My TV was dropped a very small distance and ever since the picture has
a kind of smearing on certain colours. Also the Standby light now
flashes a special pattern to tell me something is wrong. It was a high
end Sony, about 11 years old. Everything was perfect until it got a
drop a few months ago.

Any idea what the problem is?

"32andtwentyseven" wrote in message
oups.com...
My TV was dropped a very small distance and ever since the picture has
a kind of smearing on certain colours. Also the Standby light now
flashes a special pattern to tell me something is wrong. It was a high
end Sony, about 11 years old. Everything was perfect until it got a
drop a few months ago.

Any idea what the problem is?


In nontechnical terms, behind the screen is a plate with lots of holes in
called a shadow mask, it probably shifted and the picture tube is toast now.

On Sat, 07 Jul 2007 18:42:51 -0700, 32andtwentyseven
wrote:

My TV was dropped a very small distance and ever since the picture has
a kind of smearing on certain colours.

Some sorts of things disappear with time, because of automatic
degaussing But if yours isn't getting better, forget that.

Also the Standby light now
flashes a special pattern to tell me something is wrong.

Try to find out what the code means.

It was a high
end Sony, about 11 years old. Everything was perfect until it got a
drop a few months ago.

Any idea what the problem is?

Gremlins.

Also try sci.electronics.repair .

If it turns out to be the shadow mask, personnally I don't give up
till I've tried everything, and hear I would get a friend and shake it
a little and turn it upside down and sideways, and face down and back
down, and shake it just a little each place and see if the mask
springs back into place. If you hear a klinkle, turn it on and see if
is working better. I've often wondered how they are able to keep the
mask in the right place, and I broke a color tube apart last year. It
was pretty firmly in there. I don't if this is your problem or not,
but if nothing else works, I'd try jiggling.

"Ralph Mowery" wrote in message
ink.net...

"32andtwentyseven" wrote in message
oups.com...
My TV was dropped a very small distance and ever since the picture has
a kind of smearing on certain colours. Also the Standby light now
flashes a special pattern to tell me something is wrong. It was a high
end Sony, about 11 years old. Everything was perfect until it got a
drop a few months ago.

Any idea what the problem is?


In nontechnical terms, behind the screen is a plate with lots of holes in
called a shadow mask, it probably shifted and the picture tube is toast
now.



My guess is the electron gun(s) or the magnets that deflect the beam are out
of alignment now. I'd say it's not really cost-effective to fix; if it's
even fixable. Most electronix today are throwaway.

Chuck the TV and get one of the new ATSC (digital, high definition) units.
By 3/1/09 all analog TV transmitters in the USA must be turned off by FCC
mandate, so your TV was on the way out the door anyhow.

On Sat, 07 Jul 2007 18:42:51 -0700, 32andtwentyseven
wrote:

My TV was dropped a very small distance and ever since the picture has
a kind of smearing on certain colours. Also the Standby light now
flashes a special pattern to tell me something is wrong. It was a high
end Sony, about 11 years old. Everything was perfect until it got a
drop a few months ago.

Any idea what the problem is?

The 'Yoke' has probably shifted or broken when it was dropped. Just
remove the back and look for loose stuff around the neck of the tube.
Use epoxy to glue it back.

Ralph Mowery wrote:

"32andtwentyseven" wrote in message
oups.com...
My TV was dropped a very small distance and ever since the picture has
a kind of smearing on certain colours. Also the Standby light now
flashes a special pattern to tell me something is wrong. It was a high
end Sony, about 11 years old. Everything was perfect until it got a
drop a few months ago.

Any idea what the problem is?


In nontechnical terms, behind the screen is a plate with lots of holes in
called a shadow mask, it probably shifted and the picture tube is toast now.

Sony Trinetrons use an aperture grill.

"Pete C." wrote in message
...
Ralph Mowery wrote:

In nontechnical terms, behind the screen is a plate with lots of holes in
called a shadow mask, it probably shifted and the picture tube is toast
now.

Sony Trinetrons use an aperture grill.

Yes, Sony does, but it serves the same purpose. As I said, nontechnical
terms.

Anyway for an 11 year old tv, it is time for a replacement due to the cost
of repair.

On Sat, 7 Jul 2007 22:42:23 -0600, "Bob M." wrote:


"Ralph Mowery" wrote in message
link.net...

"32andtwentyseven" wrote in message
oups.com...
My TV was dropped a very small distance and ever since the picture has
a kind of smearing on certain colours. Also the Standby light now
flashes a special pattern to tell me something is wrong. It was a high
end Sony, about 11 years old. Everything was perfect until it got a
drop a few months ago.

Any idea what the problem is?


In nontechnical terms, behind the screen is a plate with lots of holes in
called a shadow mask, it probably shifted and the picture tube is toast
now.



My guess is the electron gun(s) or the magnets that deflect the beam are out
of alignment now. I'd say it's not really cost-effective to fix; if it's
even fixable. Most electronix today are throwaway.

Chuck the TV and get one of the new ATSC (digital, high definition) units.
By 3/1/09 all analog TV transmitters in the USA must be turned off by FCC
mandate, so your TV was on the way out the door anyhow.

Of course this applies to OTA broadcast only. Cable and satellite
won't be affected by that law. Also, they don't use ATSC. An ATSC
tuner will be useless if you just use cable or satellite.
--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"Unlike biological evolution. 'intelligent design' is
not a genuine scientific theory and, therefore, has
no place in the curriculum of our nation's public
school classes." -- Ted Kennedy

"Mark Lloyd" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 7 Jul 2007 22:42:23 -0600, "Bob M." wrote:


My guess is the electron gun(s) or the magnets that deflect the beam are
out
of alignment now. I'd say it's not really cost-effective to fix; if it's
even fixable. Most electronix today are throwaway.

Chuck the TV and get one of the new ATSC (digital, high definition) units.
By 3/1/09 all analog TV transmitters in the USA must be turned off by FCC
mandate, so your TV was on the way out the door anyhow.

Of course this applies to OTA broadcast only. Cable and satellite
won't be affected by that law. Also, they don't use ATSC. An ATSC
tuner will be useless if you just use cable or satellite.

Really? Then why can I receive hi-def signals on my ATSC TV that's hooked
to cable with no converter box?

On Sun, 08 Jul 2007 09:20:18 -0400, Meat Plow
wrote:

On Sun, 08 Jul 2007 00:19:51 -0500, ValveJob wrote:

On Sat, 07 Jul 2007 18:42:51 -0700, 32andtwentyseven
wrote:

My TV was dropped a very small distance and ever since the picture has
a kind of smearing on certain colours. Also the Standby light now
flashes a special pattern to tell me something is wrong. It was a high
end Sony, about 11 years old. Everything was perfect until it got a
drop a few months ago.

Any idea what the problem is?

The 'Yoke' has probably shifted or broken when it was dropped. Just
remove the back and look for loose stuff around the neck of the tube.
Use epoxy to glue it back.

(Its hot melt glue and you can get that stuff from the dollar store.)

Shadow mask inside the CRT has shifted slightly. Sometimes a bump in the
opposite direction can reverse this. Not something I'd advise the average
Joe to undertake.

==============================================

TV set problems are no longer worth taking to the repair shop. But
there is something you can try.

Always work with an unplugged set (no power).

Remove the cover. Reseat all the connectors especially the one that
goes to the CRT tube. Its highly unlikely the CRT mask or the yoke
would have been shifted. But grab the yoke (coils around the neck of
the tube) and see if it is loose. It moves when you wiggle it realign
it with the hot glue globs that the factory uses to secure the yoke.

After reseating all the connectors power back on and see it that
fixes it. If not use a wooden dowel (or artists paint brush handle, a
chopstick) to jiggle the wire harnesses and see if any problem turns
up. SONY is well known for having cold solder joints. An invisible
hairline crack on a solder point is enough to give weird intermittent
problems. Reflow the solder if that is the cause. Beyond that you
will need some knowledge and experience in electronics to
troubleshoot. The very tiny parts and conductor traces, the
unavailability of integrated IC chips, the coating of the PCB in
protective plastic, etc. makes manual repairs close to an impossible
exercise. What passes for repairs these days are complete board
swaps.

On Sun, 8 Jul 2007 10:04:33 -0600, "Bob M." wrote:


"Mark Lloyd" wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 7 Jul 2007 22:42:23 -0600, "Bob M." wrote:


My guess is the electron gun(s) or the magnets that deflect the beam are
out
of alignment now. I'd say it's not really cost-effective to fix; if it's
even fixable. Most electronix today are throwaway.

Chuck the TV and get one of the new ATSC (digital, high definition) units.
By 3/1/09 all analog TV transmitters in the USA must be turned off by FCC
mandate, so your TV was on the way out the door anyhow.

Of course this applies to OTA broadcast only. Cable and satellite
won't be affected by that law. Also, they don't use ATSC. An ATSC
tuner will be useless if you just use cable or satellite.

Really? Then why can I receive hi-def signals on my ATSC TV that's hooked
to cable with no converter box?

The presence of an ATSC tuner in that TV makes no difference (for
getting cable), since cable doesn't use ATSC but an incompatible
standard called QAM. Some TVs can tune QAM, you need one of those or
at least some HD-compatible input such as YUV (component) or HDMI and
an appropriate converter provided by the cable company or use
CableCARD.

The point is that you (as a cable viewer) are not directly affected by
the 2009 law.

Some cable companies can be expected to quit using NTSC, and will be
going to QAM (not ATSC). The law has nothing to do with this.
--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"Unlike biological evolution. 'intelligent design' is
not a genuine scientific theory and, therefore, has
no place in the curriculum of our nation's public
school classes." -- Ted Kennedy

On Sun, 08 Jul 2007 12:27:53 -0400, Meat Plow
wrote:

That's all great advice except the part where you say a set isn't worth
taking to a shop. Granted some aren't worth it because of the age but
there are plenty that need repair in the 5-10 year age bracket. For high
end items I always advise to buy a service plan. I had one on my 53"
Panasonic and let it expire after 5 years. Wouldn't you know it that
shortly thereafter it developed a problem in the convergence driver that
would have cost the average Joe 3 or 4 hundred to fix. Being a former tech
for a major brand warranty station I was able to troubleshoot it and
replace the failed parts for 50 bucks plus a 15 dollar service manual to
guide me through a convergence alignment. The total time I spent from
start to finish was about 2 hours including the alignment.


The problems I anticipate. One is to lug that hernia box to the
repair shop. You need two guys and a truck. For the repair shop to
look at it will cost close to $100 and that's is charged regardless of
whether its repairable. A smart shop will also charge for
eco-friendly disposal of unwanted TV sets and appliances. Any fix
that takes more than an hour is a business loss so there is no
incentive to fix anything other than the simplest troubles. Consumer
electronics circuitry change by the seasons (aka manufacturing batche
cycles). Its highly unlikely they will carry parts older than 5 years
old. I believe they stock parts (PCBs) based on statistical
probability and once that initial stock is gone, that's it. I used to
enjoy fixing things including electronics. Electronic as a hobby is a
no win game these days.