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AndyNumbers' Gaming Blog 
Hello,
I recently bought an Ikegami TM20-80RP monitor and I absolutely love it.
The geometry is OK but not perfect and I read you changed all the capacitors on your TM20-18’s deflection board.
How did you go about it? You found capacitors with the same specs online and replaced them?
I’m interested in doing the same.
By the way I posted a thread on this shmups forum, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were registered there so I’ll leave the link in case you want to post there as it might be helpful to some people:
http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=59140&p=1234295#p1234295
Thanks 🙂
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I sent you a reply on the Shmups thread you started. Your monitor looks OK to me. You don’t need to change caps. Also, it’s not something you should do unless you are experienced with desoldering and soldering. You need the proper equipment to do it.
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Hello! I have enjoyed reading all of your posts about monitors, and I hope to see more in the future!
I have a chance to get a Shibasoku at a reasonable price. Could you give me a ballpark estimate how many capacitors there were in yours? Also, were the PCBs double-sided?
I have a 1992 BVM that I had to do a lot of recapping work on, but it’s got literally around 200 electrolytic capacitors in it altogether, many on double-sided PCBs, so I’ve had to leave some for my own sanity. If the Shibasoku is similar, I might want to pass on it.
Thank you!
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I’m afraid the ShibaSoku is going to be just as bad as your BVM. You don’t necessarily need to replace every capacitor… Just the ones that are critical and prone to wear and/or failure. Definitely replace all deflection and video amp caps, and possibly power supply caps as well. Basically any caps that are subjected to high voltage and power will wear out first. Low voltage caps such as the ones on video input modules don’t wear out as fast.
If you do decide to tackle this monitor make sure you have the proper desoldering equipment. I have the Hakko FR300 and couldn’t recommend it enough. Don’t use a radio shack special.
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Thank you for your reply.
Yeah, it was the power supply, deflection card and video amp in my BVM that I totally recapped. Just the other day, though, I smelled that unmistakable cat-urine-like smell of a freshly blown cap coming from the set, and it turned out to be coming from the early-stage signal processing boards. If I really want to keep using it, I think I’ll need to recap it entirely.
A real desoldering gun would make things much less of a hassle, that’s for sure. Desoldering braid is fine for single-sided PCBs, but for double sided ones (like the signal processing boards in that BVM) it simply isn’t efficient enough. Paying north of $200 for a one would make me wince, however, after upgrading to a real soldering iron after a $5 cheapie, I can believe that there is a worthwhile difference.
I’m definitely leaning toward taking a risk on this Shibasoku. It’s actually the same one that another guy asked you about recently – we both live in Japan, and there is a CM201N that has been sitting unbid-on for ages. http://page8.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/h244489840
I think he gave up on it, but it looks like this would be a shadow mask monitor with AFC, which would be my personal ideal. The pics showing a screwy menu and a bend in geometry are concerning, but the price is quite reasonable for the market, and if fixing a few bad capacitors will restore it, I’m game.
Final question from me – does your CM205N have an AFC switch in the pull-out tray? On the CRT gaming subreddit, another fellow posted pics of an older Shibasoku with an AFC switch, and that is essential for playing PC Engine/Turbografx 16. I can’t play that system on my Ikegami HTM-2050R precisely because it lacks it.
Thanks again!
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After spending years of attempting to desolder things with a Radio Shack desoldering bulb (and destroying many solder pads in the process), you have to stop and ask yourself, “Is this really worth saving $200?” Bite the bullet and buy the right equipment. Once you start using it you’ll ask yourself “How the hell did I ever not have one of these?” The time alone that you’ll save compared to solder braid is worth it. A four-hour job becomes a one-hour job.
My CM205 has an AFC button but I can’t tell a difference when it is on or not. I’m assuming you need this feature for consoles with poor sync signals.
I say go for it and get the monitor, but be prepared to sit at least six feet away from the screen when you’re viewing it. The scanlines are so sharp your eyes will bleed.
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All right, I’ll take the desoldering-gun plunge sometime soon. I hear that the first batches of FR300s had faulty designs and burned out easily, so I’ll have to hope that mine is made more recently.
I’m really happy about these Shibasokus having AFC. Yeah, PC Engine has weird sync trouble that doesn’t show up on consumer TVs (which basically all have AFC) but causes bad distortion on pro monitors expecting perfectly consistent sync signals.
I’m actually hoping that the CM201 will have a lower TVL count than your CM205. Once I get it, assuming I win the auction, I’ll email Shibasoku directly in Japanese and see if I can’t get them to send me a manual, or at least tell me something about the CM201. Ikegami actually scanned their HTM-2050R manual for me, after all. If Shibasoku is equally friendly, I’ll even see if they can get me something for your CM205.
Anyway, sorry to clog up your “About” area with discussion like this. With luck, there will be two people able to talk extensively about Shibasoku monitors soon! Thank you!
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Hey, I got the CM201! And a desoldering gun, too!
The good news is that the tube itself shows no signs of trouble. I was worried when I opened it and saw magnets all over the bell, but there is no discoloration, no burn-in, and the geometry and convergence are great. Unlike my Ikegami HTM-2050R, which I know is a 900-line monitor, the scanlines are nice and thick – the black lines between them are skinny in comparison. Also, the PC Engine displays without any warping, just as I was hoping. This has the potential to be my single favorite monitor.
The bad news is, the horizontal sync is extremely unstable. Individual lines wobble side-to-side like crazy. I’m hopeful that it’s a capacitor problem, in part because the problem improves (though not completely) as the unit heats up. IIRC, one characteristic of bad capacitors is that they are even worse when they are cold, so maybe that’s it.
I’m going to start by recapping the deflection card. Sadly, many of the capacitor values are not easily visible, and won’t be without taking them out. Since your monitor is essentially of a different generation, I’m sure there are some differences in the deflection card design, but nonetheless, if you have a written list of the caps on your deflection card, I’d be interested in seeing it. I have to get caps shipped to me, so it’s much better to order as many as I can at once.
If you prefer, you can reach me at samuel.innes at gmail. If it’s not too much trouble, there are a couple of other things I’d like to ask you about, too. Regardless, thanks for all your help and for your blog!
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Most likely your deflection card will be different, so a list of caps will not help you. You should be able to read most of the values once you remove the board from the monitor. Hold it under a lamp to see them. Smaller capacitors can be bent to read them. Sometimes they are dirty and the markings get covered up, so use a q-tip to clean them. I typically write the values down and then mark the top of the cap with a sharpie so I know which ones I have done.
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If you have a typed list already and can just copy/paste, could you give it to me anyway? If the caps in my set whose values I can see without removing them match the ones on your list, then I’ll take a chance and order your full list. It would be worth it to me to save the time, because that’s something I have very little of at home.
If you don’t have a list typed up, though, it’s no big deal.
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