CRTs in direct sunlight

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andykara2003
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CRTs in direct sunlight

Post by andykara2003 »

Normally I keep all my CRTs in my gaming cellar, climate controlled to 18 degrees, 50% humidity. However, I just picked up a BNIB Sony from the early-mid 90s that I temporarily have in the living room. Am I right that no direct sunlight should fall on the screen? I’m pretty sure that’s the case, but just wanted to make 100% sure. At a certain part of the day when the sun’s low, some direct light does fall across the screen.
ldeveraux
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Re: CRTs in direct sunlight

Post by ldeveraux »

andykara2003 wrote:Normally I keep all my CRTs in my gaming cellar, climate controlled to 18 degrees, 50% humidity. However, I just picked up a BNIB Sony from the early-mid 90s that I temporarily have in the living room. Am I right that no direct sunlight should fall on the screen? I’m pretty sure that’s the case, but just wanted to make 100% sure. At a certain part of the day when the sun’s low, some direct light does fall across the screen.
What am I missing that sunlight destroys a TV?
Ikaruga11
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Re: CRTs in direct sunlight

Post by Ikaruga11 »

ldeveraux wrote:What am I missing that sunlight destroys a TV?
It doesn't. It's just because of glare and reflections.
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ASDR
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Re: CRTs in direct sunlight

Post by ASDR »

If that was really the case, don't you think that we'd all have some story on how one of our childhood friends got grounded for a month because he destroyed the family TV with sunlight? There would be warnings in every manual and probably some fine print on the bezel.

Heat and UV light probably do not help the longevity of anything, but as somebody old enough to remember when there was a CRT in every office and every living room, they of course do not get easily damaged by sunlight. What an absurd idea.
GojiFan90
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Re: CRTs in direct sunlight

Post by GojiFan90 »

The only way sunlight will do anything is if you leave it in harsh daylight for an extended period of time. I'm talking months to years. Even then, I doubt it would affect the TV itself--it would just discolor any plastic on the housing. You're being paranoid.
SamIAm
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Re: CRTs in direct sunlight

Post by SamIAm »

https://www.avsforum.com/threads/crt-da ... ht.206991/
Many years ago I sold major appliances for K-Mart. The manager was a firm believer in sidewalk sales, especially in the summer months. He instructed me to have our sign dept. create a number of 8" X 10" Sale signs and neatly tape them to the center of each console TV screen. After sitting in direct sunlight for the weekend each TV had a VERY disticnct rectangular dark spot pemanently displayed in the center of each CRT. It cost the store many $$$ to have all the picture tubes replaced (not a warranty problem.
XtraSmiley
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Re: CRTs in direct sunlight

Post by XtraSmiley »

SamIAm wrote:https://www.avsforum.com/threads/crt-da ... ht.206991/
Many years ago I sold major appliances for K-Mart. The manager was a firm believer in sidewalk sales, especially in the summer months. He instructed me to have our sign dept. create a number of 8" X 10" Sale signs and neatly tape them to the center of each console TV screen. After sitting in direct sunlight for the weekend each TV had a VERY disticnct rectangular dark spot pemanently displayed in the center of each CRT. It cost the store many $$$ to have all the picture tubes replaced (not a warranty problem.
I'm not saying that guy didn't post that story, but I am saying I have a few arcade machines that were rescued from the out doors. Art, wood, hell even metal, totally fucked. The CRT monitors? Run fine.
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matt
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Re: CRTs in direct sunlight

Post by matt »

Well, I live in the tropics and have picked up a bunch of curbside CRTs that were left outside in direct sun for several days. This is terrible for electronics; the inside of the TV heats up over 100 degrees and causes all sorts of component failures. Hot CRTs have a unique odor that's hard to miss; it smells like a mix of hot plastic and burnt flux.

As you can imagine, a lot of these TVs don't work, usually due to bad components on the PCB or physical damage from being dropped. But I've never seen a sun-damaged tube. They are very durable! A few of them have had the screen partly obscured ("Free TV" signs and so on) and I've never seen burn-in from sun exposure.

It is a good idea to keep your CRTs in a climate-controlled area, but that's more for the plastic and other components besides the tube.
Taiyaki
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Re: CRTs in direct sunlight

Post by Taiyaki »

Sunlight might affect the case (it might also have no affect, may depend on the make) but I think that's about it.
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Josh128
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Re: CRTs in direct sunlight

Post by Josh128 »

Sun wont hurt the tube at all.
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Professor Jones
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Re: CRTs in direct sunlight

Post by Professor Jones »

Never tested this but I don't see how the phosphors wouldn't fade with direct sunlight.
Taiyaki
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Re: CRTs in direct sunlight

Post by Taiyaki »

In other words it's best not to test it. I've never had direct sunlight hitting the tube myself. I avoid direct sunlight on anything as it really hits and can fade most materials.
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