CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

jpmobius · Joined: 31 Jul 2010 Posts: 4 Location: Tampa, Florida USA

Hello Everyone!

Didn't see an introductions area, so I am posting here. Been away for a few years but have got some old equipment back up and running and am hoping to get a bit of assistance! I have an Electrohome 8500LC that I plan on upgrading when I have a bit more time, but for the moment I am using an ECP which I put together a while back using parts from 4 others. It actually looks pretty good - I spent quite a lot of time setting it up back when I was using it, but it needs a new Dallas chip. I'm hoping someone here has them available. I checked all my old CPU boards and all of them are evidently dead - at least I can't get the set to work if I swap the chip out for the only one I have that has not been reset. Fortunately that one is working at least for now, but may be causing another problem which I also want to ask about. The chip is a '90, so I am surprised it still works.

The other problem occurs after about 2 hours of operation. The picture suddenly goes crazy similar to the horizontal or vertical setting being way off and remains that way for 10 seconds or so. It then returns to normal for a couple of minutes, then repeats this cycle until I turn the set off for 5 minutes. It is then ok for about an hour and then repeats. It does not seem temperature related as it runs for a long time with only a very brief cooling off period. I have just replaced the HVPS in order to start using the set again, so don't know if this could be related.

So, I'm looking for a cure to the above problem, and to buy a new Dallas chip (DS1235YW - though I believe there are newer versions that are supposed to also work), and a new spare HVPS. I have a couple of other pretty nice ECP's that also need both of these same parts and wouldn't mind getting them working as well, though they are pretty low priority.

I am planning to re-tube my Marquee with 9" tubes, but that will have to wait until I have some time to invest! In the meantime, any help with my ECP's would be greatly appreciated!

draganm · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 8990 Location: Colorado

maybe someone here has some parts or knows exactly where to get the exact dallas chips, but the ECP's are over 20 years old now, so it's not going to be just a Dallas chip in the long run IMO. You would really need to go thru and re-cap all the boards and power supplies, then go from there. I believe Curt has gotten rid of all or almost of his ECP stuff, and is actually purging much newer stuff AFAIK.

You would be better served by getting the 8500LC going. What's wrong with it? Even with 8" tubes it will blow the best ECP out of the water , both in terms of sharpness, contrast, light output, etc.

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2015 2:33 am Post subject:

My only stock left on Dallas chips are probably15 years old. I've tried sourcing new ones, but they are discontinued... and now haven't had any demand for anything ECP in over 2 years. you're welcome to two of the Dallas chips I have for $10 incl shipping. if that's all that's wrong with it, then one of mine should fire the set up.

Dragan is right though, get that 8500 running! I've got brand new in the box R and G tubes for $700 for the pair, but am out of blues now. Those are vintage 2011 or 2012 new old stock tubes, c/w VDC factory aligned yokes and magnetics. I am out of lenses as well at this point, but that would be a good start for you.

jpmobius · Joined: 31 Jul 2010 Posts: 4 Location: Tampa, Florida USA

Thanks, Dragonm and Curt,

You are right of course. Like I said, I am planning on re-tubing my 8500 (has a burned red tube from high filament voltage), and no doubt I will be sending you all my Marquee boards (heard quite a lot of nice things) but if it was ready today it would be a while before I could mount it. I figure to put 9" tubes in it anyway if I can ever get around to it.

I know that mounting a projector does not seem like a big deal, but I have my ECP mounted on a 10 foot arm that retracts into the wall. The arm is sufficient to hold the much heavier Marquee, but there is not enough space for its larger size in the retracted position, so I have to build another very difficult to engineer mechanism to spin the set vertical to fit. And I don't have time now just to fix the set much less design this much larger project.

Despite the caliber and age of the ECP, it serves me perfectly for the present and it seems a shame to have to abandon it before I can put the 8500 to work. I have a lot of spares (except for the HVPS and Dallas chip) and it is super easy to fix most anything so it seems like the logical thing for now. I had a commercial Barco digital borrowed from a friend for a while and it was bright as hell but I hated the picture, so it's still CRT for me. So in the mean time, Curt I will take you up on your offer of the antique Dallas chips. I took one apart trying to hack the battery, but it didn't work. Didn't think I damaged it, but I guess it is possible it was more than the battery in the first place. It did not look possible to check the battery condition without surgery, but I will take a chance on yours if you believe they have some life still in them. I will send you a pm - Thanks!

mc86 · Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2015 3:10 am Post subject:

to the OP -

I bought a crap ton of ECP 4500 stuff from Curt (ok, he almost gave it to me) 18 months ago and am one of the last still-active ECP users who comes here from time to time. Aside from figuring out something no one cares about (the dyes used in colored glycols), I've not contributed anything really NEW to this forum. Wink

I am grateful for all the learning and fun people I've gotten to know -- this is a great place.

That said, I was able to buy new dallas chips maybe 2 years ago that work...I think they are slightly different versions, but satisfied myself that the differences were not significant. Sadly, I don't think I documented my research for myself or others. They may have been DS1230, and not DS1235, IIRC. I'll check into this and will re-post. Folks have said 10-12 years isn't unheard of. The date code on them is week# and year, I am pretty sure I learned from the dallas chips on a G90 I parted -- search this site and you'll find that info, I am sure. On ebay there are some 1235Y for sale showing 1307, for example. Should still work for a few years.

Out of curiosity, which ECP model/series is it?

Regarding the behavior in which the images gets all funky, you got me on that one. There is a phenomena a few of us have seen where H-Sync auto won't work when the machines are very cold (in my basement, winter only) until they warm up. This sounds different. You might try, however, running the h and c sync in manual just to try to remove that as a causation point. Just guessing, FWIW.

Where are you at, BTW -- I'm in Pittbsurgh, PA. You can PM me, if you want....our ramblings will be of interest to no one on here, really -- unless we find out something that was a problem with a machine that we determined a solution to!

cheers,
Matt

cosaw · Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2015 10:44 am Post subject:

mp20748 · Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2015 12:26 pm Post subject:

I have a set of 145 colored lenses, but shipping over the pond is out for me. Anyone local give me a shout.

jpmobius · Joined: 31 Jul 2010 Posts: 4 Location: Tampa, Florida USA

Thanks mc86. I found a DS1230Y-100+ on ebay from Dalbani Corp. in Miami. Got it last week and it seems to work fine. Figured
$15 was worth a chance. Still have the mysterious picture scramble after 2 hours. I noticed the fans slowing down suddenly co-incident with the issue so I changed the LVPS but the issue remains. Since the only other change was the new HVPS, I'm still looking for another to see if that is causing the problem.

jpmobius · Joined: 31 Jul 2010 Posts: 4 Location: Tampa, Florida USA

Thanks mc86. I found a DS1230Y-100+ on ebay from Dalbani Corp. in Miami. Got it last week and it seems to work fine. Figured $15 was worth a chance. Still have the mysterious picture scramble after 2 hours. I noticed the fans slowing down suddenly co-incident with the issue so I changed the LVPS but the issue remains. Since the only other change was the new HVPS, I'm still looking for another to see if that is causing the problem.

tschaeikaei · Joined: 08 Apr 2013 Posts: 489 Location: Germany/Saarland

I am very interested in coloring gycol, too.
Thats the next step for my AC 8500s after i finished cooling and electronics.
I have HD 145s here. I did try the green one on one of the marquees but can't see any improvement
towards the HD8 Rev. B.
And because of the HD8Bs letting more light through (bigger lenses), i will keep them and colour the glycol.

Go on, we CRT guys are all people who use things that are outdated in the eyes of most other people.
But it is fun (and continued education every day).

Regards, Julian

draganm · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 8990 Location: Colorado

Nashou66 · Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 16171 Location: West Seneca NY

Also HD8's drift a lot with temp changes as in the other thread you started Drags. I cant see how hew didn't like the HD 145's

Athanasios

tschaeikaei · Joined: 08 Apr 2013 Posts: 489 Location: Germany/Saarland

Oh I knew noone would believe that.
But first: I just tried the HD145 by holding one (green) in front of the tube.
Less light is just a guess - because they are smaller in diameter.
And remember, NEC projectors (at least the PG 6... and 9...) have smaller tubes, NEC calls them 7" and Curt says they are 7,5".
Let's say I did not worry much about lenses yet. If both marquees are installed and running on the blend and torus,
I will think about color filtering and lenses.
It's just that the expected aha-effect didn't happen when I first tried a HD145 from the 9PG+ I have here.
I expected a lot more corner sharpness from the HD145s.
I should try a clear HD8B vs. a clear HD145 on the same projector. Then the color shift will tell wich is brighter.
So, all in all it was just a quick test.

Regards, Julian

Nashou66 · Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 16171 Location: West Seneca NY

If you add tinted Glycol you should lose the same amount of light with the Hd 8's

Athanasios

draganm · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 8990 Location: Colorado

Nashou66 · Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 16171 Location: West Seneca NY

Yeah I think the pic will be larger over the HD 8's in the same spot. I had to move my PJ's forward when I had them stacked and switched to HD 145's IIRC.

Not 100% sure tho.

Nashou