Ran across an old invoice from 2002 for a CRT monitor repair

I was cleaning out a drawer in the shop and found an invoice from 2002 for a 19 inch CRT monitor repair. The labor was $90 and the replacement flyback transformer was another $45. I remember those things weighed like 50 pounds and took two people to move. Made me think about how much easier we have it now with these thin LCDs, even if the troubleshooting is different. Has anyone else found any old paperwork that made you stop and think about how far things have come?

3 comments

3 Comments

gavin69211d ago

Did you hang onto that old CRT or did you scrap it back then? Those flyback transformers were always a pain to source, I remember waiting weeks for some. The weight difference is wild, but I kind of miss being able to actually see the electron gun arcs on the back of the tube when you fired it up. Do you think the repair skills from those days still help you with modern monitors, or is it like starting over from scratch?

the_emma11d ago

I actually kept my old Sony Trinitron until 2012, but it finally died and I couldn't source a flyback for it. You're right about the heads, I remember tracing those high voltage arcs in the dark and thinking it was the coolest thing. But I gotta disagree with @val949 a bit though. Knowing how to discharge a tube and read schematics still helps me with modern power supply issues, even if the rest is surface mount. A lot of LED monitors still have the same basic rectifier and filter cap setup on the input side. Did you ever try recapping one of those old Sonys or were you strictly a repair guy?

val94911d ago

Trust me you're better off just scrapping those old CRTs. I kept mine for years thinking it was "vintage" and all it did was collect dust and make my back hurt every time I moved it. Those flyback transformers were a nightmare to find even back then, half the time you'd wait weeks for a part that was already failing. The repair skills from that era? Hardly transfer at all. Modern monitors are basically sealed units with surface mount components and firmware issues, ain't no amount of knowing how to discharge a tube gonna help you troubleshoot a dead LED driver board.