Popping noises and white dots
 

My Predicta started yesterday to make popping noises which happen simultaneously with the appearence of white dots on the screen. I've been told that this is happening because of the excess of moisture in the air ( it's winter here now, and I live on the beach ). Are these vintage TVs really so sensitive to humid air? If this is true, what should be done to fix this problem? Or are there another cause to the type of malfunction the TV is suffering?

Hmm, maybe the moisture is causing arcing around the flyback anode cap? May have to apply some sealant to that. If that is the case, don't run it until that problem is taken care of.

Start at the anode cap as Jon says. Is it clean in that area? Clean off any dust. If it was in a smokers house this can be pretty nasty. Then check the hv lead to make sure it isn't too close to anything else and is well insulated where it comes out of the hv cage. Could also be arcing inside the cage. I'd probably just take the back off and run it in the dark. High humidity could make a marginal insulation fail. I've seen some that were really bad under extreme situations, like sitting in an uninsulated shed during a heavy summer rain.

Isopropyl alcohol ("rubbing alcohol") is a good cleaner for such areas. It cuts grease and does not leave a residue.

Phil Nelson

+1 for that suggestion. And, the price is right for the stuff.

I agree... And if a carbon trail has developed, you might have to get more aggressive with it such as using #400 wet/dry sand paper lightly with Windex, then a final cleaning with alcohol.

I concur with KV-1926R; solve it now and don't allow it to keep arcing, before the flyback decides to fail...

Charles