16-3000-101

November, 1982

RASTER MONITOR THEORY

&
TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE

Call TOLL-FREE with your

monitor problems!
Williams
ELECTRONICS, INC.
800-621-1253 3401N. California Avenue
In Illinois call 800-572-1324 Chicago, Illinois 60618
THE RASTER MONITORS WILLIAMS ELECTRONICS USES can be broken down into seven block-circuits or
sections. These are shown in the diagram below. A more detailed breakdown of each circuit plus various
symptoms that relate to problems in each section follows.

General Hints
FOR TROUBLESHOOTING PURPOSES you should try to mentally localize a problem to one of these seven
sections. This procedure will save you time and promote an effective step-by-step troubleshooting
method.
IF A PROBLEM DOESN’T SEEM TO SUGGEST A PARTICULAR SECTION, try to decide what type of problem it is. The
diagram below contains an R or a V in each section. These initials will help to lead you to a section or
group of sections when you ask yourself a single question: Does the problem involve picture information or
video (V), or does it involve the illumination of the picture tube or raster (R)?
OF COURSE, A PROBLEM MAY AFFECT BOTH the video and the raster sections of the monitor. Notice the arrows
on the diagram. Only the EHV & LV Supply section* affects both video and raster. But it in turn is driven by
the Horizontal Sweep section. And the Horizontal Sweep section receives its power from the HV Supply
section*. If your monitor has a problem that affects both raster and video (a totally black screen, for
example) you will have to perform voltage and continuity checks on all three sections.
INCIDENTALLY THE MOST COMMON RASTER AND VIDEO PROBLEM is a shorted horizontal output transistor or
damper diode. The symptom is a black screen with no heater voltage on the CRT and an HV Supply
voltage that's ten to twenty volts above normal (since the power supply’s overcurrent protection circuit has
shut off, isolating the supply from the rest of the monitor).

CHECK HERE FOR:

(R) = RASTER PROBLEMS
(V) = VIDEO PROBLEMS

HV 120-160 VDC typical

EHV 12KV-25KVDC typical
LV 12-30 VDC typical

EHV=Extremely High Voltage; LV = Low Voltage; HV = High Voltage.

 THE HV SUPPLY SECTION* ** ***

Problems To Look For On The Screen

(ALSO CHECK HUM BAR DEGAUSS CRT!

FLYBACK, IN PICTURE- THEN CHECK
VIDEO AMP CHECK ON-BOARD
SETTINGS, ELECTROLYTICS DEGAUSSER
HORIZONTAL (COIL = ABOUT
OUTPUT) 12 OHMS)
*See Flyback Transformer For LV & EHV
**lf HV supply voltage rises to 140-150V at TPI check horizontal output, damper diode, retrace tuning capacitors, yoke,
flyback primary. One or more may be shorted. Also check AVR output transistor (if present). This is usually OK.
Warning: Never disable AVR (automatic voltage regulator) or X-ray protection circuits.
***OVP = OVER-VOLTAGE PROTECTION. Some monitors have a separate OVP circuit using a single transistor and an
additional fuse. At unsafe voltage levels (where the risk of X-ray emission exists) this transistor conducts and shunts the
HV power supply voltage to ground through a current-limiting resistor. With the shunt in place, the AVR cuts off and a
fuse in the collector circuit of series-pass regulator transistor Q1 blows.
SOMETIMES THIS FUSE may not blow soon enough to save the OVP transistor. If replacement fuses blow, test as you
would for a black screen but also check the OVP or X-ray protection transistor and its circuit.
ALWAYS REPLACE DEFECTIVE X-RAY PROTECTION CIRCUITRY with exact equivalent parts as specified in the monitor
manual. WARNING: Do NOT defeat X-ray protection circuitry.
 THE SYNC SECTION

Problems To Look For On The Screen

ZIG-ZAG PICTURE
OR “PIECRUST” LOCKS OUT
PICTURE: OF PHASE
A BLANKING PROBLEM: HORIZONTAL AFC!** (V OR H)
CHECK SYNC
CHIP. ALSO: BLANKING
AMP (SEE VIDEO
AMPLIFIER SECTION). NO V-SYNC
CHECK CAPACITOR IN
SERIES WITH WIDTH
COIL (SEE HORIZONTAL
SWEEP SECTION).
H SYNC
MISSING
OR CRITICAL TRY SYNC AMP!

*L = Blanking (luminance) **AFC = Automatic Frequency Control

 THE VIDEO AMPLIFIER SECTION

TO CRT
CATHODES

Problems To Look For On The Screen

HUM BAR
IN PICTURE:
CHECK FILTER
CAPS ALL
THROUGH
MONITOR.**

*L=Blanking (luminance)

**These will be electrolytics of 20 or more MF. Most likely the culprit is in the HV section. Could also be hiding out
around the LV tap of the flyback (supplies power to video amps).

A
 THE VERTICAL SWEEP SECTION

VERTICAL
YOKE
About
V-SWEEP 50 Ohms
(FROM SYNC
SECTION)

Problems To Look For On The Screen

HORIZONTAL “SQUASHED’
LINE ONLY PICTURE—
OR PICTURE
COLLAPSES

CONVERGE PICTURE IS ADJUST YOKE

PICTURE KEYSTONE­ AND CHECK IT
SHAPED— WITH OHMMETER
CHECK
VERTICAL
YOKE COIL
WITH OHMMETER.
 THE HORIZONTAL SWEEP SECTION

Problems To Look For On The Screen

VERTICAL NARROW, (ALSO CHECK NO DETAIL

LINE ONLY NON-LINEAR FLYBACK, IN WHITES,
HV SUPPLY, LIGHT COLORS
VIDEO AMP
SETTINGS)

OCCASIONAL RETRACE CONVERGE ADJUST YOKE

OVERSCANNING— LINES— PICTURE AND CHECK IT
MAY BE SEVERE CHECK WITH OHMMETER
H. OUTPUT
TRANSISTOR,
RETRACE
TUNING CAPS.
 LV fif EHV POWER SECTION
FLYBACK TRANSFORMER

Problems To Look For On The Screen

BLACK SCREEN “SNOW”— HORIZONTAL

(NO EHV OR NO NO LV STREAKS,
6.3V FILAMENT TO SYNC, POPPING
POWER TO CRT)* VIDEO NOISES
—ALSO CHECK HV,
CRT, VIDEO AMP
SETTINGS,
HORIZONTAL
OUTPUT

*On some monitors an SCR circuit protects against excessive EHV and X-ray hazards. The SCR shuts down the
horizontal oscillator when a hazard exists, producing a black screen. WARNING: DO NOT defeat X-ray protection
circuitry.
 THE CATHODE RAY TUBE
The Cathode Ray Picture Tube

VIDEO FROM The cathode ray tube (CRT) receives

VIDEO SECTION four inputs...
VERTICAL SWEEP FROM
VERTICAL SWEEP SECTION • Video (R-G-B)
HORIZONTAL SWEEP FROM HIGH VOLTAGE FROM
• Vertical sweep, which scans the CRT
HORIZONTAL OUTPUT SECTION EHV POWER SUPPLY SECTION screen from top to bottom
• Horizontal sweep, which scans the
CRT screen from side to side
• High voltage to attract electrons to
the CRT screen

Problems Tb Look For On The Screen

DARK- ALSO (MAY NEED TO ION BURNS

NO RASTER CHECK BE REJUVENATED)
(ALSO CHECK VIDEO CHECK
HV, FLYBACK, SECTION, VIDEO
FUSES, THERMISTORS BLANKING SECTION
AND VARISTORS, CONTROLS
HORIZONTAL
OUTPUT)