CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

Spotmatic

I'm going to pick up a Marquee 9500 Ultra tonight. It is very cheap, but defective. Of course, it has leaked glycol so I suspect that most of the important boards cannot be salvaged. But if the tubes and lenses are nice and of the right type... The current owner mentioned that it had been run for only 2000 hours so I have good hopes.

Any tips? Of course, I'll get the leaking tube out as fast as possible. But how to clean boards from glycol? And are there any do's and dont's? Mind you, I have never ever touched a Marquee as I'm a Barco man. But I simply could not pass this opportunity...

JustGreg · Joined: 07 Mar 2006 Posts: 3098 Location: Kenosha, WI

A quick Google search produced this page....with about 7 or 8 different methods and as many opinions on how a PCB should be cleaned.

http://www.arcaderestoration.com/index.asp?OPT=3&DATA=292&CBT=4

There's a link on the page for dejanews that contains literally hundreds of replies on the subject.
Nice score tho! I hope you can save it from the parts bin.

Greg

1031 · Joined: 22 Mar 2006 Posts: 657 Location: Finland

GEBrown · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 729 Location: Denver

"Picking up a defective 9500 Ultra, what is recommended?"

My first reaction to the title was

A Back brace, a partner, or a winch.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Zebu Fellenz · Joined: 21 Dec 2006 Posts: 2567

I would pack all three Very Happy

GEBrown · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 729 Location: Denver

outwest · Joined: 17 Dec 2006 Posts: 212 Location: Honolulu

I was given a 1st generation AMD Athlon desktop computer. The motherboard was covered in a layer of dust. The dust was sticky and would not blow off with air. I stripped the motherboard and washed it with soap, water and a soft brush. I then used a hose to fully flush and rinse. It came out shiny clean. After a couple of afternoons in the sun, the motherboard was installed and has been working for well over a year. Since the boards that you are dealing with are more valuable and much harder to find, I find it hard to recommend the "carwash" approach. It should take care of the glycol though.

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

Go to your local electronics suppy house and pick up a can or two (or three) of "big bath" electronic wash.

Don't be afraid to use it liberally.

The stuff really cleans out a lot of residues of almost any kind you can imagine, and it's safe for electronics
as that's what it's made for.

MOST Marquees are installed "tubes down" and if they leak glycol in that orientation, they're usually safe
as long as they STAY in that orientation. There are no circuits for the glycol to drip on to in that orientation.

CJ

stefuel · Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 9:04 pm Post subject:

As I recall, tse said you can put the boards directly into a dish washer and let-er rip. I've never tried it though.
I think I'll go out into the shop and grab the grungiest board in my collection and give it a try.
I'll do before and after pictures Shocked

Spotmatic · Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 9:05 pm Post subject:

Well, thanks for the tips everyone! And my back is fine, thank you Very Happy

Well, I came home this evening with the 9500. First of all, this is not a 9500 Ultra. The former owner said that the internal menu showed "Ultra", but he was not 100% sure. When I arrived there, the PJ was still upside-down on the floor, like when it was hanging. Both the sticker on the back and the type sticker mention that this is a 9500LC from 1996, nothing more, nothing less. However, this PJ came from Spatz in Germany. They have at least installed new tubes and a red C element. How can I tell if they have modified this 9500LC into an Ultra? Lastly, the projector has the dreaded HD10L's, another clue that this is "just" a 9500LC Wink

And now on to the verdict: the green tube has lost half of its glycol. I haven't had a chance to look at the internal boards, will do so tomorrow. The C-elements do not look clean, I hope they didn't suffer damage from incoming sunlight. I could not see any wear on the tubes with a flashlight, and I looked very hard. But I'll know more tomorrow.

And for everyone who sent me a PM: thank your for your offers, but as you see this is probably not an Ultra and at this point I don't even know what I'm gonna do with it!

NewbieDAN · Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2007 1:59 am Post subject:

Dishwasher (no powder) followed by compressed air or baked in an oven on it's lowest setting for 24hrs...

JustGreg · Joined: 07 Mar 2006 Posts: 3098 Location: Kenosha, WI

It's a bit agressive but if you have access to an ultra sonic vapor degreaser that would be the cats ass. I've cleaned literally tens of motors, electronics, and tools in them back in my nuke power days. For PCB's, it won't hurt a thing and it's almost immediately dry when it come up over the chiller coils. Any kind of ashesive material is ruined, like paper seperator tape around x-fmrs but I don't remember seeing anything like that on my 8500 boards.

Would I use that method to do the boards in MY Marquee?....Hay-ell no! But I'm jealous of the fact you got a 9500 so I"m willing to make the recommendation that you try it. Twisted Evil

Just shittin ya. Ya lucky SOB. Thumbs Up

I cast my vote for the dishwasher method too. Throw the boards in the dishwasher with a SMALL amount of detergent and don't let the heat cycle run. I know Dan recommended no detergent but I researched this before my first post and the concensus was with a small amount of detergent.

tse · Joined: 03 May 2006 Posts: 1014 Location: Sweatbucket, Fl.

Plenty of hot hot water will clean off the coolant. Dry in warm dry place, 40 degrees for like 24 hrs. A dishwasher will clean good but I've never deen one used for dishes after cleaning PCBs.

Scott

JustGreg · Joined: 07 Mar 2006 Posts: 3098 Location: Kenosha, WI

Spotmatic · Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2007 9:14 am Post subject:

Well, it appears that the green tube has imploded. I am not sure about that, but there's a black patch in the tube that looks like if there's no phosphor.

I've partially dismantled the 9500LC, and then removed the green HV lead. Imagine my disbelief when the unit powered right up, with a raster on both of the remaining tubes!

Spotmatic · Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2007 9:30 am Post subject:

The pics...

Note the black spot at the left side of the green tube...

Ile · Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2007 9:59 am Post subject:

Whole face plate is cracked. Shocked

Maybe tube was used after half of the glycols was spilled out...

Spotmatic · Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2007 10:04 am Post subject:

Yes, that's a nasty crack! To be honest, I only saw it right now after you mentioned it. It's not that clear, but then I have no experience with cracked tubes...

Well the good thing is probably that the glycol was sucked INTO the tube itself, and was not dripping onto the electronics. In fact, I found hardly any loose glycol inside...

1031 · Joined: 22 Mar 2006 Posts: 657 Location: Finland

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

Hello

It is possible that the glycol built up pressure from too much water being inhaled through the porous rubber of the bellows. Check the intact tubes and vent glycol
if the bellows are hard to the touch. Do this with the tubes out of the chassis, since the glycol can spurt some distance.