HELP! monitor died!

[Nicolas]

help! my monitor is broken (lcd). The backlight dies after 1 second. Apparently this is due to the inverter circuit. I smelled something burned, so I may be able to see what burnt through and replace that part myself (maybe as simple as a capacitor).

But I cannot open my monitor! It's a Dell 1703FPs. It's got 4 screws in the centre, but no other screws. Does anybody know how to open these things? I don't see any lips, screwdriver holes or anything...

pfffffff that's the n-th dell monitor to die on me, and I'm afraid this one is out of warranty. Why can't they make a reliable one! I have a very old Dell CRT, which is working fine .

[Neverfly]

<refrains from commenting about Dell >

Im not sure about that particular model but the last Dell Laptop i worked on had screws located under the keyboard- by popping up keys, i located them.
Thats my two bits.
Someone who knows that specific model would be better to supply specific information becase they also use snap panels that pop off- i dont want to give you ideas that may be incorrect and you damage the casing

[Nicolas]

It's a separate lcd, no laptop. but yeah, it must have some snap system. Only I can't see HOW or WHERE at all . And I don't want to force it. I can buy a generic inverter ciruit for 6€, so that's even cheaper than sending it for warranty. Any help would be more than appreciated.

[farmerjumperdon]

Does anybody know how to open these things? I don't see any lips, screwdriver holes or anything...

The best tool to use on anything by Dell is a large sledgehammer. In a pinch, an oxy-acetylene torch will do. No tools handy; try some explosives.

As an aside, all Dell equipment should come with the following insert:

"For fast relaiable service from a person that speaks your language, you should have shopped somewhere else."

I wonder if when someone from India calls Dell for support, they can only talk to someone from the US who speaks about 6 words of Hindi?

[Nicolas]

I communicate with Dell via email, and they to do to be speak my language speak. Seriously though, they tend to answer in perfect Dutch.

So I'm now waiting to hear whether I have any warranty left and if so, which. If I've got no warranty, I'll try to open the monitor once again, by trying to pull the front from the back...(there mmust be a logical way to open it...) and then I'll see whether a 6€ army stock inverter would fit. If so, order that and check it out. If not, buy a new monitor. Together with my sister, that would be SIX broken Dell LCD's in 3 years time, and we each own only 1 PC. Ridiculous. I'll never buy a Dell LCD again. My GF also has one, beatuiful image. I must give 'em that, while working they are of incredible image quality. I hope hers keeps working for at least 5 years.

Any info on how to click the LCD monitor open is still welcome.

[mugaliens]

Before you electrocute yourself, take it in to a TV repairman and ask him for an estimate. If it's more than half the price of a new monitor (probably with better features and higher resolution/refresh rates), then go with the new monitor.

Try Samsung. Made in Korea, but to extremely high standards. I've two Samsung monitors on my desktop, a 17" (8 years old) and a 21" (5 years old).

Never an issue with either of them.

[Swift]

I tried googling around some newsgroups, and found where others have asked the question, but a quick look didn't seem to show any answers. But you might want to look.
LINK 1
LINK2

[Nicolas]

Before you electrocute yourself, take it in to a TV repairman and ask him for an estimate. If it's more than half the price of a new monitor (probably with better features and higher resolution/refresh rates), then go with the new monitor.

Try Samsung. Made in Korea, but to extremely high standards. I've two Samsung monitors on my desktop, a 17" (8 years old) and a 21" (5 years old).

Never an issue with either of them.

It's an LCD, AFAIK less likely to electrocute you (seriously) on than a CRT. I've had a CRT open to repair (I did repair it! ) but I didn't feel comfty with that. AFAIK, the LCD only has a high voltage towards the backlight at startup, and it's that part (the inverter) that I will replace. With the miniscule elco's and trafo on that, it won't harm you when not pluggedin, I think (unlike a CRT!).

Note that this is already a refurbished monitor (thanks to dell ********* warranty policy). In other words, it already broke down about 2 years ago, was repaired and now this happened to it. Furthermore, it leaks backlight on the bottom part and it has a small pinch in the front, resembling a broken pixel. So if repair is more than 25€ (it is, unless I do it myself with non-dell parts such as an army stock inverter if suitable), I'll buy a new one. For less than 300€ I should have a beautiful brand new non-dell 17" LCD. Maybe even 19".

[peter eldergill]

If your monitor died, how are you reading what we wrote?

Pete

[Nicolas]

If your monitor died, how are you reading what we wrote?

Pete

You really want to know? I've got a very strong desktop lamp standing between me and my monitor, and then I can just barely recognize the letters on the screen. Very tiresome for my eyes . There IS a good reason they use backlights in monitors.

If Dell tells me I've got no warranty (very complex thing, I don't know whether I have any), I'll just try to open it tomorrow, if that fails, I'll buy a new one tomorrow. This really doesn't work, and on top of all it's very hot .

[Whirlpool]

You really want to know? I've got a very strong desktop lamp standing between me and my monitor, and then I can just barely recognize the letters on the screen. Very tiresome for my eyes . There IS a good reason they use backlights in monitors.

Lol. Thats what I call a "net addict".

In our office, ALL our desktops are DELL, they recently replaced our old DELLs with their compact design with FLat Thin Screen Monitor.

So far, we're not experiencing problems like that , i dont know , maybe because its still "New"...

[Neverfly]

OK
I asked a buddy who works on them at Dell.

His answer was that yes they DO snap together with cheap materials. Most often they break during repair but its cost effective because they are cheap to replace for the money they are making.
They snap on and aren't easy to pop off again. They aren't really designed to be taken apart.

Basically you would have to fiddle with it. And risk breaking the casing. You also are working on an assumption that you know whats wrong with it (No Offense intended - just saying you dont know for sure)

[Nicolas]

Thanks Neverfly. OK, so when I know I have no (interesting) warranty left, I'll fiddle with it until it is open, one way or another.

Indeed I don't know 100% sure what is wrong with it. But a backlight system has an inverter, cable, and backlight. The backlight is ok, as seen every first second one switches on the monitor. So it can be the cable or the inverter. Something burned, and if that burning damaged the cable, it should be very clear. So I'll see whether it is the inverter or the cable when opening it up. That will also allow me to see (a bit) whether the army stock inverter fits or not.

Whirlpool: the strange thing is that many offices have hundreds of monitors, same type as mine or my sister's, and never experience problems. Mine broke twice, hers broke 4 times. And no, we aren't doing silly things with them.

I'm curious what Dell will have to tell me, especially on the warranty part. But it may take some mails before technical service gives an answer on warranty issues...

If I buy a new monitor, I buy one with a nice set of screws in the back .

[Whirlpool]

Whirlpool: the strange thing is that many offices have hundreds of monitors, same type as mine or my sister's, and never experience problems. Mine broke twice, hers broke 4 times. And no, we aren't doing silly things with them

Gee , that is strange . Maybe its how they manufacture. They make the good batch for corporate orders , and they make a "not so good batch" for retailers and residential users.

Just a wild thought.

[HenrikOlsen]

I recently got me a 19" Mirai 1280x1024 LCD screen with DVI for ~266$/~200€ including 25% tax, so it's definitely possible to get below 300€.
And looking at it, it looks like the screws are actually intended to be the thihngs holding it together.

[Donnie B.]

Your monitor may not have an inverter at all, at least not as a separate component. It's cheapest to design and build it as part of the monitor's PC board.

It's also possible that the CCFL lamp itself is bad or dying (they do have a limited lifespan) but that's not so likely. They don't tend to smell like burning capacitors when they fail.

By the way, there are potentially dangerous voltages in an LCD monitor, but far less so than in a CRT. The backlights run around 400VAC and the drive circuit discharges quickly once the power's turned off.

[Maksutov]

I communicate with Dell via email, and they to do to be speak my language speak. Seriously though, they tend to answer in perfect Dutch....

You must have contacted someone in the Philippines.

You might see if there're a schematic (for the electronics side) and an exploded assembly diagram (for figuring out how to disassemble) available for your model. The assembly diagram might had enlarged details on how the clips do their thing and allow you to decide if it's a one-way street.

Good luck.

Dell, rhymes with, heck, you know.

[DaveC426913]

I wonder if when someone from India calls Dell for support, they can only talk to someone from the US who speaks about 6 words of Hindi?

That's why it's called Dellhi...

[Whirlpool]

CSR people from the Philippines are well trained before they are loaded in this kind of job. That includes speaking different languages .

I hope that person helped you in a way.

[Maksutov]

CSR people from the Philippines are well trained before they are loaded in this kind of job. That includes speaking different languages .

I hope that person helped you in a way.

Hope so here too.

Dutch is essentially a second language in some parts of the Phillipines, even after so many years since colonialism. I once worked with an engineer from there who fluent in Dutch, English, and his native tongue.

[cjl]

That's really odd - we have several Dell LCD's, and they work wonderfully. Right now, I'm reading this on a Dell 1702FP that's been going strong for several years without a hint of a difficulty. They definitely have great image quality, and I've yet to have one fail (I'm probably asking for it though by saying that).

[Nicolas]

whoops, double post.

[Nicolas]

Small overview:

My new one had the classic problem that it shut itself down, and after a few hours of that wouldn't go on again, when it was two weeks old.
I got a refurbished one as a replacement, hence a monitor that had already died once.
That monitor from time to time showed flicker at startup, had to be set at 70 Hz and back to 60Hz in order to solve it.
That same monitor has 2 years further down the road a failing backlight system.
My sister had the same auto shut off problem after 2 weeks with her new one. She went through 4 different displays before having one that didn't keep on having that problem.
My case is very noisy.
Her soundcard fell out once.

Yet my other brother has a very old Dell, which works beautifully. Also, when things work, I really like the performance of a dell. For example the old 19" CRT's are extremely good, and so was my LCD when working.

I also know some companies having tons of dells working without any problem.

That said, I have bought a new 19" Acer AL1952 today. A PVA technology screen for 300€ is a very good deal. All other screens are a bit cheaper, but they're inferior TN technology and use crystalbrite or alternative screens, having an impressive first look but horrible reflections. This one is matte, but PVA gives 1300:1 contrast ratio, so forget about crystalbrite .

Still not a word, not even in hindi, from Dell.

[Nicolas]

Ok the warranty soap with Dell is starting. They say I've got as much warranty on the monitor as on the system (1 year, long expired). Their owners manual says that -in the US- you have at least 3 years on a monitor. They don't say anything specific about Europe.

They were very fast in offering me a to book in a replacement monitor though.

But given how fluent that offer came, after the warranty remark, I assume that "offer" means that I am allowed to BUY and PAY FOR a new Dell monitor. Well thank you. I've said that I have no interest in buying another monitor, but if I misunderstood and I get one under warranty, i am interested.

Soooo, back to waiting mode. And in the meantime, enjoy my lovely Acer.

[Nicolas]

Ok guys, be sure you're sitting when reading this...

my new monitor just exploded. Erm no, just kidding. It's even more strange.

After informing me that I have no warranty on my monitor, Dell offered me to ship a free replacement monitor!! OK, I've already bought a (nicer, larger, newer) monitor, but still a replacement would be more than welcome! Maybe my mother will use it, maybe I'll just use it as a second monitor, placed closer to the instruments than my current one. Maybe I'll just sell it, and have my new one el cheap that way . I thnk I could make quite a bit of money from a new-in-box Dell 17" with digital input...150€ should be possible. Oh, maybe my brother in law is interested in buying it from me, he was shopping for a larger LCD.

You can't connect a commodore 64 to it, can you? (something with the way colours are sent).

[Donnie B.]

Check your video card. Some allow you to connect multiple monitors, and spread your desktop across both. This can be extremely convenient if you need to have multiple windows open -- for example, if you work in one window while having reference material open in another.

Plus you look beyond kewl when you work like that.

Or maybe, beyond nerdy.

[NEOWatcher]

-- for example, if you work in one window while having reference material open in another.

Very convenient, that's my setup at work since they issued me a laptop.

I've astonished some people by just dragging a window from one screen to another.

[Nicolas]

Check your video card. Some allow you to connect multiple monitors, and spread your desktop across both. This can be extremely convenient if you need to have multiple windows open -- for example, if you work in one window while having reference material open in another.

Plus you look beyond kewl when you work like that.

Or maybe, beyond nerdy.

That's why I said "maybe I'll use it as a second monitor" . I have worked like that in the past, but one was an old CRT and it really didn't work together. Now -assuming Dell is Dell and not Mother Theresa- I will get a 17" in return, so I'll have a 19" and a 17". Luckily, both will work at 1280*1024 optimally, so that's very convenient. Both monitors will not be directly side by side, as I don't have room for that. The 17" will be placed close to the instruments, so I see what I'm recording from there. It will be analog connected, as my video card doesn't have 2 digital outs.

Will be nice .

At the moment, I'm just very glad to have found a professional 19" for the price of a midprice 19" due to the shop buying the wrong model and not being familiar with the pro market.

[Maksutov]

Check your video card. Some allow you to connect multiple monitors, and spread your desktop across both. This can be extremely convenient if you need to have multiple windows open -- for example, if you work in one window while having reference material open in another.

Plus you look beyond kewl when you work like that.

Or maybe, beyond nerdy.

Plus it's great (with the right software) for simulating stereoscopic vision.

[Nicolas]

I've received a new (well, over 3 years old, refusrbushed, missing a connector screw) monitor from Dell. Placed it next to my instruments. As second monitor, it's connected analogue. That does make the display quite a bit more blurry, but I don't have 2 digital outputs .