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

ExZX

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@eliotcole you pick a complicated niche topic in this hobby that very few are experts on and you expect them to simplify it for you in one thread. That's just about the most entitled post I've seen on ukvac or any other forum in a long time. Then you go and insult people trying to help you by accusing them of being in a 'magic circle' who 'gatekeep' the knowledge. Dig yourself deeper by then denying your behaviour.

I think maybe you should apologize to them? Hopefully turn the discussion more towards the original topic instead of it being a giant conspiracy against you.
 

Bods

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As much as I like to keep things original my thinking on Monitors was to limit the amount of different makes and models in my cabs, take out the old specially if tubes not great or more obscure chassis that will be a utter pain to repair due to lack of parts like panasonic, have as many Hantarex MTC9000 or standard Wells Gardner ones as I have a few USA cabs so it makes it easier to accrue spares, last thing I want its 10 different makes and 30 different models of CRTs, you can have plenty spares and get to know the few makes and models easier for repair

Where would you even get 240v chassis from anyway, most universal ones are 110v
 
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69er

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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 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 am not entitled to any response from you
I am not expecting any response from you

As I said earlier it’s likely something you can only be shown not dictated to do on here..

The one simple answer here is you can remove a monitor (chassis and tube) of either 240v mains or stepped down 100v 110v or 128v complete

Then acquire a similar as practical size RGB model of the different supply voltage and assuming it also fits in your cabinet overall size just fit it.

You need only to know how to fit the supply voltage lead ( earthed if required on mains models) and where to best source the incoming voltage to that monitor …THEN..

Find the appropriate signal input of the new monitor and adapt the loom wiring to suit it, via the appropriate pins and proper plug if you can access one . Also fit the correct plug to any mains feed a monitor requires.

If you are fitting a 110v ac monitor where once was a mains monitor then you will need to introduce a step down isolation transformer and feed that with mains on its input side windings and feed the output side to the lower voltage monitor.. if you upgrade from 110v to 240v the original isolation transformer can be ignored or removed

If your cabinet has a combination power supply which feeds both the game and the monitor (as some cabs do) then you will maybe need to replace all the incoming supply to a new switch mode psu and appropriate monitor wiring also . Again you need talk this through in person ideally with someone who has done it successfully. You can’t see electricity and it can be harmful! ..especially on monitors .



As Gunblade and others would explain its not straight forward to fit just any tube so why would you want to when you can just upgrade the entire monitor.. Any upgrade at all spoils the authenticity of the whole game, assuming it hasn’t been swapped sometime in the past already at the age of some cabs? …

This forum thanks to Gunblade , tb2000 , M.K.L and many others already devote time to explain many repairs via the technical threads. I think you just asked an impractical question?

Late edit seems bods above was typing same info while I was but ‘free voltage’ mains 240v are available such as hantarex polo etc .. some work on a wide range of input voltage too - that’s another chapter!
 
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eliotcole

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Like I say, I've changed the question.
Thanks, though, @69er ! :)
As I said earlier it’s likely something you can only be shown not dictated to do on here..

The one simple answer here is you can remove a monitor (chassis and tube) of either 240v mains or stepped down 100v 110v or 128v complete

Then acquire a similar as practical size RGB model of the different supply voltage and assuming it also fits in your cabinet overall size just fit it.

You need only to know how to fit the supply voltage lead ( earthed if required on mains models) and where to best source the incoming voltage to that monitor …THEN..

Find the appropriate signal input of the new monitor and adapt the loom wiring to suit it, via the appropriate pins and proper plug if you can access one . Also fit the correct plug to any mains feed a monitor requires.

If you are fitting a 110v ac monitor where once was a mains monitor then you will need to introduce a step down isolation transformer and feed that with mains on its input side windings and feed the output side to the lower voltage monitor.. if you upgrade from 110v to 240v the original isolation transformer can be ignored or removed

If your cabinet has a combination power supply which feeds both the game and the monitor (as some cabs do) then you will maybe need to replace all the incoming supply to a new switch mode psu and appropriate monitor wiring also . Again you need talk this through in person ideally with someone who has done it successfully. You can’t see electricity and it can be harmful! ..especially on monitors .



As Gunblade and others would explain its not straight forward to fit just any tube so why would you want to when you can just upgrade the entire monitor.. Any upgrade at all spoils the authenticity of the whole game, assuming it hasn’t been swapped sometime in the past already at the age of some cabs? …

This forum thanks to Gunblade , tb2000 , M.K.L and many others already devote time to explain many repairs via the technical threads. I think you just asked an impractical question?

Late edit seems bods above was typing same info while I was but ‘free voltage’ mains 240v are available such as hantarex polo etc .. some work on a wide range of input voltage too - that’s another chapter!
Also, sorry, but some users I am unable to see, so wasn't aware of some of them.
 
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tb2000

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I have a lot of chassis and crts in stock, but I don't really write anything down as pertains to arcade monitors as far as compatibility goes. It's more of an "it's all just in my head" thing in many cases, as such I know just by looking at a CRT's model number, and what frames they're in (if indeed they're in a frame) themselves as to what chassis they use. Most CRT's that came with a specific chassis will sometimes work on some other chassis, sometimes a modifiation has to be done to the chassis for it to work right, for example changing the main horizontal HV retrace cap or something, but usually grid voltages, focus and HV voltages will be close enough to work ok. Then you can get stuff like Hantarex MTC900/E, 9000, or Polo 14" and 20" crt's (which are all the same electrically) will work on a WG K7000 chassis and vise versa with no problem, you'd just need to change the yoke connection plug. I do have a (somewhat ragged now) list of 4 pages or so of standard TV's i've opened over the years (mainly 14" and 20") for CRTs where i've noted down the make and model of the TV, make and model of the CRT, and inductance and impedance of the yoke windings. I've never got around to uploading it all though as most of the time I don't need to refer back to it anyway. I should probably do it anyway, if/when I get a chance i'll put the information into a spreadsheet or something and upload here.
 

eliotcole

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Nice, cheers, @tb2000 ! :)
I have a lot of chassis and crts in stock, but I don't really write anything down as pertains to arcade monitors as far as compatibility goes. It's more of an "it's all just in my head" thing in many cases, as such I know just by looking at a CRT's model number, and what frames they're in (if indeed they're in a frame) themselves as to what chassis they use. Most CRT's that came with a specific chassis will sometimes work on some other chassis, sometimes a modifiation has to be done to the chassis for it to work right, for example changing the main horizontal HV retrace cap or something, but usually grid voltages, focus and HV voltages will be close enough to work ok. Then you can get stuff like Hantarex MTC900/E, 9000, or Polo 14" and 20" crt's (which are all the same electrically) will work on a WG K7000 chassis and vise versa with no problem, you'd just need to change the yoke connection plug. I do have a (somewhat ragged now) list of 4 pages or so of standard TV's i've opened over the years (mainly 14" and 20") for CRTs where i've noted down the make and model of the TV, make and model of the CRT, and inductance and impedance of the yoke windings. I've never got around to uploading it all though as most of the time I don't need to refer back to it anyway. I should probably do it anyway, if/when I get a chance i'll put the information into a spreadsheet or something and upload here.
 

NivagSwerdna

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In the link above it suggests that a chassis can be tweaked to match the inductance of the yoke... If that were the case could a cheapo AliExpress chassis be tweaked to match whatever I have?
I presume resistance is also a factor as the chassis needs sufficient oompf to generate the necessary current.
I'm traveling currently but will measure when I get home... I do have an LCR meter.
 

69er

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In the link above it suggests that a chassis can be tweaked to match the inductance of the yoke... If that were the case could a cheapo AliExpress chassis be tweaked to match whatever I have?
I presume resistance is also a factor as the chassis needs sufficient oompf to generate the necessary current.
I'm traveling currently but will measure when I get home... I do have an LCR meter.

“ Cheapo “ says hi ! How to introduce even more issues than you have already?

Best route is ring that company linked above and find the price but I would wager it’s going to be much more than sending a faulty chassis to Grant or Tony for attention and repair ? Not least import tax and handling charges added and what if they don’t work for you ? Then , Cheapo not so cheapo !
 

Bods

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“ Cheapo “ says hi ! How to introduce even more issues than you have already?

Best route is ring that company linked above and find the price but I would wager it’s going to be much more than sending a faulty chassis to Grant or Tony for attention and repair ? Not least import tax and handling charges added and what if they don’t work for you ? Then , Cheapo not so cheapo !
exactly, stick to older quality ones

gotta love people that have issue with car and replace all ignition parts including leads and then still have further issues only to find out the cheap leads are faulty when originals probably outlast replacements 10 fold
 

NivagSwerdna

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This thread really has generated a dubious vibe.
I'm more interested in the theory more than anything else and cost isn't an issue.
Anyway... I can see a few things interplaying here... Impedance matching the h and v deflection coils and then the tube geometry affecting the anode voltage and how hard the deflection is driven.
From the TM-153 I can see some of the impedance matching and also the resonant circuit on the Horizontal. I'm better informed now.
 

tb2000

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It's rare you'd find a later style crt would have problem with focus voltages for example. I have had an earlier crt for an old Toei chassis or something that I just couldn't get to focus as I later found out the focus voltage was incorrect for said crt. It may well be that later crt's don't need such high voltage for focus so they lowered it. I know that later crts had more energy efficient neck heaters, so an older chassis like a G07 on a later crt from the early 2000's say will appear much too bright as the heater voltage and/or current will be too high. Often you have to change neck heater resistors on chassis to set them at the correct level for the crt, even within the same manufacturer - for example, if you change a Hanty Polo 2 15/25 crt from an A66ECY type to an A66EAK type, you need to change the neck heater resistor from 5r6 to 12r, and also change a resistor in the vertical deflection and add one on the east/west pcb. This can have some effect on the HV level as far as I know as well.
 

thegreathopper

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I have seen a few threads on arcade projects of guys stripping TV’s and using the tubes with a Nanao MS9 chassis.

It does all seem a bit and miss but they do have a few models of TV that work with this popular chassis.
 

tb2000

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Yeah i've seen some of those. There tends to be a lot more 29" A68 and 26" A63 tv's available in the USA and maybe some parts of Europe than we generally had here. We generally used the sizes of 28" (A66) and 25" (A59) crts here, as such those other sizes mentioned above tend to be hard to find. You'd very likely find them in some higher end TV's such as Philips Matchline and the like, and although most of them were 100hz tv's which would contain crts ideal for multisync and vga chassis (this is down to the yoke more than the crt itself though), to me it's a shame to strip such nice high end tv's to use The crts from the ones we use more commonly (A66 and A59) were in pretty much every TV sold here in the UK, for example we have from the mid-late 90's an old Panasonic 28" Quintrix 4:3 TV with Nicam and Fastext (Made in UK!) in the loft, it has a perfect condition Panasonic A66 crt but i'm not stripping it down as it still works and the whole TV is in almost perfect condition! The one's in my list hve been pretty much all budget or middle of the range TV's, such as Beko, Matsui, etc. - a lot of them still use quality crt's though such as Panasonic, Orion, LG, Philips, Videocolor etc. :D
 

eliotcole

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So, does all of this mean that CRT tubes are not tied to a specific voltage?
I have a lot of chassis and crts in stock, but I don't really write anything down as pertains to arcade monitors as far as compatibility goes. It's more of an "it's all just in my head" thing in many cases, as such I know just by looking at a CRT's model number, and what frames they're in (if indeed they're in a frame) themselves as to what chassis they use. Most CRT's that came with a specific chassis will sometimes work on some other chassis, sometimes a modifiation has to be done to the chassis for it to work right, for example changing the main horizontal HV retrace cap or something, but usually grid voltages, focus and HV voltages will be close enough to work ok. Then you can get stuff like Hantarex MTC900/E, 9000, or Polo 14" and 20" crt's (which are all the same electrically) will work on a WG K7000 chassis and vise versa with no problem, you'd just need to change the yoke connection plug. I do have a (somewhat ragged now) list of 4 pages or so of standard TV's i've opened over the years (mainly 14" and 20") for CRTs where i've noted down the make and model of the TV, make and model of the CRT, and inductance and impedance of the yoke windings. I've never got around to uploading it all though as most of the time I don't need to refer back to it anyway. I should probably do it anyway, if/when I get a chance i'll put the information into a spreadsheet or something and upload here.
In the link above it suggests that a chassis can be tweaked to match the inductance of the yoke... If that were the case could a cheapo AliExpress chassis be tweaked to match whatever I have?
I presume resistance is also a factor as the chassis needs sufficient oompf to generate the necessary current.
I'm traveling currently but will measure when I get home... I do have an LCR meter.
This thread really has generated a dubious vibe.
I'm more interested in the theory more than anything else and cost isn't an issue.
Anyway... I can see a few things interplaying here... Impedance matching the h and v deflection coils and then the tube geometry affecting the anode voltage and how hard the deflection is driven.
From the TM-153 I can see some of the impedance matching and also the resonant circuit on the Horizontal. I'm better informed now.
It's rare you'd find a later style crt would have problem with focus voltages for example. I have had an earlier crt for an old Toei chassis or something that I just couldn't get to focus as I later found out the focus voltage was incorrect for said crt. It may well be that later crt's don't need such high voltage for focus so they lowered it. I know that later crts had more energy efficient neck heaters, so an older chassis like a G07 on a later crt from the early 2000's say will appear much too bright as the heater voltage and/or current will be too high. Often you have to change neck heater resistors on chassis to set them at the correct level for the crt, even within the same manufacturer - for example, if you change a Hanty Polo 2 15/25 crt from an A66ECY type to an A66EAK type, you need to change the neck heater resistor from 5r6 to 12r, and also change a resistor in the vertical deflection and add one on the east/west pcb. This can have some effect on the HV level as far as I know as well.
I have seen a few threads on arcade projects of guys stripping TV’s and using the tubes with a Nanao MS9 chassis.

It does all seem a bit and miss but they do have a few models of TV that work with this popular chassis.
Yeah i've seen some of those. There tends to be a lot more 29" A68 and 26" A63 tv's available in the USA and maybe some parts of Europe than we generally had here. We generally used the sizes of 28" (A66) and 25" (A59) crts here, as such those other sizes mentioned above tend to be hard to find. You'd very likely find them in some higher end TV's such as Philips Matchline and the like, and although most of them were 100hz tv's which would contain crts ideal for multisync and vga chassis (this is down to the yoke more than the crt itself though), to me it's a shame to strip such nice high end tv's to use The crts from the ones we use more commonly (A66 and A59) were in pretty much every TV sold here in the UK, for example we have from the mid-late 90's an old Panasonic 28" Quintrix 4:3 TV with Nicam and Fastext (Made in UK!) in the loft, it has a perfect condition Panasonic A66 crt but i'm not stripping it down as it still works and the whole TV is in almost perfect condition! The one's in my list hve been pretty much all budget or middle of the range TV's, such as Beko, Matsui, etc. - a lot of them still use quality crt's though such as Panasonic, Orion, LG, Philips, Videocolor etc. :D
 

eliotcole

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I am asking about CRT Tubes ... the thread title being:
Are CRT Tubes Tied To A Specific Voltage?
OP....are you asking about the voltage the chassis runs at?

Which I have surmised below in the OP:
To keep things simple ... a yes or no question
CAN ANY TUBE TAKE ANY VOLTAGE?
If the answer is 'sometimes' or 'it depends' then that's classed as 'No' in this particular question. 🙂

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