Used Performa 575 picture tube

[vectorthom]

Hey everyone,

I'm a long time Mac user, but am new to the tinkering and repairs side of things. I bought a Performa 575 off of eBay for really cheap, but unfortunately it was packed poorly and arrived with the shell pretty bashed up. I was able to salvage a lot of the internal parts. I'm just not sure what to do with the picture tube. Is it worth it to try to find a home for it?

I don't know if it would actually work, were it to be swapped into another machine, although I did plug the Performa in and I could hear it make a deguassing/power-up sound. I didn't dare do more than that, since I know monitors can carry a lot of charge and I'm not knowledgeable enough to keep myself from getting zapped.

I could just take it to a nearby dump where I know they take hazardous materials, but these parts aren't becoming any more plentiful. What would a real Mac guru do?

 

[stevep]

If it doesn't have bad burn-in, I would pack it in a box and store it; I am firm believer in keeping stuff "just in case". Some would just say it's because I am a pack-rat As you stated, these parts aren't becoming any more plentiful.

 

[Dennis Nedry]

If you are going to try to remove the tube from the plastic case, you should discharge it first. To do that, take a flat blade screwdriver and connect it to some part of the metal frame of the Mac with a wire. Either wrap it around the screwdriver and the frame or clamp it on somehow. Then simply wedge it under the suction cup until you touch the metal clip inside. You should only use one hand and only hold onto the plastic part of the screwdriver. The ungrounded frame itself is enough to dissipate the charge in the tube. Make sure the screwdriver makes direct contact with the metal clip.

Once this is done, you are safe to unclip the suction cup and pull the video board off the very back of the tube. You may have to use a razor to cut through the glue that holds it on. Once the glue has been cut through, pull the video board STRAIGHT off of the tube. Pulling at an angle or twisting can crack the glass which ruins the tube.

I recommend leaving the coil (yoke) on the tube and simply detaching its cables from the analog board. Once these cable(s), video board, and suction cup are removed, the tube should come right out of the Mac after you remove the 4 screws holding it in there. Remember that it is glass, so if you set it on a cement floor, it will scratch it. It's best to set it on cloth / styrofoam / carpet / etc. to prevent this.

Also note that there are also some adjustment rings on the yoke. I believe these are for geometry-type adjustments or something. It's important not to disturb the position of these rings. (They should be lightly glued in place.)

 

[Bunsen]

Hmm. Ok folks, this might be insane, but:

Could the A/B and yoke be transplanted into a CC to give VGA (or higher) resolution a la the poor man's greyscale SE/30 project?

 

[LCGuy]

Yep, read up on 'Fritter, its actually been done before, IIRC.

 

[Bunsen]

/facepalm

I really oughta follow my own advice before muttering out loud.

 

[Bunsen]

Useful pages on the 'fritter:

Other analog board alternatives for CCs....

Long Promised- LC575 A/B in CC pictures

SVGA with original CC a/b

Sony SVGA Monitor Parts in CC

Using CC tube and AB as a monitor.

Come to think of it, this is the very reason I've kept a couple of spare 575s around...

//double facepalm

 

[vectorthom]

Ok, thanks for the input everyone. I'll have a chance to to look at these ideas this weekend.

 

[Bunsen]

Noting your user name: how about converting it into a wobblevision?