Help needed with WG 19' Monitor Robotron

[Pooman2084]

I bought a Robotron cabinet working yesterday!

That's the good news, the bad news is the monitor fell out (ouch - I know) and the neck pcb cracked.

I'm fairly new to monitors and was hoping to 'splint' the pcb i.e. gluing it together or suchlike and then resoldering the broken connections. Is this a good idea, or am i likely to mess things up even further.

Alternatively, assuming the CRT works, what other options are available? I'd rather not have to buy a new chassis, but I read that neck pcbs can't be replaced for some reason?

Any help would be greatfully appreciated, even if you tell me to STOP and just replace the whole kit.

[MameFan]

If the neckboard is broken, are you sure the tube is okay?  I'm gonna place a bet saying "NOPE".  

Did you hear the sudden loss of vaccuum pressure accompanied by the cracking of the tube?

Look closely at the neck of the tube next to where the neckboard attachs.  I'm willing to be the tube is toast.

Even if there isn't visible damage (I would find it so hard to believe if the drop was sufficient to break the neck board), there may be bent pins on the back, and that may cause the vaccum to be released.

I'm just pointing this out, because if you go through *all* the trouble of repairing the neck board [which I wont get into here] you may find yourself presented by a lightning show inside the tube once you reconnect it, before it dies and takes the rest of the monitor board with it.

A dropped tube scares me.. especially when it was enough to crack a PCB, which assuming it was connected to the tube means the tube sustained a large amount of force at its absolute weakest point.


I'd actually cut your losses and just go find a free or cheap 19" TV tube from the 80's (check thrift stores, houses on garbage day, rummage sales), and then go to 8liners.com and buy a brand new chassis for ~$73 shipped for a 19" one, mount the tube and chassis in your existing frame and be on your way again with probably a much clearer monitor with new electronics.

[Side note:] Why people want to spend big money refurbing old chassis (besides cap kits) is beyond me when you can get an old tv for virtually nothing and a chassis with brand new electronics for < $75, for between $75 and $100 you've got a new monitor with actually less work in the long run.  (See the "whoooo mama" thread in this forum for more info on the 8liners chassis).  I can understand in keeping a system "original" if it works, but spending hours resoldering and new flybacks and what not for the cost of a new one doesn't make too much sense in many cases.

[Pooman2084]

Thanks for the advice. On closer inspection there is a scratch/crack in the tube on the underside. You're probably right, if i turn it on it will probably implode and destroy what remains of the chasis *sigh*

So can I use virtually any old 19 inch tube from any tv as long as it has the right pin connections to the chassis? I should point out I live in the UK, so the will be PAL tvs, I don't think this should make any difference though as we'll obviously be operating in RGB rather than NTSC.

Do I have to worry about the inverse sync that Robotron uses? i.e. get a special chassis / CRT that will deal with that signal, or do all monitors take such an output?

Aarggh, I love Robotron and have been waiting to get this cab for months - what an idiot I am.......  (or the person that removed the screws from the monitor mounting plate was more like)

[Pooman2084]

All sorted!

Archer Maclean is letting me have a brand new WG monitor to treat my Robotron.

What a guy...........