Help with my busted TV set
 

I couldn't decide whether this was the correct forum to post this in, but I will try it here and see who bites. My TV is acting up and is as of right now useless to me. It is a Hitachi 50FX30B projection tv. I turned on the TV the other day and the convergence started going crazy, it eventually settled down and was watchable but now it won't go back to normal. The problem was accompanied by a ozone smell at the back of the TV, so it probably isn't a good thing. I was just hoping someone out there is a TV tech or has had a similar problem before and can tell me whether or not to bother to try and get it fixed. I don't want to spend too much money on fixing it since it isn't HD ready nor widescreen so not a TV I want to own for 5 more years.

here is an image that displays the problem:

http://www.speakeasy.org/~snicka/busted.jpg

you could try and get one of those set up \ tweaking discs
from Avia to help with the convergance settings, color balance etc.

your manual if you still have it should have a list of factory settings, or barring that a google search on the make and model .

also does the problem occur no matter what the source?
your cable \ satellite etc connector might just be bad ie broken sauder point or something.

looks like decent set , Id try and save it most repair places will give a free estimate .

the problem happens for ALL sources, even if I am using the on screen menu of the television. If I try to manually set the convergence the crosses don't even line up correctly. If you can tell from the picture the botom right corner of the image is a good 8 inches from the bottom right corner of the screen, I was thinking some kind of component crapped out.

I would like to keep it but I won't be too broken up if I have to get a new HD ready widescreen set (or maybe a projector)

Try going to CEDIA.org and searching for an ISF calibration tech in your area. If it needs to be repaired then the tech will be able to help you with that.
Good luck.

I got ahold of the Hitachi tech in my area and he quoted me a price of around $450 to repair it. Not worth it for a non HD ready TV so I am going to give it to my brother so he can fix it and buy myself a projector.

If you're brave enough to open it the adjustment thingey's are on the end of the tube and spin around in circles, well, at least in my experience with monitors..

Be VERY careful inside a TV if you don't know what you're doing. There's enough juice saved in them to kill you, even if it's unplugged. So I've been told.

You certainly can get hurt or killed inside a TV, even one that's off and unplugged. That said, it sounds like your horizontal output chip is hosed... pretty normal sadly. ON many different brands of TVs those are also called ... tada "convergence IC"s Some models of projection TV actually have a fluid in the guns to lubricate and cool... I don't know the truth of it, as I Have never seen it, but I understand you can actually get a bacterial infestation in the oil, and the fluid must be replaced.. That one's purely 2nd hand tho.

Try searching t'internet for codes that can be entered from the remote. I had a similar problem (with a completely different tv) and managed to sort it out. The tv had a service mode which didn't involve taking it to bits.

Yeah, i've heard about that too, and there's supposedly a special oil to use. But I know of at least one person who used plain old mineral oil. Who knows? If it's busted it may be worth a try.

I have already given the TV to my brother so HE can worry about fixing it. I bought a Infocus X1 projector and built a homemade screen and, honestly, I will never go back to rear projection again. I am that impressed, I mean you cannot beat 110" diagonal screen size.

Amen.

You want impressive, take a look at the Pioneer Elite rear projections with a HD source. I had my nose pressed to the glass and couldnt see a damn line.

convergence
 

Ck for bad solder connections near the convergence IC