Arcade Monitor is a bit 'washed out'

[miner49er]

Hi there!

The monitor on my recently purchased arcade cabinet is possibly a bit worse for wear, here are the symptoms:

1. The colours are not very bright
2. Where there is a bright colour next to a dark colour, a blue haze appears to the left


So, is there much that can be done about it?

I have read about replacing capacitors and, though I would be happy to do it I am scared stiff of high voltages! Is this neccesary or can some other adjustments be made.

I only recieved it yesterday, so I haven't had a chance to take the back of it and find out make/model/controls.

It's a BIG CRT though. It's a generic JAMMA cab that had Tekken 3 in it. I intend hooking up a PC and MAMING it!

Thanks in advance for any help!

[miner49er]

Okay, sorry for not giving enough information - I do feel rather silly...

When I get home I will try an get the back of my machine and have a good look :-)

[srarcade]

Capping it will help bring the colors back into being crisp and sharp again without bleeding. Your screen voltage on your flyback might be low as well possibly?

I kinda went through this same thing not long ago too-Discharging your first monitor is a bit scary but if you have a good discharging tool and follow all the safety precautions its not that bad. I made my tool from a long flat head driver with 10 gague wire clamped to it with a spade lug that i secure to the chassis. It has a extra 15" stick of wood on the end of it so my hand isn't even anywhere near the monitor when i use it.  Most will laugh and call it overkill but it makes me feel safe when I use it and that piece of mind is the most important thing from making mistakes. I find if I leave a game unplugged the night before, when I discharge it does not make any type of "pop" or visible arc.

Watch the youtube videos, I learned the most from them.

[miner49er]

"I find if I leave a game unplugged the night before, when I discharge it does not make any type of "pop" or visible arc."

See, that would make more worried that I hadn't done it properly. Is there any way of checking that it's done? I guess sticking one of those scrwedrivers with a light in may be dangerous?

[SirPeale]

When you slip the discharge tool in it'll bleed off immediately.  With the blade still under the cap, pop it off right then.  Don't forget to discharge BEFORE replacing the anode.

You didn't happen to mention what monitor you have, but there are several that the 'washed out' look isn't due to caps, but other parts.  Let us know what you've got.

[srarcade]

Again with the overkill, I use the screwdriver tool 4 or 5 times leaving 5 minutes between each time before I remove the annode cap. When I remove the cap (with 1 hand! always keep one in your back pocket), I immediately press the clip on the back of the cap to the bare metal on the frame, that will be the nail in the coffin for any extra voltage that didn't get out. Stay clear of the annode hole at all times. After that, its safe to handle the chassis. Thats just how I have done it and feel safe with, everyone does it a bit differently, whatever works best for you.

[Paul Olson]

"I find if I leave a game unplugged the night before, when I discharge it does not make any type of "pop" or visible arc."

See, that would make more worried that I hadn't done it properly. Is there any way of checking that it's done? I guess sticking one of those scrwedrivers with a light in may be dangerous?

This isn't always the case, I have had some of my most vicious sounding pops come from games that have not had power for months. Others will not pop if you turn them off seconds before you try to discharge them.
It doesn't matter either way, the pop is not a good indication of the shock you might receive.

If you insert your discharge tool perpendicular to the anode cape wire, it is actually fairly easy to unlatch it when you are discharging it since you can push the prong in and let that side loose. I don't know if this is a good idea or not, but it has worked for me 3 times now; the first 2 being accidental.

I have found that I am much more likely to get shocked trying to adjust a monitor than I am trying to discharge it. My hands are pretty big, and I end up bumping things I shouldn't once in a while. Oh, and I am kinda clumsy, and sometimes impatient; those two combine to mean I am going to get a little jolt once in a while. Mostly because of my lack of patience. 

Back on topic, my Super Sprint monitor (K7000) is washed out, and I have already done the cap kit.  Peale - what are some of the other things that can cause it?

[miner49er]

I'm changing my story now!

After fiddling with some pots on the monitor, I wouldn't say it is washed out at all but there is a problem with a smearing effect of the colours. I've seen this on really old/knackered TVs. Is it terminal?

here's a photo:



Can it be fixed? Is a cap replacement job?

Any help would be great...

[qrz]

classic symptom of a weak crt .

use at reduced drive levels , or rejuvinate/replace crt ...


qrz

[SirPeale]

Back on topic, my Super Sprint monitor (K7000) is washed out, and I have already done the cap kit.  Peale - what are some of the other things that can cause it?

Hrm...crappy tube comes to mind, esp if it's a Zenith tube.  There are some caps that don't come in most "kits", but which would affect it that much, I'm not sure.  I'd lean toward the tube.

I'm changing my story now!

After fiddling with some pots on the monitor, I wouldn't say it is washed out at all but there is a problem with a smearing effect of the colours. I've seen this on really old/knackered TVs. Is it terminal?
Can it be fixed? Is a cap replacement job?

Any help would be great...

If you haven't already replaced the caps, now is the time to do so.  What you have there is called "bleed" and it occurs when things are turned up too high.  Cap the monitor, and then we'll talk you thru adjusting it.  For now, turn your contrast down, that may help.

[miner49er]

Thanks guys. I did fiddle again with the pots at the back of the monitor (it sure gives me the willies, it really does) and got it a little better but still not perfect.

I also found it difficult to identify the monitor type I will have to try again another time.

My biggest problem now is the wife - she's beggining to get annoyed at my lack of household chores and general family biz - I.E. I had better give it a break for a day or two :-(

[srarcade]

Yea I had a Zennith tube k7000 and had the same problem plus some. You can identify it as Zennith if theres 2 wires coming off the annode rather than 1.

[SirPeale]

Yea I had a Zennith tube k7000 and had the same problem plus some. You can identify it as Zennith if theres 2 wires coming off the annode rather than 1.

No...you can identify it as a Zenith by the tube label which identifies the manufacturer.  It's fairly large, about 6x6 or so.

[miner49er]

Hi there guys. I just thought I would mention in case it was useful to another newbie that although I havn't fixed the issue properly I have reduced it to a useful level by simply reducing the brightness and messing with the Gamma setting in AdvanceMame. I couldn't find a setting that worked sufficently on the physical hardware (though I will try again at some point) but for now adjusting the settings on MAMA workes well enough for me to enjoy some classic games!

Thanks for all your help - "I'll be back"