Survey of CRT TV to LCD replacements

[Mary & Ray]

So, after paying to have our front TV replaced (they did a great job), we decided to tackle the bedroom TV ourselves.  There was some trial and error.  But the project is complete.  We build a box with MDF and bolted it to the shelf.  The biggest problem was placement of the box.  We used a fixed mount for the TV to lessen the movement while traveling (the front TV is on and articulating mount and moves while traveling so we use a bungee cord).  With the fixed mount there isn't a lot of room to get your hand behind the TV to lock it once it is mounted.  We also attached a strap to try to lessen movement while traveling. If your MH doesn't bounce around while traveling, you won't need the strap   I'm going to try to attach pics!  This part might be harder than the TV project

Don't know why the pics post sideways

 

[John Canfield]

MDF is good stuff to work with, I use it to make templates.  Our bedroom TV flat panel is on an arm and has stayed put for about nine years.  The larger front TV does need securing.

 

[Tacky attitude]

Okay Guys and Gals. I have replaced the CRT TV in the bed room and have now started on the one in the front part of the coach on my 36G, 2006 Journey. I have removed the plastic cover on the TV and have ran into a problem on removing the wooden frame around the front of the TV. I found one screw on each side in the adjacent cabinets and that allowed some movement but not much. Any suggestions on finishing the removal of this TV would be appreciated.

 

[John Canfield]

Pictures would help....

 

[cbeierl]

Okay Guys and Gals. I have replaced the CRT TV in the bed room and have now started on the one in the front part of the coach on my 36G, 2006 Journey. I have removed the plastic cover on the TV and have ran into a problem on removing the wooden frame around the front of the TV. I found one screw on each side in the adjacent cabinets and that allowed some movement but not much. Any suggestions on finishing the removal of this TV would be appreciated.

i would expect at least two screws on each side from the adjacent cabinet into the faceframe.  If you have a center speaker over the  TV in the faceframe you will need to remove that before the frame will come off.

 

[Livin large]

I moved the 32 inch Norcent flatscreen  tv to the basement and converted the compartment into a DVD bookcase. I mounted a 42 inch Proscan onto a stained plywood door. 42 inch tv is the biggest that will fit and still allow the slide to close without issues. I also replaced the rv dvd player/ amplifier with a Panasonic bluray player, Yamaha slimline AVR RX-S601 with bluetooth and internet radio and polk audio powered sub that fits nicely behind the fireplace. For the dual tuner PVR I rerouted the "cable" cable in the selector box to the "roof satellite" connector at the satellite connection wallplate and use the portable satellite connector for the other tuner and use a dish on a tripod connected to the outside connectors in the electrical compartment. The Winegard roof dish doesn't work with my Shaw Direct setup. I also use an RF modulator to send the PVR signal to the bedroom and basement tvs since the PVR only has HDMI and composite outputs. The PVR's UHF remote works great for channel surfing on the other tvs. I also put in a 24 inch Proscan in the bedroom that replaced the CRT that was in there. The space behind that tv is used to hold my wifi router with the external drive containing all my media files and Wifi Ranger hookups.   

 

[John Canfield]

Very creative!  Thanks for the pix and details, welcome aboard.

 

[Old Grape]

Howdy All. We have replace 2 of the 3 TVs with LCD/LED TVs. We replaced the Front TV with an 32' Insignia (dealer provided) wen we bought our coach as part of the deal. They basically pulled out the old monster, installed a felt covered piece of plywood, and then mounted the TV directly to it. Last year we replaced the outside entertainment TV basically the same way. We replaced that TV with a 26" JVC LCD/DVD Combo TV. I still need to pull out the bedroom TV and replace it but it does not look too easy with the frame that Winnebago used. Also we want to convert that top cabinet area to combine with the lower half and install a stacked washer and dryer. Wife does not like that washer/dryer combo unit.

 

[John Canfield]

We have used the Splendide combo washer dryer for over ten years and dear wife has learned to work around its limitations and would not be without it.  If she expected home W/D performance,  that's not going to happen. (Actually we are on Splendide #2).

 

[Old68mustang]

The Front TV on my 02 Journey died years ago. My kids had given me a 32" Vizio LCD which I installed in it's place. That was before the nice, convenient, pull out mounts for RV's came out so I made my own mounts with some perf metal. It fit in so well that I was able to modify the existing wood trim to make it look like it was OEM. The one thing I like about it is the speakers are on the front of the TV  All the newer ones have the speakers behind and sound is poor unless you use an external sound bar. As one other poster s.aid look for a TV with a variable output that follows the remote volume control. This one has a fixed output and it doesn't work with the surround sound as it really blasts, but the speakers in the front are fine for me.

 

[John Canfield]

.... As one other poster s.aid look for a TV with a variable output that follows the remote volume control. This one has a fixed output and it doesn't work with the surround sound as it really blasts, but the speakers in the front are fine for me.

You can easily (if you can solder, etc.) make a small modification to the TV speakers to bring variable line level audio out.  I detail that in a page on my website in the RV section.

 

[cbeierl]

The Front TV on my 02 Journey died years ago. My kids had given me a 32" Vizio LCD which I installed in it's place. That was before the nice, convenient, pull out mounts for RV's came out so I made my own mounts with some perf metal. It fit in so well that I was able to modify the existing wood trim to make it look like it was OEM. The one thing I like about it is the speakers are on the front of the TV  All the newer ones have the speakers behind and sound is poor unless you use an external sound bar. As one other poster s.aid look for a TV with a variable output that follows the remote volume control. This one has a fixed output and it doesn't work with the surround sound as it really blasts, but the speakers in the front are fine for me.

This posting shows how I connected the surround sound to my new Vizio TV (as Winnebago had with the original Sony): Front LCD TV install in 2005 Vectra (Long)

 

[SusieD]

We have a 2005 Itasca Horizon 36RD and want to replace the non-working CRT over the dash with a flat screen.  Winnebago sent me instructions on how to get the old tv out but does anyone here have ideas on how to remove the plastic shroud screw plugs?  I've tried prying one out only to have the ring around it tear.  Maybe I'm not being forceful enough!  Thanks to all.

 

[John Canfield]

Welcome aboard. Post some pictures of the part/area in question if you would.

 

[cbeierl]

We have a 2005 Itasca Horizon 36RD and want to replace the non-working CRT over the dash with a flat screen.  Winnebago sent me instructions on how to get the old tv out but does anyone here have ideas on how to remove the plastic shroud screw plugs?  I've tried prying one out only to have the ring around it tear.  Maybe I'm not being forceful enough!  Thanks to all.

First, cover up the defroster vents with a towel so you don't lose anything down them.  If you inspect the plugs carefully you should see a tiny little ~1/8" long 'slot' on the inside edge of the outer ring of the plug.  Use the tip of a small knife or very small screwdriver carefully inserted into that slot to pry out the center plug.  Be gentle.

 

[SusieD]

Thanks for your replies - I'll try to get pics tomorrow!

 

[SusieD]

Ok here's a pic of the "plug" I'd already screwed up!  Haven't had a chance to try the method advised by cbeierl yet - weather has taken a downturn.

 

[BobNSam]

Yep you can see cbeieri's slot on left inner circle on the picture.

 

[HappiHenri]

Bought a 2005 Winnebago Adventurer 37b a few months ago, which we love.  Still had the original Sony flat screen CRTs which seemed to work OK (once we figured out that to power them we had to have the 300 watt inverter turned on).  But with new TV's looking so great it was hard to view that old technology - not to mention that we could achieve a few hundred lbs of weight savings by switching to LCDs: Sony 27" CRT ~100 lbs.  New Samsung 4k UHD 40" - 17 lbs. + weight of swing out, extendable mount.)

This model has the 27" TV in the middle cabinet, next to the dinette, facing forward, over the washer-dryer. Hardest part was removing the old Sony.  Learned a lot by pulling up the thin 1/8" "floor" in the cabinet above the TV so I could look down and see the back of the TV (huge!) as well as access some of the mounting screws in the large metal surround bracket which helped secure the TV.  But even with those removed it still would not budge, so I had to take out the Washer Dryer in the cabinet below it.  Once done I could access some large bolts - 2 of which secured the bottom edges of the large surround bracket, and the other 2 fastened into the bottom of the TV.  Once done the TV was free, but it was a beast!  I managed to wrestle it out and somehow get out the door - by myself.

Then I thoroughly vacuumed up the years of accumulated dirt & dust in both cabinets and went to building a backer board to hold the new TV mount. The 40" Samsung TV fits perfectly in front of the surround trim, but still does not overhang the edges or the lower panel (the one on top of the lower cabinet), so it did not interfere with the slide.  One of the improvements I wanted was to be able to swing the TV out and angle it for better viewing from the couch (which sits forward of the dinette).  So I bought the largest swing mount I could find (at Costco) which allows the mounted TV to extend 24" from the base wall mount.  However - the mount was about 3.5" in thickness, so I had to recess the new mounting board a few inches behind the cabinet trim. 

Once done it works great.  I can push the TV back against the trim and it sits in there nicely, with it's curved back edges allowing it to recess a bit.  And now I can pull the TV out and swivel and angle it quite a bit.  But the only video source I currently have is from a new Blue Ray player placed in the cabinet over the TV.  Getting nothing from the OE antenna coax connection - even when switched to TV antenna.  (controlled from switcher in the front passenger side overhead cabinet.)  Maybe no broadcast TV available in the location I was trying it from.  Also - while the TV sound is pretty good for such as narrow TV, I want to be able to take advantage of the coach Winnebago deluxe surround sound speakers & sub-woofers.

Questions for the forum -
1> For this Winnebago model with the deluxe, optional speaker system - where is the amplifier which drives them?  I was expecting to find one where I could control volume and tone - but nothing. When playing the center dash radio I can get sound from the front speakers mounted on either side of the windscreen and from the sub-woofer mounted in the floor next to the steps (though have no ability to control tone - only volume), but no sound from any other of the small cube speakers further back or from the 2nd sub-woofer mounted low up by the refrigerator.  I have downloaded all the possible information and electrical schematics I can find from Winnebago but find no amplifier that give me any control.  From the schematics there appears to a small speaker amplifier hidden up in the overhead cabinet over the driver's seat, but I cannot find it.  And it certainly is not pictured with any controls on it - only speaker connections.  Any suggestions??
2> This system also appears to have some remote IR sensors in a few places in the living/kitchen area - but what do they control?  What remote works with them?  Can find no documentation about them.

So - I have the new TV in place.  Works great so far but need help with the deluxe surround sound speakers and utilizing the roof mounted OEM TV antenna and Satellite dish.
Thank you!

 

[John Canfield]

Welcome! Please put up a few pictures of your handiwork.

The amplifier you are wondering about might be the "Q-Surround" - mine is buried in the front left bay where a bunch of fuses and circuit breakers are located. Yours is in a handy place above the dash in the overhead cabinet, page one of this wiring diagram. (It's not really surround sound, just an amp driving a bunch of little speakers.)

The amplifier volume is controlled by either the radio or TV volume, in other words it's a fixed line level input. When I upgraded my TV/amp I bought a 'real' 5.1 Surround Sound amp/DVD player and only use the Winnebago amp for the dash radio. Here's a write-up of my project.

The IR is to change TV channels or (whatever it did) from the bedroom. The IR receiver is a little dark plastic 'button', the emitter looks like a clear LED on the end of a plastic arm thingy and will be somewhere in your entertainment cabinet.