Pioneer Elite Pro-510 problem - Page 55

I'm in the NJ area, and might have an interest in a tour out this way. Bob has my PS board as I type this, and depending on the results when I get it back, will add my name to the tour list.

Will keep you posted.

One red LED is lit on the PS board, labeled "Power Down"

Im in the Atlantic City, NJ area and am definitely interested in having Bob update my 510. My picture has grown increasingly dim the past few years and now it can only be seen with the lights off or at night. Not sure what's going on. Bought it new in 2000. Certainly needs cleaning and calibration not to mention who knows what else. I've considered replacing it (it's not my main set) with a new flat screen but love the set and glossy box and would love to be able to restore it.

-Dan

I'll vouch for the fact that Bob can do it. My 510 was also purchased new in '00, and it just looks glorious today after he did it last year. No flat panel I've ever looked at can hold a candle to it. Just do it. You won't be sorry.

Virtually every regular-use/hours CRT Elite I have worked on in the past few years has grown so dim the br has had to be run around plus 12-15, just to be able to see details in dark areas. This of course affects the grayscale adversely, usually turning the blacks a horrid green. Combined with the bluishness of the whites, which is factory standard issue and never changes until changed in a grayscale alignment, quite a bit of change happens in the display before we're thru.

After the optics are regular cleaned and then the deeper optics are cleaned as well, the energy getting to the CRTs has to then be rebiased and rebalanced, then a complete grayscale op done, which gets rid of the horrid green in the blacks, gets rid of the blue in the whites, and restores the gain of the guns back to factory spec, where it was OOB when new. This is all covered in my basic cal package. Along with all the image structure work, of course. The end result is always absolutely splendid.

That was done on the sets producing the great screenshots on page 45 of this thread, of the x10 series, a couple of which I put on the last page back. And for the set in the last post, in GA. These sets were photographed with br at zero/centerpoint, where it's supposed to be. All Pioneer sets I calibrate wind up being restored and made to look new again - and usually muuuuch better than new - with all regular User settings centered. Including Br. No longer do you have to crank it up to plus 12-15 just to get away from having a dim picture, putting it out of its ideal design parameters. At br centered, you now see perfect shadow detail - excellent detail in dark areas - transparent, authentic and faithfully ALL THERE again. The limited, bleary pic when I walk in is not even in the same league with the depth perception and transparent crystallinity you get from your set when I am finished with it.


I LOVE doing this! The look in the eyes of the owners after I'm done is just priceless, every single time!




b

Yours was dim too when I got there, wasn't it?

b

I'm sold and interested. Problem is, we have to get you to the North East. How many people have indicated interest and how many do you need to facilitate a trip?

Have you contacted Don O'Neill, whose post letting people know about this tour appears here on this thread a littel ways back? He's the one organizing the tour, and there are already several on board, which is more than enough to get me out there. After a core of maybe 3 cals and/or optics cleanings, the more the merrier. On 2 occasions I have been flown to NJ for just one owner's set - sets the second time, he had added one 2.5 years later - where he simply used his sky miles to get me there and back both times. Allowed me to visit Ground Zero just before they started rebuilding, which REALLY made the trip worthwhile for me, over and above the work aspects.

So contact Don immediately if not sooner. The farther in advance he is able to book plane flights, the cheaper the plane fares -


b

With a 6.3 amp fuse blowing, we expect the defl bd to be down. That's the bd mounted on the floor of the unit in the middle, below the green CRT. It will usually have a red LED lit up on it if down, requiring its replacement.

If that's not lit, but you have had conv probs in terms of the hourglassing of your pic, perhaps the conv bd is blowing a new fuse now. Always before it has been either the horizontally mounted 4 A or 5 A fuse on the PS bd, which sometimes disables the red light on the conv board once a fuse is blown on it, such that sometimes it's blown, but the light on it that is indicating that, can't light up because of that part of the conv board not getting any voltage.

There are no easy answers on this one, from my experience. You could try ordering the PS bd from Pioneer and trying it out, with the proviso that you can return it if you need to, which they will do, in which case you're only out the shipping. Actually you can do that with any of the 3 boards that are suspect, all of which are mentioned here. If doing that makes your set work, send back/return whatever board winds up being the culprit, and send the original PS bd or conv bd to me and I'll get that one going for you while preserving all your precision settings from it to the rest of the set. If it's the defl bd that's at fault, you can keep the one you ordered from Pio and send the bad one back for core charge refund.

Or send me the conv bd, I'll replace those obviously suspect ICs and that may do it.

Have never seen the cold solder joints on the PS bd alone cause the 6.3 A fuse to blow. It's always something downline from the PS bd, even if caused by spikes sent down into the rest of the set because of the PS bd's cold solder joints.


Again, no easy answers on this one. This thread is all about the history of these problems on this series, and this is off the beaten path of this thread, and of my own personal repair experiences on them.


b

Don - Sent you a PM about this. See Bob's post above. How many have indicated interest for a NJ trip?

I have been reading the posts in this thread with great interest as my Pio SD-523HD5 RPTV seems to be having the same problem described in this thread. It seems that there are several symptoms to this problem. During the last week I have noticed the brightness of the set increasing in several steps then flashing/blinking back to a lower brightness level (no blue flash). As I don't use the sound from the TV, I have heard no popping sounds. The set has never completely shut off (yet!). Therefore, I am taking Mr. Bob's sage advice of turning the set off until I get it repaired. (I plan to do the "One Last Time" turn on so I can then unplug it.)

I purchased this TV new in March, 2001 and have had a couple of performance issues. The first issue was in late 2005 (just before the 5-year extended warranty expired). The color went from normal to an awful greenish tint. This was quickly fixed and the optics were cleaned during the repair. The second issue occurred in May, 2008. It was the convergence IC failure. This was also quickly fixed with replacement of the ICs. As I had messed with the convergence before repair, I had to redo the convergence after the repair.

I will be sending Mr. Bob an email to request the information about removing the power supply (PS) board and shipping it for repair. As I have never had the set professionally calibrated, I have been battling the overscan problem which seems to be more pronounced on high definition channels. I am in MD and was wondering if I could be considered in the "East Coast" calibration trip?

Finally, I was also wondering about getting the device that will allow an HDMI input to my component or RGB input. I believe it is called the Fury II. Will that device allow upconversion of a DVD to 1080i? I am currently using an iScan Pro to convert the 480i DVD output to 480p. I believe that the iScan Pro does a better job than my Sony DVD player in converting my DVD (as well as VCR and LaserDisc) to progressive output.

The HD Fury is for the already UPconverted SD to 1080i signal, which can no longer be OP'd via component, due to HDCP influences. Stick with your DVDO for 480i->p upconversions.

See my website's cover page for a link straight to it.


b

Don,

I just sent you a PM regarding Mr. Bob's "East Coast" Tour. Please keep me informed via my included eMail address. (I will try to continue to check back on AVS Forum from time to time.)

Thanks.

Mr. Bob,

Thanks for the quick reply to my email. I will try to get my PS board sent out today.

Also, I think I may have misstated my question about the HDFury (or HDFury II). I am thinking about upgrading to a Blu-ray disk player. To take full advantage of the up-conversion of DVD of the BD player, I understand that you need an HDMI connection. It seems that the HDFury (or HDFury II) would provide this HDMI. I understand that the maximum resolution that I would be getting is only 1080i not the full HD resolution of 1080p.

This question/issue may be moot as I only have two component inputs on my SD-532HD5. These inputs are currently filled with my Verizon FiOS HD STB output and my iScanPro DVDO output (which connects my current DVD, VCR, and LD). I suppose I could use the RGB connection option of the HDFury but I understand that would result in the loss of my TV's picture adjustment capabilities when watching BDs and DVDs. (Life is just a series of decisions!) What are your thoughts?

Thanks.

Using RGB will not allow Color and Tint corrections, but everything else stays available. It will allow you to use the GammaX if you so desire, for bumping the gamma up so you can see details in your dark areas better while keeping the black floor exactly where it is. Of course cleaning your entire light path up from the effects of years' worth of the HV's static charge will also restore your transparency in the darks, which is now sorely lacking, at your set's age.

Component or RGB is all you need for true HD, tho. The Fury will be just for the upconversion.

Adding component inputs is cheap, it can be done with as little as an AV switcher box from Radio Shack. Or with better switching units, which can also be IR switched with remotes. www.monoprice.com has one for less than $30, which used to cost $89.

Our units do 1080i only, and no don't have the full p res. But when I can sit there and study the grain of the film they used to shoot the movie I am watching, I don't really care! That's more than enough res for me, and NOT worth the potential dumbdowns of other facets of fixed pixel that are still having growing pains. Nor missing the crystal clear blacks that CRT has always been famous for.

Hope to see you soon, on the tour!


b

Mr. Bob,

Do you know if those component switchers are able to pass through full bandwidth? I ask cause I just found out my Pioneer VSX-35TX receiver doesnt! I had been running my DVD player and PS2 through the receiver, while having my Dish running straight into the TV. When I got my friends Playstation 3 and swapped it for the PS2, there was visible 'waves' running through the screen, and the text was VERY out of focus, almost like the convergence had just gone bad.

When I plugged the Playstation 3 directly into the TV, no problems. Making sure it wasn't the cable, I plugged the Dish into the receiver, and there were the wavy lines again. I had heard back when I bought the receiver that it couldn't do full HD passthrough, but this was the first time it became an issue. I hate having to use the Playstation 3 as my DVD player, as I love my Pioneer Elite player, but I'm all out of component inputs! If these switchers can do full HD passthrough, problem will be solved for VERY cheap.

Any info regarding this will be greatly appreciated.

Anyone in Long Beach, California looking for a Pioneer Elite PRO 510 for cheap drop me a line ... moderate use, set looks great in HD or upconverted from NTSC.

- zig

Got my PS board back last week. Dropped it back into the set the same night. First off, I'd like to say that Bob's resolder job was a real wake-up call for me. Just looking at the board, it was clear that my attempts, while admittedly amature, were completely inept. Anyways, Set is working without a hiccup for a solid week, with plenty of use from all family members. Prior to this, the set was popping off within minutes of turn-on.
Took a leap of faith to send the money, prepay for shipping to and from someone I only know of via this forum, and with no guarantees.

Um, IT WAS A GREAT DO!! I am now officially on the Northeast tour wagon. Dont know Don, but want him to consider me IN for any tour out this way (Clinton, NJ) 45 min west of Newark airport.

The set definitely needs a tuneup, and I have little to no doubts about Bob's abilities anymore! Lets get him out here.

Be sure to contact Don directly if you want in on this tour, don't just state your desires on the thread, here. Contact me directly as well. Call me if you need his number -


b

Is NYC outside the area? PMed Don a week or so back about wanting to be on the tour for coolant change. Wasn't aware of tour progress (no reply so far), so is direct contact needed? -- John

Direct contact is definitely needed. Contact me directly as well, anyone who wants in on this tour, not by pm please.

Contact me directly, John, and I'll get you his number.


b

John, NYC is definitely part of it. I'm in Westchester, there's NJ and Long Island I think interested too. Mr. Bob has my board right now, fyi.

Have all you guys checked in with Don, and me, as to the tour? Redundance is good...


b

Mr. Bob,

I tried Don's office number on Thursday and got no answer after 10+ rings. I tried his cell and was sent to voicemail. I left a message but have yet to hear back from him. I had previously sent him a PM and posted the fact on this thread. I still have not heard from him. I will try again on Monday as I am definitely interested in calibration of my set.

I did get my PS board sent out to you by FedEx late yesterday afternoon. Based on what the clerk told me, you should receive it on Monday. I checked the box that you didn't have to sign for it, but I think the clerk may have specified a "Direct Signature" was required. I hope that doesn't cause a problem. I got the biggest box that FedEx had and wrapped the board in a bunch of bubble wrap. I was concerned that the fit was a bit tight, hope everything arrives without damage.

On another topic, I read somewhere that restacking the screens on my SD-532HD5 would help reduce, if not eliminate, reflections. However, I have not been able to find information on specific procedures. Do you have any guidance/suggestions about doing this?

I got my conv-board back from a buddy the 2nd time and again,my 510 still has both led's lit on both the ps/board and conv-board, changed the fuses on the ps board again,even though they werent blown.

the 180 chips were tested and found to be fine,as was the solder job I thought may have not been.

I'm throwing in the towel on this one.

I'll wait to buy until I can get a look at the upcoming Vizio 55 with LED lighting and 240hz a million/1contrast ratio and below $2k due out in June.

the IC's went 3 times and the ps/board twice......it's time

Bill,

Sorry to hear you are giving up on your Pioneer Elite 510. I can certainly understand your frustration with the set. However, it seems to me that the wise saying, "Penny wise and pound foolish," applies. I have unfortunately found myself in a similar situation on a number of occasions, i.e., trying to take the least expensive way out of a problem. For example, I changed the timing belt on my first overhead-cam-engined car by myself resulting in the car's ignominious and premature death.

If I had to give up my Pioneer RPTV, I think I would be looking at a plasma not an LCD. The Pioneer sets look great, albeit expensive. The Panasonic sets also look better than most others and very affordable.

Despite Vizio's improving picture and image quality, Vizio would be one of the manufacturers that would be at the bottom of list. Even though it would likely be the least expensive (no, the "cheapest") choice. I would be concerned as I have heard that Vizio outsources the parts for its TV and its assembly. If I went with a Vizio, I would be looking for a long-term service/replacement warranty.

If others are also not hearing back from Don, if anyone else would like to don the mantle of organizer of this trip, let's get cracking. Don's not returning calls from me either, I have called twice in the last 2 days, with no response. I will try again at work on Monday, but am very over scheduled right now from 2 trips out of town in close proximity plus other things, so please call him yourselves also.

I would not double stack a glarescreen for the purpose of reducing internal reflections. Glarescreens that are glossy in finish are just as reflective as the fresnels they would be covering.

I never doublestack glarescreens anymore at all, just because of all the static charge they pick things up with, while you're handling them. I had to do one 3 times once before it would co-operate, and swore never again.


b

I have assumed the role of organizer for Mr. Bob's East Coast Tour. I have the following people who are interested in the tour:

Don O'Neill - NJ - I have your phone and email address

bdrose - Westchester, NY - I do not have your phone or email address

Aurora10002 - NY - I do not have your phone or email address

John Mason - NYC, NY - I do not have your phone or email address

Brett328 - Clinton, NJ - I do not have your phone or email address

Dang10 - Atlantic City, NJ - I do not have your phone or email address

For those of you that I do not have a phone # or email address, I have sent each of you a PM with my phone # and email address.

With me, that makes 7 people interested in Mr. Bob's services.

I also found another person on the ***************.com who may be interested in cleaning and calibration who lives in the Philadelphia, PA area.

wipeout - Philadelphia, PA - I do not have your phone or email address

E-mailed you ~3 pm today with these. Let me know if the e-mail got lost. -- John

My thanks to Ron for taking over for Don, who is an accountant and can't really do organizing this justice right now, at this time of year.

I just heard from someone by email who wants in also. I will be getting him this thread info, and his info to you ASAP, Ron -


b

I wouldn't mind joining in on a Mr. Bob tour to get a cleaning and calibration for my 610, but I think I'm too far away for this NY/NJ/Eastern PA tour. I'm in Western PA, about 20 miles east of Pittsburgh. I haven't seen much chatter from other Elite owners in this area, so I don't have much hope of attracting enough others to make a stop in this area viable.

My issues:

- optics. the set is now 8 years old (Dec 2000) and has never had the optics cleaned. I know it needs it as I have lost detail in the dark scenes/shadows and I have been meaning to carefully do the basic cleaning myself using the instructions posted earlier in this thread. Haven't found the time yet.

- geometry. I went into the service mode a few years ago and improved things (straightened the vertical and horizontal lines which were bowed, especially for the HD scan rate) pretty well, but I couldn't address overscan for the HD, which is excessive. This bothers me more than anything else - the top is cut off on everything (e.g., the Fox NFL score line, tops of people's heads). Also, I have persistent vertical blue and red lines on the far left frame that I couldn't figure out how to get rid of. Any advice there would be appreciated.

- no problems with blue flash/pop. Rock solid since I did the PS board solder fix myself 3 years ago (Dec 2005).

- internal reflection - I see the "halo" effect from a bright light with dark surroundings, which is caused by internal reflections. Wouldn't mind minimizing that via duvetyne lining on the internal reflective surfaces. But this isn't a critical flaw and I can live with it.

- grayscale - I know it could be better but this doesn't seem too bad and is less important to me than the geometry.

Clearly, I should have had these things addressed a few years ago, but I didn't. At this point I worry about putting too much money into an 8 year old set that may not last that much longer. But if I did pursue it I would seriously consider also getting the HD Fury to add HDMI support.