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

jbltecnicspro said:
I take it that you work in 5000k? I guess it doesn't really matter, so long as what you're printing matches what you're seeing. :)
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NO! We just calibrate, adjust, repair and sell units... Choosing the lighting environment and conditions are up to the clients...

UV!
 
Just got the reversing ring today. Was easy to install. I took a quick test picture of a white screen. Here is a cropped image. The full image (4272 pixels across) contained about 24 phosphor triads, so there's plenty of spatial resolution to work with :)

Because of the incredibly narrow depth of field, it was very difficult to get the focus right - lens has to be perfectly coplanar with screen, and even then it's challenging to set up. I'm going to get some focusing rails to help with this, and I hope to be able to take crystal clear images once I set that up.

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yea it's hard to adjust the focus ring independently of zoom ring, but by turning the zoom lens I'm able to achieve focus. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the way the barrels work. I think their functions are reversed with the reverse lens setup. But yes, I am able to use the rings to achieve precise control over focus - just hard to turn rings without disturbing position of camera, when it's simply balanced on a stack of books :p

Also, I may set the zoom and focus rings to their extreme retracted positions, and adjust distance as a means to focus. This way, I can easily measure vignetting by pressing lens up against screen with those same zoom/focus settings (and when it's against screen, it's so out of focus that image is homogeneous which is great for vignetting measurements). An alternative may be to use a follow focus (demonstrated in this video), tho not sure if it'll be compatible with a reverse lens setup
 
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FYI folks, I intend to put up a listing in FS/FT later, but I'm going to be listing my:

LaCie Electron Blue 22 II monitor.
- 0.24mm Aperture Grille
- Mitsubishi Diamondtron monitor
- Self-calibrating equipment included (think Sony Artisan)
- 22-inch monitor (as you've probably figured out)

And best of all, since I received it for free - I'm offering it for free!
 
did another shoot, this time using live view mode and some more care. Much better result:

This may be the highest detail image of an aperture-grille phosphor mask in the history of the internet!

next step is to get at tripod, a tripod head, and a focusing rail (thinking of the Velbon Super Magnesium Slider).

I may also experiment with a smaller aperture (requires a bit of a hack) so I can get more depth of field. The phosphor layer itself may not be on a perfect plane, so a wider depth of field may allow a better image. It's ridiculous how narrow this depth of field is - the slightest touch to the stack of books radically changes the focus.

2uh94qa.jpg
 
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Short story of removing AG coating on my unit:

Beauty without hood

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Manufactured July 2003. Looks good.

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Scratched AG. Made me sad until I took it off...
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Holy crap, they must have used some serious glue. Had hell of a fight to peel it off

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Two adult guys having trouble to remove AG. Sony, you should patent this adhesive.

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Going on and on

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Finally it's off. First I thought it would go off like a feather, but you clearly see it's thick and glued like hell.

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Few screws back and we are ready to go

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OMGOMGOMGOMG it's so much better now!

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Now I should thank my GF that she scratched the AG, I would have probably use it much longer.

What I achieved:

- better clarity
- text sharpness (!!!)
- better contrast
- better whites
- no more scratches at all
- looks hell better in dark room

What I lost:

- higher black reflectivity in bright room
- not sure, but looks like bloom around whites on black is higher
- ???

Seriously, even in mid-lit room it's way better than it used to be with AG. I got far better image in most condition and not that worse image in bright condition.

Verdict : very happy with AG off. If you can handle light conditions in your workplace (or rather gaming place) it's way to go in my opinion.
 
^^^^

Hell yeah man! Thanks for the pics.

And folks, sorry - I haven't posted the FS/FT yet for the monitor. We just had our first child this weekend, so we're still recovering zombies from that experience. :)
 
jbl, congrats!! Your CRTs are gonna be jealous of the divided attention now I'm sure ;)

igsux, good job - the way I removed mine was by sitting down on ground with crt, placing both my feet on opposite corners of the tube, and then grasping the corner of the AG with my hands (I had already peeled off a small part). That way, I could use my legs to "push" the CRT off the antiglare, while at the same time using my arms to pull the antiglare off the CRT.

And yes, I think there is more bloom without antiglare. I'm in the process of selecting equipment for my next project - will have to spend a few hundred dollars just on equipment to mount and precisely control the movement of the camera so I can take perfectly focused shots.

Once that's set up, one of my main things I want to measure is how much bleed there is with and without AG (I have two units without AG and one unit with AG).
 
igsux3 said:
- better clarity
- text sharpness (!!!)
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idk how this is possible unless the fw900's ag scatters light significantly. or maybe its just a psychological thing from the increased brightness.

but on my g520p the film doesn't scatter light at all... i can see the individual phosphors stripes completely clearly on my camera. i've also read from earlier in this thread that the f520 and some other sony displays (don't remember if g520p is one of them) had a different type of ag film that's not removable. perhaps my g520p has this type and perhaps it's better than the fw900's film at not scattering light.
 
jbltecnicspro said:
igsux, I have to ask - did you intentionally give the camera the finger on the second-to-last picture? :D
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Totally unintentional :D You made me laugh when I noticed it ;)

flod said:
idk how this is possible unless the fw900's ag scatters light significantly. or maybe its just a psychological thing from the increased brightness.
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Dunno, maybe AG has some microstructure that causes diffraction and sharpness is lower. Or may that be due to higher contrast / microcontrast that makes things perceptually sharper. I'm deffinatelly not placebo type of guy. Scientific proof over all :p


Unkle Vito are there any components inside monitor that one could possibly replace to extend life span of a monitor? Like capacitors, AC converter, resistors? My unit works perfectly as for now, but preventing is better than repairing ;)
 
flod said:
idk how this is possible unless the fw900's ag scatters light significantly. or maybe its just a psychological thing from the increased brightness.

but on my g520p the film doesn't scatter light at all... i can see the individual phosphors stripes completely clearly on my camera. i've also read from earlier in this thread that the f520 and some other sony displays (don't remember if g520p is one of them) had a different type of ag film that's not removable. perhaps my g520p has this type and perhaps it's better than the fw900's film at not scattering light.
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Your 520 is one of the displays whose AG is not removable. The reason is because it's on the other end of the glass. So unless you destroy your tube, you won't be getting at it any time soon.

If I was to take a shot in the dark, I would think that the sharper text quality is due to the fact that over time, the anti-glare probably just gets worn and old. It's unfortunately exposed to the elements out there, so who knows?
 
igsux3 said:
Unkle Vito are there any components inside monitor that one could possibly replace to extend life span of a monitor? Like capacitors, AC converter, resistors? My unit works perfectly as for now, but preventing is better than repairing ;)
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I'm not Unkle Vito, but past forum posts seem to indicate that the flyback transformer is the part that goes out on these. I don't know how common the problem really is, but that seems to be a common complaint on forums. The picture will "pop" and make the hard "click" sound you hear when changing resolutions - and the picture will go fuzzy and will eventually "pop" back to normal.
 
jbltecnicspro said:
I'm not Unkle Vito, but past forum posts seem to indicate that the flyback transformer is the part that goes out on these. I don't know how common the problem really is, but that seems to be a common complaint on forums. The picture will "pop" and make the hard "click" sound you hear when changing resolutions - and the picture will go fuzzy and will eventually "pop" back to normal.
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The CRT will live for as long as the tube and/or gun(s) don't fail. These are the main components that define how long the unit lives.... You can practice my guidelines that I supply my clients with the purchase of my units, and that can help to extend the life of the units.

However, Jbltecnicspro is correct in his assertion that there are some other components which may "go" with normal and/or extended usage.

These are the main issues besides the tube and guns.

1) Flyback Transformer (FBT). There are NO MORE Sony branded FBT on the trade today. I am one of a hand-full of outfits who have some in stock. Unless you have solder skills, I do not recommend to remove and install one of them. What I recommend is to replace the entire D-Board where the FTB is at, which is easy and only requires removal of a few screws and cables.

2) Electrolytic Capacitors (caps) are located on the power supply unit (PSU). Unless you are a technician and have the proper equipment, checking faulty the caps and/or removing/installing new caps is not recommended for the average user. The easiest way to do this is by replacing the entire G-Board, which does not require soldering skills and/or technical knowledge. Removal of outer casing, and a few screws and cables, and you are done in 15/20 minutes max.

3) Horizontal Output Transformer (HOT). It is also located on the D-Board.


Video distortion/discoloration, images of one or two primary colors, image ghosting and/or no video output, which are not related to a faulty VGA cable and/or faulty video board, are less common and they can be attributed to a faulty A-Board.

My recommendation to all is that, unless you have advanced soldering skills, and have the proper equipment, and can follow schematics, and are trained in how to use a multimeter, then replacing the entire boards are better viable and practical solutions.

Hope this helps...

Unkle Vito!
 
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Hi guys. Is there a way to correct the ASC button? I remember my old FW900 had no issue stretching 4:3, but this one I'm currently using doesn't stretch at all.
 
rsfield said:
Hi guys. Is there a way to correct the ASC button? I remember my old FW900 had no issue stretching 4:3, but this one I'm currently using doesn't stretch at all.
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Your issue can be caused by many things... Without performing a full diagnostics on the unit...the issue is most likely caused by a corrupted EEPROM and/or bad control block assembly which houses both the H-board (user control) and the J-board (power switch).

I would recommend a Sony factory readjustment of the GDM-FW900 (all parameters) first (NOT an MPU!). If this does solves the issue, then replacement of the control block.

This part is in stock, but it is not easy to replace. The entire unit has to be dissembled (if it is done correctly) as the data cable (CN007) attaches to the N-board which seats on the bottom of the main plate of the unit.

Hope this helps...

UV!
 
Hi!

Okay, so i have 3 HP branded FW900s with various issues, one of which i previously posted about:

#1: My primary monitor for the last 8 years or so. This is the one my previous posts were about.
It has been having intermittent issues with powering on for the past 2 months, but they were rare for the last month and a half or so, so confirming their source and properly fixing the issue was backburnered until now.
The error code appears to indicate an issue with the ABL Protector.
When it does power on, colors, brightness and contrast are essentially *perfect* as far as i can tell, tho the image is probably very slightly soft/out of focus.
Has a few slight barely noticeable scratches in the anti-glare, but they were never annoying enough to justify it's removal. I may consider doing so while it is in pieces for repairs.

#2: The monitor i am currently using as a replacement due to #1's issues powering on.
It powers on consistently with no issues.
Buuuuuut:
It's waaaay too bright. To the point that the monitor shuts off during the bright part of image restore.
Blacks have a noticeable reddish tinge. I'm currently using the 6500k setting the the rbias cranked down to around 10 rather than the sRGB setting i normally use. This is tolerable for the short term, but obviously not acceptable long term as i'm sure the color balance is off.
The anti-glare had a distracting gouge in it and was removed last night before it was moved onto my desk.
There is a single black dot on the screen that does not move when the picture is resized around it. Maybe a flaw in the shadow mask?

#3: Probably parts.
It powers on consistently with no issues.
The image is fucked up in various different ways at different times:
At one point, it displayed a single white line at the top of the screen. Another, it displayed a wildly unstable shaking image.
The anti-glare in this one has a distracting gouge as well. In the event that the screen is worth using, it will have to be removed.

I have the cable for WinDAS, and will work on getting the program itself set up shortly.
Also, what is the pinout for the service port? The service manual doesn't specify.
 
from top to bottom:

black red green white

(ground, +5v, tx rx (or is it rx tx i can't remember, either way, on most cables it will be green then white).

You also need to get yourself a colorimeter. Then follow this guide. It will almost certainly fix #2.
 
rsfield said:
Hi guys. Is there a way to correct the ASC button? I remember my old FW900 had no issue stretching 4:3, but this one I'm currently using doesn't stretch at all.
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are you sure its not a software problem? Check ATI or NVIDEA control panel and look

if the "adapt image size" is on, or not.

Messing with that option enables to stretch 4:3 games to the entire screen, but i think it makes the old games look weird.
 
LAGRUNAUER said:
Your issue can be caused by many things... Without performing a full diagnostics on the unit...the issue is most likely caused by a corrupted EEPROM and/or bad control block assembly which houses both the H-board (user control) and the J-board (power switch).


I would recommend a Sony factory readjustment of the GDM-FW900 (all parameters) first (NOT an MPU!). If this does solves the issue, then replacement of the control block.

This part is in stock, but it is not easy to replace. The entire unit has to be dissembled (if it is done correctly) as the data cable (CN007) attaches to the N-board which seats on the bottom of the main plate of the unit.

Hope this helps...

UV!
Click to expand...
Appreciate the info.

atwix said:
are you sure its not a software problem? Check ATI or NVIDEA control panel and look

if the "adapt image size" is on, or not.

Messing with that option enables to stretch 4:3 games to the entire screen, but i think it makes the old games look weird.
Click to expand...

Actually now that I think about it I had no issues with ATI, but then again that was a different FW900. With NVIDIA playing with the gpu/display scaling options it does seem to have an affect. I'm wondering if using ToastyX CRU program is somehow interfering..I will do some more testing.

flod said:
my asc button would always scale the image to be 4:3...
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Were you using NVIDIA?
 
Update on the LaCie monitor. I ended up finding a home for it so I didn't post it on FS/FT. It went to a student who's studying photography and film. So I really hope it works for him. :) It's more or less like the Artisan, but Diamondtron.
 
jbltecnicspro said:
Update on the LaCie monitor. I ended up finding a home for it so I didn't post it on FS/FT. It went to a student who's studying photography and film. So I really hope it works for him. :) It's more or less like the Artisan, but Diamondtron.
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The LaCie ElectronBlue is an enhanced version of the old Radius PressView 21SR Color Reference monitor.

The Radius PressView was an excellent monitor. Initially cost $3,500.00 when it was first introduced in 1998, and I have one of them... It came with its own calibrator (ProSense) and its self calibrating software (PressView Software), just as the ElectronBlue did. Karl Lang, the father of both the PressView and the Artisan was the brain behind the design of these two magnificent monitors.

UV!
 
Anyone interested in a brand new Sony Artisan with zero (0) hours of use on the tube and chassis, PM me... One of my clients is relocating his studio and is selling part of the equipment.

UV!
 
LAGRUNAUER said:
The LaCie ElectronBlue is an enhanced version of the old Radius PressView 21SR Color Reference monitor.

The Radius PressView was an excellent monitor. Initially cost $3,500.00 when it was first introduced in 1998, and I have one of them... It came with its own calibrator (ProSense) and its self calibrating software (PressView Software), just as the ElectronBlue did. Karl Lang, the father of both the PressView and the Artisan was the brain behind the design of these two magnificent monitors.

UV!
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Awesome. Then that student got one hell of a monitor. :)
 
flod said:
my asc button would always scale the image to be 4:3...
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Mine doesn't scale correctly. Reason is that I'm using a different calibration file that doesn't have the ASC correctly calibrated. It's done in the geometry calibration area. Too bad the touch-up menu in WinDAS doesn't allow you to reset the ASC. I mean... Why go through all of the hassle doing ALL of the geometry alignment procedures when you only need to correct the ONE thing? :mad:
 
just a quick update on my macro photography project (in which I'll be measuring changes in luminance across the screen, and also be able to take very clear images of the phosphor layer).

I've just finished ordering all the parts I need - was a lot of learning figuring out what I needed and how to put it all together. I've had to order four parts:

A linear translation stage
An adaptor plate for the stage
A quick release clamp
A bracket for my camera.

total cost for all these including shipping is about $400, so it's a bit of an investment.

The translation stage is the most expensive item - I went with a newport 423 (off ebay).

The other parts are so that I can mount my camera onto the stage securely (using the Arca Swiss quick release standard).

This setup will allow me to move the camera along the focal axis with very very good precision (perhaps with a precision of a micron or less). This will allow me to get perfectly focused images, which is critical.
 
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