Arcing Mechanisms in Color Picture Tubes and Reduction of Receiver Component Damage

Various practices will be described which will contribute to reduction of arcing in the picture tube as well as better protection of receiver components. Arcing is thought to be initiated by particulate contaminants on the focus grid causing electron bombardment of the tube walls. In a typical arcing case the main source of high voltage energy into the receiver was found to be arcing from the focus grid pin across the base to the cathode pin of the blue gun and the G1 pin of the green gun (on 90°bipotential focus tubes), causing heater and cathode damage. Heater protection can be accomplished with arc gaps from the focus grid pin and cathode leads to ground.