Just an fyi, vt100 flybacks fail frequently and are largely unobtainable. Many list members have asked for spares with no luck. So if your flyback is truly bad there’s no use trying to fix any other part of it until you get the flyback working.
Sent from my iPhone > On Nov 17, 2025, at 10:35, Martin Bishop via cctalk <[email protected]> > wrote: > > <quote> If it is not 5V you'll need remove the part and use a variac ( or > similar ) to bring the power up slowly, watching the rail voltage. </quote> > > I would incline to using bench power supplies with current limits, as the > voltage source, when investigating failing boards / components. Perhaps not > possible or perhaps it requires a lot of strip down, but then you can wind on > the DC "gently", observe currents and respond apropriately. Switched mode > PSUs, esp wide range ones, can be insensitive to AC line voltage. > > Martin > > -----Original Message----- > From: dwight via cctalk [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: 17 November 2025 18:19 > To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <[email protected]> > Cc: dwight <[email protected]> > Subject: [cctalk] Re: Hot Video Shift Register on VT100 > > If the part is getting hot, that can mean 1 of 2 different problems. > > 1. > The part has failed internally. > 2. > An output has external short to one of the voltage rails > 3. > The VCC input has gone above 5V and this part has fail and is now loading it > down and hopefully protecting the other parts. > > For any of these, you will need to remove the part. The worst one is that the > regulator has failed as just removing the part and powering the system up can > cause more additional damage. > > First check the VCC voltage. If it is not 5V you may have a regulator > problem. If it is not 5V you'll need remove the part and use a variac ( or > similar ) to bring the power up slowly, watching the rail voltage. > > Next since you've removed the part, you can now continue. With the terminal > powered up, we want to look for another possible short causing the part to > run hot. Use a 50 ( about 47 is a 50 ) ohm resistor. Connect one end to > circuit ground. Attach it to each output pin and measure the voltage If > another input has shorted to 5V, you would see more than a 0.5 volts on the > resistor it is likely a shorted input. > > If all these don't seem to be the problem replace the part. Do it with a > socket. If you unsolder is make sure to note which pin locations top and > bottom so that you can check them with a meter after installing the socket. > > Dwight > ________________________________ > From: Rob Jarratt via cctalk <[email protected]> > Sent: Sunday, November 16, 2025 10:41 PM > To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <[email protected]> > Cc: Rob Jarratt <[email protected]> > Subject: [cctalk] Hot Video Shift Register on VT100 > > (sending again from a different email address as I don't think my first email > got through, apologies if this is a duplicate) > > > > I have a VT100 that I was working on a while back and then set aside for a > bit. I have started to look at it again. I have noticed that the Video Shift > Register, a 74S299, gets very hot, I can smell the heat and the chip gets > almost too hot to touch, reaching almost 40 celsius. I have a working VT102 > for comparison and the same chip there does not get so hot (it reaches about > 30 celsius). I have already tried replacing the chip, but the new one gets > equally hot. > > > > I looked at the signals the chip is receiving and the one that stands out as > different is the CLK input (pin 12). It looks like this: > https://rjarratt.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/vt100-74s299-clk-s > ignal.png. On the VT102 it looks like this: > https://rjarratt.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/vt102-74s299-clk-s > ignal.png. It is much spikier on the VT100 and I was told at one point that > this could be the cause of the hot running for the chip. Is that a reasonable > assumption? > > > > Assuming the spikes are the cause of the hot running. I am trying to see why > there is a difference. I have noticed that on the VT102 there is a 68R > resistor between the DC011 which produces the signal and the 74S299. You can > see this as R86 in the VT101 printset > https://bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/terminal/vt101/MP-01066-00C_VT101_Family_Field > _Maintenance_Print_Set_Apr82.pdf (p47 of the PDF). The VT100 printset dated > Feb 82 > https://bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/terminal/vt100/MP00633_VT100_Schematic_Feb82.p > df shows an inductor L8 being used (PDF p17), but my VT100 does not have this > and so must be described by the March 80 printset > https://bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/terminal/vt100/MP00633_VT100_Mar80.pdf (PDF > p17). > > > > Could the absence of L8 explain the spikier DOT CLK signal and the hotter > 74S299? > > > > Incidentally, I suspect that the flyback transformer on my VT100 has failed. > If anyone has a flyback transformer going spare, especially in the UK, then I > would love to hear from you. > > > > Thanks > > > > Rob > > >
