Hitachi TS-3740M and unidentified Quasar

[Dreamsbeard]

Hello All!

Some weeks ago I picked up those two, but didn't had time to test them until this weekend. I had high hopes that they would be flawless but alas...

So I though the knowledgeable peoples around here could give me an idea of what is wrong.

Here goes :

The Quasar is a bit blury and there is a green line around the objets on screen and on the top of the picture.

The Hitachi have some jail bar on the left of the picture, and depending of the brighness there is also some kind of vertical moving line also on the left of the picture, the higher the brightness the more visible the line is and it also "moves" in curves...its hard to explain

Both TV have a bright picture and good colors, and both fired right up when started.

So if you could help me it would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

[Dreamsbeard]

here are the photos

[lnx64]

Looks like the Quasar just has a convergence problem. Needs to be adjusted.

Hitachi, either faulty flyback or bad caps. (I say flyback, because one of the flybacks I used in my Samsung caused jailbars, and when I switched it to another flyback the effect went away. But this effect is usually capacitors.

[Dreamsbeard]

Thanks lnx!

Did you noticed the line in the 3rd and 4th picture, not the jail bars but the more define line? This one "moves" when brightness is higher. Do you think this is caused by bad caps also?

Thanks!

[radiotvnut]

The flyback is a high failure part in '80's-era Hitachi TV's; but, the set is usually dead when they fail. I suspect that both problems on the Hitachi are due to bad electroltyic capacitors in both the main power supply and on the power supply lines supplied by the flyback transformer. Look especially at the 200V-250V source that supplies B+ to the video output stages.

The Quasar probably only needs a convergence touch-up and an adjustment of the focus control.

[Dreamsbeard]

Thanks guys, its much appreciated.

I know that the Hitachi set is nothing special, but I like the style, so its a keeper! I'll try and replace the caps to see if I can get it running.

But do you have any infos on the quasar? Is it a good tv set, or is it just a run of the mill thing?

Thanks!

[Geoff Bourquin]

I agree the Quasar is mis-converged, and the Hitachi probably puked a handful of electrolytics. I remember replacing a lot of them; a couple dozen of them on one late 80s Hitachi. It seems the rubber seal at the bottom fails and the goo oozes out onto the PC board. Smells really, really good when you heat up the solder to take them out. (yuk)

[radiotvnut]

I'm not crazy about '80's and newer Quasar/Panasonic TV's. I've seen too many of them with weak CRT's, bad flyback transformer's, poor soldering, or any combination of the above. The '70's Quasar's were better.

[Dreamsbeard]

Well the lady from whom I got the quasar had the original receit from when she bought the tv in november 1976, so its a 70s Quasar. Where they already Panasonic at that point?

Edit : Nevermind, Quasar IS panasonic... oh well, I guess I should be looking for a 70s Zenith console if I want something reliable.
Is it still possible to find replacement flyback for those television?

[radiotvnut]

Quasar was a part of Motorola until late-'74-early-'75. After that, Quasar was owned by Matsushita. For a while, Quasar TV's were made similar to the older Motorola sets; but, they eventually started using the same chassis that could be found in a Panasonic TV. It would probably be difficult to get a flyback for the '77 Quasar; but, the ones from the '70's seemed to hold up better, anyway. You will stand a better chance of getting a flyback for the Hitachi; but, it will likely be a generic part. Since CRT-based TV's are no longer the "in" thing and since people are generally not having them repaired, it's now getting very difficult to get flyback transformers or other special parts for them. As I write this, I'm having a very hard time finding a flyback for an '82 Sylvania that I'm working on; and, these sets were common as dirt back in the '80's and '90's.

[Dreamsbeard]

Yes I've seen the video you posted on youtube, It's a nice little sylvania you got there, I hope you can find the flyback for it.

Is there any online suppliers you can point me to that might have the flyback even if generic, might grab one just in case.

Also, I would like to find someone in my area that could do convergence and focus on the 76 Quasar...how much do you think this should cost me?

[radiotvnut]

The biggest problem would be actually finding a repair shop local to you who would do the work. There are not many repair shops left and most of what's left would laugh in your face if you asked them to fix a TV from 1976. Where are you located? Maybe there's a VK member close enough that would be willing to help you out.

I used to get my flyback transformers from MCM electronics, tritronics, and MAT electronics. Be aware that the quality of generic parts is all over the place. I've had good luck with some generic parts and others either blew up in a short time period or would not work at all; but, when that's all you can get.... If you want to keep that Hitachi, I'd strangly suggest getting a spare flyback while there's still a semi-decent chance of finding one. A company to stay away from, if they're even still in business, is Dalbani electronics. They are the king of selling generic crap parts that are either DOA or short-lived.

[Eric H]

There are usually a lot of Flybacks on ebay, you will need to know the part numb
er though.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw...watch&_sacat=0

Also you might try Moyer Electronics, they have a big supply of NOS parts.
http://www.moyerelectronics.com/

You will have to e-mail them with your model number so they can look it up and search their stock.

[Dreamsbeard]

I'm in Quebec city, and I'm pretty sure that I'm alone up here haha.

Thank Eric, i'll take the Hitachi back out and try to find the flyback number to try and find one.

By the way, what would I need to do the convergence and focus adjust myself? I've seen that you need some kind of square patern to projet on the screen...but that's about it. I would really like to do it myself if it's not too much trouble.

[Dreamsbeard]

While we're at it, is there a specific brand of capacitor I should buy? Do the quality of the caps influence the quality of the picture?

Thanks!