Intro as new member & ?'s about Pro895x

[toyman]

Hi Guys (and Gals). My name is toyman. I am new to this forum. Ie: Newbie
I just got a zenith pro 895x. I am going to change it from ceiling to floor.
Thanks Kevin. I don't have a setup remote. Is there any way to do setup without the remote? Worth buying? Any ideas on value? Thanks in advance.
toyman :T I also got with this unit the install man. with this projector.

[draganm]

not a bad little set,Electromagnetic focus and liquid coupled optics. it's worth about $500. to $750. bucks used , install add another $300. to $500. not including ceiling bracket. I would pick this set over a great number of bulb machines out there today.

http://www.curtpalme.com/Zenith900.htm

"copied from Curts web-site"
Zenith came out with their entry level flat screen front projector in 1985, and at approximately $2500.00 retail, undercut their competitors like Sony by at least 50%. These were video only projectors, had crude analog convergence, but tens of thousands were sold from 1985- 1994, making them the most popular CRT projector ever for the sports bar and home markets. Various changes were made throughout the years, with the model numbers being: PV 800, 810, 820, 830, 840, and 851. Tuner models were also made in some years that incorporated 125 channel tuners and small stereo amplifiers for those people who did not want a complicated set up to watch a large screen picture. The final couple of models turned into very decent video only sets, with accurate convergence and very nice pictures for a very inexpensive price. All of these sets were convection cooled for silent operation.


In about 1996, the PRO 851 was replaced with a PRO 880, a completely redesigned video only set. This 880 had sharper tubes, digital convergence and an overall better picture than the earlier sets. The unit however was very difficult to converge until you learned how to do it, and made it difficult for the user to set up themselves.


Zenith Pro 900xZenith also came out with a data grade version that scanned to 50 Khz, called the Pro 900. The early PRO 900’s had incorrectly designed power supplies and had 100% failure rate of these within 2 years. Zenith redesigned the set, and the PRO 900x solved the problems of the earlier PRO 900. A very nice picture from a 7” tube.


In 2001 timeframe Zenith commissioned Barco to build their top of the line set: The PRO 1200x. It is basically the same as the Barco Cine 8 Onyx (special edition). Very nice, high end projector.

A PRO 2000 unit was released as well, but little is known of this unit as it did not sell well. I believe it was actually made by Toshiba.

Zenith Strengths and weaknesses
While Zenith made excellent sets with the exception of the 1989-1990 PV 830 which has premature CRT failure, service literature is scarce from Zenith. Even a set up manual is hard to find. Zenith relied on their large dealer network to service these sets, but many TV shops are unwilling to do service calls to sports clubs, and lack the knowledge to properly converge and set up a CRT projector.



Zenith Pro 1200xZenith’s policy is to do PC board swaps only, and in general do not sell parts for these boards. The upside is that replacement boards are cheaper than every other brand of set, and replacing an entire board is cheaper than spending the time to find the $10.00 chip or transistor that has failed. Without proper service literature available however, finding the right defective board the first time is the challenge..

All Zenith sets are 100 % modular, and should not require more than a screwdriver to service. I have serviced 100’s of sets in nicotine covered pubs and bars, and all models have stood up well. It’s common for me to retube these sets after a good 15,000 hours of service, only to have them last another 15,000 hours. A great bang for the buck. Many of these sets are in home theaters, and can be had at a good price from people upgrading to data projectors.

Zenith is discontinuing some modules and parts, but parts and service should be available for the life of most of these sets, thanks to the large number of these sets that have been sold in the past.

Zenith is still making CRT projectors, and the PRO 895 is being sold at attractive prices. Make sure you find a dealer that knows CRT’s though; many of these sets are being sold by electronics stores that cannot assist you with the installation and service.

[George Bellefontaine]

I used to own the 851, my first front projector, actually. It was an awesome machine for its time, so I expect the 895 is an greatly improved product over my old baby. The ol' 851 had to be converged ( with much difficulty, I should add ), focused, etc with the top off and your hands inside so you had to be careful. Get the remote for the 895x, you will really need it and be happy with the ease of everything with its use.

[Kevin P]

Welcome aboard toyman.

The Pro895x is a nice PJ for the money. I've installed a couple of them. Look on ebay for a setup remote. Or get a Pronto CCF. If you can't find one, I can borrow my friend's and make a Pronto CCF for you.

Do you know how to change from ceiling to floor? You have to switch the deflection and convergence yoke connectors around, flip a switch on the convergence board, and change a setting in the menu. The install manual tells how to do it.

You'll need the setup remote to do the geometry and convergence. These steps are necessary to make the PJ watchable.

[toyman]

ARGH! :E I just power up my 895x. Red is Ok. Green is Ok. Blue is a no show.
How does one get parts for this beast? With parts is this something I will be able to repair myself? Thanks toyman
PS: Kevin, Which pronto does one buy?

[Kevin P]

Depends on what's wrong with it, Toyman. It could be as simple as a loose wire, or it could be a faulty gun or board. Take a look inside and see if anything is obviously out of place. Just be careful around those thick red wires and the CRT tubes, there's some high voltages lurking in there. 8O

As for Prontos, the current models are the TSU3500 and TSU7500 (color). You can find older ones cheaper on ebay. I can make the file for any model Pronto if needed.

[toyman]

Hello again. I took the advice and looked for loose wires. No go. When I took the cover off there are 4 status lights. All 4 of them light up. If I take one of the other guns ( red or grn) and plug it where the blue one sits. Would that answer if the gun is bad or the controller board is bad? Thanks again. toyman
PS Is this unit worth putting money into? :E

[draganm]

PS Is this unit worth putting money into? :E

IMO no, but Curt could help you reapir it, probably for a few hundred bucks. I know he loves the old Zeniths because they run forever with minor repairs. The error lights will tell you exactly whats wrong if you have the service manual.

[Kevin P]

If the neck boards on the green and blue are the same, try swapping them (easier than removing the guns themselves). That'll tell you if it's the gun or something else.

Did you check the HV leads going into the HV splitter? The one going to the blue could have come loose.

[toyman]

Thanks for the tip about Curt. I phoned him and he was a great help.
It turns out the blue may not be dead. Any ideas of where to get a remote to setup this beast? It is model # MBR 3470T. Thanks toyman

[Kevin P]

Do you see a raster when you look into the blue lens?

Check ebay, there might be a setup remote for it on there.

[toyman]

Do you see a raster when you look into the blue lens?

Check ebay, there might be a setup remote for it on there.

Is a raster a thin blue line? if yes than I saw it. :T I looked on ebay and no such luck. Curt might have a line on the remote. toyman

Kevin, Your nick image. Does this mean that you have a A4? or aspire to one. :W Me I have a Nissan Skyline 89 4 dr GTS-T.

[Kevin P]

This is what a raster looks like (this is on a green tube, yours would be blue):



If you're only seeing a thin horizontal or vertical line, then there is a problem with the deflection (probably a yoke connection that's disconnected). If this happens, the tube can be damaged by phosphor burn.

Do you have a digital camera? See if you can get a pic of the inside of the blue gun while it's turned on, and post it here. You may need to remove the lens to get a good pic. Remove the four bolts holding the lens on, and it comes right off.

As for my avatar, yes I have a 2002 A4. I got it at the end of March. The avatar is an actual pic of the badge on my car.

[toyman]

This is what a raster looks like (this is on a green tube, yours would be blue):



If you're only seeing a thin horizontal or vertical line, then there is a problem with the deflection (probably a yoke connection that's disconnected). If this happens, the tube can be damaged by phosphor burn.

Do you have a digital camera? See if you can get a pic of the inside of the blue gun while it's turned on, and post it here. You may need to remove the lens to get a good pic. Remove the four bolts holding the lens on, and it comes right off.

As for my avatar, yes I have a 2002 A4. I got it at the end of March. The avatar is an actual pic of the badge on my car.

Kevin, I am seeing a thin blue horizontal line. toyman

[Kevin P]

Thin blue horizontal line = bad. If you shine a flashlight into the lens with the PJ off, do you still see a line? If you do, the gun is toast.

Check the yoke connections going to the blue gun.

[toyman]

Hi Kevin, When the pj is off I don't see a thin blue line. I have checked the connections going to the blue yoke. Nothing loose. Puzzling to say the least.
toyman

[Kevin P]

Is the blue line bright, or dim? How bright is it, compared to the raster (dark area) and image (bright areas) on the red and green guns?

Did you check the other end of the yoke connections, on the board? The cables that you flip around to go from floor to ceiling and vice versa?

[toyman]

Hi, I would say the blue line is as bright as red and green rasters. I check the connections on the red and blue wires. From the looks of it you can not do much without the remotes. Thanks again. Toyman
Any idea what a fair price for a used pronto on ebay? Does it matter which model one buys?