Removing TV from case

[shmokes]

------ INTRODUCTION HEADER BY SAINT -------

The information in this thread is of an extremely high technical level and potentially dangerous nature. Messing around with the inside of your monitor can hurt you, it can potentially kill you. This is not a joke. Trying to save a few hundred dollars at the expense of your health or life is a poor trade. If you don't know what you're doing, don't do it.

------------- Shmoke's message follows ---------------

I might have to take the casing off my TV to make it fit in my cabinet if I want to use it as the monitor (and I do).

This strikes me as an issue that would have previously been covered here, but I can't find anything so......

1- How can I mount/secure it to my cab?  I was planning on just building a shelf, but that was when I was going to leave the TV intact.

2- What problems am I going to run into besides the 27" tube weighing a ton?

3- I don't know how to discharge.  How long must I leave it off and unplugged to ensure my safety once the case is off?

4- Am I a fool for even considering this?

Thanks

[SirPeale]

Standard rules still apply here.  Discharge the caps before you do anything.

You could build a mounting bracket out of wood, as is seen on the Dynamo cabinet on my website.  See the cabinet section for pictures on that.

Of course, I'm talking out of ---my bottom--- on that one.  I've taken apart many, many monitors, but never a TV.  Monitors (all the ones I've taken apart, anyway) are secured to the case with four screws in the corners of the tube.  Not sure about TVs, but I'm sure it's similar.  If not, someone will chime in...

[MameFan]

> "Discharge Caps"

This statement doesn't make sense.  If you're going to be working on the board or detaching the tube from the board, then you need to ensure the tube is discharged.  

In this case, to make work easier, yes, they do need to disconnect the anode wire to easily get at removing the tube, which means they must ensure the tube is discharged.


In any case, I would seriously suggest NOT attempting to remove it from the case.  Why?

1) TV's run on a "hot chassis".  If you pull everything out of the non-conductive sealed plastic case and somehow figure out how to get it mounted in your cabinet (see points below), ANYTHING metal attached to any part of the board or tube inside is 120 volt HOT.  If you are like most people, you will want to run a ground wire to some part. As soon as you power up. POOOF!!! Your TV board is fried.  Even if you don't "accidentially ground" something you are left with 120 volt hot metal inside your cabinet, waiting to bite you or someone else.  In which case, you *MUST* buy and use an Isolation Transformer to make it like a real arcade monitor, at which point it is safe to again ground and touch anything metal.

2) I've seen 2 types of mounts for the tubes. 99% of them have flanges protruding from the 4 corners. These are held into place into premade ridges in the plastic front with 4 screws with huge washers on them.  (THe other type is a funky type of corner clip that relies on friction with the tube, protected by cork, and attaches with 3 instead of 1 screw, again into specially molded plastic. )  By removing the tube from the front of the plastic, you now have NO way to mount the tube safely.  You will need to go out and either buy some  3/4" to 1" thick plywood or MDF and cut it VERY VERY exactly around the front of the tube (which is curved on the edges) so that there is enough wood in the corners to support drilling a hole in each to run a bolt thru to connect to the 4 tabs in the corners.  All the while, risk damaging/imploding the tube while its out of case and you're making measurements and testing it for fit. Of course, this would be best to buy and make a metal monitor bracket for it, but again you need accurate measurements to get it right.

3) Once mounted on a board or metal frame, you need to find a (safe) spot to mount the electronics board and what not (and isolation transformer) and of course reattach the anode wire and ensure you have all your grounding (internal to the monitor that is) springs/wires firmly wrapped around the bottom/back of the tube touching the aqua dag.  Also, did you get the degaussing wire propely adjusted around the perimeter of the front of the tube when mounting?

All in all, it can be done, but if you've not worked with raw tubes before it can be very risky, especially when you're trying to make your own supports for it.

[shmokes]

You're no fun.  

Screw that; I'll think of something else.  I'll probably have to use something else for the monitor as that TV will not fit in the cabinet if it's still in the case.  Maybe I could call a TV repair shop and see what a technician would charge to do all that stuff for me...  

It's such a shame, though, to have to do something like buying a D9200 when I've already got a 27" TV with S-video I can use.  I don't know when I'll be able to afford a D9200 either, I've already been bleed dry by the rest of my cabinet,  but I've got to get 27" as I've already purchased a 27" bezel from Happ  

[shmokes]

Damn...another hangup.  I've got a couple of TV-out guns on order from ACT-labs that are scheduled to ship on the first of June.  Those won't work if I put a d9200 in my cab.  Bother.

[SirPeale]

> "Discharge Caps"

This statement doesn't make sense.  If you're going to be working on the board or detaching the tube from the board, then you need to ensure the tube is discharged.

So sue me.  I meant 'tube.'  You try typing meaningful posts in with a arm full of baby and a three year old yelling at you in the next room.

Anyway...what he said.

[paigeoliver]

My Artic Mini mame came from the factory with a frameless arcade monitor. The tube bolted up to a mounting board and the boards go on the side of the cabinet. I replaced that monitor with a TV type tube and it bolted right up.

All you would have to do is make a mounting board to fit your 27" tube. You will probably also have to extend the length of a few of the wires between the tube and chassis, so that you can mount it on the side of the cabinet (I had to do this).

It came out great though, AND it allowed me to use a standard 19" arcade monitor bezel, so the installation looks perfect.

[shmokes]

I don't know.  These people have kind of scared the bejezus out of me.  I think I'd probably better not mess with it unless I can get the help of a TV repair person.  Especially all that bit about the hot chassis and making an Isolation Transformer.  See someday (within the next 3 years) I'm going to move.  And I have to put this thing together in the room that it is going to stay in cos it's too big to get through my hallway and around the corner into the room (old apartment with narrow hallway) in it's assembled state.  So when I move I'm going to have to break it down and I don't want to die then either.

I'd love for someone to tell me that I've got nothing to worry about (but only if it's true) cos I really can't afford not to use this TV I already have for the monitor.  No matter how I slice it, though, it won't fit without De-casing it and tossing the speakers, etc.

If I could even somehow just cut off the top and bottom of the case.  I've got enough width on my cab, but there's about four inches with speakers and power/volume/channel controls on the bottom and about two inches on the top that have to go if I'm to fit it in my cab.  What a pain.  

I'll supply anyone who wants to make a trip to Southern Utah with all the food and liquor they can handle if they want to come set it up for me, LOL  

edit:  And just think, you could pick up two or three more wives while your in town  

[MameFan]

I didn't say you can't do it. I also gave the warnings and ways to protect yourself.  However, it still is risky.  I rip apart old 19" TV's all the time (with a much lighter tube in comparsion to a 27") and they're HEAVY!. If you want to do this you can, but here are the steps you need to do to protect yourself against physical and electrical harm:

1) Buy a 27" arcade monitor frame that can accept your tube out right.
2) Buy a $12 isolation transformer (www.therealbobroberts.com)
3) Discharge the tube and remove the anode cap and disconnect the neck board and ground wire and remove the electronics from the TV.
4) Remove the 4 corner screws bolting in the tube into the front of the TV plastic frame
5) With help from at least 2 others.. 2 of you lift the tube from the corner flanges while the third person removes the plastic shell from underneath
6) Set the tube on thick carpet or foam.
7) Carefully lower the new 27" arcade frame around the tube.
Run the bolts (that came with the frame) thru the flanges from underneath and use washers and nylon lock nuts on the back
9) Ensure frame is secure, then figue out a way to mount the electronics board to the monitor frame base. Use nylon/plastic stand offs to isolate from metal frame.
10) Reattach ground wire and anode cap and degauss wires and neck board.
11) Cut the power cord close to the monitor leaving at least 12" of cord.
12) Mount the isolation transformer to the monitor frame, isolating it with nylon or something
13) Attach the cut cord still attached to the monitor to the hot and neutral OUTPUT side of the isolation transformer (white line = neutral, black = hot)
14) Attached the bare cord cut to the INPUT side of the isolation transformer
15) Plug in the TV and see if it works. (NOTHING connected yet)
16) Take a voltometer (digital multimeter) set on 200V AC and touch one lead to the frame of the monitor and another to the grounding screw in an outlet plate.  Should show 0 volts. If it's hot, then you didn't wire the isolation transformer correctly.

The rest is up to you. I would NOT suggest cutting a board to surround the monitor and mounting it to the monitor frame (a 27" tube may be too much for the boards, unless perhaps you used 2.  3/4" boards sandwiched together).  Instead mount the frame to board and use a thin board around the front of the monitor to surround it instead (for looks, but NOT for support).

I'd use sturdy support (like vertical running 2x4's or at least sheets of 3/4" running against the inside of the case) to support the monitor shelf. Don't just support the shelf with 1x1's screwed into the sides.. They will break and your monitor will fall.  Also you can use metal bracing too (but more expensive, harder to cut)


Before you discharge the tube learn about discharging and safety issues.  Before you remove the neck board, understand the parts associated with the monitor, and the risk of breaking the tube messing around at it's weakest point (the back of the neck where it's the thinnest).

Like I said, it can be done, but you need to know the risks, both physically (weight, glass, structurally) and electrically before your start this.

[shmokes]

I really appreciate the time you have spent on this Mamefan.  That's a really good list.  I think I might run this over to a guy that attends the same university as me who works in a TV repair shop and see how much he would charge to help me out with this.  The list gives me specifics that I can ask him about.  If he can't/won't help I will research how to accomplish each item on the list and if by the end I am confident I'll give it a go.

By the way, does anyone know where I would get an arcade monitor frame that I can fit over the tube?  If I got a frame are there any assurances that it will fit/attach to my particular tube or would I just have to get it and hope?  I've measured the viewable screen and it is a perfect 27" -- none of the marketing tube-size rather than viewable-size going on here that goes on with PC monitors and some TV's.