60 in projection TV with convergence issue

[allthatwhichis]

A friend just gave me a 60 in PhillipsMagnavox projection TV with a really bad convergence issue. He was going to throw it away but I told him to let me beat on it a little first. Is there any fun to be had? I had hoped the convergence wasn't off that much or that I could fix it some how. But it is off bad and I can't find a way to move anything. Is there any way to take it apart and make a projector out of it? It'd be cool to get a laser grafitti box out of it.

[drlava]

the convergence amps are a common failure mode on rear projection TVs. They are typically a hybrid semiconductor package on a large heatsink. If your TV isn't ancient then the convergence grid parameters are stored in eeprom and you will have to enter the service mode to re-do it. Older TVs had a grid of potentiometers.
Look on some forums for that TV model and see if you can find the way to get into the convergence service mode.

[JimBo]

Have a look over on AVforums, somebody will help you out.

Jim

[LaserLover]

A friend just gave me a 60 in PhillipsMagnavox projection TV with a really bad convergence issue. He was going to throw it away but I told him to let me beat on it a little first. Is there any fun to be had? I had hoped the convergence wasn't off that much or that I could fix it some how. But it is off bad and I can't find a way to move anything. Is there any way to take it apart and make a projector out of it? It'd be cool to get a laser grafitti box out of it.

Heh,
If you can fix it then at least you can see what makes it tick and maybe cannibalize some interesting parts. It should contain some high quality Optic filters that you can use to combine or seperate laser colors.

Have fun tinkering.
Rick

[allthatwhichis]

Thanks guys! Do these thing store power like regular TVs? Can I kill myself with it by playing inside of it while it is NOT plugged in? Or can
I unplug it and not worry about a new hair style?

[Dr Laser]

DON'T TROW IT AWAY OR TAKE IT FOR PARTS. It can be fixed in about 30 minutes. All you need is a 2 chips they are 12$ a pop. You can easily find them. They are on radiators. They are going bad because of bad cooling. Like I said 30 minutes of work and you have a TV that will go for another 2 years.

[Dr Laser]

Thanks guys! Do these thing store power like regular TVs? Can I kill myself with it by playing inside of it while it is NOT plugged in? Or can
I unplug it and not worry about a new hair style?

There are only only few components that will take you across the room. They are all sealed very well. All you need is to take out a controller board. It doesn't have any highpower things. It's like a PC motherboard. 5..12 volts max

[marconi]

Also, First check the solder joints on the chips..
They get loose from vibration and heat.
Very common with Sony VPH series units and Im sure with others as well.
Yes, be careful around the High Voltage...It can knock you into tomarrow.