[XCSSA] Getting another CRT

[X-otic Computer Systems of San Antonio]

My incredibly classic Viewsonic 21PS (mid 1990's) started emitting  
blue smoke on Monday.  Originally costing several thousand dollars  
(not bad per pound) you might recall I bought it at the computer swap  
meet in Dallas around 2001 for $60.  Getting it home was fun.  Since  
then, it's topped my list of hours used per dollar spent.

I've been researching the options.  Almost all LCD computer monitors  
use "TN" LCD technology which has limited contrast, viewing angle,  
and color accuracy (though it's been getting better).  Only a few  
computer monitors use better technology, such as IP*, at twice the  
price and up, and only in sizes 24" widescreen (shortscreen) and up.   
Even then, no LCD computer monitors are specd at more than 1:1000  
static contrast (LCD TV's above 32 inches can do twice that, and  
Plasmas do 20x that, thanks to blacker blacks, LCD is plenty  
bright).  Dynamic contrast is BS.

I don't have room for 24" widescreen on the corner of my kitchen  
table where the 21PS now sits, and a 4x3 monitor would make much  
better use of available space.

So my current thinking is I'll get another CRT while I still can.  I  
see I can get a high end "Graphics Series" Viewsonic as "new", a  
refurbed Sony GDM-F500, or a midline NEC.  The Sony might have the  
best color but it's notoriously unreliable, particularly as a refurb  
(see reviews at Amazon).

And what about fixing CRT's ???  The picture tubes last forever on  
the good and unabused ones, it's power supplies, V/H amplifiers, and  
flyback transformers that always fail first.  Anybody fix these  
things?  I'm thinking of mothballing the 21PS in case someday I can  
get it fixed, though that's treading water on such an old unit.  My  
Viewsonic P810 ("professional" series, I paid $1900 in 1999) is still  
going strong and just as sharp and bright as new, but eventually it  
will probably need refurbing too.

I've already recycled dozens of puny or otherwise worthless CRT's  
(including a very disappointing 19" Radius which was blurry and dim,  
and not much better when new I was told).  But the good CRT's may be  
worth keeping alive.

Charles Peterson