CompuServe Thread

I have seen replacement tubes advertised for about $35 but I believe you need to know what you're doing to replace them. I've been told that but can't say for sure. If someone knows if they can be replaced easily let me know since I have access to a number of them with bad/burned tubes.

Burned in images are a result of damage to the video pickup tube in your camera. (Usually caused by exposure to a very bright light source, or long term exposure to a stable fairly bright image.) The damage to the phosphors in the tube is permanent. To repair the damage, a new video tube is required. Depending on the camera, and the age, a replacement tube may, or may not be available. (This is one reason that many companies have gone to the CCD imaging devices. They don't have the burn-in problems the tubes do. (However, they are not as good in low light situations, and lack the resolution of the top end units. For Mom & Pop, who like to take pictures of the sun, they are a blessing.)

Also, when a burned-in image is present on the vidicon et al, a one-in-a-million chance remedy sometimes helps decrease the effect of the burn-in. Aim the camera at a white card under balanced light for several hours… I've seen it lessen the burned-in image to a faint grey ghost. This fix wouldn't enable you to use the camera satisfactorily as a video input device but would serve okay as a security camera and such… :> – Lorenz K. Sievers –