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

I just read on Wikipedia about the compatibility for HDMI/DVI/VGA

Maybe this article helps understanding your problem

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Copied from Wikipedia
Dual-mode DisplayPort (also known as DisplayPort++[26]) can directly emit single-link HDMI and DVI signals using a simple passive adapter that adjusts for the lower voltages required by DisplayPort.[3][27] When dual-mode chipset detects that a DVI or HDMI passive adapter is attached, it switches to DVI/HDMI mode which uses the 4-lane main DisplayPort link and the AUX channel link to transmit 3 TMDS signals, a clock signal and Display Data Channel data/clock. Dual-mode ports are marked with the DP++ logo; most current DisplayPort graphics cards and monitors offer this mode.

A notable limitation is that dual-mode can only transmit single-link DVI/HDMI, as the number of pins in the DisplayPort connector is insufficient for dual-link connections; an active converter is needed for Dual-Link DVI (and analog component video such as VGA, since it employs digital to analog conversion). Active conversion can be powered by +3.3 V wire in the DisplayPort connector, but some active adapters require external power.[28]

VESA foresees that all HDMI and DVI conversion will eventually be handled by active adapters which act as DisplayPort Sink devices, in order to facilitate easier updates to latest HDMI and DisplayPort specs, and work with dual-link HDMI, DisplayPort connections with either fewer than 4 lanes or different data rates, and multiple DisplayPort streams. It should be noted that DVI 1.0 spec was finalized in 1999 and the DVI industry consortium has since disbanded, so future updates to DVI specification are unlikely; also, although dual-link HDMI Type B connector is defined in the HDMI specification, it has not seen any practical use as of 2012.
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Try the Displayport to DVI adapter, it does not cost much. In our company we use many of these adapters and theyre all working for LCD's.
 
Has anyone used studio monitors next to their FW900? Perhaps on the same table/surface/desk? Does it create any interference issues, or vibration issues if the speakers are close to the CRT?
 
Myramond said:
Try the Displayport to DVI adapter, it does not cost much. In our company we use many of these adapters and theyre all working for LCD's.
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This ended up working perfectly, thanks for the suggestion. Can't believe how long I tried to troubleshoot this problem... thanks again.
 
@ christpunchers
No problems with speakers or phones like Sowexly said. But dont put an subwoofer too close to an CRT.
 
christpunchers said:
Has anyone used studio monitors next to their FW900? Perhaps on the same table/surface/desk? Does it create any interference issues, or vibration issues if the speakers are close to the CRT?
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Depends largely on the strength of the magnet in the speakers as to how close they can be without influencing a CRT. Unless they're magnetically shielded, which they're probably not. In general, I do not recommend.
 
Tried some shielded JBL monitors. Probably could have sorted out some picture discoloration issues with the landing controls. However, I didn't keep them, because the speakers' amps put out a loud hum. Took them back to look for quieter ones and all of the monitors there were that way. From what I heard and the folks I talked to, the hum is apparently normal. At least it was there among the ones I listened to...
 
I'm thinking of getting some HS50M's or HS80M's. Won't place them too close to the CRT, but might have them all on the same desk. I could always get monitor stands. Just wanted to make sure I won't get any interference.
 
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what can i do if i cant get my convergence perfect with osd? i have some strange problems like that if the top has perfect horizontal convergence then the bottom has some disortations. also for right and left side of the monitor. what exacly can i do in windas for convergence tuning?

also the gaps between say red and blue on one line is different on the top and on the bottom. so i cant reach the middle on the whole line for example. what is the problem here? normal?

i dont know if the convergence problems are new because i have seen that in corners windows for example has blue or red borders. but before i noticed this my monitor has done a sound and the picture was like it was degasused i dont can decribe it really. it was a buzzling i think. can it be that this has destroy my convergence or is that not common for this failure type and i only has seen the conergence errors the first time because i have concentrated me for the picture much more?

thanks for help.
 
AFAIK, the only way to fix convergence that can't be completely aligned with the OSD is to go through dconv in windas. The little experience I've had with dconv tells me that you must do an alignment for each resolution & refresh rate. It's very tedious and a magnifying glass is recommended.
 
Thanks for feedback rock&roll and myramond.

Today morning i started my fw900 cold and the after 2 minutes or so it the picture has slittered one or 2 times... After 5 minutes there was something like i power it on and off fastly. it was a crackle and the pictures was unsharp for some seconds. afterwards the convergence which i have set yesterday mostly right in OSD was again bad! Now i think the bad convergece is a result of a failure part of the CRT or maybe a cold soldering.

The convergence errors are mostly on the bottom and the corners. in the middle all is nearly the same. also i have done the high voltage check in nokia test. all is good. therefore i dont think that it is the flyback, right?

what party is maybe bad on my crt or has anyone see this failure anywhere? maybe its a thermetic problem because its only doing this if the monitor is coldstarting. but also if i get it in standby and wake it up. ideas?

For example. normally my convergence on nearly 50% is good. but after the first crackle there was the need of 52% horizontal. then after the next 55% and after the start today morning i need 59%. is this only because of a bad part and if i repair it, it will be like before or is this crackling destroy my convergence and crt forever and the convergence can be never more to 50% for beeing normal?
 
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Anyone an idea what it could be? Maybe the flyback?

Also is it possible to change dynamic focus with windas and convergence for every color line like red or blue seperatly?
 
back when it was like 300$ it was good but now at 600$++ for the fw900 i would just get a really good ips
 
Teenk9 said:
What is the g2 issue?
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This happens if the G2 Voltage is too high. Fixable with WinDas.

G400_Blackscreen_retrace.jpg


G400_Brightness0.jpg
 
I just found one of these bastards (FW-900) for cheaper than dirt. I'll post pics after I pick it up.
 
Rob. said:
Where ? Jesus ! :eek:
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Craigslist. It was $25. The anti-glare screen has been poorly removed, there are large noticeable scratches in the plastic all around the there edges of the screen, a chunk of plastic is missing from the top-right corner of the screen, and it needs refocusing BAD, but it works. :p
 
Old monitor's thickness versus "new" monitor's thickness:
pVBpo62.jpg

Picture detailing the condition of the monitor's plastics:
wHE2t5T.jpg

Chunk of plastic missing from the top-right corner of the monitor:
QIU6zVE.jpg


All-in-all, sure as heck worth $25, and a massive upgrade from my cheapo Viewsonic 17" 1440x900 LCD.
 
452 Pages is hard for me to read. Can someone answer these questions?
What is a low/fair/high price point for these monitors at the moment?
What should a person look for when buying one of these used?
Is it possible to tell how long the monitor has been used, or how much life it has left just by powering it up and connecting to a laptop or something?
What is the most common problem with the monitor?
I am an electrical engineer and handy with soldering. I have been dealing with proto boards, chips, transistors, capacitors etc for about 4 years now. Is it possible for me to buy parts online and fix the device if it goes bad. I know it will depend on what failed so I guess what I am asking is how user replaceable the parts are.
 
Andyk5 said:
452 Pages is hard for me to read. Can someone answer these questions?
What is a low/fair/high price point for these monitors at the moment?
What should a person look for when buying one of these used?
Is it possible to tell how long the monitor has been used, or how much life it has left just by powering it up and connecting to a laptop or something?
What is the most common problem with the monitor?
I am an electrical engineer and handy with soldering. I have been dealing with proto boards, chips, transistors, capacitors etc for about 4 years now. Is it possible for me to buy parts online and fix the device if it goes bad. I know it will depend on what failed so I guess what I am asking is how user replaceable the parts are.
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Price will vary, and is largely set by how much you want to invest. Sometimes these can be had for $25 by unsuspecting sellers on craigslist. Monitors with dings and scratches, but functionally sound, may be as little as $200. I'd guess an average price of $400. And then there's the Unkle Vito monitors that are 100% calibrated and cleaned that are at least $900. Point is, there's a mixed bag of availability for the FW900 out there. My first one cost me $470. My last two were $180 each. All three are functionally comparable.

Biggest thing I would look for in buying one of these is either being sure the shipper will pack the monitor well or, better yet, being local enough to you that you can pick it up yourself. Oh, and you probably don't wanna hulk this thing up 3 flights of stairs or anything.

Unkle Vito has made a number of posts in this thread regarding tube life. IIRC, one of the tings that indicates an tube nearing it's end is a definite color shift one way or another. For example, I have one FW900 that is very red, after doing an "Image restoration." I have to manually adjust the bias/gains for the color channels to rebalanced my colors.

Also, couple of notes about powering these things up.
1) I personally never power mine up, unless they've been plugged into the wall for 5-10 mins at least. I had a power supply die on me once when I plugged my monitor in and the power switch was on.
2) Unkle Vito reccomends using the power button to turn off/on the monitor, instead of just letting it go to "sleep"
 
Rock&Roll said:
Price will vary, and is largely set by how much you want to invest. Sometimes these can be had for $25 by unsuspecting sellers on craigslist. Monitors with dings and scratches, but functionally sound, may be as little as $200. I'd guess an average price of $400. And then there's the Unkle Vito monitors that are 100% calibrated and cleaned that are at least $900. Point is, there's a mixed bag of availability for the FW900 out there. My first one cost me $470. My last two were $180 each. All three are functionally comparable.

Biggest thing I would look for in buying one of these is either being sure the shipper will pack the monitor well or, better yet, being local enough to you that you can pick it up yourself. Oh, and you probably don't wanna hulk this thing up 3 flights of stairs or anything.

Unkle Vito has made a number of posts in this thread regarding tube life. IIRC, one of the tings that indicates an tube nearing it's end is a definite color shift one way or another. For example, I have one FW900 that is very red, after doing an "Image restoration." I have to manually adjust the bias/gains for the color channels to rebalanced my colors.

Also, couple of notes about powering these things up.
1) I personally never power mine up, unless they've been plugged into the wall for 5-10 mins at least. I had a power supply die on me once when I plugged my monitor in and the power switch was on.
2) Unkle Vito reccomends using the power button to turn off/on the monitor, instead of just letting it go to "sleep"
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I am picking mine up in person for $400. Is there anything else i can look for except the obvious colorshift , which should signal me not buy it?
 
i have a question since my fw900 is at the repairshop hopefully repairable

i requested the antiglare coating to be removed

when i got my fw900 from vito i noticed something was off i could feel it not being bright enough but it was EXTREMELY hard to tell i thought i was just imagining it

anyway from my experience with removing the AG coating the picture gets about 70% brighter the AG coating is like sun glasses it blocks out everything the fw900 has to offer

so i requested it to be removed on my new fw900 with completely unscratched coating

then i see this

http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1037137292&postcount=6975

i honestly see no difference at all in this post which confuzes me abit as i have 3 fw900's all of which i removed the coating and the picture got ALOT brighter

but here in this post theres no difference at all?

makes me think maybe a perfect tube won't get any more brighter with the coating removed?

IMG_4852.jpg


IMG_4853.jpg


IMG_4840.jpg


only picture i see any difference where the AG coating removed has a colder picture

IMG_4835.jpg


but absolutely no brightness difference which means requesting it to be removed on my new fw900 was a mistake? (i don't think it is too late yet to change that as they have not as far as i know started on the monitor yet only thing i like about the antiglare is that the screen gets a nice black look when being off instead of grey like an old tv but i am more then willing to sacrifice the AG coating if it means a better picture i figured since i bought the bets monitor available it would be stupid to block out it's picture because i want to use it at daytime but now after seeing these comparisons would removing the coating do any difference on a already perfect fw900) (minus the problems it had)

as i know how much brightness the coating actually blocked out but i have no idea if the ones i had were in perfect condition

my own picture of removing the antiglare

IMAG0311.jpg


notice how dark it actually is?
 
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Andyk5 said:
I am picking mine up in person for $400. Is there anything else i can look for except the obvious colorshift , which should signal me not buy it?
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The color shift may come from a worn tube or simply bad user settings. Warm up the monitor for 30 mins and do an image restore. If the color persists, then the tube life is less than great. (switch your source to one with nothing hooked up and just look at the black screen to see if there's a dominant color shading the blackness)

Still, weak tube life considered, I'd offer a fair reduced price to take one that isn't pristine. That is, unless you do photo editing or something.
 
400 dollar? I hope it is a refurbished one in good shape then. I never would pay 400 for a local private sale. Unless it is in pristine condition, with sufficient tests after a 30 minute warmup and color image restoration.

If the monitor is almost new out of the box, then 400 is fair price.

You can get used one on craigslist for 25 dollar, as proven above. I never even seen 400 dollar as price on craiglist, its quite high price.

Don't forget you buy something with no warranty, second hand, and there is always chance you buy cat in a bag, as some users reported tube or flyback failures only weeks after they bought one.

On the other hand, i bought mine back in the days for a price equal to yours, but i was guaranteed it was refurbished, one of the last produced, and almost never used, by a respected salesperson that had 10+ good comments of other buyers. But that was six years ago.

If you really want to be sure you get a pristine one, and if money isn't problem, consider the ones uncle vito sells. They are even twice as much cost, but you can be sure they are golden (transport damages out of the equasion).

Bottomline of my advice: only pay 400 if you can't find single flaw after 1 hour of testing. If the seller is reluctant to let you do that, and you get impression he wants to speed sell, don't do it. It might be he saw first sign of tube failure, and wants to sell the unit before it fails completely. And on another note: its very good idea to buy one locally. You won't regret picking it up locally since most damages to CRT come from bad transport companies. I'd only buy one if i can pick it up myself with my own car.
 
zzcool said:
i have a question since my fw900 is at the repairshop hopefully repairable

i requested the antiglare coating to be removed

when i got my fw900 from vito i noticed something was off i could feel it not being bright enough but it was EXTREMELY hard to tell i thought i was just imagining it

anyway from my experience with removing the AG coating the picture gets about 70% brighter the AG coating is like sun glasses it blocks out everything the fw900 has to offer

so i requested it to be removed on my new fw900 with completely unscratched coating

but absolutely no brightness difference which means requesting it to be removed on my new fw900 was a mistake? (i don't think it is too late yet to change that as they have not as far as i know started on the monitor yet only thing i like about the antiglare is that the screen gets a nice black look when being off instead of grey like an old tv but i am more then willing to sacrifice the AG coating if it means a better picture i figured since i bought the bets monitor available it would be stupid to block out it's picture because i want to use it at daytime but now after seeing these comparisons would removing the coating do any difference on a already perfect fw900) (minus the problems it had)

as i know how much brightness the coating actually blocked out but i have no idea if the ones i had were in perfect condition
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I have to say that almost all this pics i took from my both FW900 are not useable for showing an difference. Starting with Color temperature. As you can clearly see my main FW900 has an very blue image because, at this time i "liked" to use 10000k or so. And i forgot to lower it to 6500k or whatever the other one had. Second i forgot to take an tripod, so the pictures are washed out like hell.

Only the last two pictures i took. Which show the wallpaper zoomed in. There you can see the difference in brightness and blacklevel, also you can see the antiglare which creates some sort of moire effect.

And in respect of blacklevel. If you remove the Antiglare it will be very hard to get an good blacklevel. Or lets say you are not able to get the best blacklevel anymore if removed (as far as i know).
That not means that you blacklevel will be bad or so. I think also vito recommends to remove it, if you want the perfect FW900. The Models he sells also have removed AG.

You should also not forget about increasing lifespan of the monitor because you can lower brightness and contrast.

Should this information be incorrect then I ask for forgiveness.
 
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Myramond said:
I have to say that almost all this pics i took from my both FW900 are not useable for showing an difference. Starting with Color temperature. As you can clearly see my main FW900 has an very blue image because, at this time i "liked" to use 10000k or so. And i forgot to lower it to 6500k or whatever the other one had. Second i forgot to take an tripod, so the pictures are washed out like hell.

Only the last two pictures i took. Which show the wallpaper zoomed in. There you can see the difference in brightness and blacklevel, also you can see the antiglare which creates some sort of moire effect.

And in respect of blacklevel. If you remove the Antiglare it will be very hard to get an good blacklevel. Or lets say you are not able to get the best blacklevel anymore if removed (as far as i know).
That not means that you blacklevel will be bad or so. I think also vito recommends to remove it, if you want the perfect FW900. The Models he sells also have removed AG.

You should also not forget about increasing lifespan of the monitor because you can lower brightness and contrast.

Should this information be incorrect then I ask for forgiveness.
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all i care about is picture quality if i don't get a good black level at day time i don't care

but if the black level actually gets worse even in a pitch dark room then it becomes an issue

i don't want any negatives with removing the antiglare

only negatives i want is

1.it won't be usable at day time (i don't care as i don't play at day time you won't get a good picture with AG coating on either in day time so i don't care

2.it attracts dust once again i do not care it is abit annoying but i don't care if the picture is better

those are the only negatives i want if removing the AG coating actually makes the picture worse in any way despite a completely dark room then that would be an issue for me

i really don't see a reason to block out the potential of the monitor just to be able to use it properly at day time have a flatscreen for that purpose it's like buying a ferrari and keep a speed lock on it

so i am more then willing to get the coating removed if it ONLY makes the picture better and not worse

from my own experience it makes the picture a WHOLE LOT better but i don't know if the same applies to an already perfect tube

all i care about is picture quality i want to achive the best possible picture with my fw900 once repaired i will buy a hdfury for it to hopefully eliminate the trailing issue

i want it to it's fullest potential

with with the AG coating on i could FEEL the picture wasn't bright enough i didn't know if vito removed or keps the AG coating on but i could feel something was off so i think i prefer it better without it on
 
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I've always assumed that the anti-glare coating was carefully engineered, along with the rest of the monitor, and should not be arbitrarily removed.

However, if you need the additional brightness, then maybe that's another story...
 
SH1 said:
I've always assumed that the anti-glare coating was carefully engineered, along with the rest of the monitor, and should not be arbitrarily removed.

However, if you need the additional brightness, then maybe that's another story...
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vito recommends removing it for better image quality so thats why i wanted mine removed
 
Off is better, Hands down. The AG is exactly that.. An ANTI-GLARE cover. In a design office in bright sunlight they had to make the monitor functional. We however are enthusiasts who can customize our working conditions and expectations and will work with the loss of glare reduction if it means far brighter colors.
 
ZeosPantera said:
Off is better, Hands down. The AG is exactly that.. An ANTI-GLARE cover. In a design office in bright sunlight they had to make the monitor functional. We however are enthusiasts who can customize our working conditions and expectations and will work with the loss of glare reduction if it means far brighter colors.
Click to expand...

Brought exactly to the point.
 
ZeosPantera said:
Off is better, Hands down. The AG is exactly that.. An ANTI-GLARE cover. In a design office in bright sunlight they had to make the monitor functional. We however are enthusiasts who can customize our working conditions and expectations and will work with the loss of glare reduction if it means far brighter colors.
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great then i made the right choice in getting it removed

i also wonder which cable do i buy for it to get the best picture no trailing issues or anything

i also want to avoid using a vga to dvi converter as it's very unstable and pushes the pc forward
 
There is, out there.. An Eizo box that outputs 5bnc and has a DVI input.. So you would send a DVI-A to the box and five short BNC's out. You can't find it anywhere but that I believe is the best connection.
 
I just traded out my Dell Trinitron P991 CRT monitor for another one (backup)I bought like 2 years ago off ebay a new old stock one. The Dell P991 I used for 13 years straight!! but the colors were faded and it has diagonal lines and horizontal lines all over teh place.
 
its what i like most about CRT rly.. their longevity.

Most flatscreen monitors and most tech these days is made only to last 2 years or so. Ok, that might be bit cynical, but still.

I actually believe that some of the flatscreens get backlights built into that fail after 2 years lol.. Lookin at avarage screen longevity, i mean.

I been using this fw900 for 6 years now, i also did the anti glare off, and nothing surpasses it rly.

I can play my old RPG like baldurs gate and icewind dale and planescape torment in widescreen at low res 16:10 resolutions without the image being smeared..

I'll never get rid of this thing. Its the pinnacle of CRT technology, and tbh CRT technology by far surpasses flat screen still, even after all these years.

Even the "buzz of 2012" 2560x1440@120hz IPS panels(catleap, overlord) with OC power units for 120hz didn't quite convince me, since you need killer desktop to run 'm to get same image quality.
 
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