Catn,
Perhaps I should have mentioned this at the start:
When a Horizontal Deflection Transistor (also called a HOT - Horizontal Output transistor) fails, there is usually a good cause for that.
These transistors are not in the habit of just failing off the bat, one day.
The normal causes are as follows and I would suggest that you check these out, before replacing your transistors, otherwise they'll just fail again.
1. Dry joints in nearby area - in the HOT leads, flyback transformer, horizontal driver circuits could cause HOT to blow.
2. Shorted flyback primary winding.
3. Shorted or open internal capacitor in flyback transformer.
4. Too high B+ voltage- A higher than normal B+ voltage will kill the HOT instantly. Make sure the B+ is supplying the right voltage to the primary winding of flyback transformer.
5. Running at wrong frequency - the horizontal driver circuit area running at a different frequency - a too low frequency will kill the HOT after “ON” for a few hours!
6. Bad electrolytic capacitor in the supply line to horizontal driver transformer- If you found a HOT shorted, make sure you check on this capacitor which usually developed high ESR value that destroys the HOT in few hours time.
7. Shorted horizontal yoke coils- A shorted horizontal yoke coil could instantly kill the HOT.
I always use the Smith flyback tester (now sold by Anatek) to confirm first that the yoke coil is good before the replacement of a new HOT.
8. Safety capacitor value out - If this safety (holddown) capacitor value drops to zero, the high voltage produced at the anode could shoot up to over 30KV thus killing the HOT in a split-second.
9. Wrong replacement - someone else had fitted a different specification of HOT thus making the HOT breakdown after some time.
10. Nearby components - There are some possibilities too that bad components nearby the HOT could cause the HOT to blow. Check the surrounding components before you switch “On”.
Thanks to Jestine Yong for these tips.
Menahem
Learn from the mistakes of others - you'll not live long enough to make them all yourself!