Ideas for what to do with old CRT

[Craig234]

I bought an NEC XP21 long ago for $2300. It was great. I left it on 24x7 for years, until one day I said 'that's silly, I'll turn it off for the night', and it wouldn't turn back on.

Ever since, I haven't wanted to trash it, but haven't been able to find any sensible repairs (at the time I think it was several hundred dollars if it could be done).

Any better ideas what to do with it than send to an electronics recycler? I wouldn't even mind having it working again for older games, maybe.

 

[therealnickdanger]

Any better ideas what to do with it than send to an electronics recycler? I wouldn't even mind having it working again for older games, maybe.

You can find CRT monitors (of all brands and tiers) on craigslist for free. Unless you can fix it for free, it's time to dump it. I recently trashed my FW900. RIP in peace, my beloved.

On the bright side, LG just announced that they will be making OLED monitors!

 

[Hi-Fi Man]

Fix that sucker or give it to somebody who can/wants to! It's inhumane to just trash it!

 

[Fallen Kell]

Without the proper tools, debugging it can be very difficult. You also will want to know how to properly de-energize that tube before you start working around in it (it can hold deadly levels of current for months/years).

I would open it up and take a quick look inside on the boards and look to see if you find bulging/leaking capacitors, or see a burnt area around a component on the PCB(s). I would also then check with a multimeter continuity connection on the power through the PCB as well as use a LCR meter to check that the capacitors are all still good and hold rated values. I would also check to see if there is a short to ground somewhere (test continuity between ground and the various power lanes and if there is, you might need to use a leek detector to find it).

If you don't already own these tools, you are looking at spending $300-600 to get ones that are half decent (hell a good electronics multimeter alone will run $150-200, and a leak detector will be $250-300). And the above only covers standard stuff. You might need some specialty equipment to test the tube itself (don't know, as I have never done that before since my problems have almost always been before the tube on the video input or power side).

It really isn't worth buying the equipment unless you use it enough to justify the cost. I personally have only needed a leak detector 2 times, and I was lucky enough to be able to borrow one from a friend. I don't do enough electronics work to justify owning one.

 

[Craig234]

Fix that sucker or give it to somebody who can/wants to! It's inhumane to just trash it!

I can't find a way to fix it. I finally found one repair store in the bay area a decade back who could fix NEC's, who said don't fix it.

 

[Craig234]

You can find CRT monitors (of all brands and tiers) on craigslist for free. Unless you can fix it for free, it's time to dump it. I recently trashed my FW900. RIP in peace, my beloved.

On the bright side, LG just announced that they will be making OLED monitors!

After the NEC broke, I got an FW900, and it later broke and is sitting here too. Same issue.

 

[palmfire]

Sell them on ebay

 

[Craig234]

Sell them on ebay

What would anyone who bought them do I can't?

 

[3DVagabond]

Boat anchor?