Strange switches and electrons
 

This is just a question for curiosity.

I have a Magnavox 12 or 14" CRT tv with built-in VCR. I guess that
means it's about 20? years old. Maybe it's generation can be judged
by the fact it also gives the choice of English or Spanish when first
plugged in.

I don't have the remote.

Often, when I push the Volume Down button, instead it lowers the
channel, from 3 to AV. I think the on-screen volume display
disappears then, so I use Channel Up to go back to channel 3, and then
again try Volume Down, with the same result.

If I hold Volume Up for a while, Volume Down usually works, so this is
not a major problem, but how is this problem possible?


Is this related: I have a Huaweii (sp?) smart phone that I dropped
from 2 or 3 feet on to a ceramic tile floor. After that, when the
phone is turned on, instead of the AT&T logo that used to show first,
instead the first screen is all green background, with one big red and
one big blue rectangle on it. But the next logo shows up and it
starts and every feature that I try to use works. What happened?
Did I bounce some electrons around.

Strange switches and electrons
 

"Micky" wrote in message
...
This is just a question for curiosity.

I have a Magnavox 12 or 14" CRT tv with built-in VCR. I guess that
means it's about 20? years old. Maybe it's generation can be judged
by the fact it also gives the choice of English or Spanish when first
plugged in.

I don't have the remote.

Often, when I push the Volume Down button, instead it lowers the
channel, from 3 to AV. I think the on-screen volume display
disappears then, so I use Channel Up to go back to channel 3, and then
again try Volume Down, with the same result.

If I hold Volume Up for a while, Volume Down usually works, so this is
not a major problem, but how is this problem possible?


Is this related: I have a Huaweii (sp?) smart phone that I dropped
from 2 or 3 feet on to a ceramic tile floor. After that, when the
phone is turned on, instead of the AT&T logo that used to show first,
instead the first screen is all green background, with one big red and
one big blue rectangle on it. But the next logo shows up and it
starts and every feature that I try to use works. What happened?
Did I bounce some electrons around.



Don't know about the phone except to say the logo thing is an overlay like
the boot screen on a computer - you're quite lucky nothing else got broken.

On the TV, assuming you are talking about the buttons on the TV - I would
say the tact switch underneath the button is defective, essentially changing
the value of the resistor network of which it is a part. I've seen this type
of problem often on tv's. The switch would have to be replaced.

Mark Z.

Strange switches and electrons
 

On Sun, 22 Nov 2015 11:29:43 -0600, "Mark Zacharias"
wrote:

"Micky" wrote in message
.. .
This is just a question for curiosity.

I have a Magnavox 12 or 14" CRT tv with built-in VCR. I guess that
means it's about 20? years old. Maybe it's generation can be judged
by the fact it also gives the choice of English or Spanish when first
plugged in.

I don't have the remote.

Often, when I push the Volume Down button, instead it lowers the
channel, from 3 to AV. I think the on-screen volume display
disappears then, so I use Channel Up to go back to channel 3, and then
again try Volume Down, with the same result.

If I hold Volume Up for a while, Volume Down usually works, so this is
not a major problem, but how is this problem possible?


Is this related: I have a Huaweii (sp?) smart phone that I dropped
from 2 or 3 feet on to a ceramic tile floor. After that, when the
phone is turned on, instead of the AT&T logo that used to show first,
instead the first screen is all green background, with one big red and
one big blue rectangle on it. But the next logo shows up and it
starts and every feature that I try to use works. What happened?
Did I bounce some electrons around.



Don't know about the phone except to say the logo thing is an overlay like
the boot screen on a computer - you're quite lucky nothing else got broken.

Yeah, I think it's amazing that I broke only that. All this stuff is
hard-coded in some ROM, right, and yet hitting the floor could change
a byte or more, but not screw up the rest.

On the TV, assuming you are talking about the buttons on the TV - I would
say the tact switch underneath the button is defective, essentially changing

Very interesting. So if anything it will likely get worse.

the value of the resistor network of which it is a part. I've seen this type
of problem often on tv's. The switch would have to be replaced.

I used to use a remote, but I stopped using this TV for a couple years
and the batteries died. I will fix up another universal remote, and
I gather that will by pass the bad switch. I have other 14" crt tvs,
that people throw away, but this one has a built-in VCR, which I like
even though in 5 years I've never used it.

Mark Z.

Thanks a lot.

Strange switches and electrons
 

"Micky" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 22 Nov 2015 11:29:43 -0600, "Mark Zacharias"
wrote:

"Micky" wrote in message
. ..
This is just a question for curiosity.

I have a Magnavox 12 or 14" CRT tv with built-in VCR. I guess that
means it's about 20? years old. Maybe it's generation can be judged
by the fact it also gives the choice of English or Spanish when first
plugged in.

I don't have the remote.

Often, when I push the Volume Down button, instead it lowers the
channel, from 3 to AV. I think the on-screen volume display
disappears then, so I use Channel Up to go back to channel 3, and then
again try Volume Down, with the same result.

If I hold Volume Up for a while, Volume Down usually works, so this is
not a major problem, but how is this problem possible?


Is this related: I have a Huaweii (sp?) smart phone that I dropped
from 2 or 3 feet on to a ceramic tile floor. After that, when the
phone is turned on, instead of the AT&T logo that used to show first,
instead the first screen is all green background, with one big red and
one big blue rectangle on it. But the next logo shows up and it
starts and every feature that I try to use works. What happened?
Did I bounce some electrons around.



Don't know about the phone except to say the logo thing is an overlay like
the boot screen on a computer - you're quite lucky nothing else got
broken.

Yeah, I think it's amazing that I broke only that. All this stuff is
hard-coded in some ROM, right, and yet hitting the floor could change
a byte or more, but not screw up the rest.

On the TV, assuming you are talking about the buttons on the TV - I would
say the tact switch underneath the button is defective, essentially
changing

Very interesting. So if anything it will likely get worse.

the value of the resistor network of which it is a part. I've seen this
type
of problem often on tv's. The switch would have to be replaced.

I used to use a remote, but I stopped using this TV for a couple years
and the batteries died. I will fix up another universal remote, and
I gather that will by pass the bad switch. I have other 14" crt tvs,
that people throw away, but this one has a built-in VCR, which I like
even though in 5 years I've never used it.

Mark Z.

Thanks a lot.



Yeah - remote control operation wouldn't normally be affected.

mz