[JayJervey]

After 3 years with my Hitachi 57S700 Ultravision, it was starting to look pretty lame next to these new DLPs and flat panels in the store. I wasn't seeing the pop anymore from my HD channels or my new Blu-Ray. I do my own basic calibrating including grayscale so I knew that my TV was still dialed in. I guess it was just wearing out. Time to spring for a new $4K TV.


Then I remembered. I had never cleaned the lenses from the day I owned it. I looked on the back of my TV and Hitachi had stapled instructions for taking it apart. When I popped the screen off, the lenses were coated with an obvious layer of dust and oak pollen (I live in the woods). Yup, it was definitely not my imagination...the TV had "worn" out.


Needless to say, after getting the lenses sparkling clean and streak-free (using SLR camera lens cleaning techniques), the picture was *better* than new. It has never looked so bright, sharp, vivid, and contrasty. Even my wife went "Wow!". I love my CRT all over again. What a bargain for a new TV!!


Take the time to clean your optics every 6 months and your CRT will keep giving and giving.

 

[Rich_Bailey77]

Do you have any advice, pictures and/or can you tell me how to use the SLR camera lens cleaning technique? Would this be similar to cleaning an LCD Rear Projection 42V715? I think the yellowing on my screen is caused by dust on the lenses...any suggestions?


I a little bit scared as it is my first time cleaning my TV.

 

[dssturbo1]

and some DLPs need cleaning too.....the dirty filthy internal mirror before

and the nice clean mirror after......

 

[Fragster]

Thanks for the tip.......I have a 3 yr old 57S500. Damn u as now I have yet another minor project for this long weekend

I haven't opened mine ever since I got it 3 years ago so I can only imagine whats it like inside

Frag

 

[jwebb1970]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Fragster /forum/post/11446239


Thanks for the tip.......I have a 3 yr old 57S500. Damn u as now I have yet another minor project for this long weekend

I haven't opened mine ever since I got it 3 years ago so I can only imagine whats it like inside

Frag

Dirty, that's what!

Non-ammonia cleaners are the way to go. Any camera lens cleaner would work. I know ISF cal guru Mr Bob recommends Sprayway foam cleaner. Comes out of the can in foam form, so you can srpay directly onto CRT lenses w/o the worry of liquid dripping into the TV or seeping into the lens barrels. Not the easiest stuff to locate, but I know my local Costco sells it in 4 can packs.


Also a great cleaner for stainless steel appliances, BTW.

 

[Rich_Bailey77]

Thanks for the pictures. You're not alone Fragster, I'll be cleaning this weekend too.

 

[HiramAbiff]

Will I need to take the lens assemblies off and clean the concave colored lenses underneath?


I tried cleaning just the lenses on the top of the lens assembly with some lens cleaner, and it only made a teensy difference. Should I have gone deeper? I got the tv earlier this year, used, about three years old. I have no idea if it had ever been cleaned.


I actually got some fluid into the lens assemblies by accident, and got some major lens flare on the red tube after it had time to condensate. Scared the bejeebers out of me. But it evaporated in about twenty minutes.

 

[jwebb1970]

IF dust and whatnot has gotten down there, then yes....removing the lens barrels to get to the "coolant cup" lens is necessary. Be careful. Removing the wrong screws could lead to coolant leaking all over the place.


And if you remove the lens barrels, do then ONE AT A TIME. Remove one, clean underneath, replace. Go to the next and repeat. Don;t want to get your lenses switched around.

 

[vstream]

There's a dead spider showing on my screen, and I tried tapping the screen to get it off, but it must be on the mirror, so I'm going to take the screen off and vacuum out him and his friends.


Since the set is almost a year old, I'm going to clean the mirror and lenses while I've got the "hood opened" so I got a can of Sprayway glass cleaner (Ace Hardware carries it).


My question is what type of cloth is best to use? I have some very soft 100% cotton cloths (similar to baby diapers), a bunch of old 100% cotton t-shirts, and microfiber cloths. What's best for the lenses?

 

[StillwaterTownie]

How do you take the screen off of a 46" 2000 Mitsubishi CRT?

 

[Analyst7]

Take the time to clean your optics every 6 months and your CRT will keep giving and giving.


Hi, I have a 4-year old Panasonic 56" Rear Projection CRT that I know needs cleaning. Do I pop off the back of the set or the front? Where are the lens that need dusting? Is there a simple way for you to explain the process of removing whatever cover needs to be removed? Or, can you please point me to a site or guide that would help me? Thanks very much,


Analyst 7

 

[Analyst7]

Jay,


How do I access the lens for cleaning on my Panasonic 56" CRT rear projection? Do I pop off the back to access them, or the front? I know my lenses need cleaning and it is probably not too difficult, but I'm not sure how to get to them.


Thanks much,


Analyst 7

 

[Splicer010]

This is the stuff to use I would say:

http://www0.epinions.com/pr-Housewar...splay_~reviews

 

[Splicer010]

Went to SAMS CLUB and bought some SRAYWAY and man this stuff is EXCELLENT!!! I used Blue shop towel paper towels since they are lint free and extremely soft and absorbant. I sprayed the SPRAYWAY directly on the lint free paper towel.


When i removed the screen I was expecting dust on the mirror to be at least as thick as the picture above indicated...however I was shocked to see that the mirror was absolutely pristine (as shown in my pictures) so I made the decision not to mess with something that did not need to be touched.


The CRT lenses on the otherhand were a different story. While MUCH cleaner than I had imagined they would be, they were still filthy. My set is 3.5 years old and it has been 3.5 years since I last removed the screen to remove the 'glare' screen and to paint the silver trim a flat black, both inside and out, to minimize light defraction/reflection.


Check out the pictures that follow for the before and after results of cleaning the lenses. As a side benefit of using SPRAYWAY, the lenticular lens can also be cleaned thanks to SPRAYWAY being non harmful to plastics. So I also got to clean my screen which has only previously been lightly wiped down with a slightly damp wash cloth by my wife. While there was not a ton of filth there was a substantial amount of dirt that was removed with no harm to the lens.


SPRAYWAY is available at a number of stores such as Home Depot, SAMS Club and Costco and also on the internet.


The first pic shows the 1st lens on the left after cleaning and the remaining two just how dirty they were.


2nd pic shows the left and middle lenses cleaned and the 3rd pic shows all lenses cleaned. Note all these pictures are reflections thru the mirror which did not need to be cleaned and was not touched.


After cleaning the results produced were immediately and noticeably improved by myself and even my wife and kids.

 

[vstream]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Splicer010 /forum/post/11501464


Went to SAMS CLUB and bought some SRAYWAY and man this stuff is EXCELLENT!!! I used Blue shop towel paper towels since they are lint free and extremely soft and absorbant. I sprayed the SPRAYWAY directly on the lint free paper towel.


SPRAYWAY is available at a number of stores such as Home Depot, SAMS Club and Costco and also on the internet.

I cleaned my lenses yesterday with Sprayway (bought at Ace Hardware), since I had to open the set up to clean out a spider that had stuck to the inside of the screen (also cleaned a bunch of spider webs). I did a test of the Sprayway on a bathroom mirror and decided that spraying directly on the lenses would create a mess, so I sprayed it directly on a paper towel in a circle the size of the lens, then placed it on the lens and allowed it to soak into the dust. Then wiped off with a microfiber towel.


My set is a year old, and while not as dusty as yours, the lenses definitely were dusty. Like you, my mirror was clean, which in hindsight isn't surprising since the angle the mirror is on means dust wouldn't fall on it (unlike the tops of the lenses).


After reassembling and doing a magic focus (Hitachi's term for an auto convergence) after allowing the set to come up to temperature, watching the US Open, the announcers' faces almost jumped off the screen. I'll be doing this once a year for sure.

 

[Ballz2TheWallz]



Quote:
Originally Posted by vstream /forum/post/11502418


I cleaned my lenses yesterday with Sprayway (bought at Ace Hardware), since I had to open the set up to clean out a spider that had stuck to the inside of the screen (also cleaned a bunch of spider webs). I did a test of the Sprayway on a bathroom mirror and decided that spraying directly on the lenses would create a mess, so I sprayed it directly on a paper towel in a circle the size of the lens, then placed it on the lens and allowed it to soak into the dust. Then wiped off with a microfiber towel.


My set is a year old, and while not as dusty as yours, the lenses definitely were dusty. Like you, my mirror was clean, which in hindsight isn't surprising since the angle the mirror is on means dust wouldn't fall on it (unlike the tops of the lenses).


After reassembling and doing a magic focus (Hitachi's term for an auto convergence) after allowing the set to come up to temperature, watching the US Open, the announcers' faces almost jumped off the screen. I'll be doing this once a year for sure.

Magic Focus

Even someone with no experience can do a better convergence job by hand.

 

[vstream]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Ballz2TheWallz /forum/post/11504955


Magic Focus

Even someone with no experience can do a better convergence job by hand.

I realize there's the 9 point & 117 point manual convergence options (and even more service menu adjustments), but I've been very happy with the PQ, and didn't see (no pun intended...) the need to go through the effort. Every few months I press the magic focus button on the front of the TV.


Perhaps I'll try the manual convergence process--how long does it usually take, and how often do you do it?

 

[Ballz2TheWallz]



Quote:
Originally Posted by vstream /forum/post/11507140


I realize there's the 9 point & 117 point manual convergence options (and even more service menu adjustments), but I've been very happy with the PQ, and didn't see (no pun intended...) the need to go through the effort. Every few months I press the magic focus button on the front of the TV.


Perhaps I'll try the manual convergence process--how long does it usually take, and how often do you do it?

After the break in period I reset the user grid and did adjustments in the service menu, never had to change it since(the grid is WAY too bright more minor adjustments anyway, anyone know how to dim this damn thing? I have a 51F59)


Mostly it will help remedy any red/blue/green bleeding on edges of objects and depending on your situation may sharpen the picture.

 

[jwebb1970]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Ballz2TheWallz /forum/post/11509336


After the break in period I reset the user grid and did adjustments in the service menu, never had to change it since(the grid is WAY too bright more minor adjustments anyway, anyone know how to dim this damn thing? I have a 51F59)


Mostly it will help remedy any red/blue/green bleeding on edges of objects and depending on your situation may sharpen the picture.

Similar situation for me. I did reduce the factory overscan down to just under 4% (per AVIA) - so I had a considerable amount of DCAM tweaking afterwards to get both conv and geometry back in line. Well worth it, though. Since then, I have only done touchups when either the set was moved around (when polishing the wood floors in the house and bothering to clean under the TV

) and after evicting spiders/cleaning the optics.


Ballz - the answer you seek regarding DCAM lines getting "dimmed" is over on the "original" F59 thread. Mr Bob came across the sm parameters during a recent Hitachi cal job that control DCAM grid brightness/contrast. Worked so well, he changed his tune about using their internal grids as the main reference (as did I).


And for the record, Lee Bailey posted the how to on these DCAM grid tweaks months ago, but they obviously got lost in the shuffle. So, kudos to Lee!


Makes using the Magic Focus 117pt manual mode in the user menu for touchups actually worthwhile and usable. And certainly a better fix than the auto MF.

 

[Splicer010]

I have a crappy 2 megpixel camera but here is a shot of local news in HD on my CRT RPTV after the lens cleaning (sorry, no before shots available):