Re: monitor repair

[dynasor@infi.net (Dennis McClain-Furmanski)]

furry one (mouse@furry.misty.com) wrote:

: While you're on the subject of monitor problems, I have had a problem
: with mine.  About 3 months ago, the picture brightness started phasing
: out; after about a half an hour on, and the picture would dim.  I could
: (fix?) this by rudely slapping the monitor, or waiting about another
: hour till it brightened again.

: This went on for a while, until the picture died altogether - not a fast
: blackout, but a slow fade.  After an hour, the picture slowly faded back.
: Now the picture never comes on at all.  I'm a poor student who just bought
: 16 megs of ram for his sparc - so, is there any cheap way of fixing this
: if it can be fixed at all?

First try cleaning the brightness and contrast controls, as covered in the
first part of my message re: hi-voltage problems. If that doesn't work, you
can also try  cleaning the related controls inside; black level and
something else I think -- haven't looked in mine for a while so I'm not sure
exactly which it has.

Other than that, it seems to be heat related. Get a can of freeze-mist --
freon with a long thin straw that fits the cap. Loosen the back and let it
heat up until the problem occurs. Covering it up partially with a cloth
might speed this up, but if you do this, don't walk away and leave it.

When the problem happens, slowly and carefully slide the back off, and spray
the freon on the parts around the hi-V transformer. The first culprit is the
big transistor bolted to the outside of the metal cage around the
transformer.

You'll know if you find it, because the heat related problem will instantly
clear up when cooled. Since the spray isn't completely controlled, you might
have to do this a few times to make sure you've got the right part.

And once again, you'll be working around thousands of volts. Be VERY
careful. Use the mirror as I stated to see the picture from behind the
monitor.

--
dynasor@infi.net                                       The Doctor is on.