A moment of clarity with RPTV. Literally. [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

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topspeed
11-01-2010, 01:29 PM
OK, if you're pretty knowlegeable about RPTV's, this is going to be a major "Duh!" For me, it was a revalation as I'm a moron when it comes to video.

So, my picture on the 'ol JVC LCoS has been getting more and more faded with blacks appearing closer to grey and edge definition turning into a vaseline soft focus. The degredation in PQ was made all the more apparent when I replaced my bedroom set with a new Sony LCD that just flat blew it into the weeds (at 1/3 the cost :mad:! Ah, progress). I tried replacing the bulb, but that didn't really help and then last week, the set started tripping off for no apparent reason. Now, I'm in no mood to replace my main set, regardless of bad PQ or how cheap today's sets are, so I start googling reasons for the set dying.

Here's where it gets interesting.

One of the links notes cleaning the light engine is really easy and very beneficial. On my particular set in fact, it's only a four step process:
1) Remove the back panel
2) Remove the brace
3) Unplug 4 plugs into the light engine
4) Remove two screws at bottom plate, slide out, wipe off, reverse process.

How hard could it be? Well, after removing the 23(!) or so screws and staring at the back of the set for a good 1/2 hour trying to figure out what the heck a light engine even is, I concluded there was no way these instructions were right. So I googled "light engine on JVC" and lo and behold, another link notes that all you have to do is remove a single, small panel on the side of the set to get complete access to the engine. I walk back to the set and sure enough, there it is surrounded by a glowing golden halo (or not, but it looked that way to me). One screw to remove the panel.

One.

There inside lie a very dusty interior cavern with a projector lens, mirror, and front panel. A little vacuuming, a careful wipedown of the lens, mirror, and front with a microfibre cloth and drumstick as make-shift extension pole (the access panel is ridiculously small, as in "What-sadistic-liliputian-designed-this-pinhole?" small) and Viola! I had a brand new set! I installed the old bulb to rectify the shut-down problem and honestly can't tell you how happy I am to have my old set back. THIS is the picture I fell in love with years ago!

I have no idea why it never occurred to me to clean the projector lens or reflective surfaces, although sheer ignorance seems as good a reason as any. Oh sure, I had concocted a number of excuses for my set dying a slow and painful death before my eyes. My favorite being, "This must be why no one makes LCoS any more." Alas, the moral to this story is from the classic movie Real Genius:

"It's your own fault, Knight. Didn't anyone ever tell you to always check your optics?"

Geoffcin
11-01-2010, 04:43 PM
Glad to hear your set has been brought back up to snuff!

Now I'm going to have to get off my butt and dig into the back of my Sony SRXD set to see if there's any dusty gremlins parking themselves on my lens assembly.

kexodusc
11-02-2010, 04:00 AM
Hmm, I gave my Toshiba to mom and dad, but should make a point to do that when I visit next....

ya learn something new every day

Thanks Speedy!

Worf101
11-02-2010, 04:05 AM
Bravo sir... well played. I love it when a little "Murican Enginooity" outsmarts the minions of satan and all their technological traps. One screw indeed. I'll file this away if any of my RPTV friends exhibit the same problems. Once again... well played sir... well played.

Worf

Tarheel_
11-02-2010, 04:22 AM
...glad it worked out...free fixes are THE best!

i attempted the same cleaning years ago on my Mitsu....but something went terrible wrong. I was wiping the front panel and moved the tv forward....just enough....to push it off a step. Whoosh, it landed hard on the floor (carpet) face first.
I put it back together and fired it up, but the set was damaged. I still use it for exercise videos and such.
It all ends well as I bought a projector and never looked back.

Tarheel_
11-02-2010, 04:23 AM
...glad it worked out...free fixes are THE best!

i attempted the same cleaning years ago on my Mitsu....but something went terrible wrong. I was wiping the front panel and moved the tv forward....just enough....to push it off a step. Whoosh, it landed hard on the floor (carpet) face first.
I put it back together and fired it up, but the set was damaged. I still use it for exercise videos and such.
It all ends well as I bought a projector and never looked back.

topspeed
11-02-2010, 07:59 AM
Thanks, guys. The picture is literally night and day better. The World Series in particular looked fantastic, plus now when my kids and I play MOH/MW2/BC2 online, we're not getting waxed by all the squatters in cover. We can actually see the little ba$t*&d$ now!

GMichael
11-02-2010, 08:15 AM
Nice work Speedy. Now you don't need any stinkin' upgrade.

pixelthis
11-02-2010, 12:20 PM
GEE, routine maintenance and your set looks all better!
STOP THE PRESSES.
But I GUESS I am one to talk, what with the "annual" oil change and all.
You need a regular time(six months, a year) to check out your system, make sure the wires are okay, anything that can be improved, simple maintenance being done.
COMPANIES don't encourage preventative maint, they would rather sell us new toys,
and they know that that is our inclination anyway. BUT YOU CAN SAVE BIG BUCKS
doing some research.
NOW CHECK OUT THE rest of your system(wait until you have the time), maybe
you missed something else. Rust never sleeps, neither do dust bunnies.:1:

Geoffcin
11-02-2010, 01:13 PM
The World Series in particular looked fantastic!

HA!! It would for a Cali guy! Congrat's too. Stealing our Giants finally paid off!

Worf101
11-03-2010, 04:12 AM
HA!! It would for a Cali guy! Congrat's too. Stealing our Giants finally paid off!
I was still quite young when this double theft took place but it still hurts. Still I guess it was as much Robert Moses' fault as anyone elses.. da bastiche.

Worf

"Say Hey Willie"

topspeed
11-03-2010, 06:30 AM
HA!! It would for a Cali guy! Congrat's too. Stealing our Giants finally paid off!
Ummm, yeah I'm a Dodger fan. Still, a tip 'o the hat to the boys up north. They deserved it. BTW, if it's any consolation to you east coaster's still upset about the team's move out west, take comfort knowing that idiot McCourt from Boston is destroying a once great franchise. Do you know he leveraged Dodger Stadium and all of the land around it so he could pay off all of his luxury estates around the world?!? We're doomed...

kelsci
11-03-2010, 10:52 AM
Hi Topspeed; I enjoyed reading your story and your experience which gave you success in restoring your RPTV. When I have the patience and time I do whatever maintenace I can to my audio system(like twist the audio cables,etc).

topspeed
11-03-2010, 11:38 AM
Hi Kelsci,

It's been awhile! I hope all is well with you and I'm glad you enjoyed the story. Take care.

kelsci
11-03-2010, 10:45 PM
Hi Topspeed; thank you very much. I have had my times because I am now 64. I still keep abreast of the audio/video scene as much as I can though for some unexplained reason, some of my interest has wained. For the past year and half I have been futzing with digital point and shoot cameras of which some make a very nice portable camcorder to carry around when I am out(particulaly Panasonic models that shoot in 16X). I do have a 720P 37 inch Toshiba Regza for nearly two years and it does give one darn good picture.
I have also fooled around with converter programs that take my video files that I shot with the Panasonics and convert them to formats that play on a home dvd player. My choice is DVD Flick which I rate very highly and it is free on the net. I have a Samsung dvd recorder of which I transferred my vhs videos shot between 1986-1991 with almost all in stereo sound. I recently sent the "terrible one" diagrams of my passive surround circuit that I used in the late 80s and 90s of which he wrote back to me that he had never seen such diagrams like those but they did work. That was my greatest audio experiment of which my grandfather when he was alive said to me, "do not let anyone steal it from you"

I have just pulled another great experiment. My Samsung dvd recorder would not record from my Direct tv satellite dish receiver giving me a somber message against copying copywrited material. I have found a cheap alternate solution that is allowing me to record some stuff from that satellite receiver onto a dvd-r and it is coming out quite good but I am not going to spill any beans on this one. Take care