RetroHacker
05-01-2005, 05:47 AM
I'm sure that this sort of question has been asked many times before, but I figured I'd ask anyway...
What are everyone's experiances with brightening/rejuvinating old picture tubes? I've got at least one set (a 23" black and white GE) with a dim tube, and others that probably have dim tubes, I'll find that out once I get them to work. I've heard many sorts of methods, the traditional and dreaded picture tube brightener, that goes on the back of the tube and boosts the filament voltage. I've heard about "zapping" the tube with a picture tube rejuvinator to brighten it up, and "cooking" the tube overnight on a tester. Adding turns to the flyback to increase the filament voltage also probably works, but seems more like a DIY brightener.
So, my question is, what have people had success with? I don't have a picture tube tester, but I could probably build something to supply a filament voltage to "cook" or "zap" a tube, but I would like to hear about other people's success stories, failure stories, and ideas. It seems that everyone has some method to making worn picture tubes bright again, and to tell you the truth, some seem more like witchcraft than anything, but I'm sure someone has gotten it to work. But how long do tubes typically last after brightening. I mean, I would imagine that just about anything is a temorary fix, but it's better than sitting in dark watching television...
-Ian
What are everyone's experiances with brightening/rejuvinating old picture tubes? I've got at least one set (a 23" black and white GE) with a dim tube, and others that probably have dim tubes, I'll find that out once I get them to work. I've heard many sorts of methods, the traditional and dreaded picture tube brightener, that goes on the back of the tube and boosts the filament voltage. I've heard about "zapping" the tube with a picture tube rejuvinator to brighten it up, and "cooking" the tube overnight on a tester. Adding turns to the flyback to increase the filament voltage also probably works, but seems more like a DIY brightener.
So, my question is, what have people had success with? I don't have a picture tube tester, but I could probably build something to supply a filament voltage to "cook" or "zap" a tube, but I would like to hear about other people's success stories, failure stories, and ideas. It seems that everyone has some method to making worn picture tubes bright again, and to tell you the truth, some seem more like witchcraft than anything, but I'm sure someone has gotten it to work. But how long do tubes typically last after brightening. I mean, I would imagine that just about anything is a temorary fix, but it's better than sitting in dark watching television...
-Ian