OK, it’s been far too long since I’ve updated the website and mail-out list, so here’s a new newsletter as we’re heading into the busy fall. To start with, I’d like to talk about something other than projectors, as I’ve delved into other repairs as well… Xbox 360 repairs!

As is well documented on the internet, the Xbox 360 consoles have been plagued with the ‘red circle of death’ failure. This causes the machine to shut down completely, and the power/diagnostic LEDs on the front of the 360 console turn red.

To be perfectly upfront, Microsoft is repairing these under warranty, and on July 5, 2007 announced that the red circle of death problem will be covered for 3 years from the date of purchase, and they will repair this problem/partial design flaw. So why am I offering the repair as well, you might ask? Well, as it turns out, the turnaround time for Microsoft can be anywhere from 3-8 weeks depending on the repairs required. In addition, if your Xbox 360 has been opened already and the Microsoft tamperproof sticker has been removed or altered, Microsoft will not even look at your machine! So for those that have hacked into the unit, Microsoft will not repair these machines, period. I’ve also heard that at least some of the returned consoles that were repaired under warranty have failed again shortly after being received from being repaired at Microsoft.

I therefore offer the following:

• I will repair the red circle of death problem for $80.00 USD (Canadian at par!) if you pick up and drop off at my shop, or $99.00 USD/CAD incl return shipping if you ship it in.
• Turnaround time is typically 2 business days, including me running your unit for 12 hours after I repair it to make sure the repair is solid. I’ve repaired about 12 of these machines so far, and all are working fine.
• All I need is the console itself. I don't need the power supply, games, controllers or hard drive.

Note that I cannot repair other Xbox 360 faults at this point such as intermittent reading of discs, bad power supplies, controllers, etc, but I perhaps will in the future. Send me an email if you want to send your Xbox 360 in for repair. If you're shipping it to me, make sure to follow these instructions.

CRT projectors

Since sales typically in the summer are slow, I haven’t bought a lot of sets over the last few months, and have instead been concentrating on repairs and re-tubing existing sets that are in stock. I still have many sets here that are in good shape with the exception of the tubes, but I have managed to find some new old stock tubes for the Marquees and Barcos that I have here, and have found some reasonable low hour tubes for some of my NECs as well. The new list of projectors reflects this.

As mentioned previously. I am slowly selling out of my ES focusing machines, and unless I can find more locally (read: cheap shipping costs), I won’t be buying any more ES focusing sets. I have lots of parts for ES focusing sets, such as the Sony 10XX and 12XX series, the Electrohome ECP sets, Barco 800 and 801, and Ampro 2000 series, so I will be supporting them for a number of years yet, but the selling price of these sets now is so low that at this point I’m selling the last of my stock below cost. EM focusing sets is where I’ll be concentrating on. They are newer sets than the ES models and show a better image as well.

Featured sets

I have a few really nice 8” EM focusing sets along with some fantastic 9" sets in stock currently, here goes:

Electrohome Marquee 8xxx series		Manuals     Setup Tips     Specifications     Ranking
	Basically, all Marquees are very similar in performance. All 8XXX series (non LC models) use the same 8" EM focusing tubes. Very similar in set up to the Barcos in general, these sets are quiet. Not as long as the Barco's in size, they are about 3" taller than the Barco series. Very modular in construction, and super reliable. Video, S-video and RGB inputs. Here's the breakdown: Marquee 8000: 1000 lumens. Circa 1994-1995. Marquee 8110: 1200 lumens. Circa 1995-1998. Marquee 8500: 1200 lumens. Circa 1995-1998. (Adds astig controls that the 8000 and 8110 do not include, for slightly better corner focus).  The 8500LC model adds liquid coupled tubes for even better contrast ratios and less halo'ing. I do all of the mods (including anamorphic squeeze mod and the power supply mods) required to make the Marquees more versatile and reliable. I've sold lots of these in the past with great results. I've also got a slew of new Marquee sets in as below, with more on the way. Now, here's the scoop. I have a LOT of good used tubes for these sets. I will drop pricing significantly based on the actual tube condition. Also as a bonus, the new tubes are indeed NEW for the next short while, while I use up the supply of NEW tubes that I have. I've got buckets and buckets of Marquees in stock, with more coming in. More information ...
			Quantity	Price (USD)
Marquee 8500:  Excellent condition. New P16 Red and Blue tubes along with new 180DVB Greens, all mods done.  I’ve tweaked the heck out of the astig, these sets will do 1080p no problem. All black case option: $200 extra.			2	$3000.00

NEC XG series		Manuals     Setup Tips     Specifications     Ranking
	All NEC XG projectors are true 1200 lumen 8" EM focus sets. Digital convergence, on screen menus, video, S-video and RGB inputs are stock, the component option is available on the NEC XG 852 models. 100 point convergence allows for super accurate convergence. The NEC has more control over the picture than other 8" sets, making a full set up a bit daunting, but when it's complete, you'll find it's well worth the effort. Smaller than most competing 8" sets, they've been very reliable, and I've sold lots. Here's the breakdown: XG 75: Scans to 75Khz (past 1080p). XG 85: Scans to 85Khz (and has component inputs!). XG 110: Scans to 110Khz. XG 135: Scans to 135Khz. For home theater use, these models all behave very much the same. 'LC' models add liquid coupled tubes for better contrast ratios and less halo'ing. More information ...
			Quantity	Price (USD)
NEC XG 110: Excellent tubes, very low hour NEC original tubes. Ceiling brackets included.			1	$2800.00
NEC XG 135: Excellent tubes, new G and B tubes. Ceiling bracket included.			1	$2800.00

Electrohome Marquee 9xxx series		Manuals     Setup Tips     Specifications     Ranking
	State of the art 9" sets.  9" liquid coupled tubes. 135Khz and 1200 lumens with astig adjustments for perfect corner focus. Scheimpflug adjustments are stock on these units. Very easy to set up. Not as long as most projectors, they are about 3" taller than the Barco series. Very modular in construction, and super reliable. Video, S-video and RGB inputs. I do all of the mods (including anamorphic squeeze mod, the power supply/filament mods, and replace a bunch of parts on the video boards that commonly fail) required to make the Marquees more versatile and reliable. More information ...
			Quantity	Price (USD)
Marquee 9500LC: Brand new (not rebuilt) green tube, perfect R and B, lots of life left in this set. Perfect for full 1080p resolution, case in good shape, wireless remote included.			1	$5700.00
Marquee 9500LC Ultra: Mint, mint, tricked out... An all black case, all MP mods done, the high resolution (Sony G90) HD 10F lenses , power supply and anamorphic mod done, low hours, mint tubes, fan noise reduction mod done, Frankenyokes installed for better than stock focus.			1	$9500.00

Sony G70		Manuals     Setup Tips     Specifications     Ranking
	This is Sony's top of the line late model 8" LC set. 135 Khz scan rate, component input along with the regular video/s-video/RGB. 1200 lumens. More information ...
			Quantity	Price (USD)
Sony G70: New (not rebuilt) G and B tubes, perfect original red.			1	$3500.00
Sony G70: I’m selling this one a bit less than I normally do as the green and blue tubes have a bit of wear on them, but since this wear is over a very large area of the tube surface, it’s very easy to set up a 4:3 or 16:9 image within the wear area and get an excellent picture for another 5000-6000 hours. A top of the line 8” EM focusing LC set, the set is in excellent working shape. I’d rate the G tube at about a 7 or so, the B at an 8 and the red a 9 with no visible wear on the screen. C/w original remote. Ceiling bracket available for $125 extra.			1	$1800.00

I have recently purchased some new sets, so those are being cleared through customs. See upcoming mailouts for these new additions, including some VERY high end 9” sets…

Reel to reel tape recorders

I’ve been ramping up my repairs once again on reel to reel tape recorders, as I was repairing and refurbing these long before I got into CRT projectors. I’ve got several really nice units on eBay. I tend to concentrate on the higher end machines, the semi pro and pro models, but I also have a selection of the 7” home stereo units. Check out my eBay listings here: But a brief overview:

Revox B77. A high end 3 ¾, 7 ½ IPS 10 ½” machine Fully tested and aligned, frequency response to 20Khz as per my Nakamichi analyzer. All functions are flawless on the unit. Included are the rare rack ears (removable) in case you want to want to bolt this into a rack. Not listed on eBay yet, but I will this week. $400.00.

Tascam 3340S- this is a 10 ½” machine, 4 channel/track, 7 ½ and 15 IPS. A semi pro machine which came out in 1974 or so, this one is from 1977. Great for listening to 4 channel tapes, a home recording studio. Frequency response flat to 20Khz, the heads and mechanism are in great shape. $400.00. Original box included, a 1 owner machine.

Teac A 6600. Almost ready, I’m waiting for the main drive belt. A very high end unit, 10 ½”, auto reverse, 3 ¾ and 7 ½ IPS. I’ve replaced the forward direction record and playback heads, not because they really needed replacing, but because I had a new spare set here. This is another 1 owner machine, comes with the original box and manual. NAB adapters included, takeup reel. This machine is as close to new looking as you can get from a 25+ year old machine. The wood and metal are in great shape, all functions are perfect. $550.00.

Akai GX 630 DSS. A 4 channel 10 ½” deck, 3 ¾ and 7 ½ IPS. This is one of the Akai decks that uses the glass heads rated for 17 ½ years of continuous use. I’ve never had one of these heads show wear, nor have I ever had to replace one of them. Completely aligned, cleaned and tested, frequency response flat to 20Khz. In very good condition, a couple of minor marks on the front panel, all functions otherwise are flawless. $400.00.

I have others that I’m working on, keep checking my eBay listings.

Thanks for your support!

Curt

Note: The website is now selling 'Third Party' items, including the popular HDfury DVI/HDMI to RGB adapter, Moome HDMI to RGB converters, a CRT Setup DVD, HD144/145 Lens Adapters, and SDI mods. As the title says, these are third party items, so when purchasing you will be paying and dealing with the third party seller/manufacturer directly. I personally have not tried these units and know nothing about them. With me spending upwards of 60-70 hours a week repairing sets and troubleshooting/providing tech support to sets, I simply don’t have the time to get into the sales and support of aftermarket items. Please send all technical questions and inquiries to the email addresses that are listed on the website for the product that you are inquiring about.