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From: john larkin <JL@gct.com>
Newsgroups: sci.electronics.design
Subject: Re: electrical deaths
Date: Sat, 30 Nov 2024 08:09:58 -0800
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On Sat, 30 Nov 2024 15:12:47 +0100, "Carlos E.R."
<robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

>On 2024-11-30 06:29, Don Y wrote:
>> On 11/29/2024 7:33 PM, Edward Rawde wrote:
>>> I don't think the back of our tube-based TV was ever on.
>>> While it was under warranty, service people seemed to arrive monthly.
>> 
>> It was a routine task for me to be charged with pulling ALL the
>> tubes and walking up to the corner drugstore (where they had a
>> tube tester) to check them.  Invariably, one would be "weak",
>> replaced and then the TV returned to "new" condition.  A fair
>> bit cheaper than a replacement TV.
>
>What meant "weak"? Perhaps they had lost a bit of vacuum? Or a problem 
>with the cathode?

Usually bad cathode emission, sometimes gas, rarely a short.

CRT cathodes would get weak, and one could add a filament voltage
booster thing to get a bit more lifetime out of a tube.

>
>I remember that we had a B/W TV, and the technician would come to our 
>home now and then, and replace a tube or two. I was a kid at the time.

TVs used to have a flat glass plate over the rounded CRT. People
smoked a lot and the electrostatics would create a film of crud
between them. My uncle Sheldon was a rascal. He'd tell people they
needed a new CRT, take it back to his shop, and Windex it.

>
>Also, the thing was VHF only. There was only one TV channel in Spain. At 
>some point they created a second channel, on UHF. We had our TV 
>upgraded, a second tuner control was sticking out on the side. For this 
>operation they took our only TV to the repair shop for some days.
>
>I think we had to install a new smaller antena for this channel to work. 
>It had cartoons at about 20 hours, and sometimes there would be 
>interferences and I would get mad because the only TV program I was 
>allowed to watch was not working.

We had great shows, better than most of the junk nowadays. PBS was
"educational TV" with lots of science and documentaries. It's mostly
murder mysteries now.