CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

deronmoped · Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 1154 Location: San Diego

So I kept driving by a PJ in the alley and finally decided that I could not let it just go to hell. Well it turns out to be a Vidikron 9" PJ. The night before I decided to get it, the guy that was trashing it said some kids came by and smashed two of the lenses with rocks. That really sucks, two of the HD10L lenses have broken lenses on the inside. Well, I have spare 9" lenses, so I can deal with that. I have 2 sets, some Barco 300's and a set of HD10 lenses. Now I got the PJ home and hooked it up to power and all I get is the relays on the deflection board keep cycling on and off. And the error light for the LVPS flashes briefly. I went though and checked the connections on pretty much every connector I could find. Pulled the LVPS and checked the fuses and any obvious visual problems. Looked for any visual problems on the deflection board and the other board. Now this PJ looks like it had moisture in it, from corroded and rusted screws around the lenses, although the circuit boards looked good, no real moisture on them.

If this PJ is fairly easy and cheaply fixed, I will hang onto it just because I like CRT technology. I don't know if I would ever use it, as I have a real nice 10PG and a working G70 that I got for $20.00. By the way, what is everyone doing with extra PJ's. Setting up different viewing rooms, spares, dust collectors...

Thanks, Deron.

Tim in Phoenix · Joined: 21 Oct 2006 Posts: 4409 Location: Phoenix

Hello

Pull and reseat all the socketed chips on the clm, pull and reseat the small board on the hdm, see if those help.

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

Is it one of the ones with the fancy fiberglass caseworks? A Vision One?

If so, it's worth something to somebody for the case alone. If the tubes are good, it's certainly worth something.

In fact, I actually am on the hunt for a complete Vision One case set.

Start by pulling out all the boards, clean contacts as you are able to, and reseat them. If it still doesn't power up completely,
then you have to start doing some troubleshooting. There are diagnostics LEDs on the back panel and on the LVPS.

There are several things that can cause a failure to startup.

Once repaired, if the tubes are in really good shape, it has the potential to outperform your 10PG and G70. There's a LOT that can be done to push a 9500LC into the highest level of CRT projector performance. But I'm sure you know that already.

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2016 9:31 pm Post subject:

If the projector never fires up properly, then you most likely have a short in the set, the usual suspects are the focus board or one of the CRT neck boards. Disconnect each one one at a time, and see if the set fires up then.

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

Oddly enough, today I just had my first ever failure in the 9500 that's in my home theater.

It was the LVPS, and since I had a spare in the closet it wasn't a three minute job to swap it out and
get it running.

Interestingly, focus seems to have improved substantially. Something to keep in mind.

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

Dam, I would love a Vision 1 for my HT . why do they all always fall in the lap of people who don't even want them? Crying or Very sad

deronmoped · Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 1154 Location: San Diego

Thanks for getting back to me guys.

I kept plugging the PJ in and trying the power button over the course of several days, hoping it might of had some moisture in it that would eventually dry out. Well today it fired up, got some menus showing on the face of the tubes, the PJ seems to be fine. That's if it continues to come on when I check it over the course of the next few days.

I realize it's a really good 9" PJ. The green has light wear, the red has very light wear and the blue looks new. No color filter on the red like my 10PG.

It has that cool fiberglass case.

As soon as I get the chance, I will compare it to my 10PG.

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

The Marquee has higher rated resolution, higher video bandwidth, takes higher scan rates, and if in healthy condition will be a better machine than your 10PG. Prepare to swap projectors!

deronmoped · Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 1154 Location: San Diego

So, I'm still having problems.

Did a bunch of searching threads and testing the PJ. This is what I have found out so far.

1) The wired remote works.
2) The PJ fired up correctly one time. Saw menus and was able to navigate them. The RG&B all came on.
With the PJ not starting correctly, this is what I found.
1) LVPS fans are on.
2) Relay clicking in the LVPS.
3) All three tube heaters are on.
4) The 3 belly fans will spin with each click of the LVPS fan.
5) Red LVPS light on back of the PJ comes on.
6) Yellow standby light stays on.
7) With the HDM installed, those relays click on and off.
8) Pulled the Focus board, no change.
9) Pulled the neck board connections, no change.
10) No red LED's on the LVPS are coming on.
11) All the fuses in the LVPS test good.

With all the talk about LVPS problems and the red LED on the back of the PJ for the LVPS, that has me thinking it's the LVPS. But why would it work correctly one time for me? I did a visual exam of the internals and did not see anything burnt or cracked. Been cleaning all the connections that I come across, but that makes no change. What fails in these LVPS's?

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2016 1:37 am Post subject:

I'm going to say moisture/glycol under the 8 pin chip on the backplane. Take out the tubes, and look with a very bright light at that chip on the backplane, and the area surrounding it. Glycol does not evaporate, so you'll see it glisten if some has come out of the tube(s) and dripped down there.

The intermittent problem and changing issues with your set makes me suspect that. The chip won't be bad, I've never had one fail, but you'll need isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush to flush out the glycol from under the chip. I'll bet that's it. Also check all boards, esp the CLM for water damage around the edges of the board(s). Corrosion there can do all sorts of things too.

I've got a zillion parts, and even new in the box green tubes. The set is well worth repairing!

BYW, in your list above, are you sayiing that the yellow standby LED stays on even when the set powers up? That reinforces backplane chip or CLM problems to me.

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

The unit is about 20 years old. It's time for the LVPS to get weak. I know, I've had THREE LVPS units go weak and flaky on me in the last two weeks.

They can be weak and flaky just enough that they'll power up the unit fully SOME of the time but not ALL of the time.

I just recapped one of mine and it's rock solid now.

If you decide that it's not worth your effort and money to salvage that projector, I want you to know that if nothing else I want the Vision One case parts. There are plenty of other salvageable parts in it that have some value. Good neck cards, good VIM, good lenses, they're all worth something.

deronmoped · Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 1154 Location: San Diego

Curt

Why is the red LVPS LED on the CLM staying on?

Are you thinking the LVPS is OK?

Is there anyone in the San Diego area with parts I can swap around to find out what is good and what is bad?

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2016 2:58 am Post subject:

The LVPS may be bad. I am going to be in Poway next Weds. Can bring a LVPS with me if you want.. How close are you to Poway?\

email me at curtpalme at shaw.ca

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

Yes, the red LVPS indicator is telling you that the brain thinks the LVPS is bad.

deronmoped · Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 1154 Location: San Diego

Well, electronics always seems to have a mind of it's own.

The PJ is up and running, but the blue neck board is down. I switched it with the green neck board to confirm that the blue neck board is problematic.

Can this be related to why the PJ would not start up? I have done quite a few restarts with no problem now.

What goes out on the neck board?

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

Yes, it could be that. The neck board most definitely has something to say about whether or not the projector will power up completely. Spot kill and beam current sense circuits come to mind immediately.

deronmoped · Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 1154 Location: San Diego

OK,

So it could be my neck board causing the PJ not to power up.

At the time (when the PJ refused to start) all I got was the LVPS relay clicking and the convergence board relays clicking. Now I get a couple of clicks and everything powers on.

Is it worth it to try to repair the neck board? Or just replace it? My PJ is a 1998 Vidikron. What fits in the PJ any 8500 or 9500 neck board or is it a newer version?

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

Your neck cards will be type 50-2038-01p or some revision thereof. They're common, Curt probably has a few in stock, and they don't cost a lot to get one
from him.

You just don't want to get one of the really old 50-2000 series cards. Those are not considered to be very good.

The connecting cable between the motherboard and the neck card should be checked to ensure that the connectors are fully seated as well,
because if the CLM senses that all three cards aren't properly connected, it won't allow power-up of the projector.

So check the connections on the card AND on the motherboard as a first step.

deronmoped · Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 1154 Location: San Diego

Yeah, that board I'm having problems with is a 50-2038-01P.

I tested a bunch of the components, could not find anything oblivious. Caps, resistors, diodes, the ones I tested were OK.

deronmoped · Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 1154 Location: San Diego

I'm beginning to think this PJ is going to be nothing but problems.

It was exposed to a lot of moisture and dirt and is flaky in operation. Actually I'm surprised it functions at all.

Problems so far:
1) It powers on sometimes. When I first got it, it would not fully power on, then at one point it came on once. Then it would not power on for a while, then it powered up a whole bunch of times. Then it would not power on. Now it's powering on again.

2) At first all the neck boards worked, now one is dead.

3) Now the blue is really bright, like the G2 is turned up too far.

Right now it has cost me nothing but a bunch of time, which I don't mind, as I enjoy figuring out and fixing problems. But in the least it looks like it needs one neck board. But the LVPS may be bad and I still have to figure out the overly bright blue. I really don't care to start down a money pit on a PJ I may never use.