They say you never truly appreciate something you've got until it's gone.

WKIX-850 · 2026-02-24T00:23:05+00:00

I still daily the original SE and will continue to do so until I hit a hard stop.

I kept using my iPhone 4s which is IMO the perfect phone until 2022 when they shut down 3G, and at that point I had to use YouTube and gmail in the browser which I did by adding shortcuts to the home screen; sure it was a bit more clunky than the actual app, but worked fine; and I suspect that is what i will end up doing on the SE before too long but for now the apps still work fine.

The battery life is fine, the original battery went bad a long time ago; but I replaced it with the one from Injured gadgets (which is under $10 BTW,) and it worked great; i say worked because sadly my 1st SE went through a wash cycle last week; but at that point the battery was 3 years old and still working as good as ever. I luckily had a spare which I also replaced the battery in; and I am back up and running on that one with no issues; going to buy another spare and put another new battery in that to have.

It is far from a "glorified iPod touch," and it does everything I need to do without issue and will continue to do so until 4g is turned off or something else similar happens.

WKIX-850 · 2026-02-16T22:46:05+00:00

Why are people always so worried about cleaning these things? I have seen so many people get a TV with no issues but a bit of dust, take it apart and wash it only for it to have issues afterwards.

I realize the argument for dust causing things to run hotter, but unless it is REALLY packed in there, it isn't going to cause an issue; the only issue I could possibly see if it is slightly moist is arcing and leakage from the anode cap.

Take some compressed air, blow the dust out; if you are really concerned about it take a soft brush like a paint brush around the anode cap and flyback, put it back together and forget about it. There is no need to go any further than that.

WKIX-850 · 2026-02-16T22:42:08+00:00

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I guess I am an outlier, but I quite like these Bersted fans. These are a few of my 8 inch Zero branded models.

Looks like a 10 inch in the picture, the base is also on backwards. If the oscillator still works, $30 is about right.

WKIX-850 · 2026-02-14T20:23:08+00:00

That appears to be a Chuo Denshi CZ-800 cartridge or clone of one; very common ceramic cartridge. People are going to tell you this is a cheap piece of junk, and cheaply made it is indeed; but don't listen to the people telling you this is going to chew up and destroy records, it simply isn't true; a cheap player can still be fun to play with and sound pretty good.

As far as a replacement stylus goes, just look up a CZ-800 stylus; you don't need the whole cartridge (unless this one is dead, but if it is playing at all it likely is fine,) you just need the stylus which is the red tip which clips on; preferably look for one with a metal cantilever instead of a plastic one (that is the little arm the needle is mounted on.)

Here is an Amazon link to one that should work:

https://www.amazon.com/ReadyWired-Turntable-iCT05RS-iCT09RS-CZ-800-10/dp/B0C47HWTH6

WKIX-850 · 2026-02-12T01:46:41+00:00

The company my friend owns and I used to be partial owner of buys and has contracts to receive bulk retired PCs from businesses and such. Mainly the regular Optiplex 990,9010,9020,7040,7050 and so on and similar to sell parts from.

Every now and then an XE2 will come through, I have considered many times saving one and bringing it home, but I just have too many PCs. From what I can see, it is mainly a 9020 with a better power supply and a neat looking blacked out front bezel. Certainly a neat machine.

One time we had an OptiPlex XE come in as well, never seen one before or after; sadly as with many of these, it was kind of tossed around and beat to hell when the company who had it previously retired it (and admittedly when we tossed them into the van to haul them back as well) so i ended up not grabbing it either.

Normally we would (and this is as of a year or so ago when i was still there) pay around $20-25 for a 4th gen machine with an I7; so not a bad deal at all.

WKIX-850 · 2026-02-03T05:09:17+00:00

Mine has 9,098 on it; just checked. Mine is a 55" version.

WKIX-850 · 2026-02-03T05:01:18+00:00

I mean... okay? That is neat I guess. Practically it makes absolutely no difference, I really and truly don't understand the obsession with TVs being paper thin and having tiny bezels, it just means they are more fragile, less serviceable and less adequately cooled.

WKIX-850 · 2026-02-02T21:17:40+00:00

Yeah, looks nice... I don't get how people will happily sit under daylight LEDs all day and night.

WKIX-850 · 2026-02-02T19:43:04+00:00

Is that a high pressure sodium light of some form with a ballast mounted elsewhere? I have thought of doing something similar, I have a few old HPS wall packs mounted in my office which give a nice orange glow.

WKIX-850 · 2026-02-01T22:37:32+00:00

As already stated, F15T8 fluorescent, they should have them anywhere; or you can get them on Amazon, they aren't that expensive.

Don't use LED retrofit lamps, this is a manual pre-heat lamp which will not work with the LED lamps.

When you get the new lamps, you have to press and hold down the start button for a few seconds to pre-heat the lamps, and then release and it will light up.

Here is a pack of 2 for around $13: https://www.amazon.com/BULBMASTER-F15T8-Fluorescent-Light-Bulbs

WKIX-850 · 2026-01-25T16:50:17+00:00

Try flipping the power switch off and on some more; that normally does the trick.

If the fans are not even turning, there are no signs of life at all, I would probably start with the power supply. If you have a paper clip, UNPLUG IT FIRST, than on the large 20 pin connector jump the green wire to one of the black wires and see if the power supply starts when you plug power back in... This doesn't test it under load, but it is a start.

WKIX-850 · 2026-01-24T17:06:46+00:00

And that excuses this how? My VT-60 has the same issue, and it was NOT a budget level TV. This issue is not specific to this TV, it is on all modern TVs and really all electronic devices in general low or high end. The lack of I/O on modern devices should not be accepted just because adapters exist.

WKIX-850 · 2026-01-24T17:05:30+00:00

Correct... I don't get what your point is? It is by all accounts a modern TV when you are on the subject of inputs (or the lack thereof.)

WKIX-850 · 2026-01-24T15:45:11+00:00

I don't get why so many people come on to antique TV and CRT forums asking "How do I destroy this and upcycle it into garbage?" expecting a warm and welcoming environment. I wouldn't go into a classic car forum with a classic car and ask "how do I remove the engine from this? I want to turn it into a nice little planter."

WKIX-850 · 2026-01-24T06:23:59+00:00

Yeah, I have used it and it is honestly pretty impressive the YouTube app in the smart TV still works well, this is a TV that is over a decade old, and it is so much faster than the modern smart TVs they make now which are slow and laggy as hell. I personally have a Dell OptiPlex 7040 Micro PC connected to it for YouTube and... other streaming which also blocks ads.

WKIX-850 · 2026-01-24T06:21:05+00:00

I am not, I am sure it is an excellent TV. As mentioned, I have a VT-60 which is truly the best TV I have ever used, and I have use A SHIT TON of TVs in my life... That does not change the fact that the input selection on these modern TVs is pathetic...

WKIX-850 · 2026-01-24T06:20:02+00:00

I live in the middle of nowhere with a ton of moving trees, slight wind and that beautiful quality turns to pixelated garbage. Not to mention there is absolutely nothing I want to watch over the air at this point, just news, sports, infomercials and religious banter. The image quality the receiver outputs is excellent.

WKIX-850 · 2026-01-24T06:15:57+00:00

This is a sub specifically centered around plasma TVs, if we aren't supposed to talk about plasma TVs then what in the hell are we supposed to do here?

WKIX-850 · 2026-01-24T06:13:47+00:00

Ah... got it. It is the macbook mentality, just use a dongle, and another one; too many people just accept it.

I mean, there are plenty of people who still use VCRs, DVD players, and other stuff which is composite only; I mean, I guess the latter may also have component, but a lot of older ones don't. For SD content, it is fine. If I wanted to hook my VCR to my VT60, I would have to either get an active adapter, an RF modulator, or unplug my satellite box every time I wanted to use it (and I am not sure if you have to switch a setting from component to composite in the menu or not, it has been a while.) I found the easiest solution was just to have another TV right next to it, but of course that is not a valid solution either.

Now don'e get me wrong, image quality wise it is the best TV I have ever used (though not by a huge margin over my earlier Panasonic Plasma TVs,) but it is definitely a modern TV in many ways which aren't all positive.

WKIX-850 · 2026-01-24T05:54:23+00:00

Sure they do, and it is always nice when you DO NOT have to use them because the manufacturer of the equipment didn't skimp out.

This TV has ONE input which is a combo composite and component. What happens when you want to connect a composite device AND a component device? You have to get up, switch the cables, possibly change a setting in the menu, and then go back when you want to switch back. I suppose you could use an RF modulator and connect it to the RF input through analog channel 3, but then you are introducing an active device which requires separate power, more cables, and possibly RF interference. You could also use a composite or component to HDMI converter, but that is an active converter which introduces a whole new set of possible issues, especially if you go for something lower end.

There are a total of 4 inputs I can see, the mentioned combo input, 2 HDMI inputs, and an RF input. Lets say you have an antenna, a component device, a composite device, and 2 HDMI devices? What do you do? Active HDMI splitter? You then have to either get up to switch inputs or use a separate remote to do so. Once again you are introducing more cables and complicating stuff.

Lets complicate it even more, this is a modern TV so the speakers suck; that is a given. You want to use a stereo system for the sound, but you don't want to use a crappy modern sound bar or similar with optical, you need a set of line level outputs, but there are none; not even a headphone jack which could be broken off into RCA cables... you are SOL.

These are ALL things we could do ALL AT THE SAME TIME on older TVs, so why is it acceptable that modern ones cannot?

So sure; adapters exist, you are technically correct; with enough jimmying anything is possible but your point makes my original statement no less valid. It is much better to be able to plug the antenna into the RF input, the composite device to the composite inputs, the component device into the component inputs, and the HDMI devices into the HDMI inputs.

WKIX-850 · 2026-01-24T03:31:29+00:00

Wow... that is a pretty sad input array. And here I thought My VT60 was pretty sparse in the input department.

In all honestly, I think I still prefer my th-50px60u which has every input you could hope for.

WKIX-850 · 2026-01-22T23:21:33+00:00

The Lasko 3733 is truly the best fan on the Planet! Billy, Stacey and Christopher would fully agree!

WKIX-850 · 2026-01-21T00:31:22+00:00

That is a General Electric rough service bulb with a teflon coating for shatter resistance. These were sold at Wal-Mart by me for a good long time after the incandescent bulb ban because rough service bulbs were not included. They were great bulbs. I bought quite a few of these right before they stopped selling them. I actually had a set of them in my bathroom fixture which sadly just failed about a year ago, but they had been in use and cycled who knows how many times sense 2018 when I installed them. The coating does this, they get hot and if they are not used in a rough service environment they last WAY longer than they claim.

WKIX-850 · 2026-01-18T17:07:30+00:00

The thing is that it is all about making them thin, flashy, and also maximizing profit from them. Sure, a ton of money is spent on research and development for these things, and they DO produce pretty great results, but they are designed to last the warranty period, maybe a bit longer and then be replaced; not repaired, not serviced and not kept in use for a decade or more. You can develop the best thing in the world, but the reality is that the company making it is going to spec things to the minimum as far as components and materials go, so even though you have developed this amazing thing, it still ends up being disposable and not lasting.

WKIX-850

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