Modern throw away TV sets

[Richard D]

Hello All, For my birthday last month my four young nieces (7 to 13 years old) bought me a 20 inch set for my computer room after asking how can I see anything on my Sony 5100 trinitron. I explained that since it is 2 feet from my face it is no problem. Anyway they got their Mom to drive them to the Brandsmart and bought me one of those Dixie cup (use once then throw away) $140.00 20 inch Haier flat screen crt sets. After two weeks it developed a high frequency squeal (flyback?) If I jam a small screwdriver under one corner of the set to warp the chassis it usually stops it. Great quality control. Of course the store said they all do that and I must have good hearing. He actually said I could ship it to China for service.
Richard.

[willyrover]

When it stops working completely donate it to Value Village. They'll throw a 39$ price tag on it and some jack$#@ will buy it. Heck they had $30 on a vintage bottom of the line Rotel receiver with a blown fuse and a burnt smell. Am I wrong or aren't these prices rediculous for second hand, broken gear?

Oh - don't forget to donate the remote so they can sell it separately somewhere else in the store - possibly several weeks later.

This is funny because my kid spotted one of those 36" CRT cubes sitting next to a garbage can and grabbed it to bring home and fix. When we examined the set we found the entire side of the flyback burned down where the G-2 and focus pots sit along with a nasty burn on the CRT interface board. I said it wasn't worth repairing so my kid took it out behind the barn and with his wrist rocket and 1" steel ball from a ball table he made a dead center hit at 10 yards and imploded that POS CRT into nothing more than dust. When the tube went it sent glass right through the plastic cabinet and also blew the buttons out of the front. Best thing to ever happen to that set!

109

[Sandy G]

...they're even MORE fun when you unload about 25 rounds of 115 grain NATO 9 mike mike into one of 'em out of a class-3 Uzi on rockin' roll..Especially if the TV being dispatched is powered on....Hehehehehehe...Eeevil bestidge, ain't I ?!?

[theodoric]

Plug it in to a long extension cord, then toss it in a pool. The prismatic color flash is usually pretty excellent.

[dr.ido]

Perhaps I'm the odd one out. I actually fix those silver pieces of crap. Bad flybacks are the exception, most have fairly minor faults. They still bring enough working that they are worth doing at least for now anyway.

I have couple of regulars who often show up with 1 or 2 new sets they want fixed and whole pile of stuff "I can have for parts". The good stuff is usually in the "parts" pile. They get their silver sets fixed, I get a few bucks and some stuff that's often worth more (to me at least) than the sets I fix for them.

I did find one of those sets (JVC 25") that was from the late 80's early 90s that had a bad switching supply. What was JVC thinking when they came up with that idea? To run a 100khz single-ended switcher to run a TV set let alone right next to the vid/IF section? Well I did get the set working and made a sweet penny on the sale, owner was still using it until 2004 when I last saw it.
Will give credit the set was fake silver and plastic but a wood cabinet under the wallpaper and a real tempered faceplate over the CRT front.
Win some and loose some I guess

109

[captainmoody]

I still pick up the RCA sets, as most of the time it's the tuner solder or power supply problems. My other favorite is the Mitsubishi sets that need the PIP board bypass. Nice picture on those ones..

[kx250rider]

Originally Posted by captainmoody

I still pick up the RCA sets, as most of the time it's the tuner solder or power supply problems. My other favorite is the Mitsubishi sets that need the PIP board bypass. Nice picture on those sets..

I was doing that too, but couldn't sell (or even give away) any. Then I had a buildup of "good working used TVs"... Like fungus, they kept growing and I had to stop.

In fact, if anyone in Orange County, CA wants a mint-condition working 35" Fisher with remote in a nice wood console with doors, PM me and I will hook you up! Probably nearly free. Someone tried to give it to me Friday, and I have no use or place.

Charles

[brokenbroken]

Originally Posted by kx250rider

I was doing that too, but couldn't sell (or even give away) any. Then I had a buildup of "good working used TVs"... Like fungus, they kept growing and I had to stop.

In fact, if anyone in Orange County, CA wants a mint-condition working 35" Fisher with remote in a nice wood console with doors, PM me and I will hook you up! Probably nearly free. Someone tried to give it to me Friday, and I have no use or place.

Charles

I've run into the same thing. I have had lots of modern bpc that I tried to give away but couldn't. I didn't want to put working sets in the dumpster but at times had no choice. Sad part is that most of this stuff will be collectable eventually. I wonder how future collectors will do with todays throw-away attitude.

[Chad Hauris]

Charles, we had a client who dearly loved their 35" CRT Fisher console. They very reluctantly had to break down and buy a new DLP set as the CRT was very weak on the Fisher and there were other problems such as bad caps. Unfortunately there would be no way I could pick up the set you mentioned...