I've been cleaning my GE Spacemaker XL1400 JVM1430WA01, and giving thought to replacing the vacuum-fluorescent display, which has dimmed quite a bit. * (I was amazed how easy it is to get into the thing.)
Anyhow... although the entire control panel is readily available (for $140), the display itself isn't. I've done a of browsing, but can't find it.
Thoughts, anyone?
Thanks.
In the early 1990s, I had a summer job selling GE appliance parts to parts distributors and repair shops. At that time, most "smartboards" were sold complete. On a few of them, the low-voltage transformer was available as a separate part, because it plugged into the circuit board rather than being soldered in. There might have been something like a relay available for some of them, but that is a fuzzy memory. I do remember that some boards were sold outright, and some had a core charge, refundable on receipt of the broken one. These days I think most suppliers sell the boards outright.
I think there are (were?) some companies that rebuild smartboards, but I don't know of one to point you at.
If you can find out if your smartboard was also used on other models, you might prowl thrift stores, Craigslist, the curb on trash day, etc, for those models. Use the online parts looker-uppers and Google to experiment.
Tip: JVM1430 is the main model number. W means it's white. A01 is sort of a sub-model and revision level. In other words, a JVM1430BA01 (black, "revision" A01) probably uses the same smartboard as yours, but a JVM1430BD02 (black, "revision" D02) may not.
Some used appliance stores will "make one out of two", and therefore have a selection of hulks they use for salvage. They may or may not be willing to sell you parts, but asking is free. Again, it will help if you can provide them with a list of models.
The hard parts are probably the main microprocessor and the display; everything else looks pretty off-the-shelf on most of the boards I have seen.
Standard disclaimers apply; I don't currently get money or other consideration from any companies mentioned. I used to work for GE but I haven't been there for about 19 years.
Matt Roberds
Thank you for your suggestions.
A trick we use in the pinball field for the cold cathode displays is to recharge them by putting a bit of an overvoltage on the filaments for the tube.
For our games the filaments run at 8V, so we hit them with 12V until they glow a dull red, leave that glowing for a few seconds and then try the display again.
In some cases this completely revives the display and you get years of normal operation - in other cases it brightens it for a while (under a year) and you are lef twith it about the same dimness as before.
Do NOT put too much voltage across the filaments (normally the lead at each end of the tube string of leads) or you run the risk of breaking a filament which destroys the tube and may damage the segment drivers or transformer, etc. This is very, very rare though.
John :-#)#
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Like a CRT rejuvenator, huh? Thanks.
The inverter that supplied the -22 volts used to slowly die in VCRs as the filter cap dried out. I replaced a bunch of the electrolytics, but a lot of people just replaced the module.
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Rob the display from an older VCR, from when you could actually read the displays from across a room. Often you can see the tracks from pins to segments and can reconfigure the traces on the pcb before trying. But I suppose trying ,as is, initially to check the display will work , then reconfigure the traces, makes more sense
took me 10
I wonder: Does turning off the display actually help in longevity? I have the clock turned off on my GE microwave, but I do see the filaments still faintly glowing. What is the main reason for the display dimming over time? Do the filaments weaken over time, or does the actual VF display segments get weak?
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It absolutely does. The only dim parts of the display are those that show the clock time. "Everything else" has gotten much less use, and is considerably brighter.
I assume it's a reduction in emissivity of the fluorescent elements.
I think it is the emission from the filaments that declines with time, like very radio tubes - think 201As, and others where the heater was also the cathode. The filaments are normally biased from common by some odd voltage (4 & 8 volts (4 & 6/7 digits) on our large pinball displays)
- perhaps the bias is off?
John :-#)#
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(Please post followups or tech inquiries to the newsgroup)
John's Jukes Ltd. 2343 Main St., Vancouver, BC, Canada V5T 3C9
(604)872-5757 or Fax 872-2010 (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games)
www.flippers.com
"Old pinballers never die, they just flip out."
If the display is over-covered with purple or blue filter then replacing that with a slab of clear increases the visibility of the digits, assuming visibility of the other gubbins is acceptible
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