'Shimmering' Loewe CRT

[Andykara2003]

Hi guys - I have a problem with a very nice Loewe E3001 chassis consumer CRT.  I'm noticing a faint 'shimmering' that occurs across the screen which is especially noticeable when the screen is displaying lot of white.

It's difficult to describe and seemingly impossible to film but it's like a faint flickering, shimmering effect  Does anyone by chance know what this might be?

Cheers :)

[MonMotha]

Are you running an interlaced video mode?

[Andykara2003]

Sorry guys -I haven't described this too well! It's definitely not the effect of an interlaced signal. It looks a little like this:



Except that the effect is much more subtle and localised to areas of white or light colours....

[Paradroid]

I'm noticing a faint 'shimmering' that occurs across the screen which is especially noticeable when the screen is displaying lot of white.

Andy, man, you're a fussy fart when it comes to visual quality. Do realise that you may never reach the perfection that you're seeking?!

The last Loewe E3001 I had was a 70 cm model that I got for free. All the other E3001s I'd seen (which numbered far fewer than the more common E3000) had 72 cm tubes. Anyway, this 70 cm version had one of the best pictures I'd ever seen. Focus, color, geometry, stability, it was all there! However, I was hellbent on ripping out that awesome Philips tube to hook up to a vintage Grundig chassis I found on the side of the road).

Anyway, point of the story is that if you've scored a Loewe E3001 in good condition, you ain't ever gonna get much better than that. I would concentrate on setting up the TV as best you can (internal and service menu adjustments) and perhaps consider pimping it out without the highest grade caps you can find.

Every CRT is going to have some niggling issue and most will have far, far more than that Loewe of yours!

[Paradroid]

I forgot to mention: try disconnecting the degauss coil.

On a 20 inch Sharp I recently hacked for RGB input, unhooking the coil removed any trace of wobble from the picture. It's totally rock-solid now. Can't even detect the tinniest twitch.

[NickG]

If it really comes and goes like the youtube link; this may be your cable, I had a similar issue with an XM29.  I swapped in a better shielded vga cable and made sure it was secured at both ends and the problem went away for my pc.  The symptom still occurs and is worse if I use my Xbox (original) with sync-stripped rgb connection.  I think for the latter, the signal levels from the cable hack are my issue.

[Andykara2003]

Ha ha! Thanks for your candour Paradroid 

You're right, I am completely OCD about CRTs (and other things). You're the reason I got into the Loewe thing actually so you're partly to blame 

This Loewe really is exceptional & I had to go through 4 or 5 duds to get this one (Contur 2063). Having found this gem I really want to keep it running perfectly.

Thanks for the tip -  Could you give me direction as to where to find the coil & how to disconnect it?

Cheers...

P.S. Thanks NickG - the cables are all official and all connections are good (note OCD reference above) and I've tried swapping out other cables, consoles etc. & connecting directly to the TV without a scart switch etc. so that side's in order I think....

[Paradroid]

You're right, I am completely OCD about CRTs (and other things). You're the reason I got into the Loewe thing actually so you're partly to blame 

Hehe. You know, two things helped cure me: getting into using arcade cabinets and moving to New Zealand. The NZ part means that my TV selection is severely limited and the cabinet part means that I now only bother with CRTs that will actually fit in my cabs. However, the thrill of achieving RGB input using Jungle IC hacks means I still have 20 TVs sitting under the house.

Could you give me direction as to where to find the coil & how to disconnect it?

That's easy. The degauss coil will be strapped to the back of the tube. Simply follow the cable that connects the coil to the chassis and unplug it. From memory, Loewes have biased headers that prevent the coil from being plugged into the wrong socket. That said, best practice is to take photos before unplugging or altering anything so you can always reverse the change.

[adder]

.....I still have 20 TVs sitting under the house.......

greets Paradroid
i was reading some stuff lately, dont know how true it is but thought u might like to know (although u may have heard this already anyway):
i read that if you have crt tv's/monitors in storage, you should run them, say, once a year for an hour or so, because that really helps the electrolytic caps last longer, as apparently the caps can go a bit 'out of spec/drift/etc' if left for ages without use.
i'm not sure how true it is but anyway there you go. maybe it doesnt apply to the better quality caps, like eg. rubycon.. don't know

[Andykara2003]

That's easy. The degauss coil will be strapped to the back of the tube. Simply follow the cable that connects the coil to the chassis and unplug it. From memory, Loewes have biased headers that prevent the coil from being plugged into the wrong socket. That said, best practice is to take photos before unplugging or altering anything so you can always reverse the change.

Thanks again Taking your advice, I've decided to let up a little on the anal and just start enjoying my CRTs so thanks for that nudge. Not that I've finished collecting - I'm eyeing a nice looking black Calida 5255 E3001 and I'm also waiting for another 63cm E3001 although I may have a wait a bit for that.

I appreciate all your past advice on these Loewes; it's great to know that in 10-15 years when 99% of the well-preserved great CRTs are gone we'll all have a nice stash to keep us going for a long time to come