Breakdown event detector

A cathode ray tube may utilize a focus mask color-selection structure. The focus mask structure is susceptible to localized, transient short circuit events, or breakdown events. These events may be caused by conductive particulates that become free within the cathode ray tube and provide a short circuit between first and second layers of the focus mask. The breakdown events are undesirable because they may result in cross-strand currents causing mask strand magnetization that can interfere with a video image on the screen of the cathode ray tube. A transformer rapidly senses random changes in a voltage or a current supplied to the second layer of the focus mask. A pulse waveform generator is coupled to the transformer and provides a pulse waveform responsive to the sudden change in voltage or current.