This is a question about aliging the image on a modern set (RCA 21"). The last time I serviced a TV was in the late sixties when they were simple (a Metz b/w). My RCA's image tilts to the left and it's driving me nuts. Is the procedure for straightening the image still done using the yokes, or is there some other method used on the modern sets? I wanted to ask before I hire the crane to remove the TV from the shelf. Thanks.<P>Jack<BR><P>------------------<BR>

Jack,<P>It is still done with the yoke but do it carefully and try not to disturb any other rings or magnets on the neck, or the forward/backward location of the yoke on the CRT neck. I'm not sure the details of your set but I think I'd do it with the power off to be safe. You can do it a bit at a time checking in between adjustments by turning it on until you get it just right. One wonders how it got tilted in the first place?<P>You could always just put a deck of cards under one side of the TV and save the crane rental. <IMG SRC="http://www.antiqueradios.com/forums/smile.gif"><P>Rob<P>------------------<BR>

Jack, how modern is this set, <BR>are you talking late model Color? <P>Many newer sets have a service menu built in that may have a tilt adjustment. <P>These menus are not usually accessable to the consumer without knowing how to access them, you can render your set unusable if you make a wrong adjustment in the service mode.<P>Many late model sets also have the yoke bonded to the CRT so they can't be rotated anyway.<P>Eric<P><P>------------------<BR>

Thanks for the info, guys. This set is 5 or 6 years old. I think the pix has always been tilted since I got it. I've noticed the tilt for the past couple of years ever since the networks have begun putting streaming info at the bottom of the pix. At the left third of my picture, the letters are cut in half. Without the info bar at the bottom you don't even notice it's tilted.<P>I don't know the exact model of the TV because the manual is long gone and I can't get around to the back to read any labels. That makes me sound pretty helpless doesn't it? It's an RCA "Color Monitor". Now that I'm armed with your info and tips, I'll procrastinate a bit more and then maybe try to adjust it. Cheers.<P>Jack<BR><P>------------------<BR>

the yolke is bonded. a no no for trying to rotate it. rca says you can loosen the 4 screws holding the pic tube and tilt the picture tube as a whole. i think the tolerance allowed in production of rca tubes is 5%. some rca sets had panasonic tubes in them {31"} sets they were not bonded. the tubes were not good either emission went down pretty fast. steve<P>------------------<BR>

Thanks, Steve. Maybe my questions are now moot points because looking closer at the image I can see that the top and sides are aligned pretty straight, but the bottem is slanted. I'd say that isn't a yoke or tube alignment problem, but distortion. I think I'll leave it alone.<P>Jack<BR><P>------------------<BR>

Jack,<BR>This is just a guess, but are there any magnets around the set? like perhaps a speaker or those little magnets they use on the fredge near the lower left hand corner of your monitor?<BR>Something with a magnet in it could bend the picture and cause distortion like you discribe.<BR>You could get yourself one of those large degusing coils like the TV servicemen used years ago and go over the screen, I had that problem with someone placing a magnet on a computer screen of a friends computer at work, he had to borrow my degusing coil to clear it, the built in deguser in the monitor would not do the job.<BR>========================================<BR>Bill<P>------------------<BR>

A magnetised tube is a possibility and there's a trap with some modern sets. The automatic degausing circuit relies on a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) resistor to apply a strong AC current to the degaussing coil and then reduce it as the PTC heats up. This degausses the set when first turned on and then only repeats it the next time it's turned on from cold. The problem is that remote control sets usually swith off the B+ power supply on standby but keep the AC swithced on. This means the degausiing circuit never operates until the main power switch is turned off, using the remote never degausses it. Try switching off the mains switch on the set for 1/2 hour and see if that helps. Usually if it's a magnetism problem there's color impurity but you can get some strange effects.<BR>Don Black.<P>------------------<BR>

Ah, yes. It never occured to me that the AC is not switched nowadays! I'll go try it right now and see if the degausser will take care of it! Thanks!<P>[10 minutes later...]<P>Cycling the AC to the set made no difference. Neither did holding a vacuum cleaner up to the tube or using a super magnet on the screen. The magnet changed the color hue, but it came back to normal when turning the set off/on with the remote control. When using the remote for on/off, I hear a relay make, then break, so that's probably part of the degausser circuit.<BR>Well, it was a good try.<BR>To answer the other tips, I checked and find no magnetic devices near the set, and I have not taken the cover off to look inside. It's probably as dirty as some of my Ebay radios.<P>Jack<BR><P>------------------<BR>