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One color randomly goes off on my CRT

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First post, by kikendo

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Those of us who own/ed CRTs have been here before. There's a time where a color kind of goes off and a good "smack" on the side will get it back on.
Being that I am an adult now and a "smack on the side" is not an acceptable solution to a problem (it's not even a solution, just a patch), I am interested in fixing this for good.

I would think this is some kind of cold solder joint, but what should I be looking into and where if I open up the CRT? Could it be just a problem on the VGA cable connector? or, like Classic Macs, some kinda cable that connects to the CRT's display board?

Any thoughts appreciated before I open up this Gateway CrystalScan 1024 N1.

Reply 1 of 6, by Jo22

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Cold solder joint? Picture becomes pink, maybe?

If it's a cold solder joint on the PCB, a cooler spray can help narrowing the error.

Try the little PCB that's connected to the CRT socket.
If the monitor is safely discharged and unplugged, you could try resoldering everything by heating the joints with a soldering iron.

"Time, it seems, doesn't flow. For some it's fast, for some it's slow.
In what to one race is no time at all, another race can rise and fall..." - The Minstrel

//My video channel//

Reply 2 of 6, by kikendo

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Jo22 wrote on 2022-05-26, 15:15:

Try the little PCB that's connected to the CRT socket.
If the monitor is safely discharged and unplugged, you could try resoldering everything by heating the joints with a soldering iron.

The picture becomes yellow, which means the blue is going off. A right whack sometimes brings it back on! Definitely feels like a cold solder joint.

Resoldering certain things is exactly what you do on a Classic Mac sometimes, on the connector that goes from the tube to the analog board. So I can try that.
The monitor has been unplugged for over a month.

Reply 3 of 6, by Azarien

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Before you do anything that involves opening the case, learn how to safely discharge the CRT to avoid shock.

I had a similar issue where smacking the top fixed the problem temporarily, but with time I had to smack it harder and harder, to the point that cracks started to appear on the case.

Turned out the problem was a cold solder joint somewhere on the neck board (the PCB that's directly connected to the cathode). I resoldered everything on that PCB, and the monitor has worked well ever since.

Reply 4 of 6, by Jo22

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Azarien wrote on 2022-05-26, 22:44:

Turned out the problem was a cold solder joint somewhere on the neck board (the PCB that's directly connected to the cathode). I resoldered everything on that PCB, and the monitor has worked well ever since.

Glad to hear! 😃👍
Just to be absolutely sure, I consulted my father yesterday's evening, too,
who's a radio amateur and hadworked with CRTs in the past.
His first guess also was that neck board that connects to the individual ray guns.
So the monitor should likely be fine again. 😁

I just hope that kikendo has the same error and that the fix works, too.

"Time, it seems, doesn't flow. For some it's fast, for some it's slow.
In what to one race is no time at all, another race can rise and fall..." - The Minstrel

//My video channel//

Reply 5 of 6, by kikendo

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Azarien wrote on 2022-05-26, 22:44:

Turned out the problem was a cold solder joint somewhere on the neck board (the PCB that's directly connected to the cathode). I resoldered everything on that PCB, and the monitor has worked well ever since.

Yes, I am leaning to think this is the problem too.
Will open up this weekend and see what happens.

I don't think I will die, I am careful 😜

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