CRT Issue

[Bob Hill]

I am looking at a 89 Coupe.  The car is really nice - the only issue I have found is that the CRT is slow coming on.  It is like an old tube radio - like it has to warm up before it comes on. Once it is on, it does fine.  I am assuming this is an indication it is about to fail ?  I would need to adjust price to cover a repair/replacement if this is the case.

 

thanks

 

Bob

[KDirk]

This is a CRT monitor (remember, we didn't have LCD flat panels in 1988/89) so a short warm up time - a few seconds to full brightness - is normal. Ordinarily, the two common failures on these displays is a loss of horizontal sync (a scrambled display essentially) and power supply failure that results in no image at all. If the image is bright and remains solid and stable, then it is probably fine. A rebuild can be done by Eddie Voland (see Reatta Resources thread) for about $150 plus shipping. 

[Barney Eaton]

Good to see the responses to Eddie's work.....at this time he is the only source I know of that will repair our CRT's.  

There was a good one in the Chicago area but their technician retired and they stopped repairing them.

I hope Eddie does not choose to retire any time soon.

[Bob Hill]

14 hours ago, KDirk said:

This is a CRT monitor (remember, we didn't have LCD flat panels in 1988/89) so a short warm up time - a few seconds to full brightness - is normal. Ordinarily, the two common failures on these displays is a loss of horizontal sync (a scrambled display essentially) and power supply failure that results in no image at all. If the image is bright and remains solid and stable, then it is probably fine. A rebuild can be done by Eddie Voland (see Reatta Resources thread) for about $150 plus shipping. 

This one takes probably 3-4 minutes to come on and then works fine after that.  Owner said this has been happening for probably 5-6 months

[KDirk]

Ok, your first post didn't specify the time frame for warm up. 3-4 minutes is clearly not normal and is indicative of some problem, so yes a rebuild is in order. The outfit in Chicago that used to do these was Rex Service. They got out a few years ago by my understanding. That said, they  still have a supply of brand new bare picture tubes for the Reatta display they have been selling on eBay for quite a while. I expect they are not big sellers, and the asking price is a bit much for what I expect is a low demand item.

 

I have purchased and stockpiled a few NOS tubes - despite the cost - for eventual installation in my own cars. I need to talk to Eddie Voland and see if he would change the tube as part of a rebuild, as I'd prefer not to do the swap myself for a number or reasons. This entails removing and reinstalling the deflection yoke and geometry correction magnets, something an old time TV tech was intimately familiar with doing properly. Not rocket science, but there is a certain amount of "magic" knowledge involve to get it just right. 

 

[NCReatta]

We offer refurbished screens with ALL the problem components replaced. Not just the problem with each particular screen. 

 

We also have a proprietary method of refinishing the screen cosmetics to get rid of the wear over the volume buttons and other parts of the screen.

 

These are the closest thing to a new screen as you can buy. We also include a two year warranty. 

 

our screens are available on our website and have been for years: http://www.eastcoastreattaparts.com/#article/179

Edited January 4, 2017 by NCReatta (see edit history)