CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

HaydnG90 · Joined: 22 May 2006 Posts: 1356

Anyone thinking of buying this G90 better double check the condition of those C-elements.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-VPH-G90U-CRT-Projector-Local-Pick-Up-or-Deliver-Only-/321055765602?pt=US_Video_Projectors&hash=item4ac06a3462

Love the description... Thumbs Down

jkruger · Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Posts: 2435 Location: Carlsbad, CA

Looks like it may have gotten some direct sunlight in the lenses. Bummer.

cmjohnson · Joined: 03 Apr 2006 Posts: 5180 Location: Buried under G90s

I don't think the odd appearance of the lenses is due to a reflection of what's behind the photographer.

I'm guessing shattered CRT faces. Or worse, if that's even possible.

I'd say "Parts unit!" and not expect to be contradicted.

CJ

maf · Joined: 29 Dec 2010 Posts: 27

A couple of days ago I sent seller an email and asked about projector condition and lenses and for some more pictures of CRTs. All I got was a "I don't know, I don't know and don't have any more pics. Sorry."

So probably a parts machine and who knows if it even powers on.

km987654 · Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 8:26 pm Post subject:

HaydnG90 · Joined: 22 May 2006 Posts: 1356

Sold for $1600... yikes. Hope buyer pays with a credit card or checks it out in person.

Das444 · Joined: 22 Dec 2006 Posts: 145

looks like a Reflection of some trees and a guy standing next to a cart in the backround in the far right lens. Mr. Green

HaydnG90 · Joined: 22 May 2006 Posts: 1356

Guess seller figured out how to get into the service menu. 706 hours quoted in the second listing. Could have been a good deal if it checked out.

nateduffer · Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 8:58 pm Post subject:

After coming across this thread, I guess I will provide all the details. As a total newbie on this forum, this will be the only time I'll ever know anything you experts were unsure about!

I'm the one who bought this G90. I was willing to consider it because of the low hours claimed (In the 2nd listing).

The strange lens appearance in the ebay photo looked to me like reflections. But, I asked the guy a ton of questions and requested photos showing the tube faces. He eventually provided photos looking into the lenses. I detected a defect in the red optics, but I couldn't tell for sure what it was. It was like blotchy whitish spots, all in one small area. He didn't know what this was, but it didn't appear to be on the tube face. I assumed I would need to replace a lens, or something, but I hoped it was a few small chunks of styrofoam peanuts in between lens elements or something like that. The tube faces looked perfect in the photos.

Knowing they don't make these projectors or the tubes anymore, I decided to take a chance. I paid up with "buy it now" figuring that if the hours were true, it would be worth it, and also knowing that I would be able to get a lot of parts out of it to reduce my pain if the worst turned out to be true.

My main worry was shipping damage. My experience has been that things are dropped and banged around excessively whenever anything is trucked. I'm in Seattle, and the projector was for sale in L.A. I figured that the cost of shipping could be shifted, and the risk of further damage would be greatly reduced if I moved it myself. I built a crate and rolled up some latex mattress foam pads and hit the highway in my pickup.

When I got there, the projector looked new in all respects, except for the blotches in the red optics. Those looked the same as in the photos I had seen. We turned on the projector and displayed the menus on the garage door nearby. The hours were as he claimed. And the tubes looked excellent. ( I have a worn Runco 1100, so I know what they are not supposed to look like) So I assembled my plywood crate and placed the machine on top of 4" of springy latex foam that wrapped all around it. I put some soft cotton in front of the lenses and arranged some cardboard to keep the foam from pressing that onto the lenses. The crate went into the pickup on top of soft boat seat cushions. The whole thing was wrapped in tarps, even though the crate was nearly waterproof. I drove gently home avoiding pot holes.

Once unloaded, I gave it a brief power up test to see that it was OK after the 1200 mile trip. I removed the red lens and found small melted craters in the c-element which were what had appeared as spots. These appear to have penetrated less than half the c-element thickness, and there are no signs of glycol leaks.

I gave these melted spots some thought and started to wonder if anyone had done any welding in the home theater the unit had been in. Then I realized that there is sun in California. We only have rain here, but I could see how maybe in L.A. somebody could have allowed the sun to shine into the optics. I wondered if parallel rays from the sun would focus on the c-element. I checked on this forum and confirmed that yes, this can cause the sort of damage I found. I tested this myself by taking a lens from my 1100 outdoors and creating identical craters in an expendable plastic surface. (Yes, we actually do have brief moments of sunshine)

After reading more posts here, I learned about the concern regarding the Dallas chip. I have not been running the projector yet anyway, until the c-element is replaced. So, I'll determine which chip I have as well, before powering it up.

So, I'm not sure yet, but I think I may be OK with this projector. But I do need to find a red c-element.

N

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

figures, it couldn't be the clear which are a dime of dozen. It had to be the Uber-rare Red Sad

Good score for 1600

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 9:42 pm Post subject:

UNtil you find a red, I've got clears at $50 each plus about $10 shipping.

nateduffer · Posted: Fri Mar 08, 2013 3:29 am Post subject:

Thanks Curt. I'll keep that in mind.

N

hal · Joined: 28 Nov 2012 Posts: 100

Nate, Congrats, that's 2 G90's moving into the Seattle area in less than a few months. I actually picked up a spare G90 this past weekend to go with my newer one (2100 hrs vs 7K).. If you have a chance PM me..

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Fri Mar 08, 2013 3:59 am Post subject:

Three. I just delivered one there last Sat, and am heading down Monday to pick up two more. Smile

It's probably not a stretch to say that there are/were DOZENS of G90s in the Seattle area. I've sold at least two in the past, bought about 3, and know of at least 5 more in service between Mercer Island and Bellevue.

hal · Joined: 28 Nov 2012 Posts: 100

You were in town!!! I need to get that Pioneer amp in your hands..

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Fri Mar 08, 2013 4:06 am Post subject:

Nope, only went as far as Bellingham to deliver the set. WIll be down on MOnday though. not sure how much time I'll have, as it's a busy week...

Spanky Ham · Joined: 22 Mar 2006 Posts: 5643 Location: Comedy Central

Wow, I guess that is dedication.

nateduffer · Posted: Fri Mar 08, 2013 4:11 pm Post subject: Photo of the burned c-element

Thanks to those who sent PMs. The server will allow me to respond after I put up a few more posts.

To move that along, I'll attach a photo I took of the appearance of the c-element as seen through the lens, and also one taken with the lens off. I'd rather include the photo the seller provided before I decided to take the chance, but it is trapped/embedded inside the ebay message. I'm glad I was aware going in that something was wrong.

Sunlight may be a risk everyone here is already well aware of. After encountering this, it quickly became obvious to me. But the sun hazard had never occurred to me before that. I hope anyone who has not thought or heard of this risk will benefit from what I learned and keep their machine safe.

It's remarkable that some of you were concerned about the condition of these c-elements after looking at the ebay photo. I guess the fact the projector was out in the bright sun was a clue. Maybe the damage happened when the seller was taking the pictures.

N

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

Yep the lens and sun combo melted the C-Element.

Athanasios

Spanky Ham · Joined: 22 Mar 2006 Posts: 5643 Location: Comedy Central

LOL, I remember last year when everyone was giving me a hard time for taking a pic of my 909 outside.