CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

CVtech · Joined: 08 Jun 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Portland, OR

I picked up a 9PG a couple years ago, non-functional, for $150 from govt. liquidator. As a greenhorn, I read enough in the forums to know to look at the tubes but I thought for sure I missed something because I couldn't figure out anything that looked like wear. Once I got it working the hour meter said "12". Just long enough to give up on it and throw it in the closet for 10 years before finally unloading it I guess. It had a bad STK on the C-drive board.

I managed to get some STK's off Ebay and fixed the boards, found a remote for it from an outfit in California and decided to pickup a spare deflection board at the same time (about 4 years ago). I changed out STKs on both the focus and C-drive boards over the years but overall it has been running as a home theater now flawlessly for 5 years. I run it on a blank silverish wall about 10'x10' and normally PJ is projecting a 75 inch x 100 inch picture from HTPC (1024x768, 60 Hz) onto the wall. When we watch movies the DVD software pulls it down into a 16:9 or 2:35:1 and the rest of the wall is beautifully dark. When not in use the kids play "wallball" on the same wall. Point is that this setup is just great. Handles 4:3 computer browsing/games, HDTV via ATI HDTV Wonder, and movies in whatever silly widescreen format some artsy-fartsy Hollywood type thinks makes it a better experience (I prefer 4:3 for EVERYTHING myself).

OK, so now that is all out it the open, here is the issue. This week the 9PG stopped working, would power on and immediately off and it had been acting funny on syncs recently (i.e. losing the setups, etc.). Anyway, I broke the seal on the pristine 10+ year old box from the NEC factory containing the Def Board (proof: tape inside the box says "this tape is repulpable" - this had to come from Japan) and changed it out. Now the unit powers and stays on and it sounds like a normal sequence of detecting/switching but I get nothing in terms of light output except a very, very dim glow at the back of each tube. No LED's on the Def board, they come on then turn off, but I do see an weird error code that is "E3" but with the top segment of the 3 missing.

What next? I can't bear the thought of looking at stupid gray bars due to pulldown from 4:3 on some lousy LCD or DLP system, and/or being locked into a digital widescreen 16:9 when I really want 4:3 for everything else (such as web browsing or gaming). I LOVE MY 9PG. HELP! Ideas?

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 4:55 am Post subject:

Sounds to me like you're reading the display upside down? Is it really an F8 error? That's the C board.

Disconnect the F and C boards completely and see if the set stays on. If so, reconnect the F board. THe 'tips' section on the main site will show you where the F and C boards are, you probably already know anyways.

CVtech · Joined: 08 Jun 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Portland, OR

Thanks Curt:

Since its hanging from the ceiling, sounds plausible. I'll check that out. Maybe its the "other" STK on the C board. I have 2 left I think from my Ebay buying binge about 5 years ago.

Funny thing is that I forgot until late in this process that this thing even had a rear panel display. Its been up there so long and I had to stick my head waay back next to the wall to get a look an and then "oh yeah" a display and buttons and stuff too.

I'll post the solution here if I find it, otherwise I'll PM you and pay you a visit on my way to the island in couple weeks. Wife does NOT like the idea of the PJ taking up half the trunk on our vacation.. I don't like the idea of getting it down off the ceiling so hopefully its just a board.

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 6:13 am Post subject:

Keep posting, we can narrow this down to a board or two. The set can stay on the ceiling.. Smile

CVtech · Joined: 08 Jun 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Portland, OR

OK, so here's the status:

I tried connecting/disconnecting the C and F boards, no change. Unit powers on but does not display any picture. Looking at the error code again, its actually "F3" which is the point board (E3 with the top segment missing, upside down, still laughing about that). So, I pulled the point board and the error code goes away (to "00") and unit seems to power up the tubes to a little brighter glow at the very back but still nothing readable out the front. Pulling F and C boards together or one at a time is no change, unit stays on but no display.

So at this point I've changed out the deflection board to the new from factory deflection board (3709A) and pulled the point board. This took me from the power on then immediately off state and cleared the F3 code. So now it powers on and stays on but no display (I've double checked the source a couple times )and can't get even the menus or any of the "incorrect input source, etc" to even try to configure an input source. Pulling the point board cleared the F3 error. No difference pulling F and C individually or together.

Thanks for the help so far, appreciate any further guidance of what to try next...

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 12:41 pm Post subject:

Do you hear the HV crackle?

If so, then I'd suspect the system board or the video output board.

CVtech · Joined: 08 Jun 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Portland, OR

I finally got around to changing out both system and video out pwbs. The system now has a new(er) deflection board, system PWB and video out pwb. It powers on, I *think* I hear the HV crackle but still no video. On the back panel I will get and F3 error if I have the point board in, no error with the point board pulled, but one suspicious item is the standby light is blinking instead of solid (not sure if this is normal).

Any other suggestions most appreciated. Is there some easy way to check the HV (at a test point or something)?

Thanks,
Clark

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2008 2:38 am Post subject:

That blinking light is fine. NO worries there.

You can measure the HV indirectly at the red G2 terminals on any of the CRT sockets. That's the single red wire that goes from the focus block to each CRT. IF you decide to pull the wire off the CRT socket pin, pull the CRT socket off the back of the tube. IF not, you'll spot burn the tube at turnoff.

That red wire should read between 400 and about 800 volts. If it comes on and then goes to 0, then something is shutting down the HV section. That could be almost anything in the set. If it never comes up above 0, then you have no HV firing up at all. Your 'new' deflection board could be bad, it could also be the wrong one. Is the 7,8 or 9 digit part number below the 'PWC' board number identical to the original? If not, you should probably get the original board repaired.

CVtech · Joined: 08 Jun 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Portland, OR

Thanks for the quick reply,

If I have the correct red wire (single pin on the neck socket PCB next to the socket) Comes up to about 24V for 1-2 seconds then drops out to zero. I pulled the socket off then watched as it powered on

The new deflection board is PWC-3709(A) with 72137094, original is 72137092. So, not exactly the same. Maybe I have a couple issues. It sounds very normal on startup, with clicking and clacking to try to sync but just a dim glow at the back of each neck and nothing coming out the CRT themselves as far as I can tell by looking into the lenses (not even a dim blank display).

grogthegreat · Joined: 16 May 2007 Posts: 166 Location: San Diego, CA

Just as a FYI: From my research it seems that the def boards with 72137094 are for the 9PG+ and those with 72137096 are for the Xtra. I've seen 72137091 which I think is from a 6PG or 9PG but I'm not sure. I was told that def boards from 9PG and 9PG+ aren't interchangeable but I've never tested it.
-Greg

CVtech · Joined: 08 Jun 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Portland, OR

Thanks for the post Grog. Over the weekend I was able to get a known good 092 deflection board shipped from Curt and the PJ fired right up after I installed it! My original suspicion was thus correct (def board went out) but I had the wrong spare sitting on my shelf for years. As a result I can definitely add to the knowledge base that an 094 board will not work as a replacement for an 092 in a 9PG standard model.

The reason the def board was suspect in the first place is the unit was having trouble locking on to signals when powered on, losing default, having to re-add inputs to the input list, etc. for a little while before it went completely south. Now its headed north for repair by Curt.

Thanks for the help and thanks again Curt for this forum! Great to have such excellent support for what can only be called now a die hard community. I really delved into the present digital offerings in the past couple months and they have improved a lot in the past couple years but it was still really going to pain me to pay all that money just to end up missing my 9PG.