When STKs Go Bad

My 18 year old Mitsubishi with a convergence problem. Turned out to be a dozen capacitors blew boric acid out the bottom all over the board. Because boric acid is an electrolyte, it shorted out several connections on the board mixing up the sawtooth signals making the picture jump around weird. I cleaned the convergence board, but the convergence still didn't work right. I ended up replacing the convergence STKs ($12 each), and it cleaned up the picture perfectly. I probably spent another $10 on a dozen capacitors. Should keep me going another couple years.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• tv
• convergence
• stk
• leak
• capacitor

[maxdig23]

Dude if it 18years old you got your money's worth, go to Best Buy and get a new tv.

[ke4zdg]

Best Buy sucks. Everything I've ever bought there somehow managed to contain the Sony Timer. Rather than pony up 2 grand for a new TV, I'll keep fixing mine for $20-50 a pop. Besides, this video was a year and a half ago. I haven't had to take it apart since this happened. If it comes down to changing the coolant in the tubes, then I might consider a new one (or used one).

[Watcher3223]

I've always observed older Mitsubishi products having problems with leaky capacitors.

Have you checked other boards for bad caps in your RPTV?

[ke4zdg]

I have. I've replaced most all on the Signal PCB, the Video PCB, the power supply and the Convergence PCB. When it starts doing weird stuff again, I'll take it apart and replace more.

BTW, it's not just Mitsubishi. I've been replacing lots of caps in Motorola equipment also. Most stuff made in the late 80s early 90s has bad caps.

[ecollier2012]

You can call in a TV shop and get it fixed for around 400.00 or you can goto TvRepairKits com

They have complete convergence kits for under 70.00 which include step by step photo guides.

[ke4zdg]

Did you even read my description of the video? It only cost me $35 in parts and I didn't need no directions. I know what STKs look like and I can spot a bad capacitor from 5 ft away with my sniffer. Boric acid is a very unique smell.

[mrlichenstein]

@redSKORPION50 The Sony Trinitrons are proof!

[redSKORPION50]

@maxdig23 CRT picture quality blows away new TVs if the CRT is a high end unit

[mikewm9v]

i take that back... i thought the other video was the only VS chassis still in existence

[justinbonytube]

notice that it was smoking

[Watcher3223]

@ke4zdg

Oh, I know about bad caps all around. I just see a lot of them in Mitsubishi stuff. But I do see them in a few others as well, particularly stuff where age is a factor when a cap leaks and/or dries up.

One particular type of cap, the SMD electrolytic, is a curse no matter who used it from the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s.