24" Widescreen CRT (FW900) From Ebay arrived,Comments.

to be honest, i got no clue what you guys are talking about since the whole 'hey you must do windas calibration on fw900 or it sucks" -idea came to this thread the last months..

Getting kinda bored with it, it would be great if we could comment on an actual guide or so.. Maybe create a new thread?

No offense of course ;)

Actually, I wanted to respond to this directly. Calibration is what keeps these guys going. Recalibrating the tube so that it's spot on (at least as spot-on as we can get it). If you let them get out of calibration, the parts wear out faster. Simple as that. It's probably one of the reasons why I'd recommend against getting a used CRT. If it has a good bit of hours on it (and no calibrations done), it may not be all that good, or it may have a significant amount of its life eaten away.

I agree that there should be a definitive guide on the web to doing this. Gregua started it, and no one as of yet has finished it. I personally don't have the colorimeter or spectro to get the job done yet, nor do I have the time as of late. I'd love to do one though. But even if we did a guide, there would still be a bit of information that still needs to be worked out. Like - what if your monitor chokes during a calibration because something's wrong with it? How can we fix common G2 shorts? Etc.

I know that this is all very technical, and boring for most folks and I apologize. Also - why not learn to calibrate these monitors? It'll only make their image quality that much better than they were! :D

Also - I want to submit a theory as to why possibly removing the AG film will lengthen the life of the monitor. Isn't it true that the higher the G2 voltage (for brightness), the harder it is on the flyback? Wouldn't lowering G2 be easier on it? And if we can make it so that it doesn't have to work as hard, then (in theory) - it should help the life of the monitor... I think. ;)
 
So I picked up the monitor for $50 today, got it home and tried to turn it on and now I see what the guy was talking about. Turns on does a white with purple edge aura looking image and then turns off.
Another thing is when I turn it on it makes some loud static noise, going to be taking it in soon.
Other than the internal problems the AG coating has no flaws and the bezel on it is pretty good just a few small black marks.
2n180n8.jpg
 
My graphics card for some reason seems to go to a low resolution when waking the computer sometimes. Since the screen isn't sized to fit, I noticed this on the screen:

http://mojoimage.com/free-image-hosting-view-12.php?id=9916IMG_20140108_183412.jpg (sorry can't post pictures yet)

See where the bottom of the grey seems to cut off on that last line? It also twitches a bit. I've seen a Dell P1110 do the same thing. Is it anything to worry about?

Not sure.

When the resolution is normal, try resizing your screen to make it a bit smaller. Does the image cut off in the same manner?

Also, what gfx card?
 
$50 ain't that bad for a "may end up with a wonderful display" :)

You're right. As soon as I posted that, I thought of my own risk taking with the signal generator. $132 for "it may work." Well... I at least knew it powered on and actually displayed an image. :D
 
You're right. As soon as I posted that, I thought of my own risk taking with the signal generator. $132 for "it may work." Well... I at least knew it powered on and actually displayed an image. :D
I could possibly get it to turn on an display an image but the static noise makes me cautious to even attempt.
 
Shot in the dark but anyone from Mass/NH looking to sell one of these and has good quality screen id be happy to take of your hands for a reasonable price.
 
thats a bit of an exaggeration.. the truth is that a sony gdm-fw900 is the pinnacle of CRT technology, and simply cannot be matched vs 90+% of the common household CRT people had. Most people that had a CRT had something like a 14 inch screen that could do 1280x1024 or 1024x768 at 60 hertz at best.

Its also the reason why the occasional non CRT believer laughs at us and says CRT are junk.

They are ignorant of the fact that a gdm-fw900 is still used for photo editing and movie editing by professionals, for lack of a better screen on the market. The ones that can reasonably match this CRT for professional work cost about 10000 dollar i bet..

Kinda funny that this crt is still (food for discussion) the best gaming monitor too, for more then ten years already.. The flatscreens never even last ten years.. They are all made to malfunction the month after warranty is void (ok bit cynical).

Anyways, that picture leads me to another question.. Can you salvage parts out of other CRT that would work inside a fw900, or can i only use another fw900 to salvage parts?
 
Anyways, that picture leads me to another question.. Can you salvage parts out of other CRT that would work inside a fw900, or can i only use another fw900 to salvage parts?

I think it depends on how small a part it is. A capacitor can probably be swapped out, but I don't think an entire circuit board would have a generic replacement :)

I also remember Vito saying that the flyback transformer (FBT) can only be replaced by an FW900 FBT.
 
thats a bit of an exaggeration.. the truth is that a sony gdm-fw900 is the pinnacle of CRT technology, and simply cannot be matched vs 90+% of the common household CRT people had. Most people that had a CRT had something like a 14 inch screen that could do 1280x1024 or 1024x768 at 60 hertz at best.

Its also the reason why the occasional non CRT believer laughs at us and says CRT are junk.

They are ignorant of the fact that a gdm-fw900 is still used for photo editing and movie editing by professionals, for lack of a better screen on the market. The ones that can reasonably match this CRT for professional work cost about 10000 dollar i bet..

Kinda funny that this crt is still (food for discussion) the best gaming monitor too, for more then ten years already.. The flatscreens never even last ten years.. They are all made to malfunction the month after warranty is void (ok bit cynical).

Anyways, that picture leads me to another question.. Can you salvage parts out of other CRT that would work inside a fw900, or can i only use another fw900 to salvage parts?

All you would need is to look at the service manual and match those parts I would assume. As far as capacitors and resistors go, I'm sure that most - if not all - are easily within reach. Wouldn't make sense for Sony to come up with some exotic resistor or capacitor when you can just use what's available. Now the FBT may be a different story, as the tube itself is unique.
 
Any ideas for getting one in europe nowadays?
I'm still occasionally checking ebay, but I haven't seen any recently :(
 
Any ideas for getting one in europe nowadays?
I'm still occasionally checking ebay, but I haven't seen any recently :(

Remember there are rebrands as well. For you - I'd look for the Sun model, since it seems to be more popular in Europe. An SGI and HP rebrand also exist.
 
Info about the Brands:

All GDM-FW900 tubes are from Sony

But there are also branded versions, one from SGI which is called FW9011
SGIFW9011grs.jpg


from Sun (GDM-FW9012)
fw9002qj.gif


and from HP (A7217A), all with the only difference in casecolor and label (treat me if im wrong)
hpa7217a7gm.jpg


All GDM-W900 tubes are also from Sony, but also here are brands from sgi and sun. And with the big difference the W900 is the first version which has no flat panel so no F in the name. Names from brands are GDM-W9011 or 9012
 
not fw900 but GDM-F520 .. maybe someone guys know if they have those two adjustable focus screw pots accessible from outside for adjustment? Can't see them when starring through case holes.. Got x2 of those babys and one of them and one is starting to lose focus.. well convergence isn't great anymore too :/
 
not fw900 but GDM-F520 .. maybe someone guys know if they have those two adjustable focus screw pots accessible from outside for adjustment? Can't see them when starring through case holes.. Got x2 of those babys and one of them and one is starting to lose focus.. well convergence isn't great anymore too :/

You could always just take the case apart. As long as you don't go poking about inside, you won't fry yourself. Removing the case should make the two focus pots a lot more visible and infinitely more accessible. If you do adjust it, remember to use a focus adjust pattern. I like to do the Sony MEME pattern (a bunch of M's and E's on the screen). Adjust the focus until it's all clear and visible. And since I haven't worked on an F520, I would assume that you'd want to do it in the Prime mode - which (again, I'm assuming) is the recommended 1600x1200 @ 85hz. If this is a bit technical, PM me and I'll see what I can do. :)

EDIT: I just checked the service manual, and I didn't see the resolution. I'll check it on WinDAS tonight if you want.
 
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yes, the manufacturer recommended addressability for the F520 is 1600x1200 @ 85 hz.

(at least according to NIDL's review of the unit)

The user manual and service manual also recommend 1600x1200

Right, I was just checking to see what resolution WinDAS specifically wants for Focus adjustment, to be on the money. :) I would assume it's 1600x1200 at 85hz, but you never know. Actually - are you on a computer right now? Can you check to verify?
 
Prime mode is recommended mode isn't it?

Or is your question whether WinDAS requests Prime mode for focus adjustment?
 
I remember I saw pots from outside on previous G520s/P275/etc, on F520 they are not visible. I'll open teh case and try to find+adjust, thx =)
 
Prime mode is recommended mode isn't it?

Or is your question whether WinDAS requests Prime mode for focus adjustment?

It's the second question. ;) It's all different for different models, and all I've done WinDAS with for the past couple of months is the P991, so I can't make any assumptions.
 
So I found a 21" Trinitron, the Dell P1110, on craigslist. From the sound of the post, it may have been the guy's primary monitor, meaning it could have quite a bit of wear. Do any of you think the color could still be OK on this thing? Could I spruce it up with WINDAS? The cosmetic condition is certainly good.

http://winstonsalem.craigslist.org/sys/4294186172.html

Simply test it out and see if you like it. Probably a keeper, I would guess. If you do get a good one then congrats - that's a hell of a CRT. :cool:

As far as "sprucing it up" with WinDAS... Understand that it's not super easy to learn, and if you go poking around without the proper instruments, you could permanently ruin the monitor. :eek:
 
It's the second question. ;) It's all different for different models, and all I've done WinDAS with for the past couple of months is the P991, so I can't make any assumptions.

I'll be doing another adjustment soon on WinDAS, one at home on an FW900 and one at the lab on a P1130 (or P1110 I can't remember).

I'll do a check to see whether it asks for prime mode on each when doing focus adjustment, and report back.

But the question was about a GDM F520 right? I don't have one of those.
 
Ever since I did the WinDAS to fix the brightness problem it's been going great up until the past week. Now it blurs out for a second and a pop noise is heard then it goes back to normal. It's sorta freaky I was playing a game during the time it happened, I thought my vision went out :eek:
 
That's happened twice with one of my units. Once a few days after I got it back in March of 2013, and once a few days ago. Keep in mind this monitor was dropped twice in the same day :p

From what I understand it's a short on the flyback transformer, and the pop is probably the short burning out (good thing). I've also heard that a good remedy is to leave the display on for a day or so to work through the short.
 
hmmmm, I never turn off the monitor. I know its really bad to always have it on 24/7 but its just something ive always done.
 
Thinking about pulling the anti-glare, as mine is damaged. Any tips? Essentially it's just a sheet glued onto the monitor, yes? How do I prevent glue residue?
 
This is the monitor I will get somewhere somehow after selling my VG248QE. I will calibrate it properly with a colorimeter and a spectrometer and game on! I cannot believe that bulky size alone is the reason why gamers settled for LCDs...

One problem though - these monitors are all used and over time even calibration won't restore them back to their original beauty!
 
Thinking about pulling the anti-glare, as mine is damaged. Any tips? Essentially it's just a sheet glued onto the monitor, yes? How do I prevent glue residue?

There is a page in this thread all about removing the AG, complete with photos and step by step instructions. Somehow you just need to search it out :D
 
Which seller from eBay do you recommend that I buy this monitor from?
 
Which seller from eBay do you recommend that I buy this monitor from?

I sell the entire Sony line of monitors on eBay and worldwide, but my prices are not cheap. All my monitors are Grade A+ with less than 3,000 hours of use, if that, and fully calibrated and adjusted to Sony factory specs.

Hope this helps...

Sincerely,

Unkle Vito!

PS: If you need further assistance, send me a message via PM
 
I upgraded my computer. Have a new ASUS motherboard and and new i7 4770k CPU. My Viewsonic P225f CRT monitor is working well, I have the drivers installed. For some reason I cannot bring up the OSD (on screen display) If I try it the screen just goes black until I push the button again and the monitor display comes back.

Can't imagine what the new mobo would have to do with this, but could it be some setting in the BIOS? Otherwise the monitor is working normally and windows 7 sees the P225f like it should.
 
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