The first one shipped and had massive geometry and brightness problems. Every few minutes the entire screen would flicker -- like the image would zoom in by 5%, zoom out by 5%, repeat -- really disorienting. I took it to a local place that actually repaired them. Guy charged me $200 to replace some voltage regulators. It fixed the brightness but the image still flickered every few minutes. He wouldn't touch it again unless I paid him again.
Then I found a guy two states over selling two of them for local pick-up. Drove eight hours each way, got them loaded up and taken back. One of the two had the flyback transformer failing, and had a massive gauss problem at the top of the tube -- degauss only barely helped it, and it'd come right back every time. The other one seemed to be in good condition. I don't know how long it will last, and I always feel a bit guilty using it, knowing I'm wearing down its remaining life.
The 2530s set me back around $700 for all three plus the failed repair attempt.
I do also have a working 2030, and two 1390s. The 1390s are too small to be usable, but I can put them up on my plant ledge, so I'm keeping them for posterity.
If you have ample and cheap/free storage space, keep all three. The only thing not "easily" fixed (not easily, but no magic) is the phosphor on the inside. All other components can be upgraded and replaced by competent people. Don't let them be a drag on your soul and don't feel guilty. Use the third with joy!
If you don't have space, throw them away of course, no worldly possession is worth hassle in itself. But if you keep them, their value as cultural artifacts will continue to increase. Also with time, more people will be willing to pay the (high) cost of rebuilding them. I predict there will be at least one canonical company in the US which will spend many, many years rebuilding CRTs for collectors, enthusiasts and museums.
Believe it or not, I actually sold them to a museum.
I listed them on eBay as defective along with a detailed description of their issues, and they were both purchased by some sort of museum place in New York I forgot the name of. They sent a truck out to my place to pick both of them up.
I have one because my dad used to use it for our CCTV system at work. It's been gathering dust for a while but I can get it running again. Are they worth a lot?
Maybe not now, but they will be worth a lot. Not enough maybe to offset cost of storage if you have to pay for that kind of thing, but if you have "free" storage (which means your old electronics junk should not take a big chunk out of your other storage needs and life in general) it can definitely be worth saving stuff like that, even from a pure financial standpoint.
The first one shipped and had massive geometry and brightness problems. Every few minutes the entire screen would flicker -- like the image would zoom in by 5%, zoom out by 5%, repeat -- really disorienting. I took it to a local place that actually repaired them. Guy charged me $200 to replace some voltage regulators. It fixed the brightness but the image still flickered every few minutes. He wouldn't touch it again unless I paid him again.
Then I found a guy two states over selling two of them for local pick-up. Drove eight hours each way, got them loaded up and taken back. One of the two had the flyback transformer failing, and had a massive gauss problem at the top of the tube -- degauss only barely helped it, and it'd come right back every time. The other one seemed to be in good condition. I don't know how long it will last, and I always feel a bit guilty using it, knowing I'm wearing down its remaining life.
The 2530s set me back around $700 for all three plus the failed repair attempt.
I do also have a working 2030, and two 1390s. The 1390s are too small to be usable, but I can put them up on my plant ledge, so I'm keeping them for posterity.