RE: Re: VECTOr: Re: vector: 25" Amplifone tube DAG connector/spring?

From: someotherguy <someotherguy_at_someotherplace.com>
Date: Thu Aug 01 2002 - 18:22:31 EDT

Oh...you mean the big crack in the ferrite chunk right where the angle is
at? :)

and what the other guys said. yeah, the raster HVT looks very similar. I
remember that auction pretty clearly, wondering what that transformer was
doing on a board that actually said "raster" on it :)

Richard

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-vectorlist@synthcom.com
[mailto:owner-vectorlist@synthcom.com]On Behalf Of Mark Shostak
Sent: Thursday, August 01, 2002 5:27 PM
To: vectorlist@synthcom.com
Subject: VECTOR: Re: VECTOr: Re: vector: 25" Amplifone tube DAG
connector/spring?

(Must.... Stop.... Myself...., nah, what the heck)

$190!!?? Really? They must be super-conducting or something!

-Mark

P.S. You might want to look a little closer at that picture.

----- Original Message -----
From: Bret Pehrson <bret@infowest.com>
To: <vectorlist@synthcom.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 01, 2002 3:42 PM
Subject: RE: VECTOR: Re: vector: 25" Amplifone tube DAG connector/spring?

> You can spot those HVTs a mile away -- they are very characteristic in
> shape/color, and were only used on Atari vector monitors. Atari bought
> Amplifone, the manufacturer, and those HVTs were specific to the Atari
> manufactured XY monitor.
>
> The primary reason that the red HVTs fail is because an "all-powerful"
> (at least in *his* mind) Atari exec was smoking in the manufacturing
> plant, against the rules and advice of the managers. Anyway, he threw
> his butt in the trash, started a paper fire, which ended up setting off
> the sprinkler system, getting water all over the supplies. The bonehead
> exec then insisted that they continue manufacturing the units, in spite
> of the damage. The theory is that the moisture from the sprinklers
> leads to the decay of the shellac coating on the internal wirings,
> eventually leading to it shorting out. It is not known exactly how many
> HVTs were affected by this exec's brilliance, but it is at least
> hundreds, if not thousands...
>
> Not that this was the only problem, most HVTs only last so long anyway.
> Vector monitors have a tendency to drive the HVTs pretty hard, and even
> those HVTs that weren't damaged in fire incident would only last several
> years of constant use anyway. After Atari saw this, and all the bad
> publicity surrounding Vector monitors, they commissioned an outside
> source (PennTrans) to make a replacement HVT -- they beefed up the specs
> as well to make it virtually fail proof (WinTron still manufacturers
> them for $190 ea.). The good news is that the new HVTs are built so
> well that they don't fail -- there aren't very many documented stories
> of one of these failing. It was a little too late, though, vectors were
> labeled as high maintenance liabilities, and demand dropped *sharply* --
> Atari dropped vector development shortly after.

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Received on Thu Aug 1 15:36:52 2002

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