The IBM PS/1 VGA monitor is built like a tank! (and still useful)

#CRTgoodness
On today's video, let's take a look at the IBM PS/1 VGA monitor. I'll give it a thorough test, clean and tune-up. Remember, do not work inside a CRT monitor unless you know what you are doing. High voltages can give you a shock!
IBM P/N 53F5798
FCC ID: ANO53F5798
Made by Samsug
--- Video Links
IBM PS/1
en.wikipedia.o...
--- Tools
Deoxit D5:
amzn.to/2VvOKy1
store.caig.com/...
Jonard Tools EX-2 Chip Extractor:
amzn.to/2VazxDS
www.jonard.com...
Wiha Chip Lifter:
amzn.to/3a9ftWw
www.wihatools....
O-Ring Pick Set: (I use these to lift chips off boards)
amzn.to/3a9x54J
Elenco Electronics LP-560 Logic Probe:
amzn.to/2VrT5lW
Hakko FR301 Desoldering Iron:
amzn.to/2ye6xC0
Rigol DS1054Z Four Channel Oscilloscope:
www.rigolna.co...
Head Worn Magnifying Goggles / Dual Lens Flip-In Head Magnifier:
amzn.to/3adRbuy
TL866II Plus Chip Tester and EPROM programmer: (The MiniPro)
amzn.to/2wG4tlP
www.aliexpress...
TS100 Soldering Iron:
amzn.to/2K36dJ5
www.ebay.com/i...
EEVBlog 121GW Multimeter:
www.eevblog.co...
DSLogic Basic Logic Analyzer:
amzn.to/2RDSDQw
www.ebay.com/i...
Magnetic Screw Holder:
amzn.to/3b8LOhG
www.harborfrei...
Universal ZIP sockets: (clones, used on my ZIF-64 test machine)
www.ebay.com/i...
RetroTink 2X Upconverter: (to hook up something like a C64 to HDMI)
www.retrotink.com/
Plato (Clone) Side Cutters: (order five)
www.ebay.com/i...
Heat Sinks:
www.aliexpress...
Little squeezy bottles: (available elsewhere too)
amzn.to/3b8LOOI
--- Links
My GitHub repository:
github.com/mis...
Commodore Computer Club / Vancouver, WA - Portland, OR - PDX Commodore Users Group
www.commodorec...
--- Instructional videos
My video on damage-free chip removal:
• How to remove chips wi...
--- Music
Intro music and other tracks by:
Nathan Divino
@itsnathandivino
Outro Music:
Abyss by | e s c p | escp-music.ban...
Music promoted by www.free-stock...
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
creativecommon...

[@Fifury161]

19:47 - they are called "trimmer pot adjustment tool", or "trimming tool". Plastic ones are fine for occasional use, I still have my ceramic set. Ignoring the shock risk with a metal screwdriver (you need to do these calibrations live!) trying to adjust inductor cores will result in a distorted trim as the metal will increase the field strength of the inductor. Ceramic has a better "bite" on most inductor cores, the cheaper plastic ones tend to deform over time. Some manufacturers (Bourns, Vishay) add a minute metal bar in the tip - though these are intended to adjust pots (potentiometers)

[@misterkite]

the digikey category is actually "tuning tools".. but I'd call any nylon pokey tool a "spudger".

[@barrykline2741]

My father had a TV shop... in his day, they were called 'diddle sticks'

[@Alexis_du_60]

I've seen these also called "Tweekers" or "fiddlers"

[@Darxide23]

More than just interference from using a metal screwdriver, you could also destroy the trimmer itself with a metal tool.

[@BurleyBoar]

I'm really enjoying the extra voice overs and text information overlays. I figure it's more work for you to do, but be assured the quality and watchablity went up... which is hard to believe considering how watchable and entertaining your videos already are!

[@fattomandeibu]

Man, what you were saying about people using CRTs for a long time, I think I may have been one of the last to switch to flat screen. I used a CRT monitor until about 2010 and my CRT TV(32" widescreen beast, must've weighed at least 15 stone and was a two man job if you wanted to move it more than a couple of feet) until about 2019. Only reason I replaced them was due to becoming unusable. The monitor which was a Packard Bell from a Windows 98 machine someone had junked and ended up with a weird deformed screen where the scanlines in the middle were taller than the top and bottom, and the TV was a Sony that just got really blurry with age. The latter still worked when I took it to recycling, but the blurring was just so bad that it rendered text unreadable at anything higher than 384x288, the PAL equivalent to 320x240.

[@thomaspatton1991]

Dude I just found your channel a few days ago and sweet jesus I've been looking for this content for years. Fantastic stuff man.

[@GarthBeagle]

4:40 "... like maybe it's in heat or something" hahaa probably not what I'd first have thought of

[@sadmac356]

I had to rewind the video to make sure I heard that correctly!

[@ChrisDreher]

Now we know how monitors are made!

[@sadmac356]

@@ChrisDreher I never wondered where monitors come from. Now I know, I guess.

[@kaitlyn__L]

Guess Adrian grew up around dogs!

[@Skull_Gun]

That monitor invented twerking

[@NavJack27gaming]

at like 12min in i like what you did with the semi rapid camera cuts with seamless VO work. nice.

[@hjalfi]

I've always like the EGA/VGA palette --- so much richer-looking than the muddy C64 colours or the garish full-saturation palette of the BBC Micro. The CGA palette, however, looks like someone threw up in a paint factory.

[@andrewgwilliam4831]

The bit that sticks out at the back is to protect the leads.

[@ches74]

I know them as trimmer tools but if you're looking on Digikey they're listed as tuning tools. You'll find them in Product Index > Tools > Excavators, Hooks, Picks, Probes, Tuning Tools

[@3vi1J]

I get anxious any time I see one of my favorite KZbinrs working on monitors. But then, I just tell myself "He couldn't have uploaded it if he electrocuted himself."

[@ctwilli0950]

True that

[@haraldhimmel5687]

Yeah.. 27k volt. Yikes.

[@2610Someone]

Love the CRT videos, keep them coming!

[@garryadamson8507]

My first PC was a PS/1 (286) with the same style of monitor but the mono version. Nice to see some of them still around.

[@temporarilyoffline]

I had a tiny (like 9") VGA monochrome monitor and loved it for text based apps and older DOS games

[@alexandrecouture2462]

Take a second to appreciate how this IBM stuff is not yellowed at all. This is quality plastic!

[@joelhilliard8298]

I pulled one of these out of Computer Reset, so cool you keep doing videos on the monitors I’ve found! Keep up the awesome work!

[@RetroHoo]

My first VGA monitor ❤️ bought at a box sale back in the day for my home build frankenstein 286. I was 15 and bought it part by part when I had a little money saved up. This monitor replaced my green screen MDA monitor and was one of my biggest investments in the project.

[@jaykay18]

Great job as always. Personally, I would have left the PS/1 connector and cable on there, maybe taping up the end of it until a PS/1 comes into your possession. I thought it would have been interesting to have left the fan running in the monitor regardless, but if it's truly that noisy, then it's fine without it. What I am rather surprised about is that you didn't rig a 1/8" cable up to it to use the built-in speaker, that would make full use of that monitor, giving it an additional feature over the fact that it was 11 or 12 inches.

[@MrBillmcminn]

Watch an IBM PS/1 that monitor belongs to show up on a mid week mail bag video! I remember those PS/1 systems with those monitors used as point of sale systems in stores

[@purrator]

I loved that screen even used it way after I stopped using the PS/1

[@TheLEEC]

-”I’m never gonna use this with a PS1 computer...” Oh, boy... Now I have to keep my eyes open for one, just to prove that statement false. ;)

[@dans8287]

I almost spit out my drink when you said the monitor looked like it was in heat with the kickstand up. too funny! You are so right about not using a metal tool to adjust the ferrite slugs when the monitor is on. In case someone reading this decides to do it anyway because they don't have a plastic one on hand. It will ALWAYS crack the slug if you do! Ask me how I know this? Once the slug is cracked it cannot be adjusted and good luck getting it out to fix or replace it.

[@angrydove4067]

You are becoming the patron saint of CRTs.

[@dbhansen]

Oh nice! I had a PS/1 when young, and have fond memories of it.

[@AOClaus]

I know I watched you work on one of these monitors before. I found one in someone's driveway they were throwing away! Said it "blew a capacitor." It's been sitting in for at least a day in the biggest rain we've had on a year. I hope it really is built like a tank, because I want to see it working.

[@a4000t]

The beautiful glow of a quality CRT is just excelent

[@talideon]

I remember those monitors from school. They _used to_ be very sharp.

[@johndoe1254]

Yes, you are absolutely right. Old computers need old CRTs. That's the best option. 👍

[@Fifury161]

I had a factory sealed unit that my parents threw out when I moved out! Still have my PS1 video conferencing model though! I really need to clear the attic out and make a few videos!

[@BrendonGreenNZL]

Factory new? Oh, no! 😱😥

[@tj71520]

I Feel you. My patents threw out a bunch of rare vintage computers that were mine. They did it when I was away at a camp in the early 90s. It was a Commodore pc10, Commodore pc20, two Very old and rare Danish comet computers Running cp/m, an amiga harddrive, a Commodore Pet computer, a Commodore Pet dual disk drive, a sinclair spectrum zx81, an ibm ps/2 computer, an old ibm ps/2 style high tower server and a lambda computer. I was crushed... STILL is actually

[@TheErador]

Remind me to never do this to my children.... Also...who doesn't ask?

[@chetpomeroy1399]

@@TheErador People with Cluster-B personality traits tend to behave that way. They have no problem violating the personal boundaries of others.

[@n.h.s.a.d.m.]

@@tj71520 Oh my god, this sounds like some horrible tale of betrayl!

[@Epictronics1]

I absolutely agree. Small VGA CRT's are great for dos gaming. Just like you said, the pixels are very small and make the image look great in low res. Love my IBM 8513!

[@sharebrained]

Hey Adrian! I bought various insulated and non-conductive/non-magnetic screwdrivers a while back at McMaster-Carr. The insulated ones are better when you're just worried about not getting shocked. The non-conductive/non-magnetic ones are good for adjusting sensitive analog circuits that are affected by the presence of a metal adjustment driver. (Edit to note none of these are a hex driver like the one you mentioned. Still, maybe useful to others.) Here are the McMaster-Carr part numbers and descriptions: 5879A24 Ceramic Adjustment Screwdriver 0.102" Slotted 5879A23 Ceramic Adjustment Screwdriver 0.071" Slotted 52985A72 Precise-Control Screwdriver Electrical-Insulating, 0.079" Size, Slotted Style 52985A73 Precise-Control Screwdriver Electrical-Insulating, 0.098" Size, Slotted Style 52985A74 Precise-Control Screwdriver Electrical-Insulating, 0.118" Size, Slotted Style

[@TechnicolorMammoth]

Definitely lost it when you said “junk in the trunk” and “big booty”.

[@davenewton3576]

Don't forget its 13 inches

[@s.s.85]

Wow, isn't that an Acer Aspire One laptop? Damn that's as nostalgic as the old monitor, I slept through way too many lectures behind this little device's screen in my university days!

[@SimonQuigley]

Haha, I still have and occasionally use 3 of them :-)

[@bcostin]

I used to have an IBM 4707, a tiny monochrome VGA monitor apparently designed for point-of-sale terminals. I mostly used it with my home file server where I could tuck it on a nearby shelf out of the way. Very handy back before compact LCDs.

[@adriansdigitalbasement]

Yeah one of those would be super cool -- I remember those little screens. I was thinking of a super cool project I could do with a 9" VGA CRT

[@frankowalker4662]

The thing with 80's-90's games and computers is, they were designed for CRT's. So they look better on CRT's. Great Video. BTW, I like the look of the monitor, it's quirky.

[@raggededge82]

I had a PS/1 386 with this exact monitor and I agree, it works great. I really wish I still had it.

[@marciomaiajr]

Almost 100K! Congrats Adrian. Your channel is awesome.

[@Petertronic]

I'm in the UK and in every workshop I worked in, those alignment tools were always called 'tweakers'. Probably not the name they are sold under though!

[@andrewchristiansen8311]

0:00 that moment when your torx bit spins, but you swear you grabbed the right size... "Security Bits!!"

[@ultrametric9317]

IBM monitors often have screen glass that is ground matte to inhibit glare and reflections. If you look carefully you will see that it is very sharp, and particularly will have superior convergence and color accuracy corner to corner.

[@mikedrz]

I have this same monitor in a spare room. The computer was thrown out years ago. I'm not into retro gaming, but it is just a same to get rid of it. I've had it since my child hood.

[@csabasanta5696]

Do not stop doing CRT stuff! :) Great video, Adrian! Thanks!

[@JamesSkemp]

This was the first computer we had, I believe. Love the power button on it.

[@thr3ddy]

I own the exact same monitor and have the 10Mhz 286 PS/1 as well. It's a fun little computer that I use for distraction-free writing. I wanted to adjust the scan on this monitor since the usable surface on mine is very small, but it seems a bit too dangerous for me. Especially considering that if I screw up my monitor, I can't use my PC anymore. Thanks for the useful vid!

[@enginerd80]

We had that computer back in the day (10 MHz 286, 1 MB RAM, 30 MB HDD, color monitor, proprietary soundcard, IBM DOS 4.00, MS Works 2.0). And the monitor did work as a standard VGA monitor, as was found when we used it with another computer in the later years (I just started watching the video, so don't know if the same is found). Oh, and the monitor was said to be 12" in all the materials.

[@J0eBl0e]

My 2nd computer, that I built in 1987 from parts bought from the back of computer rags, was a 386sx-16, 40mb MFM Seagate hard drive re-encoded to RLL, and a no-name 12" VGA monitor. I couldn't believe how good it looked. (1st computer was a Leading Edge Model D!)

[@datassetteuser356]

Yes, CRTs are just amazing, the glow and the scanlines ... can't emulate that. (Well, you can obviously, but it's not the sam). Also like small monitors, there is just something about them. When I was young, I found a monochrome (green) Commodore montor once in bulk garbage. It looked nice, I took it home and used it with my C64. Heck, I had a color TV in my room, but I often preferred the look of that small little greenscreen monitor. And when I saw an amber monitor then one day, I had to "upgrade" :-) Anyway, I digress. Amazing videos, especially on CRTs. Keep on the great work and enjoy all the Haribo's you can get :-D Cheers!

[@omega552003]

Adrian, I don't mind the CRT repair videos. Its great to see the methodology on how to fix them.

[@JackBealeGuitar]

This was my first pc. A 386 ps/1 with a Disney sound source. I really regret getting rid of it. At the time I didn't appreciate it and was envious of my friends playing doom on their 486s with soundblasters

[@misterkite]

I have a 7" VGA monitor that's limited to 640x480 and black and white. It was a supermarket checkout monitor in a past life.

[@CPUGalaxy]

Great video. I love those small crts as well so much with old games. 👍🏻

[@Psychlist1972]

My first PC was a PS/1 286. That VGA monitor was nice. The PC had additional modules you could stack for things like ISA slots, a 5-1/4 disk drive, etc. I had all those, so the monitor was up way too high and had to be moved to next to the PC :P After I built my 486, I gave the PS/1 to my sister for her college papers. It ran GEOS and Ensemble really well for a 286 with only 2.5mb memory.

[@Natures_Intentions]

Crt displays are a must for vintage games computers and game consoles

[@piratestation69]

Old games look awesome on a crt. Just recently plugged my modded Neo Geo AES into a 32inch sony triniton via svideo and man it makes a difference. If i was in the neighborhood i'd have you fix my c64 1702 monitor. Needs to be recalibrated. Im to scared taking it apart. Crts are hard to come by these days.

[@luisluiscunha]

Hello: I have one, together with my 2011 from 1991. The reason I never thought of pairing it with my Celeron 300A, from 1998 was because of the noise the fan produced (I think it was the fan in the power supply, on the monitor).

[@lemagreengreen]

That PS/1 is so neat, I don't remember ever seeing one back then though.

[@willsofer3679]

Ah, the IBM PS/1 was my first PC. I had a TI 99 4/A before that. But I loved my IBM, including the design of the monitor, with the audio controls onboard. I learned to program on it in QBASIC. Unfortunately, while I was away at my first semester of university, my father threw it out because it was "old". Including the fantastic IBM Model M keyboard, and the PS1 mouse, which was also clicky and fantastic (I liked the aesthetic of it, for sure). I do miss that computer.

[@xyzconceptsYT]

0:18 - Techmoan called, he politely asked for his shirt back. Bahahaha. Love your work, Adrian.

[@molivil]

I've had several IBM VGA monitors and I have to say all of them have had a real great picture. I always said that Doom 1/2 looks the best on these monitors, with dark areas looking scary and menacing and bright areas really popping out.

[@McTroyd]

Thanks for this Adrian! That PS/1 you pictured is my first computer, and I still have it (along with its optional 5.25" drive, which mounts on the bottom of the PC). It pains me to say it, but you're right, it's not a "super useful" computer in itself. Where it excelled as a home computer, it was bomb-proof. DOS and its "four quad" GUI were burned into ROM, making it fast as hell for the 286 it was. It also meant, as long as you kept your work saved, you really didn't have to follow any kind of "shutdown" sequence -- just turn it off. There was a comprehensive, graphical System Tutor that walked through the whole machine in detail, even providing an environment to try things out without modifying the actual machine. So, as a "general purpose" do-everything computer, it wasn't great. But, it was a phenomenal "first" machine, especially in 1990. It might still be a good machine to learn DOS on, as well.

[@Controllerhead]

Nice to hear the synthwave again =)

[@wizofssp]

Finishing a Video about a VGA monitor running Turrican 2 in the Background, Adrian is a Pro.

[@batlin]

My aunt had one of those monitors with an IBM PS1 computer that had been thrown out in an office refresh in the early 1990s. Good memories learning DOS and either GWBASIC or BASICA. Those blue control sliders on the front of the monitor felt terrible and flimsy, from what I remember...

[@sierraboney1394]

That's a nice little monitor! Might be worth trying to find out if the main B+ voltage is a bit lower than it should be. If it's low then it could be the cause of the smaller than normal image (although I have seen that on some older pc crt monitors I used years ago when they were new so it may just be how it came out of the factory). Could be though that it changes B+ according to what resolution you're using. Could also be the width cap (electrolytic) or the retrace cap (usually polypropylene) getting a bit out of spec. On arcade monitors, if you change the crt with one that has a yoke that's not quite the same as the original and you can't get the image wide enough, you can usually change the HV retrace cap for a different value (lower if I remember correctly) to get more width.

[@adriansdigitalbasement]

It's certainly possible -- I've heard of this mod. I heard of doing this mod. Without schematics I wouldn't feel OK doing it knowing this is a multisync monitor. If it were monochrome, I would be easier. :-) I looked at a bunch of pictures of this monitor in operation (from other people) and they all appear the same, so this is likely how it was designed.

[@corvus00]

I think I know what you are saying Adrian. The CRTs are just *warmer* in both temperature senses!

[@TheRetroShack]

I guess either before anyone considered ergonomics, or way ahead of it’s time in ergonomics - depending on your point of view :) Nice video Adrian.

[@ERROR0x7CF]

The white with no signal is perfectly normal (At least for the PS/1 model 2011 monitors), my monochrome one does that too. The color monitor's picture looks pretty similar to the monochrome one, though the mono is probably sharper. All my pots are scratchy on the front, which makes adjusting the brightness and contrast more difficult, but that aside even the mono one is nice.

[@TedSeeber]

There were some PS-1 models that had a primitive touch screen on that 15 pin connector. At Casino Software Corporation of America, based in Salem, we used to have a few of those. PITA- they had to be recalibrated on every reboot.

[@MrLurchsThings]

I really like my little PS/1. It doesn’t get used much, but it’s a cute little machine. PS.... Patreon.

[@TheAmazingAdventuresOfMiles]

Hey, great informative video. I bought one of these new in 1993, but the mono version. I still have it, it still works just fine. It's actually a really nice screen, clean and sharp. Really sharp actually, but then the mono variants always are. I was thinking of trying to make up an adapter so I could use a down-sampled 1024x768 to display on it (max res is natively 640x480 as you said). This would allow the use of Windows 10 etc that don't work at 640x480.

[@joegee2815]

"Alignment Trimmer Tool" seemed to work on ebay for the non-inductive/capacitive sticks.

[@pipschannel1222]

Love those old VGA CRTs. Convergence and sharpness is not as good as on the newer multisyncs but the small size is really cool and the color and contrast is pretty good indeed (blows the socks of any backlit LCD/TFT screen)! I think these PS/1 CRTs were pretty reliable. Most of them are from around 1989/1990 so IBM learnt from their 'mistakes' engineering their PS/2 CRTs. The first PS/2 CRTs like the first 8513s (one of the very first VGA monitors): Not so much. One of mine (a rev. 1) exploded last week and the parts are really hard to come by. I love them anyways :-)

[@Jamesnov1970]

Just found a Hewlett Packard 13 inch crt monitor made in 2001. Works good even though it was out in the rain for over a week.

[@adriansdigitalbasement]

It's amazing how resilient electronics actually is!

[@Jamesnov1970]

Yes, I grabbed it for a cocktail table Arcade machine project. But sadly it is not going to fit, but the size you have there would do nicely :)

[@heffe2001]

Never say never about using it with a PS1, now that you have the monitor, someone will likely send you one for a mail call, lol.

[@RetroRick1990]

Beautiful small monitor 👏🏻

[@tellyjoossens4186]

Watching this on a 12 inch laptop so yeah, I totally know what you mean about sometimes wanting a smaller screen.

[@stephenvalente3296]

I remember using an IBM VGA monitor from around 1989 (model 8513- just found one on eBay!). They looked great at the time, and like this one, heavy and well built. Not like todays cheap plastic rubbish!

[@petmey5281]

Oh wow, that was my first monitor and power supply. When I was growing up I got a IBM PS/1 hand-me-down. 286 10mhz, 30MB HDD, 1MB ram, 1.44 FDD, 2400 bps modem. Used to do school reports using wordperfect 5.1 and print on a dot-matrix ibm printer 🖨️

[@charlymop]

I had the same with a 40Meg of HDD though. Out of the 1MB of Ram I think only 640k was available for programs if I remember correctly and I was relentlessly trying to access as much as I could to be able to run X-Wing on this machine.

[@Fifury161]

20:25 - it's also best practice to do these adjustments standing up with one hand in your pocket and have the screen pointed at a mirror. Standing up so if you do get a zap you can be knocked clear (make sure you have clearance to fall back to) One hand in your pocket so there is less risk of the shock passing over your heart Mirror - to make adjustments easier! Also don't have a live set resting on an anti static mat and it's best not to wear metal jewellery or an anti static wrist strap. Even a small 12" CRT can have around 14kV on the anode cap!

[@kaitlyn__L]

I persistently misread the title as “tasting” instead of “testing”. That would be a rather different video!

[@chipsanddipswitches]

It definitely depends on where it was stored as to how good it tastes.

[@pipschannel1222]

@@chipsanddipswitches Reminds me of Dereck from Vice Grip Garage, who always tastes the oil of the cars he picks up LOL!

[@Dukefazon]

At least 3 CRT monitors died during my PC gaming for some reason. 2 of them were really old and bad already. I didn't have luck with CRT monitors for some reason, maybe the power wasn't stable in the house or something. They went to the trash but with the knowledge I have today I might be able to fix them if I still had them.

[@alexandrecouture2462]

I have one, alongside a IBM PS/1 model 2011 and it works very well! It is slightly blurry, just like yours, but it is they way they always were. It goes perfectly alongside DOS games at a lower resolution. You should better put back the fan because they will get hot after half an hour or so. I replaced the fan in mine.

[@topouzidd]

This was my 2nd computer! That keyboard it had, it was the best keyboard ever!

[@Sloxx701]

A good alignment tool set I use is the Aven 13016 ESD safe set. It's on Digikey for $15 and I've had it for years.

[@nickwallette6201]

IBM was really throwing stuff at the wall to see what stuck back then. The PC/XT defined a lot of standards, which they modified with the AT, then again with the PS/2 and MCA, then again with the PS/1. No wonder the industry picked a few and stuck with them.

[@Alexis_du_60]

Ah that's the monitor for the PS/1 2011 (286) and 2121 (386SX), similar to the Amstrad PC1512, it also doubles as a power supply for the computer. In theory you can run this unit as a standalone VGA CRT monitor, there's even a B&W version. As for the Sony Trinitron on top of the 5170, these Trinitron PC CRTs have a known fault known as "G2 drift" which causes them to have a washed out picture, it's due to a "algorithm" that Sony added that would raise the G2 voltage to compensate for tube wear, unfortunately that algorithm tends to go bananas over time and artificially increases the G2 to such high levels that in some extreme cases, the monitor starts showing retrace lines. It can be fixed fortunately but you'd need a USB to TTL dongle, and a copy of the "Windas" adjustement software. It's a bit daunting initially but once you get the hang of it, it's almost a breeze.

[@eDoc2020]

I could've used that Trinitron knowledge a few years ago when I still had an E500. If Adrian thinks his little 17" version (apparently 44 lbs) is heavy, he hasn't had the 21" version. If I had it all fixed up and if it weren't so freaking bulky I'd probably be using it as a primary monitor today.

[@Alexis_du_60]

@@eDoc2020 Definitely... Trinitrons are insanely heavy, I once tried to lift a 29" (KV-29FX20B) one, I could barely lift it a millimeter from the ground.

[@januszkszczotek8587]

Interesting video Adrian. Up until now I thought that the Amstrad PC1512/PC1640 were the only PC compatibles with the power supply located in the monitor.

[@adriansdigitalbasement]

They must have set the trend as this was a later machine. IBM influenced by Amstrad!

[@BrendonGreenNZL]

@@adriansdigitalbasement remember the FUD wars with IBM vs Amstrad? IBM: OMG! Don't buy an Amstrad, because it doesn't have a cooling fan and it will overheat! Amstrad: Fine! We'll stick a fan in the corner of the case that just uselessly circulates air through the cooling vents, because our customers insist on having a noisy computer.

[@loganjorgensen]

Security bits of coarse, IBM has to protect that fancy C-R-T tech nobody else uses. ^_^ What a strange shape, probably a product of off-the-shelf parts arrangement rather than made to specs construction. I think people should get 13" or 14" inch monitors, seems to be the kind of weight and dimension they can handle anymore. They were always heavy but people can't seem to stop talking about that now with CRTs, they didn't suddenly get that way when LCDs came around. XD Cute screen but wouldn't suggest it for most because of that deepness to screen size ratio and strange adjustment location. Contemporary furniture certainly isn't as deep anymore. You hit the nail right on the head, VGA monitors probably had the most hours logged of any of the other monitor standards. Nice to see a thorough calibration, many didn't even bitd so they weren't getting the optimal result. ;)

[@tankgrrl]

My mom had a PS/1 with a similar monitor back in the day and I _hated_ it with a deep and abiding passion. It was hard to work on and everything was proprietary.

[@marksterling8286]

I used to have a old compaq vga monitor, it was only vga colour no super vga. But it was great for my home netware 3.12 server. The monitor was very slim you could push it far back on the bench with the mini tower sat next to it. It had an easy to find rocker switch on the right that looked like the rocker on the 386s desktop

[@parrottm76262]

Those old IBM monitors were used where I used to work for years and years after others dimmed and died. Makes you wonder what magic IBM did when engineering them.

[@buttguy]

You get the exact same enjoyment out of dialing in old monitors that I do setting the timing, dwell, air/fuel mix, etc. on old cars. Just something theraputic about dialing in the settings to get something working as well as possible.

[@Runicen]

Adrian, can you recommend any resources - whether printed or online - for learning how to diagnose and repair CRTs of this vintage and newer? Got one with a very clean picture but what I suspect is an arcing flyback and would really love to salvage it if there's any hope to. As always, enjoy the content and these deep dives into retro tech!

[@NealClewlow]

Hi Adrian, I believe those tools are called Pot[entiometer] Trimmers - a google on 'Pot Trimmer' seem to bring up similar items. HTH N

[@misterjib]

Kinda wackadoodle looking, I actually quite like the sloped side elevation

[@talideon]

That was pretty typical of IBM at the time.

[@JVHShack]

To Adrian: since you have a working PS/1 monitor, it would be nice to have a pinout of the DB15 connector for those of us that have the computer but not the monitor so a power supply can be built. I did try to find one online with no luck.

[@Jayoldstuff1]

I did it a while back kzbin.info/www/bejne/bHTEpXpsrdmXpZo

[@adriansdigitalbasement]

It's here actually: oldcomputer.info/pc/ps1_2121/index.htm#video

[@NavJack27gaming]

god that looks great. the color is saturated perfectly. the white is nice. i dunno, reminds me of my old pcjr monitor.

[@eddielegs344]

Yes, nice statue, top could be sharper, colors are nice, adjustment is helped, nice, also have a few that are like that. I also like ctr monitors I grew up with it, I now have 5 pieces from small to large, also a TV monitor, unfortunately I am not very good at repairing these devices but luckily mine all still work and still give a nice picture. Have a Philips 14 "is also scart and audio a JVC 14" which is used a lot with 2 inputs scart and comp and audio, a JVC 10 " Also have an Ancona 14 "scart and comp and audio with 1 speaker. Use them especially with Commodore 64 and little Amiga also have an LCD with an Ultimate 64 connected to it, which by the way is connected to a CRT at the same time :) can do both at the same time;)) I do that now and then. Must say with the Ultimate 64 on LCD with scanline on is almost as nice because the Ultimate has nice scan lines most devices do that badly Emulation all hell. But that is also due to the right TV LCD monitor, also a Philips with HDMI to which the U64 is connected. But nothing beats a CRT for those machines from that time, my Dutch down-to-earth opinion. Would still like a GVP monitor, but they are quite expensive and very difficult plugs. I already have so little space, the Retro corner is full and I am satisfied, too much stuff and not enough time. I don't play with it much, but when I do I always have to laugh, it remains nice stuff from that time. Quality that you don't see much anymore or is priceless. Gr From Holland.

[@Vermilicious]

Very nice colors indeed.

[@shmehfleh3115]

I still use a CRT monitor in my MAME cabinet. It looks close enough to a genuine 15 kHz arcade monitor without the hassle of trying to drive one from a PC. And of course, all my old computers use their age-appropriate CRT monitors.

[@GermanViscuso]

How did you clean the plastic parts of the monitor? Dishwasher maybe? Please explain! Thx for the video!