With a bit of work you can actually un-plug the connectors and (with a screwdriver) change the front-side control panels out and swap them with control panels from another monitor, if this helps.  It might be easier than swapping dynamic convergence PCBs.

[mike boss]

OK OK............let me make sure I follow.

on monitor A my adjustments dont work, but on monitor B they do.
I can simply swap out the part, reset the monitor, then put them back together ?

sounds easy enuff ! if i understand correct.

[Zebidee]

OK OK............let me make sure I follow.

on monitor A my adjustments dont work, but on monitor B they do.
I can simply swap out the part, reset the monitor, then put them back together ?

sounds easy enuff ! if i understand correct.

Yeah - it is worth a try I reckon. Just make sure you are happy with the setting for the donor monitor first, JIC! If this doesn't work then you know that it is something else.

[mike boss]

Thanks guys for all the help! It would really pain me (I'm cheap) to think I cost myself a monitor by actling like a tight --I'm attempting to get by the auto-censor and should be beaten after I re-read the rules--. I should have taken the drive out there to test the items, I guess in general its never good to buy anything site unseen.

As is the item isn't even usable, and that sucks.
I get married in a few weeks (5.2.9), then I should be off the entire month of May.
During that time I plan on completing my MAME project.
www.mymissiontomame.blogspot.com
And do the work on the monitor.

[mike boss]

I thank you guys all for the info you provided.
I guess the only issue is I don't know when I am going to have time,nor do I know if I can pull off the repairs. I'm not the most tech savvy guy, and find stuff like this a lil daunting. I decided I would put the one (of three) Sony PMV monitors on Kijiji (Toronto) for $75. That is what I paid for it, and I wouldn't be out of pocket if I could get that.
From what I read on this site I don't think the problem is major, however I  think it is over my head. I know with the age of these monitors they need a lil work. Two of the three display fine, and when MAME is on I have no issue with the picture.
My issue then becomes, do I try to open up the monitor case ? Do I make the adjustments so that I cant see the red outline,etc.........

Another part of me wants to tinker with the one monitor, see what improvements I can make to it. Then apply them to the two monitors I plan on keeping. I had bought three because I needed one. (Good logic!) One monitor is going right into a Dynamo cabinet that is my MAME project. ( www.mymissiontomame.blogspot.com )

The second I will keep for a possible other project in the future, perhaps a classic cabinet of sorts. Or just to keep in the event that Sony number 1 kicks the bucket.
The  third there really was no use for..............so again up for sale it goes.

[mike boss]

My add on kijiji didnt get me any buyers for my semi-busted Sony PVM. So today I found the time to de-case the monitor. The back has now been removed.

A few things to note :

I see the board in the back right of the monitor, however I dont see a means in which I can adjust in myself.
I also see where the adjustments (hue,brightness,etc) plug in. They are connected, I see no issue with that.
It would appear I will need to remove the front part of the case to disconnect this. Upon doing so I can examine for damaged wires or swap out the part with a working part.

I still feel I will be unable to fix this monitor, however I feel my best shot is getting the adjustments to work.
As it seemed ok prior.

Can someone also remind me best way to reduce the amount of green. Would that be to fix the adjustment buttons ?

[Zebidee]

I see the board in the back right of the monitor, however I dont see a means in which I can adjust in myself.

Some adjustment of the trimpots there should be possible, but be sure mark original positions with a felt pen first.

I also see where the adjustments (hue,brightness,etc) plug in. They are connected, I see no issue with that.
It would appear I will need to remove the front part of the case to disconnect this. Upon doing so I can examine for damaged wires or swap out the part with a working part.

You'll need to loosen some long screws/bolts accessible from behind the screen corner posts (I think  ). On some of my 27" Sony's these front bits were starting to come off as the "cubes" (as they are called by the roadies that move them) have been rough-handled through many different sites and the bolts had sheared (broken).

I feel my best shot is getting the adjustments to work.

Agreed

Can someone also remind me best way to reduce the amount of green. Would that be to fix the adjustment buttons ?

Get the adjustments to work - try swapping the panels! Good luck

[mike boss]

Thank you guys again, I know some of the questions might be DUMB .....but again I'm a novice.
I will take some pics of the inside so it can be confirmed what the TRIMPOTS are, I think I know.
Then hook up a VCR/DVD player to see if the changes do anything positive.
As you said I also think its best I get the front of the monitor off and switch adjustment boards.
That seems to be where the problem got worse, so IE it should get better if I could fix that.

I guess in the end should I fail with this, I'll hang onto this monitor for parts.

[mike boss]

I had a question and thought I would revisit this post for any hints you guys could offer.
I have three Sony PVM monitors, two work well and one is shot.
As noted prior the adjustments on the left side of the monitor dont work.
The reset and all buttons that require you to press "-" dont work.
It was suggested to take a working part from one monitor, do the adjustments, and put it all together.
Ive begun the process of opening the damaged monitor, but am having little luck.
Then I noticed on the left side (rear) a connection.
Ive included the photo. My guess is this is what is required to do the adjustments.
Without having to do more work
(a) am i correct, and this is indeed the adjustments
(b) if so, could i not open the other monitor to the same state, leaving it mostly intact. Unplug the connection, plug it in to the damaged monitor and do the adjustments ?

To simplify, once I pull the back off I can just unplug the connection. I would assume the adjustments would gain power when connected ? That is the hope anyway

[Zebidee]

I don't have exactly the same PVM as you, so I can't be 100% sure.

Get a good light and try to trace the wires. If the wires seem to be going  to the front side-panels, then you are in luck!

Is there a DIP switch on that connection PCB?

[mike boss]

I'll take another look at it tonight and see if I can trace the wires.
I had begun taking this apart but haven't found it to be an easy task.
I realized I'd (at some point) need to discharge the monitor.
Anyway the other day I was downstairs and just kinda stared at the monitor for a bit.
That is when I noticed the wires coming from the side of the tv with the adjustments.
There are no other wires coming from that side ! So I thought perhaps (if I'm lucky) these wires control the adjustments ! Thats when I cam to the realization that if indeed that was/is the case I can easily remove the back of the other monitor. Simply unplug the connection from one, and plug it into the other. If that would allow me to press the rest button I might have rectified my problem.

Anyway I will take a closer look tonight and see what I can figure out, however I don't know that a closer look will reveal anything. I'm almost tempted to simply try this experiment anyway. (But more info would be great)

The little board that the wires plug into does indeed have a connection and is labeled "dip." I'll trace the wires tonight and take a picture. Ill also post my findings as to where they go.

[mike boss]

Hi guys as par for the course with me LONG TIME NO SEE !
Anyway I've had a ton going on in my life and my projects have all taken a back seat.
But now I am trying to start a family and in doing so I CAN'T SPEND MONEY. Soooo I have decided to get the jump on my projects again. Second guessing myself in connection with partial laziness is a bad thing. But anyway my MAME project is long started and long stalled. (www.mymissiontomame.blogspot.com)
I just got around in the last few weeks to completing the project and I've had to revisit my monitor install. I've had a real hard  time with this and its more based on me having no confidence then anything else. Anyway the shelf has been built and I did notice that I will %100 need to de-case the Sony PVM to fit it into this Dynamo cabinet.
That turns out to be a blessing in disguise. Once I've de-cased the Sony I will indeed try to simply unplug what I am pretty confident is the wiring for all the font adjustments. Im hoping that by unplugging the wiring for the working Sony and connecting it to the non working Sony I should see the panel light up. (Indicating its working)
I can't see the second monitor having to be powered up for this to work ?
Any other input would be great.

[mike boss]

WISH ME LUCK !
I just completed and installed the shelf in my Dynamo MAME cabinet.
(www.mymissiontomame.blogspot.com)
It's now time install the Sony PVM monitor.
I know that I will need to remove the casing to ensure it fits.
So the plan is tonight to begin (and complete I hope) that process.
Once removed I will try to disconnect what I'm pretty sure if the connection for the front adjustments. Ill plug that into the connection on the other monitor with the non-working adjustments. Hoping it isn't an issue with the board itself and it is indeed the buttons I would hope this would resolve the issue. Even if it just allows me to pus the reset button I should be able to get the monitor displaying in color. As I noted prior in this thread I had begun testing all my 3 PVM's. Trying to get them to display a picture I liked. The one particular monitor had a very green picture no matter what I had done. So I turned everything down to begin the adjustments. Well to my surprise I was unable to use any adjustment that had a + symbol, not to mention the RESET didn't work either. Thanks to the help of the knowledgeable members of BYOAC the general opinion is that my idea could work. I can't see how I would harm the monitors as I don't plan on powering up the second monitor. (see pics in the earlier post for more specific info)

[Zebidee]

You won't harm the other monitor by removing the control panel connections. In fact, you could even turn it on while the panels are missing and it won't cause a problem, as far as I can see (I have done this with my 27" PVMs, zero problems). Just make sure that the monitor is turned off when you actually remove or replace the panels.

Good luck!

[mike boss]

Well guys I tried it and................................IT WORKED !
I was nervous cause I'm a noob at first was like WTF ? Cause the controls didnt light up on the non working PVM. I dont know how it escaped me, but duh, I was using the adjustments from the working monitor.
Anyway the reset worked, I put a mirror in front of the monitor so I could do the adjustments and judge as to weather it was ok or not. IT WORKED, IM SIKED, in fact it might be the Sony I use in the MAME project.

[Ummon]

pictures.....

[mike boss]

I did take a few which are over on my blog.
www.mymissiontomame.blogspot.com

Tonight I plan on hooking up the MAME PC and trying it on all three of the monitors.
I will pick the one with the best picture for the actual cabinet itself.
Ill post some pics of the testing process, some screen shots, and the picture that shows the adjustments plugged in from one monitor to the other.

Needless to say I am very happy. I often get nervous working on things, and I was concerned that it didn't work at first. Not realizing "DUH" I had unplugged the damaged monitors adjustments and would be using the working ones. I guess for some reason I thought the controls all be it unplugged would still light up. Wasn't a big mistake, took me a minute to clue in and when I saw the monitor display in color I was very excited.

I used a modified XBOX playing a DVD to test the picture. I was extremely busy last night so didn't really fine tune it. But I will do that tonight. Pictures will follow !

Thanks again guys for all your help !

[mike boss]

It never rains, it pores ! Thats my life !
went downstairs today to test each of the monitors running mame.
seems im having ram issues and seems as if the video card has failed.

[mike boss]

I've done tons of testing and posted many pictures and results over on my blog site.
www.mymissiontomame.blgospot.com

I'm having several issues now getting everything working.
Without making this a long post. It would appear that my videocard is now unable to send out a signal powerful(?) enough to display on my PVM monitor.
Ive tested the monitor using standard RCA video jacks and it has worked.
Ive tried a DVD player using s-video and it works.
However s-video coming from the PC to the PVM monitor does not display an image.
It has prior, but since installed it no longer does ............... just my luck.
I also tested the PC on 2nd Sony just to be sure, but same results.

[Ummon]

Well, get another card. A true byoac'er has spares of....everything.....

[Zebidee]

I've done tons of testing and posted many pictures and results over on my blog site.
www.mymissiontomame.blgospot.com

I'm having several issues now getting everything working.
Without making this a long post. It would appear that my videocard is now unable to send out a signal powerful(?) enough to display on my PVM monitor.
Ive tested the monitor using standard RCA video jacks and it has worked.
Ive tried a DVD player using s-video and it works.
However s-video coming from the PC to the PVM monitor does not display an image.
It has prior, but since installed it no longer does ............... just my luck.
I also tested the PC on 2nd Sony just to be sure, but same results.

Sounds like your problem must be to do with the PC or videocard, as the monitors work fine.

Standard videocard input signals normally work, we know this because you tested it before.

Standard helpdesk operating procedure - make sure that everything is plugged in properly, and ensure that the videocard is seated properly in its slot. Try getting a pic on a normal VGA monitor, if that is still possible. Then make sure that your video settings are all right.

If all that doesn't work, then follow Ummon's advice

[mike boss]

Today I'm going to get a new s-video wire in the event that it is the problem.
And I will start tracking down a video card. MAME (as I'm sure we all know) doesnt need any uber high end card.
Most retail and even discount computers stores in/around me (Toronto, Ontario) seem to have cards that are a lil pricey. I'm trying to track down a very simple card, perhaps 128MB that has s-video.
I have a friend calling a friend I hope it works out.
I'm very upset.

[Ummon]

I really recommend trying the DB25 input.

[Zebidee]

I really recommend trying the DB25 input.

Ditto. Follow the thread where Ummon works out how to do RGB input via DB25.

[Jack Burton]

Agreed.  I think you'll be astonished at how good the image can be through the RGB input. 

I saw your melted finger on your blog.  Damn that ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- hurts!  I did the same thing a while back working on an identical monitor.