Solved Are CRT Tubes Tied To A Specific Voltage? (either 110V or 240V) - NO THEY ARE NOT

eliotcole

eliotcole

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To keep things simple ... a yes or no question:
ARE ALL CRT TUBES MADE WITH ONE VOLTAGE IN MIND, THAT BEING EITHER 110V OR 240V?

or, to put it in an 'opposite' sense:
CAN ANY TUBE TAKE ANY VOLTAGE?​

If the answer is 'sometimes' or 'it depends' regarding whether they are tied to a specific voltage then that answer is classed as 'Yes, they are voltage dependent' ... if there is no situation where the voltage matters in relation to the CRT tube, then the answer is 'No' to this particular question. 🙂

I would assume that one would need to ensure that a tube can take a certain voltage.


This question has been rephrased to keep things simple, as folks were not happy with the previous one.
Sorry for such a vague question, but I just don't know ...

I would like to make a monitor in a cab 240v instead of 110v, but I don't know what I am 'allowed' to do with regard to pairing a tube to a chassis.

I cannot stress enough that this is not a specific question about a specific tube in a specific cab with a specific chassis. I would like to be able to do this with multiple monitors, of differing types, in different cabs.

I'd just like to know if there is any governance about which tubes can take what kinds of chassis ... if there is anything that limits that at all.

Like, is a tube rated for a certain voltage? Or a certain resolution and refresh rate?

I truly don't even know if those are relevant questions in the first place.

Am I even talking about the right things, here?


Notes​

  • I do not feel entitled to any response from anyone
  • I do not expect anyone to respond
  • If you do not have an answer, it would be lovely if you could leave best alone :)
  • If there is a resource that might help? Please do tell!


ANSWER​

@CMYKhazi-Dan has provided the answer, here, stating:
CMYKhazi-Dan said:
No 👍 all came out of the same factory and went all over the world in countries that have different mains voltage.
Click to expand...
This confirms that any CRT Tube can operate on any voltage, like 110V or 240V.
Thanks, @CMYKhazi-Dan !!!

Confirmed by @Rossyra. 🙏
Rossyra said:
Whelp, tubes don’t take the mains supply voltage, the chassis does that and feeds the tube the voltages it requires. So the 110v/240v isn’t relevant to the tube
Click to expand...
 
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eliotcole

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I have just seen this, but it's a short thread, and I am not sure what to take from it. 😩

CRT Tube Chassis Compatibility

I have been searching but cannot find any information about chassis and tube compatibility. I have a bunch of complete CRTs, supposedly working chassis in boxes returned from repair, and tubes missing chassis. I have well over 100 monitors from 13 to 27 inches, mostly 19. From what I have read...
forums.arcade-museum.com
 
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NivagSwerdna

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Interesting topic... I have a monitor, TM-153, which I think has a defective flyback and as far as I know that's a hard to replace part so was wondering about a chassis replacement..
Please guide us crt gurus
 
69er

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Good question… one of the main things I noticed years ago was various neck boards clearly don’t match certain tubes at all .. namely open pin and enclosed pin tube sockets which on occasion have totally different size to start . I think the confusion is many tubes appear similar while chassis models differ considerably make to make . I know this is a problem others I have met over the years and just lucky I have frequently had spare matching chassis or breaker parts to effect the odd repair , Sadly I think it’s going to be an old school knowledge thing best approached by meeting somebody who can pass on what they know verbally with a demonstrative finger?

While I got through a tv / radio repair city and guilds 3 with distinction it was not great for RGB monitors and self teach (find out by trial and error) with a good meter, was the way forward as back in the early years with no google , forums or internet reference, you were on your own, that’s just how it was and even guys trained by big companies were reluctant to share their knowledge unless you knew them socially as mates?

I know about yoke impedance but couldn’t tell you which chassis match those resistance values and have in the past mistakenly tried KTM or domino on tubes best fitted with hantarex and smoked out the odd component mainly due to not labelling tubes when faulty chassis were shelved and some years later just forget which fitted and confused when plugs seem to be similar or identical on either?

Not all tubes have their label intact by age and exposure to damp storage yet look in great condition ? Hope someone can do a guide , ? , in addition to the common GO7 Hanty and WG , intervideo , etc , I probably still have hitachi and microvitec and other popular 80s stuff , all shelved and may function fine ??? … main issue is any paperwork doesn’t often indicate compatibility to other set ups. Even in retirement a few pointers would be appreciated as said there is a pile of chassis here some totally unknown and my memory of their origin has vanished! Tho I could perhaps still show people chassis faults I am familiar with ? I fancy tackling one or two just now !
 
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gunblade

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there is so much you need to know, where do you start
tools you will need-multimeter, inductance meter and bench meter(unless your multimeter is something like a fluke 87v) and probably a hv probe
bench meter to read and match heater voltage, inductance meter to compare and read yokes, same with multimeter for impedance, hv probe to check eht is within spec
then you have tube base pinout and neck size, whether yoke has pincushion fins and whether chassis has adjustable pincushion circuit, then you have all the different type of connectors and input voltages and frequencies

so no its not simple but if you have a particular chassis you want to replace you could probably find a later direct replacement by doing an internet search
 
eliotcole

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So, it feels like the knowledge is still under lock and key.
Let me ask a question that the almighties might allow to be answered, then ...

Where can I go to learn enough so that I can democratise this information myself and risk the ire of the magic circle?
 
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Bods

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I would get used for all the TV Tube swaps at work, some new tubes didn't come with scan coils so I had to take them off the original and align it all, it took a lot of time on some and convergence wasn't so critical on a TV the other side of room. think I did a pretty good job on most as I used to be super critical myself back then with such things and it was even for me

Even we didn't have much info on suitable tubes back then, though there would have be far more back then but that knowledge is lost since most starting dumping crt for lcd and guessing there would have been more info on TV's compared to Arcade Monitors

Surely the easiest way is to just sell 110v monitor and and buy Hanty Polo that is 240v but what's wrong with 110v anyway considering most cabs are that standard
either that or invent a time machine to go back and get all the information
 
Lurch666

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eliotcole said:
So, it feels like the knowledge is still under lock and key.
Let me ask a question that the almighties might allow to be answered, then ...

Where can I go to learn enough so that I can democratise this information myself and risk the ire of the magic circle?
Click to expand...
No it just doesn't have a simple answer.
It's like saying the understanding to build nuclear reactors is under lock and key because most of us don't know how to do it.

If you want to research how to do something and get the equipment yourself then you would be able to swap chassis and tubes but it's not something that can be explained in a tread on a forum.
Add the fact you could severely injure yourself if you make a mistake and you should realize it's not something to be taken lightly.

If it was easy then there would be loads of youtube videos and tutorials on the net telling you how to do it.
That there aren't shows how complex this is.

There's no way to make this easy.
 
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Bods

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This is something that needed to be done like 20 years ago before tons of it were gone

I'd say Africa is your best friend as that's where all the CRT stuff headed though they probably moved onto all the early LCD/Plasma stuff now :LOL:
 
eliotcole

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Sure.
Lurch666 said:
No it just doesn't have a simple answer.
It's like saying the understanding to build nuclear reactors is under lock and key because most of us don't know how to do it.

If you want to research how to do something and get the equipment yourself then you would be able to swap chassis and tubes but it's not something that can be explained in a tread on a forum.
Add the fact you could severely injure yourself if you make a mistake and you should realize it's not something to be taken lightly.

If it was easy then there would be loads of youtube videos and tutorials on the net telling you how to do it.
That there aren't shows how complex this is.

There's no way to make this easy.
Click to expand...
 
Flyback2021

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I often think how fortunate we are on this forum to have members who not only keep these Crts going through chassis repair and servicing but who also are extremely generous with their knowledge , experience and time should a member wish to take it on themselves or have a question.
 
eliotcole

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Yeah, agreed. :)
Flyback2021 said:
I often think how fortunate we are on this forum to have members who not only keep these Crts going through chassis repair and servicing but who also are extremely generous with their knowledge , experience and time should a member wish to take it on themselves or have a question.
Click to expand...

At least it's not like the stack websites where some arse says "You aren't asking the question correctly ..." or some crap. 😅
 
ChrisBEANS

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eliotcole said:
Not at all, and I am sorry that you feel that way after I tapped like on your comment.


This whole thread is about making it easy, perhaps this is not a thread that you will thrive in, mate.
Click to expand...

He was right, your comment was rude and uncalled for…

Firstly, information and advice is often given freely on these boards and others all of the time.
Just because that’s they case doesn’t mean anyone has an obligation to puppy walk you through complex things just because that’s what you want.

Secondly, I was having a conversation just this morning about why despite my investment in this hobby and desire to learn about, and to preserve obsolete tech, I personally wouldn’t touch a chassis or tube myself.
It’s effectively irreplaceable now, it’s a complex area, it’s often niche knowledge, and with too much or too little information an enthusiast could very easily damage irreplaceable tech or could quite seriously damage themselves.

What you’d really need, is an environment where you could be directly in person tutored, and no such environment exists (maybe the retro collective/arcade archive museum thing?).

People who have this information have a duty to be careful with it to avoid damage to stuff, damage to you, and damage to their reputation should you misuse or misunderstand the given information to your detriment.
Beyond that, people make a living from it and yet they’re still willing to offer help and advice free of charge. What is given freely should be appreciated, and the fact your query can’t be tied up in a single forum post shouldn’t lead to sulky accusations of ‘gate keeping’.
 
eliotcole

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I'm not sulking, however, I am quite happy to state that I am unhappy that folks won't share information readily.
That unhappiness is not aimed at anyone here.
 
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