CED VideoDisc and Player Discussion

[Red October]

So today I bought for $20 a used CTC-131 television from a TV repair shop. The picture tube is brand new, but the set was in pieces because the guy who sent it in for repair declined to retrieve it, so it was put up for sale. The TV repairman put all the leads back in place for me (though in retrospect I could have done this myself without aid of a service print, everything is keyed). excepting one white lead that goes to a board above the main board but below the tube yoke. I connected this myself at home once I realized it was not connected. The set does NOT power up.

Naturally I checked the fuse. It showed 1,000 K-ohms on my meter so I went off for a new one. I checked the new one, but it too showed 1,000 K-ohms. Turns out my meter doesn't correctly measure resistance any more, so I dragged out an old benchtop meter that DOES work, and checked the fuse. It is good. (Talk about a bad day... first the set, now my meter!) I know the line cord is good and the set it getting power, because when I replaced the fuse I accidentally put in a 25 volt fuse instead of a 250 volt fuse, and the 25 volt fuse blew in a flash of blue glory. Beyond that I am at a loss. Tomorrow I plan on contacting the TV repairman who sold it to me, but it's a 200 pound set in the full wooden case with glass front, and I don't feel like lugging it back to the shop -if he'll even have a look at it.

[Jerry S]

None of that makes any sense. Sounds like you bought an as-is abandoned tv because it was only $20 (probably less than the landfill disposal charge), the technician did not demonstrate it to be in working order, the fuse blows from excessive current draw, not from voltage rating. That initial fuse blowing may have been due to the use of a fast blow fuse instead of the slow blow fuse usually required to handle the degauss circuit current surge.
A real technician would have demonstrated that it was safe to power up, or he would have disabled it so that you could not have powered it up. A real service shop will probably charge at least $75 just to tell you what is wrong with it and how much it would cost to repair. These days, with people dumping their CRT tvs with NTSC tuners, you can get a pretty good used 27 inch tv with remote and at least a 90 day warranty from a reputable tv repair shop for $75.
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Jerry S
greentron@att.net

[RT9342]

Actually, even though the fuse is current-rated, they do have a voltage limit, and using a 25V fuse for 120V applications can be disasterous. But as far as the TV, I don't know what to say, except the guy must have forgotten to put something in (I've done something like that before, putting together a TV from parts).

[Jerry S]

It still doesnt make any sense. If it had been disassembled for diagnostics and the repair estimate had been declined, the servicer would not have proceeded with the repair or bothered to put it back together. If the servicer had repaired it, the servicer would have reassembled it to test and adjust it. I supervise a video service operation and nothing leaves the shop as a working unit without a thorough checkout for function and safety.
Fuse ratings are complex, but voltage wont blow a fuse, only current. The voltage rating is for the voltage that the fuse can interrupt when it does blow. The ratings are different for DC or AC and have meaning only with a specific type of load, usually resistive rather than reactive.
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Jerry S
greentron@att.net

[RT9342]

Any luck with the TV? Were you able to get a hold of the guy you bought it from? After reading the discussion again, I'm wondering if something shorted as a result of improper reassembly.

[rsrendfeld]

Would a schematic or service manual help you?
rsrendfeld@aol.com

[rgladney]

If you want another Dimensia monitor, I have a complete generation 1 Dimensia system, with schematics and original owners manual & binder that I am willing to sell. I live in Chattanooga TN and due to weight, you would have to pick up the system.
Ron Gladney
rgladney4@comcast.net