Connectors Suck!

Proposed new one-line RVGAC FAQ: "Connectors Suck!"

I was about to post the following - when the act of unplugging and
plugging back in the P100/P600/P700 connectors on my W-G X/Y "fixed"
my problem. There was probably nothing wrong with the monitor except
either the connectors or the solder joints.

But as long as I typed it out, I'm suspecting that maybe my 180V is
running a little high due to leaky caps, so the adventure wasn't a
total waste. Still... all this fuss due to my failure to remember
the fact that connectors suck.

Q: Criticality of +-27.7V and 180V on W-G X/Y?

My W-G just crapped out on me. Here's the symptoms:

- The game runs fine, just no video. Same symptoms regardless of
  whether I'm running a Star Wars harness or a Grav/BW harness, so
  it's presumably not in the wiring.
- HV crackles nicely.
- Neck still glows.
- Vectors still clatter.
- Spot killer is on.
- No fuses blow.

Cranking up the brightness reveals no lines, just a wash of faint
glow across the entire screen. No dot in center of screen either.

Measuring at P900 going into the H/V supply, I get about 27V (i.e.
normal) on pins 1 and 8, but 193V instead of 180V on Pin 5.

Should I worry about the 190V on pin 5? Now that I've checked the
deflection transistors and shown them to be OK (and incidentally, the act
of removing the P100/P600/P700 connectors fixed the problem :), I'm still
wondering why I'm a little high on the B+ voltage...

Later,
Doug.

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