Monitor, please don't die on me.
February 25, 2012 1:30 PM Subscribe
The screen of my LCD computer monitor has started emitting a high-pitched sound and then going to black seconds after I turn it on. The power button light is not affected. What is happening and is it fixable? Thanks.
Sounds like the inverter -- in many LCD monitors, there are thin fluorescent tubes that provide the backlight. You have to run those at a few hundred (few thousand?) volts, and the circuit that does it is called an inverter. It's also the part that frequently goes bad. And it's often inexpensive components called capacitors that are at fault (although sometimes bad caps cause something else to blow out).
Anyway, if you're really handy, you can open it up (after letting it sit unplugged overnight!) and look for puffy or black capacitors. If you find some, replace them. If you're less handy, look online for a repair kit. This may have all the capacitors you might need, plus instructions; or it might be a complete inverter.
LCDs are frequently fixable, and not particularly hard to fix. Google your model number and see what you can find.
posted by spacewrench at 1:47 PM on February 25, 2012
Anyway, if you're really handy, you can open it up (after letting it sit unplugged overnight!) and look for puffy or black capacitors. If you find some, replace them. If you're less handy, look online for a repair kit. This may have all the capacitors you might need, plus instructions; or it might be a complete inverter.
LCDs are frequently fixable, and not particularly hard to fix. Google your model number and see what you can find.
posted by spacewrench at 1:47 PM on February 25, 2012
spacewrench has it. The symptoms are dead on for a failed inverter. They are fixable provided you can find the part. There are multiple videos on how to replace them. Search Google to see if you can get a replacement, and YouTube for the how-to.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 2:48 PM on February 25, 2012
posted by Mister Fabulous at 2:48 PM on February 25, 2012
Response by poster: It seems that the model I have (Samsung SyncMaster 940NW) is not very popular and the only thing I can find in Google is the repair manual for $10.
Right now if I keep insisting in turning it on and off the screen stays on after a couple of tries. I know it's probably relative and hard to determine but how long do I have before even that stops working?
posted by Memo at 3:20 PM on February 25, 2012
Right now if I keep insisting in turning it on and off the screen stays on after a couple of tries. I know it's probably relative and hard to determine but how long do I have before even that stops working?
posted by Memo at 3:20 PM on February 25, 2012
Best answer: I didn't have any luck finding the part on Google. It probably has a few weeks to a few months left before it goes kaput. On Newegg, 19" LCD monitors are around $100. Widescreen models at 21.5" are at $120 and 23" at $140. I noticed you are in Chile, so I have no idea what the prices or places to shop would be.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 5:25 PM on February 25, 2012
posted by Mister Fabulous at 5:25 PM on February 25, 2012
Best answer: how long do I have before even that stops working?
Just anecdotal, and it's a somewhat different type of screen, but my laptop screen got worse and worse to the point of being unusable after about three weeks. One thing you might try, if possible, is turning down the brightness of the backlight, if available. That might put less stress on the inverter and make it run a bit longer.
posted by thegears at 5:26 PM on February 25, 2012
Just anecdotal, and it's a somewhat different type of screen, but my laptop screen got worse and worse to the point of being unusable after about three weeks. One thing you might try, if possible, is turning down the brightness of the backlight, if available. That might put less stress on the inverter and make it run a bit longer.
posted by thegears at 5:26 PM on February 25, 2012
Response by poster: Mister Fabulous: "On Newegg, 19" LCD monitors are around $100. Widescreen models at 21.5" are at $120 and 23" at $140. I noticed you are in Chile, so I have no idea what the prices or places to shop would be"
They cost about double that here which, being unemployed, puts them out of my price range right now.
I'm going to turn down the brightness and hope it lasts until I can afford a replacement. Thanks!
posted by Memo at 5:46 PM on February 25, 2012
They cost about double that here which, being unemployed, puts them out of my price range right now.
I'm going to turn down the brightness and hope it lasts until I can afford a replacement. Thanks!
posted by Memo at 5:46 PM on February 25, 2012
I wonder if this ebay inverter is the one you are looking for.
posted by Chorian at 11:38 PM on February 25, 2012
posted by Chorian at 11:38 PM on February 25, 2012
If you want you can take it apart and see what the part number is on the board and then do a search with that.
posted by Chorian at 11:42 PM on February 25, 2012
posted by Chorian at 11:42 PM on February 25, 2012
If you come up to Santiago I'll give you a spare 19" LCD, it's not great, but it works just fine. PC Factory has an 18.5" LCD for 50.000
posted by defcom1 at 12:57 PM on February 27, 2012
posted by defcom1 at 12:57 PM on February 27, 2012
Response by poster: If anyone is still reading this, the monitor lasted a little more than two months. It took so long to die that it actually surprised me when it didn't turn on anymore.
Thanks everyone for the answers!
posted by Memo at 7:54 AM on May 30, 2012
Thanks everyone for the answers!
posted by Memo at 7:54 AM on May 30, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by jet_silver at 1:45 PM on February 25, 2012