Bought a B&K 470 rejuvenator

[ncflagg]

So what's a decent one that's not a fortune? Say $20-$40. I've seen b&k and sencore's on ebay.

What about these:
Sencore TC162 Mighty Mite VII
SENCORE MIGHTY MITE 2 TC 114
SENCORE CR-143
b&k 143
b&k 465, 467, 470

I want to use them on my Sanyo 20ezv and Matsushita 19" for instance.

[Ken Layton]

I can't say much for Sencore since I have no experience with them. Their products are way way way overpriced and they only support products manufactured only as far back as 5 years.

B&K is great. Product support goes back to 1970 (the model 467 rejuvenator). The oldest model (and still the best, IMO) is the 467. The good models are 467, 470, 480, and 490. Be advised the 490 is made in two versions: the original 490 (which uses the common "CR-" series adapters) and the 490-B (the very latest model and uses the all new "CA-" series adapters).

As with any rejuvenator, you'll need the various "adapters" that plug onto the back of a particular picture tube to connect to the rejuvenator. On B&K units, 90% of arcade tubes use adapter # CR-23 (your Nintendo will use that one). Your Matsushita is an oddball tube though. I lost my notes on what adapter it uses, but it was either CR-30 or CR-25. Be sure the B&K model you bid on has the adapters you need to use with your tubes. At the very minimum you MUST have CR-23 to do most arcade color monitors.

To use a rejuvenator the monitor power must be unplugged and the tube MUST BE DISCHARGED or the rejuvenator will be DESTROYED!

Rejuvenators do still fetch some money on ebay. If you found a good model for $20 to $40 consider yourself very lucky indeed. New ones go for $2,000 and most used ones go for $300 to $700.

Edit:
After poking around a bit on the B&K website, I've discovered they have discontinued manufacturing all CRT rejuvenators back in May this year. However they still provide Service, parts, accessories, and manuals. Here's the setup/instruction manual: http://bkprecision.com/www/NP_search_model10-TP.asp?lf=CRT+Tester+Charts

[Level42]

Is this an alternative:

http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/crtfaq.htm#crthmc1

?

[ncflagg]

How about the Sencore CR143? I understand the B&K 466 might work with a rigged adapter and a switch to test all the guns one at a time?

[Ken Layton]

As I said earlier, I have no exprience with Sencore. I do know factory support for that model is zip. The only model they are supporting is the current model CR7000. There's limited support on it's predessesor the CR70.

If you can follow the conversion instructions, the B&K 466 is a marginal rejuvenator. It's a pain in the ass to modify it for the CR- series adapter.

[ncflagg]

What year did the B&K 467 come out?

[Ken Layton]

I understand the 467 was in production from 1970 through 1977. I have one and it's loaded with just about every adapter ever made. This is an excellent model.

[ncflagg]

I just bought a B&K 470 but it does not have a CR-23. I've heard you can possibly still buy them from B&K for $50 or so but since I have a spare neckboard I'd like to just make one (unless I can find one for $20 instead of $50). Where would I find the schematics for what pins go where? I might just cut one of the ends off of another adapter that isn't useful anymore. Which one is the most useless? My 470 is shipping with #2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, & 18.

[Ken Layton]

I believe all of those numbers are for black & white tubes. CR-6 is used on the amber monitors in English mark Darts and Merit Pub Time darts.

If you have black & white games I'd not destroy any of those adapters. Remember B&K sells a "universal" adapter now and the latest setup manual has all the pinouts for many tubes. I think you can still buy the CR-23 adapter straight from B&K.

[ncflagg]

I saw that someone made a universal adapter out of some rubber-coated alligator clips. I think I'll go that route rather than paying for one made by B&K. ($75? ouch)

[Ken Layton]

No, don't use alligator clips. It's too easy for them to slip and touch adjacent pins on the tube causing a short. Use "mini-grabber" probes instead.

I've been kicking around the idea of building a few CR-23 adapters to sell to people.

Somewhere I've got the paperwork that came with some of the original B&K adapters that show their wiring and specifications of these adapters.

[ncflagg]

I found a PDF that shows the wiring of different adapters so I can rewire one of my B&W adapters into a CR23.

http://www.bkprecision.com/download/documentation/100-CRT.pdf


   CR23 from B&K 467,470 Molex Connector #02-06-2132 (female)

         (numbers being tube pin numbers)

___/-\____
|9   10   X |----____ /--\
|5    X    8|  --------| 0 |  <-----CRT Connector    (I made my own CR23 out of a TV tube connector and this layout is correct)
|6   11   X |             \--/
|7    X    1|
-----------


Does this look right to you Ken?

[tta583]

I was poking around trying to find a post (here and on a different board) where someone took an old neck board and made themselves a CR23.  Could not find it...I recall they even had a pic.

Anyway, I think I recall the plug on the B&K being molex or some standard connector???  The guy in the original post took an old neck board from a "standard" monitor (G07, 4600, 4900, etc, etc...All use the CR23) and striped the components off.  I want to say he even cut the board back just to make it smaller.  He then, simply, attached wires to each pin on the back of the remainder of the PCB that corresponded to the pins in the neck socket.  He then pined those wires into the connector to match up to the B&K spec.  TaDa!!!  home made CR23.  I want to say someone even gave him the junk neck board so he was only out a little time and the connector.


BTW, for whatever its worth I have a Sencore CR70 Beam Builder.  I LOVE it.  No need to have a billion adapters for different pin-outs.  The unit comes with a selection of adapters for the various physical neck sizes and pin spacings.  I want to say only 5 or 6.  They are reversible in that each side of the adapter is a different size/spacing.  You get a 2 for one adapter wise.  The "pinout" is set up on the face of the unit.  The setup guide tells the user the adapter number and how to set up the unit per tube.  It even comes with a "universal" adapter built upon the mini-grab type clips Ken mentioned.  The downside is price and, as Ken mentioned, possibly support.  When I was shopping they were a little higher than the popular B&K units.  Not sure about support.  Never had to look.  In my case a local TV guy that helps me out from time to time has had one for years with no problems through God knows how many tubes.  He also still gets setup guides from Sencore (he gave me his old one which was newer than the one I got with my unit).  Based on his experience and me being able to look at him for some hands help I went with the Sencore.  Just some stuff to consider.

[ncflagg]

Now that you mention it...that's what I'm going to do. I did a successful tube swap of a TV to a WG4900 awhile back so I think I'm going to use the tube adapter from that. It came apart from the neckboard nicely. I still need a CR31 though for the 17" Sharp Nintendo (Red Tent) monitors I have (and I think the Matsushita 19" also) so I'll probably still make a universal one.

[Ken Layton]

I found my paperwork on the "CR" series adapters, including CR23. If you want a copy of the CR23 paperwork, email me at KLayton888@aol.com and I'll send it to you.

I've scanned them and submitted the scans to arcarc for posting. Don't know how soon they'll post them though. I  have scanned a bunch of stuff (around 2 dozen manuals) and submitted them over the past 4 months to arcarc. They still have not been posted. 

[tta583]

This may help.  The core info on the connectors is from ... Ken!!!

http://forums.webmagic.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=2&Number=234227&page=69&fpart=2&vc=1

[HaRuMaN]

Ok... what is a rejuvenator?

[ncflagg]

I got my rejuvenator (aka tube analyzer/restorer) to bright up my monitors when a cap kit failed to fix the problem. It can tell you how your tube is working by testing the three color guns and in many cases repair weaknesses by jolting the interior components with electricity.

[ncflagg]

I tested the my custom-made CR23 (out of a TV adapter) on my upper Nintendo Playchoice monitor. All three guns tested in the red with no shorts so I rejuvenated all three guns. It looks like a brand new monitor now (may have a yoke problem...I can see blue flying in several directions). My lower monitor looked ok but a little blurry so tested it also and found the red gun a little weaker than the other two. I did a Clean/Balance routine on it and the reading for the red gun actually went down. Low and behold when I hooked it back up it was crystal clear too! Is it possible for a clean/balance to have that big an effect?

[Ken Layton]

"Clean/balance" is the weakest of the two rejuvenation settings. Yes, even that setting can make an improvement. I always start with that setting unless the tube is severely weak (like barely moving the needle).

I bet you're saying, "how did I ever get along without this?" aren't you?

[saint]

I found my paperwork on the "CR" series adapters, including CR23. If you want a copy of the CR23 paperwork, email me at KLayton888@aol.com and I'll send it to you.

I've scanned them and submitted the scans to arcarc for posting. Don't know how soon they'll post them though. I  have scanned a bunch of stuff (around 2 dozen manuals) and submitted them over the past 4 months to arcarc. They still have not been posted. 

Ken - if you want to send them to me, I can put them online so they're available until arcarc officially puts them up?

[Ken Layton]

Saint:

I've sent you all the instruction sheets I have.

CR-12
CR-23
CR-25
CR-30
CR-31
CR-XA

Of those, the CR23, CR-30, and CR-31 will cover 99% of the color tubes used in arcade game monitors.

[ncflagg]

Yep. 

I can see how it could be easy to go overboard and ruin a monitor with this thing trying to get everything into the green. I'm glad I stopped with my last monitor even though the needle on the red gun went from green to yellow. Somehow it still looks better.




----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> I bet you're saying, "how did I ever get along without this?" aren't you?

[saint]

Posted!

http://arcadecontrols.com/files/Manuals/B-and-K/

[ncflagg]

No, don't use alligator clips. It's too easy for them to slip and touch adjacent pins on the tube causing a short. Use "mini-grabber" probes instead.

Where is a good place to look for these? I saw something possibly similar at Radio Shack. They were spring loaded at the end and I'm not sure if they would fit.

[ChadTower]

That's the type he is talking about.  They come in all sorts of sizes.  Radio Shack probably only has the one, which are small.  I use those.

[ncflagg]

I built one with the little spring loaded probes and it works great. Fixed up my 1943 with it.