Rooster90 Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 (edited) Hey guys, been running into some issues lately with my monitor. It will randomly cut out to a black screen, yet will still be powered. Usually comes back on when I press the power button a few times or unplug it once or twice. The only changes to my system lately is that I added a temporary second monitor to my rig, found a little old one to use for the time being. However, I'm pretty sure it's just coincidence that this started happening around the same time I hooked that up. There's no way my PSU can't handle them both (850W Corsair). Plus this is happening regardless if the second one is on or not. Some things I notice when it cuts out or when I'm trying to turn it back on: There's a very light, high-pitched hum when the screen is properly running. This hum will disappear when it goes black, but the power light will still be on. The monitor goes truly black, as in completely off. No backlight, nothing, just as if I had turned it off myself. If you guys have any suggestions or ideas regarding my situation, I'm willing to hear them. My best guess is that the monitor's internal power supply is finally crapping out after all these years (monitor is about 10 years old now, lol). I was hoping I could still save this monitor to use a my "new" second monitor when I buy a shiny new 24" Asus. But if this keeps up and it's just old and dying, I may suffice getting a different second monitor or two 21" ones. Edited October 22, 2011 by Rooster90 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krambo Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 This happens at work alot, check your power settings in control panel, make sure sleep and all that shit is turned off. good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster90 Posted October 22, 2011 Author Share Posted October 22, 2011 (edited) I have Power Saver and all that crap turned off at all times. I had the monitor set to sleep after 15 minutes of idling, but I'll turn that off for now. EDIT: Yep, still cut out. Edited October 22, 2011 by Rooster90 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PANiC Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 make & model? seen this a lot will certain dell screens but that's usually the power save as mentioned above (which is freeking annoying as they dont wake up). other panels do it but usually a firmware update sorts them out, but those are faults from the factory and would have been seen from day 1 so kinda think the mon is failing in some way still does it if the 2nd monitor is not attached? sure the backlight is not turning off (failing)? cant see any faint image when it goes black? usually you can see the display in certain light or if you hold a torch flat against the screen you can just about see the image. does the monitor menu show if you press the menu/adjustment keys on the monitor when it's gone black? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster90 Posted October 22, 2011 Author Share Posted October 22, 2011 (edited) No, the screen acts as if the monitor was actually turned off, but the power light is still on. Absolutely nothing when pressing menu buttons, no faint image, just totally off, lol. It's an old Gateway 21" LCD. Model #2100, Product # FPD2185W Edited October 22, 2011 by Rooster90 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batwing~SPARTA~ Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 Hey my man.. I had a similar problem in the past. It came out of the blu, with no apparent reason. I was going nuts about it it. Then I swapped the DVI cable with a new one an Problem Solved. I still have no idea what happened and how a cable can go nuts like that, buyt hey, I can t complain, now is working great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoScream~SPARTA~ Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 LCD monitors with CCFL lighting (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp) will make a high pitched hum/whistle when running normally, this is usually too high to hear and too low to notice for humans. The hum is the inverter (Inverters in CCFL) that creates the high voltages for the lamp to work. If you can hear the high frequency inverter, then the screen goes black and the hum stops... (you can not hear it) The INVERTER has switched off/ stopped/ cut out. Causes monitor power save setting. Your PC has told it to stop The inverter is intermittently cutting out/failing solution, unplug your current PC & plug in a different pc/laptop, see if it still happens? If yes, then inverter is failing.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batwing~SPARTA~ Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 Don t underestimate a failing cable possibility. A VGA or DVI cable can be the solution and can be really cheap ;) Otherwise, Vii diagnosis is very right (as sual) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hajimoto Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 (edited) Rooster - The condition that you are describing sounds like capacitors or caps, failing. If you know your way around a soldiering station or butane soldiering pencil, this is an easy fix. Never use a 110v AC Pencil style soldiering iron or gun due to the possibility of current existing at the tip which can destroy components. For the record i have repaired over 50 LCD that were heading to the scrap heap and the typical repair cost was under $7 US. If your adventurous and willing to open the LCD case, I can tell you what to look for, If you are not interested in doing this just skip to item #10. First disconnect the LCD from all power, video and audio cables and place the monitor face down on a towel that is on a flat hard surface. Next remove all pedestals, brackets and other removable components. Remove all screws that hold the clam shell design together. Along the edges find the seam of the front and rear halves and separate using non marring tools (plastic, rubber or smooth rounded steel tooling). Continue to disassemble until you see the power supply for the LCD. Mark any plugs with a sharpie marker so you know the proper placement when reassembling. MILD CAUTION - as long as the unit is unplugged from a power source, the only thing that can bite you are the larger capacitors. They will look like small soda cans and typically are 1" in height. just avoid contact with the terminals or soldier connections to these caps and you will be fine. At this point you may be able to see all the components that are on the circuit board, if so you are looking for any little soda cans (capacitors) typically 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch. You are looking to be sure they are not top swollen or discharging their contents. The discharge can be brown, tan, grayish or sometime black. Do not confuse the hot glue that most manufacturing house drizzle across electronic components as a stabilizer in assembly and shipping this glue is typically white or off white in color and is rubbery and flexible. the discharge will be crumbly and semi rigid. Below are photos of what failed caps look like. Be sure to note that some caps have an X on top or a T that is a relief vent and this should be level and flat, if it is bulged like a dome, change the cap. Look under the cap where it is just off the circuit board to see if the cap discharged out the bottom. Most non aluminum caps are wrapped in a plastic shrink wrap, if this wrap is shrunk and retracting exposing metal can, this is another sign of a bad cap. Please note that in the photo below the shrink wrap is in its proper configuration and not retracted. If you determine that you do in fact have some failed caps, we can go to the next step {Repair and Replacement} If your interested in seeing how easy this fix is, watch this: [YT]02uLSu1Jj5M[/YT] Here is another video that explains capacitors very well and will help as a baseline should you need to replace them. [YT]YCSNWi3UHf4[/YT] #9 As I said early on in this diatribe, this is a very easy repair and you would be amazed how many monitors are trashed over a .69 cents component. #10 Take care! Edited October 22, 2011 by Hajimoto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batwing~SPARTA~ Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 Haji, one day i will understand what s your job.... You have training in everything.. what kind of Spy are you? Are you part of the S.H.I.E.L.D. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GySgt~SPARTA~ Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 I'm the go to guy when it comes to soldiering at work and its easy to do a caveman can do it but considering most the guys I work with are older and cant see past there noses LOL I'm that guy for the Job ..Ok yeah I have this problem with my HP 22 LCD this looks simular to what I'm going through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster90 Posted October 23, 2011 Author Share Posted October 23, 2011 It's definitely times like these I wish I had a soldering gun. I'm not the greatest at it, but I'm sure whats going on is a pretty easy fix for those with access to the right tools and components. Unfortunately, idk anybody who has said tools or components, and I'm sure PC repair shops would charge a whole lot more than the job is worth. I have no fear taking this bad boy apart, just no tools to do anything about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MH6~SPARTA~ Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 The fact that it works for a little bit then cuts out makes me think it's a capacitor--I had the same issue with a monitor of mine a while back. It was still under warranty though, so I just sent it in and got it fixed for free. Can you do the same? Most monitors have a manufacturer warranty of around 3-5 years from the date they were manufactured (can view this date near the serial number most likely) Note: If it is still under warranty, don't fix it yourself, just send it in. You void your warranty by opening it up. If no warranty, do whatever you want with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster90 Posted October 23, 2011 Author Share Posted October 23, 2011 I've had this monitor for over 6 years, pretty sure whatever warranty I had has long expired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hajimoto Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 (edited) Rooster - The tools needs are readily available at places like Radio Shack, Home Depot or even Sears. I have assembled a laundry list from two of the most common outlets in the states, Radio Shack ($30) and Sears ($30). So Open the case see if the caps are bad if so, write down the capacitance and voltage values of each, blaze to RS and pick up the shit, return home and fix that noise! Alternate plan... Use your failing monitor as a catalyst to shed any wife/girlfriend aggro and get that 27" that you wanted :0) Desoldering Braid Radio Shack $4.19 SEARS $10.70 Soldering Iron Radio Shack $22.99 SEARS $16.99 Solder Radio Shack $2.89 SEARS $2.76 Edited October 23, 2011 by Hajimoto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durka-Durka~SPARTA~ Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Haji, Just wanted to let you know that about 2yrs ago I threw out a really nice $200+ monitor because of Rooster's very same problem. I kept it in the garage because I figured someday I might end up finding a fix for it. Today I found it. I followed your instructions and replaced 3 capacitors and so far she's running like a charm, all for around $4. Now I have a dual monitor setup that I'm sure will improve things. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KalXen~SPARTA~ Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 That's pretty awesome to hear Durka. Oddly, I have a 22" Samsung 225BW that is starting to not turn on. I'm wondering if this might be in my future too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durka-Durka~SPARTA~ Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 That's pretty awesome to hear Durka. Oddly, I have a 22" Samsung 225BW that is starting to not turn on. I'm wondering if this might be in my future too. It was easy to identify the ones that were blown due to the puffed up tops. It was just a matter of trying to take them out and put them back in. Probably a 30min job. I have an extra screw and some plate that never made it back into the monitor, but it works! (pretty much the same as when I work on cars) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hajimoto Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Woo Hoo, chalk one up for the good guys! I am glad my post helped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hajimoto Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 That's pretty awesome to hear Durka. Oddly, I have a 22" Samsung 225BW that is starting to not turn on. I'm wondering if this might be in my future too. I guarantee it is Kalxen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cylawyer~SPARTA~ Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Hmmm, I have an old Sceptre Monitor that stopped working, I should take a look at that. However, your fix is a power supply fix and if that works for me, it'll only get the analog working. Prior to that all digital inputs, DVI, HDMI were not working. The digital converter or whatever was known to go bad on this monitor and WAS under warranty, but I never sent it in and only used analog because I didn't want to be without the monitor. Perhaps you have some fix for the digital issue Haji? If my other issue (analog failed when monitor stopped coming on, despite power lite being on) is an easy fix, it would be sweet to also have the digital input fixed. Thanks in advance for any input (if you have any). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hajimoto Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 When it comes to repairs that are on the circuit board level I am dead in the water as I no longer own an oscilloscope or EPROM burner. I would open 'er up, replace the bad caps and try again, you might get lucky in that the bad power sine may have stopped the digital side from functioning. I too have a Sceptre and have repaired it as previously described years ago and it is still being used as my work bench display. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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