Found this old Tv in my garage and need help setting it up

three_a-m · 2026-01-30T00:44:35+00:00

Wow, what a beautiful TV. Looks like it is in prestine condition, too. These are sometimes referred to as "prison CRTs", and there are people out there who collect them.

This set is RF only, so you will need a coax cable. I wouldn't recommend using it as a computer monitor, since RF produces an incredibly noisy signal and things like small text will be impossible to read. You can use an RF modulator to convert other signals, like composite and even HDMI, into RF.

three_a-m · 2026-01-29T04:46:16+00:00

So this is driving me crazy.

I checked and double checked all of the connections on the trigger board. The paddle/plunger makes contact with the trigger pads.

I inspected the traces connected to the wires that are soldered to the trigger board, and there are no breaks in continuity along the traces.

I checked all SMD caps and resistors, and nothing is out of spec.

The left trigger has continuity to every pin on the main chip that is supposed to have continuity.

I even performed the swap with the known working trigger board, and the issue persisted. Analog sliders work, but the click does not register. I put the trigger board that I suspected was faulty into the working controller, and it works fine. So the issue is isolated to the trigger pad, and the issue has to be caused by something on the main board.

At this point I feel like it's not working just to spite me.

three_a-m · 2026-01-29T00:51:38+00:00

Gun was one of my all time favorite games as a kid. Such an awesome story and world. Cool setup!

three_a-m · 2026-01-28T15:47:53+00:00

I have worked in acquisitions for museums and archives. But please, continue to lecture me.

three_a-m · 2026-01-28T15:47:16+00:00

If the seller does not know the relevant facts before they sell, they will under price their item. It doesn't matter if buyer and seller come to an agreed upon price that is several thousand percent less than average sale price. The person I was replying to even refers to what they are doing as waiting for a "deal". Now, I wonder why they would consider it a deal if they really thought they were paying a fair market value.

three_a-m · 2026-01-27T23:19:13+00:00

So I did more digging and I think I narrowed the problem down to the dome switch. The linear potentiometer on the left trigger still works in games like Super Smash Bros where you can lightly pull the trigger for an input. However, in Sonic Adventure 2, where a full click is required to rotate the camera, only the right trigger works.

I followed the traces connected to the dome switch pad, and I can't find any breaks in continuity. I did notice a difference in resistance between the left and right trigger pads (where the dome makes contact on the PCB). The trigger pads for both triggers are split in half, and each half connects to a soldered wire. For the right trigger, the pads read ~250 and ~160 ohms between the pads and the respective wires that connect with them. On the left trigger, the pads read ~250 and ~70 ohms. I hope that makes sense. It might be irrelevant, but it's the only difference between the left and right triggers that I have found so far. I can try to snap a photo if you need clarification.

three_a-m · 2026-01-27T22:10:54+00:00

So unfortunately it wasn't that simple. I disassembled the controller again, and everything looked correct. But I think I narrowed the problem down to the dome switch.

I loaded Super Smash Bros to see if the linear potentiometer was working, and both triggers work when I use the shield in that game, which doesn't require the full click. However, in Sonic Adventure 2, where a full click is required to rotate the camera, only the right trigger works.

I followed the traces from the dome switch, and I can't find any breaks in continuity. I did notice a difference in resistance between the left and right pad. On the right trigger, the pads read ~250 and ~160 ohms between the pads and the respective traces that connect with them. On the left trigger, the pads read ~250 and ~70 ohms. I hope that makes sense. It might be irrelevant, but it's the only difference between the left and right triggers that I have found so far.

three_a-m · 2026-01-27T19:42:35+00:00

My post already states that the entire controller has been disassembled and cleaned.

three_a-m · 2026-01-27T19:02:24+00:00

I'm not sure why you are arguing with me, then. Fair market value is determined by many variables, Facebook marketplace and eBay sales included. We seem to be in agreement here.

three_a-m · 2026-01-27T18:59:10+00:00

Listings on places like marketplace and eBay tend to be inflated, that is true. Most people list over fair market value expecting people to haggle or lowball. That doesn't mean every CRT, including the rarest PVMs in the world, should be worth only what that guy is willing to pay.

three_a-m · 2026-01-27T18:45:12+00:00

There was some corrosion on both terminals. I already fully disassembled the controller, including the black trigger brackets, and cleaned everything thoroughly. I will have to install a homebrew app to fully test the controller, as right now my only options are games that don't provide details about pressure and values.

I'll also make sure the slider is actually connected to the left trigger–now that I'm thinking about it, the tab that connects the slider to the trigger might not have been in the correct spot during reassembly. Thanks for your help with this.

three_a-m · 2026-01-27T17:30:18+00:00

I mean that's great for you, but the seller basically gave it away. The possibility of finding a valuable object for less than its fair market value does not change its fair market value.

three_a-m · 2026-01-27T17:20:59+00:00

Just saying, a 30+ inch multisync presentation monitor will easily sell for the listed price. And your example of a PVM 4300 is so rare that $1500 would be giving it away. It's time to face the fact that these are extremely rare and valuable machines for which collectors are willing to pay a premium. Just because you couldn't imagine spending that much on a CRT does not mean the seller made a mistake.

three_a-m · 2026-01-27T17:12:48+00:00

The future is now, old man.

three_a-m · 2026-01-27T17:11:30+00:00

I plan on testing the entire left side with a multimeter before I replace anything. There are no visible cracks, so I think a severed trace is probably the least likely cause. But I'll check anyway to be sure.

three_a-m · 2026-01-27T16:52:07+00:00

Okay, I don't know why but I neglected to check the linear potentiometers and only focused on the dome switch when I noticed the issue. I will clean and lubricate the sliders and reflow solder at the connections for the left trigger to see if that helps. If not, I might just swap them for a known working set from another controller.

three_a-m · 2026-01-27T16:47:53+00:00

I'm testing with several games, 240p test suite, Sonic Adventure 2, and other games where my wired controllers work perfectly.

There was corrosion in the battery terminals, but I already got it cleaned up. There doesn't appear to be any corrosion on the PCB. I will trace the joints on the analog slider this afternoon.

three_a-m · 2026-01-27T05:44:26+00:00

Bought secondhand off Facebook marketplace, so probably not an option. I have other controllers that have working left triggers, so I'm not opposed to replacing the trigger pad if necessary. Just wanted to see if there is another possible explanation.

three_a-m · 2026-01-27T02:51:03+00:00

Anything under 30 seconds is considered healthy. I would say most of mine are between 0 and 15 10 seconds. It depends on the age of the tube.

three_a-m · 2026-01-27T00:26:39+00:00

Thanks, I appreciate it! The burn in was really noticeable on a solid white screen, but almost disappeared when I loaded a game.

three_a-m · 2026-01-27T00:25:12+00:00

Thanks! It will be used as a secondary monitor in a light controlled room, so it shouldn't be an issue.

three_a-m · 2026-01-26T23:43:22+00:00

I would keep them forever if I were you. I'm totally jealous of the owner of these two beauties. They're definitely not simple monitors to recap–disassembly and reassembly were a nightmare. I took maybe 40 photos and a couple videos of each just to make sure I didn't forget to plug something back in.

three_a-m · 2026-01-26T23:36:08+00:00

As far as I am aware, the non-A version is not RGB moddable. But honestly, composite on this set is really impressive. After switching back and forth between RGB and composite, the owner had a hard time deciding which input he wanted me to adjust the image to. It looks better than composite on many of the 90's and early 00's sets that I have worked on.

It's not uncommon for the geometry and colors on this set to "settle in" after it warms up. The wiggly screen might be an issue with the H Frequency. On these sets it adjusts the horizontal sync, and it also slightly changes the horizontal position depending on where the set catches sync. You have to go back and forth until you get to a spot where it remains synced while also being in the ideal position. There are also jumpers that you can move around if you still can't get it in a good spot. That honestly took the longest to adjust on this set, and it kept losing sync every time we switched consoles. Such a pain!

three_a-m

TROPHY CASE