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Bought a working Vectrex, is this normal?


mattsoft

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Hey all - bought a "good working" Vectrex with "no screen issues". Here is what I got:

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ikn3pnyf7e5z16o/vectrex.MOV?dl=0

 

Other than the buzzing which is louder than I remember, there is ghosting (to the left) and a solid dot always in the middle.

 

The seller says the ghosting and dot is normal and can be adjusted by turning down the brightness. This is not really true -- the dot is always there.

 

The screen also jumps left and right a little bit.

 

Is all this normal for a working Vectrex? I'm considering contesting the seller on this.

 

Thanks!

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Hey all - bought a "good working" Vectrex with "no screen issues". Here is what I got:

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ikn3pnyf7e5z16o/vectrex.MOV?dl=0

 

Other than the buzzing which is louder than I remember, there is ghosting (to the left) and a solid dot always in the middle.

 

The seller says the ghosting and dot is normal and can be adjusted by turning down the brightness. This is not really true -- the dot is always there.

 

The screen also jumps left and right a little bit.

 

Is all this normal for a working Vectrex? I'm considering contesting the seller on this.

 

Thanks!

The small adjustable pot on the back of the machine adjusts the brightness. The goal is to turn the brightness down to where the dot disappears, but you can still see the rest of the playing field well enough. It's different for ambient light, so it's a handy adjusment. If this unit wasn't particularly cared for the adjustment pot was just cranked to high all the time...increasing chances of burn in, just like any other screen of this type.

 

The other issues don't seem normal to me either.

 

First check to see if you can reduce the brightness. The dot should definitley not always be on if it is set properly. You can also check the online manual for the Vectrex.

 

Repairing a unit like this is notoriously difficult and many are in bad shape...so if you paid a considerable amount, I would definitely contact the seller. It is not normal, even though it's old.

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I thought you told me in a PM that you were able to adjust the brightness down and it took care of the dot in the center? At the tail end of your video above, I'm able to just make out the trace lines coming from the center that tells me the brightness is much too high. As for the ghosting on the letters, does that only happen with text and not on the actual vector lines right?

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I thought you told me in a PM that you were able to adjust the brightness down and it took care of the dot in the center? At the tail end of your video above, I'm able to just make out the trace lines coming from the center that tells me the brightness is much too high. As for the ghosting on the letters, does that only happen with text and not on the actual vector lines right?

 

 

I did! The pot was giving me some fuss. It was either too bright (dot and ghost) or too dim to see anything. I sprayed a little deoxit on the pot and was able to hit that sweet spot and get the ghost and dot gone.

 

There is still the typical buzzing sound and the left-right image shift. So I'm taking it apart and giving it a check just in case. At the very least, I need to clean this blanket off of the motherboard. That can't be good for the chips.

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