Tried an old CRT monitor for retro gaming and got more than I bargained for

I picked up a CRT at a thrift store last weekend for 15 bucks. Hooked it up to play some old DOS games and the picture looked amazing. But after about an hour the screen started flickering real bad and then went dark. I cracked it open expecting a blown capacitor but found a cold solder joint on the flyback transformer instead. Reflowed it with my cheap iron and it fired right back up. Learned that even a simple solder fix can save old gear if you take the time to look. Has anyone else had luck fixing CRTs with basic tools?

2 comments

2 Comments

wendy_murphy162d ago

Whoa careful, cracking open CRTs is dangerous even unplugged.

abbyl491d ago

Oh yeah for sure, I learned that one the hard way. Not the exploding part thankfully, but I did get a nasty jolt from a monitor I thought was safe because it had been unplugged for a year. That thing still held enough charge to make my arm tingle for an hour. I guess my life now is just a series of lessons on why I shouldn't touch old electronics.