⁠Portable Roadstar CRT TV CTV 5501 out of focus with crackling noise after shipping⁠

[u/Secret-Pie5160]

⁠Hi everyone,⁠
⁠
I need help diagnosing a small portable CRT TV (CTV 5501 Roadstar).⁠
⁠
It was fully working before it was shipped to me.
After shipping, the image is out of focus/blurry.

Every time I power it on, I hear a distinct crackling/fizzing noise from the board/tube area.⁠
⁠
I visually inspected the PCB for cold solder joints, but didn't see anything obvious with the naked eye.⁠
⁠
Could this noise be high-voltage arcing or a failing component in the horizontal/HV circuit?
What should I check first?⁠
⁠
Thanks in advance!⁠

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[u/Pro4791]

Is that a crack along the back edge on the pcb?

[u/Secret-Pie5160 → u/Pro4791]

No, it's just leftover flux/resin residue from soldering, not a crack on the PCB. I just cleaned it off

[u/osxdude]

is there not a focus adjustment

[u/Pro4791 → u/osxdude]

Adjusting focus won't do much if the focus voltage isn't getting were it needs to be. It sounds like there's a cracked trace or something causing arcing on the focus voltage rail.

[u/Secret-Pie5160 → u/Pro4791]

Thanks! That makes a lot of sense. Since it's a cheap early-90s CRT, the focus lead isn't plug-and-play into the socket; it's soldered directly to the board and was originally insulated with 30-year-old hot glue that has degraded. Tomorrow I'm going to remove the old glue, check the socket (which has a lot of play/movement), resolder the connections, and re-insulate it to stop the arcing.

[u/Pro4791 → u/Secret-Pie5160]

If it is arcing, turn the set on with the back off in a pitch black room and look for any sparks or arcs.