Need Help With My Solid State TV
 

In case anyone hasn't seen my previous posts or messages, I just purchased a 19" 1974 RCA XL-100. Needless to say, I'm already having problems.

When I plugged in the power cord, all I heard was a faint hissing. There was no image on the screen (not even fuzziness) nor was there sound. As I adjusted the "horizontal hold" button on the back of the set, the hissing either got quieter or little louder, but there still was no image on the screen (It was completely black). And yes, I did switch the black set-up button to "norm" and nothing happened.

When I took off the back of the set to carefully clean it, I didn't see any obvious issues with the inside. I even turned the red "Reset" button, and of course that did nothing.

I don't want to set up a converter box until I determine what the issue is and how it can be resolved.

Please let me know what you think is wrong.

Thanks,
Matt

just to cover a few basics, did you adj the brigtness?

Is there an adj on the back for AGC?

is the CRT neck fillaments lighting up?

Yes (it did nothing).

Yes (I even adjusted it, and it did nothing).

I can't tell.

It could be a bad Tripler assuming this set uses one.

Try turning it on in the dark and see if there is any arcing around the Tripler Flyback area.

The first thing you need to determine is do you have high voltage to the CRT. When you turn it on, do you feel static on the face of the CRT?

To determine if the CRT filament is lit, look at the neck of the CRT, just past where the socket plugs in. You should see an orange glow in the neck if the filament is lit. If necessary, turn off the lights to make it easier to see.

There's a couple problems with doing that:

-I can't seem to detach the power cord from the back of the set. In other words, when I take off the back, the power cord is still attached and I can't get it off. Therefore, I can't turn on the tv when the back of the set is off.

-I'm very limited on how much work I can do personally on this set. I bought it for two reasons: 1) I was told that it would work fine with a DTV converter box. Originally, I was planning on making a few minor/basic adjustments and setting up a converter box right away. 2) If I didn't buy it, chances would've been good that within ten days, the owner would've thrown it out. (He had been trying to sell it since late-June of last year). I couldn't stand to see another person dispose of their old analog tv because of the damn DTV transition. However, I don't want to mess with a picture tube if I'm not 100% sure of what to do.

On a sidenote, I originally sent this message to those living in the Chicagoland area because I figured this was something I lacked the skills in to do on my own and would need their assistance.

If this is something that I don't think I could fix on my own, I would like to know at least what "might" be the problem (I save money with the repairman if I already know what the problem is).

If you look on the inside back cover where the power cord is attached, you should see a small metal clip that slides over the end of the plug, preventing it from being seperated from the back. You can remove this clip with a screwdriver to enable you to remove the AC cord from the back and plug it directly into the TV. Or, you can obtain what's known as a "cheater cord" from an electronics parts store. Those TV backs were interlocked like that to prevent owners that didn't know what they were doing form zapping themselves.

Just an FYI-

Model Number: ES396W
Serial Number: 407221823

Also, I was having trouble removing the small metal clip that was attached to the end of the power cord. Therefore, I couldn't remove the power cord from the back of the set, and I couldn't plug it directly into the tv. So, I turned off the lights, plugged in the power cord, and tried to look through the vents into the tv. From what I could see, it was completely dark inside. I began to fear the worst: that the CRT needed to be replaced, something I can't afford and sure as hell can't do on my own.

Once again, any input to solving this problem is greatly appreciated.

The filaments rarely ever burn out in these tubes. If you have sound from the speaker and the CRT filament is not lighting, it could be something as simple as a fuse or fusible resistor in the CRT filament circuit. If there is no sound coming from the speaker, as well as a dark screen, you could have a power supply problem.

If that is the issue, can fuses or fusible resistors like these be replaced/repaired easily and inexpensively?

And as I mentioned before, I am getting sound, but only faint hissing.

Have you tried hooking up a usable signal to the tv to see if you have any picture. For some reason the "snow" on older RCA's can be very faint but they have a pretty decent picture with a signal hooked up i.e. from a VCR. Also do you have high voltage, static on the screen, when you turn it on?

I believe that I have high voltage. I don't feel any static on the screen, but I believe that the faint hissing that I hear when I plug in the power cord is static.

Can I simply attach the cord from the VCR into the TV Balun (75-Ohm Transformer) that is connected to the VHF screws? Could that give me a picture or would I need another adapter?

If you turn the volume control all the way up do you hear a lot more hiss/static noise from the speaker?
Did you push the red reset button, or just try to turn it?
Was the socket secure at the base of the CRT... no broken wires?
jr

Ps it sounds as if the balun that you have will be fine to connect the VCR.

-No, the amount of static I hear only varies when I turn the "horizontal hold" switch on the back of the TV.

-I did both. When I pushed it in, the hissing stopped. When I turned it, nothing happened. The hissing just continued.

-I didn't see any broken wires. Everything seemed secure and in place.

I did try using the VCR, but it didn't work. Then again, it didn't work for our 2007 Samsung LCD HDTV either.