Picture tube screen grid potential control

A transistor with its collector connected to a point near the screen grid in the resistor network which feeds voltage from the high voltage rectifier of a picture tube to the screen grid electrode and its emitter connected to ground has two control circuits connected to its base electrode. The first control circuit (56) is a threshold circuit responsive to a voltage proportional to the beam current of the picture tube for making the control transistor provide a short circuit between the picture tube screen grid and ground, and thereby preventing a burnout when there is persistent excessive beam current. The second control circuit (58) acts on the base electrode of the control transistor to set the screen grid voltage of the picture tube at a desired value in normal operation, for example in accordance with the pulse width of a train of pulses of settable pulse width.