PVM - 2530 screen "bowing" symmetrical but not consistent

[Chronogamer]

Hi!

While using S-Video input and composite video input, I'm getting a slight "bowing" on the sides of the picture. Sometimes it's just a curving of the top corners inward, other times it's two or three areas of bowing. It's as if the electron gun decides: "I think this line of pixels would look much better compressed a bit more than its neighbor" and gets bored with that at some point and then decides to display them less compressed gradually resulting in a nice, even, unsightly and annoying bowing. It varies with the colors on the screen. Sometimes flickering, but mostly just "there" in the peripheral of my vision. Waiting. Eating away at my brain.

Does this mean I have to open up the back of my PVM and electrocute myself in some horrible "oops, I didn't mean to touch it there" way? Do I need to get a "cap kit"? Is this something I should borrow a truck for and cart it to a TV shop somewhere?

I just have no idea what to do about this. I thought it might be the speakers on the side, but I took them off and the issue persisted. I messed with the Horizontal hold just to have the manual laugh at me when I realized that was for RGB signals anyway. I even tried the NOTCH switch... though I don't know if that's an acronym or the name for something.

Anyway, thanks for your patience and advice in advance. (Oh, and I seem to recall the bowing also happening when I've got the Saturn hooked up to the RGB input, I just didn't test that this time. I tested with a GameCube, playing Cubivore outputting S-Video and composite video.)

[kamiboy]

Yeah, you would have to open the back and fiddle with some pots on a PCB on the side to fix stuff like that on a 2530, or you could just ignore it and play.

[Chronogamer]

Yeah, you would have to open the back and fiddle with some pots on a PCB on the side to fix stuff like that on a 2530, or you could just ignore it and play.

Hmm... pots that can be fiddled with sounds promising. Thank you. I'll peruse the forums some more before I ask questions that are probably answered a dozen times everywhere.

Okay, wait, no, I'm going to ask: What's it called when you open up the back of a TV and have to safely get rid of all the stored up electrical charge that's somewhere inside the TV? Is that really hard to do if you don't know what you are doing? (I mean... can a set of general instructions that I'll try to find on the internet be enough to talk me through it leaving my life intact?)

[ApolloBoy]

Okay, wait, no, I'm going to ask: What's it called when you open up the back of a TV and have to safely get rid of all the stored up electrical charge that's somewhere inside the TV? Is that really hard to do if you don't know what you are doing? (I mean... can a set of general instructions that I'll try to find on the internet be enough to talk me through it leaving my life intact?)

You can't adjust the pots while the monitor is off, you have to do it while it's turned on and displaying an image.

[kamiboy]

Yeah, the set has to be on otherwise you will not be able to see what turning a pot does, there are many of them, you see. If turning a pot seems to do nothing turn it back to its initial position because there are pots for stuff beyond picture adjustments on the PCB.

Also, looking at the screen and turning pots is hard to do because of the placement. You need a small flathead screwdriver to turn each pot.

Lastly, as for advice, try not to get electrocuted.

[Chronogamer]

Okay, wait, no, I'm going to ask: What's it called when you open up the back of a TV and have to safely get rid of all the stored up electrical charge that's somewhere inside the TV? Is that really hard to do if you don't know what you are doing? (I mean... can a set of general instructions that I'll try to find on the internet be enough to talk me through it leaving my life intact?)

You can't adjust the pots while the monitor is off, you have to do it while it's turned on and displaying an image.

oh... the very fact that it hadn't occurred to me that the TV would need to be on probably precludes me from making adjustments and surviving. Not that I don't mind witnessing the process of natural selection first-hand but there's still too many games to play. Thank you for pointing out the monitor needed to be on. (It really hadn't occurred to me.)

[Chronogamer]

Yeah, the set has to be on otherwise you will not be able to see what turning a pot does, there are many of them, you see. If turning a pot seems to do nothing turn it back to its initial position because there are pots for stuff beyond picture adjustments on the PCB.

Also, looking at the screen and turning pots is hard to do because of the placement. You need a small flathead screwdriver to turn each pot.

Lastly, as for advice, try not to get electrocuted.

Thank you. That is all very good advice, particularly the last one.

When my son was about 7 years old, I had a pong console open. (I actually had a reason to be in there, I just don't remember what it was.) I explained to him how important it was to unplug things if you were going to mess with them, which we had done, and then I proceeded to adjust whatever it was and suddenly pretended it was shocking me. In a very cartoony way. You know, because it would be funny... no I hadn't really thought it through...

My dear son's immediate reaction was sheer terror as he ran to "get mommy". I was sufficiently chastised by both of them and did indeed feel terrible about it. Moral of this story is don't pretend you're getting electrocuted in front of your child because they are often quite cognizant of your mortality and care about it more than you might think. Also, I'm not superstitious, but if there is such a thing as "Humor Karma" then that little stunt probably set the universe on a path to make sure I die while being electrocuted by something I'm trying to fix.

I will likely live with the bowing or take it to a TV person to fix. One last question: I know that pretty much most of you do this sort of thing yourself, but what would you expect a reasonably honest TV person to charge me to fiddle with pots?

[kamiboy]

It is at the very most a 30 minute job, so not much I hope.

[Chronogamer]

It is at the very most a 30 minute job, so not much I hope.

Aah, okay. knowing about how long it takes is a good way to have an idea on how much it will cost. Thank you so much for the information.