The history of a SA tvtech (CRT)

Hi All.

I'm going to try this rather than starting new threads all the time when i'm angry. All my Off Topic posts from now on will be here in this thread. Some members will smile, some will understand, some will like, some wont. No problem.

I need this therapy and outlet in a Forum that deals with electronics and electricity. I believe ETO was born to read my interesting story that I just wanna share with all here. Any Member that reads my posts here is welcome to question my decisions etc at that point in time. I need to get my Electronic road out so all can see. I trust it will be an interesting ride.

Power going off soon and I wont be able to do the first post properly from my computer. My Nokia 311 can do it but its not easy.

First proper post tomorrow if we have power.

I love you all warts and all,
tv

First post. Power still here for now.

Anyway, my first real memory of Electronics was when I was around.....dunno ....maybe 10 years old. Had a school project to complete. Not an Electronics one.

Anyway, my Dad organized a holiday for us. Hes driving the car and im on the back seat watching a little motor spinning a little propellor i made. Small motor. Wittle propellor. I was awwwww.

Mom in the front of the car with Dad.

So, we get to our holiday destination. Deep in the Transkei region of SA. Beautiful and unspoilt.
Dad gonna catch fish. Hes smiling. Happy and in his element.

My Mom asks me: "what about that school project you have to do?"

Im (from what i can remember) said "lots of time....only due after the holiday"

So.........guess what happened.

She sat there and helped me finish it. She had no holiday.
Dad caught the fish. Mom cleaned them.

And that's how i rolled lol.

Little **** I was.

I got 100% for the project.

All the way home on the backseat of the car I played with my "by now completely flat batteries"
Motor didn't wanna spin anymore.

lol

Still here

Anyway, my first Soldiering Iron. I was a kid and kids don't mess with Electricity.
My Mom bought me a 12VDC one .

Problem.....needed my Dads car battery to power it.
My poor Dad.

Car wont start. He was probably grrrrr.

Oh the memories.

My Dad was the best one. Never got cross. He understood.
But yeah, he knew already than Im not easily silenced.

This is only the beginning of what I hope will be an Epic thread.

Ive much, much more to share.

tv

IM on my phone now...but maybe a parrallel thread to this one could be a good thing.....for example how Audioguru etc started out in Electronics...and Mike and Matt and Jim and KISS and....everyone. Think about it guys.

tv

tvtech said:

.for example how Audioguru etc started out in Electronics...and Mike and Matt and Jim and KISS

Click to expand...

A teaser...
It was all to do with model trains and scrap TV chassis.

JimB

tvtech said:

for example how Audioguru etc started out in Electronics...and Mike and Matt and Jim and KISS

Click to expand...

I just thought about it, and I'm afraid my story isn't very long or interesting. I could probably sum it all up in a single post

awww shucks Matt

Jim you lost meee..trains and CRT chassis...

oh well.

Lemme think a bit

Write your reply...I had long post going here about my Sisters SW, MW and FM receiver she bought....and than gave to me. Post didnt load...im on mobile again.

Write your reply...This is really frustrating. No power here, mobile is all I got. Oh well. I will try from my comp and repost when I can.

tvtech said:

Jim you lost meee..trains and CRT chassis...

Click to expand...

Later I had a thought that I had related this story before, so I filled up Mr Fusion from the food waste bin and set the time circuits to step back a year at a time and I found this:
https://www.electro-tech-online.com/threads/how-we-all-got-here.99553/#post-808150
November 3rd 2009, obviously a significant date in the history of our journey through the space time continuum, me and my French friend Alors Dejavu.

JimB
In frivolous mood.

Ok power on for now. Going off soon.

Anyway, my Sister bought a huge multiple band radio. Lots of fine tuning dials for SW (6 bands) and it had MW too and FM. Anyway I don't know what she was thinking when she bought it. It was a Blaupunkt I think. Grey. All she really needed was something she could listen to FM on. Those fine tuning dials were meant for SW. She didn't know that. She was always playing with the fine tuning on FM. That radio drove her crazy. So she gave it to me. I was only like maybe 11 years old at the time.

It ate PM9 batteries. Big time. Expensive to use.

So it sat in my room for a few years. Neglected in a cupboard. But safe.

And than I discovered an Electronics magazine called Hobby Electronics. UK based and full of great learning and tools for a kid like me. That mag taught me about meters and how to use them etc. And resistor colour codes and transistors and diodes and junction biasing and lots more. I learned a lot I think.

Anyway, they published a 0 to 30V current limited PSU design. 1A current limit. Foldback limiting.

PCB layout all there. I was fascinated. Im gonna see if I can do this I told myself.

Anyway Id never tried etching a PCB before. And Ferric Chloride and tracks and etc.

Im on Modile now...wanna see if this posts. I can edit later on my PC if power comes back.

**broken link removed** is being blocked by PC browsers. Im here on my phone now.

I disregarded warnings and managed to post with my phone. Its old so I dont care.

Something about Security Certificates for ETO.

Firefox saying " Your connection is not secure"

tvtech said:

Something about Security Certificates for ETO.

Click to expand...

A known problem at the moment.
Look here:
https://www.electro-tech-online.com/threads/cert-expired-or-mitm.156368/

JimB

Its working OK again. On my PC now. Crazy this.

tvtech

Anyway to continue with the original thread....

12 year old kid. I need chemicals. I need bare copper board. I need a Kokie pen. (for tracks).
Mom and I in the car. First stop the Electronic shop up the road. Owner looks at us when I announce that Im gonna make a PCB..........and smiles LOL. Anyway, Mom buys a piece of offcut he had had lying there. Perfect size. Great. Ask him " Do you sell Ferric Chloride?" Nope he says. "Try the Chemist up the road".

Ok. Chemist cool. Asks me why I want Ferric Chloride. I tell him im gonna make a PCB. Nods his head. Calls my Mom over and talks to her. She listens and understands what he is explaining to her.

So, only a Etch Resistant kokie needed. hmmmm.

Stationery shop. yeahhh. Off we go.

No acid resistant stuff there......but im on fire. We bought a waterproof kokie.

Home. Mom wont let me put the Ferric Chloride inside lol..it must stay outside. Im...but Mom?
Mom....nope. Outside lol.

So. I cut and file the PCB in the garage. Get the size perfect Exactly like Hobby Electronics said.

Cleaned the board. Dried and lightly sanded it. I couldn't wait for morning to come.

More to follow if I feel like it. I just dunno anymore. Too much stupidity here.

Its killing me.

Anyway, the owner cant fix TV's. He likes counting the Munny. Hes good with that Very precise.

Now, others are telling him what to do.......lol.
Hes got lots of advise from people that know squat. LOL.

I sit here and think.lol. Madness.

Anyway....im a CRT Tech.......every job i do i record. With Excel. Ive been doing it since I started helping out here again in 2006. I'm not the Worlds best TV tech. Nope. But I'm thorough. What I fix I fix properly. Wev'e a warranty of 1 month here. If Ive worked on the set....I don't see it again. Some sets from 2012 are coming back to me......my babies........and i'm awwwww.

I just have always done my best. Yip.

I'm proud in a way.. I both love and understand CRT. Noone else wants wants to do it here. Thats OK. Im here keeping my babies alive.

Yip.

And some rescues are easier than others.

See you later,
tvtech