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Notes on the Troubleshooting and Repair of Computer and Video Monitors

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Re: Notes on the Troubleshooting and Repair of Computer and Video Monitors

#11

Post by pmontra »

tom_ wrote: post #3
notherhack wrote: post #2

(2009) And this is about CRT monitors. Is there something like this for the LCD monitors we all use today?

Is it economically worthwhile to attempt to repair them? They seem to be generally reliable, and replacements of any kind are cheap. Certainly cheaper than having somebody else figure out the problem and probably cheaper than having you do it too. Especially once you add in any equipment involved, multiplied by the likelihood (low) of having to do this repeatedly.

If you kind of know how to fix the problem and if you are doing it in your spare time as any other house tidying activity, yes, it's worth it. Add to it the value of the fun, if you're that kind of person. If you are spending a day instead of working, probably it's not worth it unless it's a very expensive monitor.

Re: Notes on the Troubleshooting and Repair of Computer and Video Monitors

#12

Post by simoncion »

Jordan-117 wrote: post #5

Bit of a tangent but maybe this a good place to ask: I've been trying to diagnose a weird display issue on my 4K IPS monitor. It seems to have a stuck pixel, which looks bright green on a dark background. But weirdly, the pixel changes color if you move your head from left to right, cycling from bright green to hot pink to purple and then back to green (though it doesn't change color when moving your head up and down…

> Anybody experience an issue like this before...

I have, but only when I've gotten something on the monitor (like liquid droplets or thin hairs placed just right) that did funny things. Have you carefully cleaned your screen recently?

If it's not crud on the screen, then my vaguely-educated layman's guess based on the symptoms is that some part of the light guide layer between the tiny shutters and external surface of the screen [0] has gotten damaged somehow.

[0] Would this be called a polarizer? I'm not sure.

Re: Notes on the Troubleshooting and Repair of Computer and Video Monitors

#13

Post by delta_p_delta_x »

tom_ wrote: post #3
notherhack wrote: post #2

(2009) And this is about CRT monitors. Is there something like this for the LCD monitors we all use today?

Is it economically worthwhile to attempt to repair them? They seem to be generally reliable, and replacements of any kind are cheap. Certainly cheaper than having somebody else figure out the problem and probably cheaper than having you do it too. Especially once you add in any equipment involved, multiplied by the likelihood (low) of having to do this repeatedly.

> replacements of any kind are cheap

Of a bog-standard 1080p 60 Hz monitor, perhaps.

I have a 4K 144 Hz 27-inch monitor I bought in December 2021, and paid nearly $850 for. These monitors still aren't a commodity good, and still end up being pretty expensive.

Re: Notes on the Troubleshooting and Repair of Computer and Video Monitors

#14

Post by RiverCrochet »

Jordan-117 wrote: post #5

Bit of a tangent but maybe this a good place to ask: I've been trying to diagnose a weird display issue on my 4K IPS monitor. It seems to have a stuck pixel, which looks bright green on a dark background. But weirdly, the pixel changes color if you move your head from left to right, cycling from bright green to hot pink to purple and then back to green (though it doesn't change color when moving your head up and down…

I think you have an actual tiny physical chink in the plastic or glass on the surface of the panel. Especially if you run your finger across it and can feel it.

Re: Notes on the Troubleshooting and Repair of Computer and Video Monitors

#15

Post by Jordan-117 »

simoncion wrote: post #12
Jordan-117 wrote: post #5

Bit of a tangent but maybe this a good place to ask: I've been trying to diagnose a weird display issue on my 4K IPS monitor. It seems to have a stuck pixel, which looks bright green on a dark background. But weirdly, the pixel changes color if you move your head from left to right, cycling from bright green to hot pink to purple and then back to green (though it doesn't change color when moving your head up and down…

> Anybody experience an issue like this before... I have, but only when I've gotten something on the monitor (like liquid droplets or thin hairs placed just right) that did funny things. Have you carefully cleaned your screen recently? If it's not crud on the screen, then my vaguely-educated layman's guess based on the symptoms is that some part of the light guide layer between the tiny shutters and external surface…

Considered that, but I've wiped, scratched, and put light pressure on the spot with no visible change. Not sure how it could have been damaged in one pixel-sized spot without affecting the surface or any surrounding pixels.

Re: Notes on the Troubleshooting and Repair of Computer and Video Monitors

#16

Post by Jordan-117 »

RiverCrochet wrote: post #14
Jordan-117 wrote: post #5

Bit of a tangent but maybe this a good place to ask: I've been trying to diagnose a weird display issue on my 4K IPS monitor. It seems to have a stuck pixel, which looks bright green on a dark background. But weirdly, the pixel changes color if you move your head from left to right, cycling from bright green to hot pink to purple and then back to green (though it doesn't change color when moving your head up and down…

I think you have an actual tiny physical chink in the plastic or glass on the surface of the panel. Especially if you run your finger across it and can feel it.

It feels perfectly smooth -- like the flaw is somehow between the surface and the pixel layer.

Re: Notes on the Troubleshooting and Repair of Computer and Video Monitors

#17

Post by squigz »

autoexec wrote: post #7

> With new monitors going for under $200, the costs of any significant repair are no longer justifiable unless there is something unique about your monitor. When it comes to CRTs this is probably more true today that it was when this was written. I can imagine a future though where more people seek to repair their non-CRT monitors as stores stop selling normal computer monitors to push "smart" monitors filled with ad…

> When it comes to CRTs this is probably more true today that it was when this was written. I can imagine a future though where more people seek to repair their non-CRT monitors as stores stop selling normal computer monitors to push "smart" monitors filled with ads and anti-features.

I sort of doubt this will happen. Computer monitors are used by professionals in every industry all over the world. Going the way of smart TVs - which are more consumer-facing - would not make any sense.

Re: Notes on the Troubleshooting and Repair of Computer and Video Monitors

#18

Post by qazwsxedchac »

Jordan-117 wrote: post #16
RiverCrochet wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you have an actual tiny physical chink in the plastic or glass on the surface of the panel. Especially if you run your finger across it and can feel it.

It feels perfectly smooth -- like the flaw is somehow between the surface and the pixel layer.

That's exactly where the flaw likely is, on the side of the top surface layer which faces away from you. Air bubble in the plastic, or dust inclusion. If you really want to get to the bottom of it, put a 30x pocket microscope over the spot, you'll see the problem clearly. The bad news: It's neither fixable, nor covered by "dead pixel" / "stuck pixel" warranty policies.

(Source: First hand experience.)

Re: Notes on the Troubleshooting and Repair of Computer and Video Monitors

#19

Post by autoexec »

squigz wrote: post #17
autoexec wrote: post #7

> With new monitors going for under $200, the costs of any significant repair are no longer justifiable unless there is something unique about your monitor. When it comes to CRTs this is probably more true today that it was when this was written. I can imagine a future though where more people seek to repair their non-CRT monitors as stores stop selling normal computer monitors to push "smart" monitors filled with ad…

> When it comes to CRTs this is probably more true today that it was when this was written. I can imagine a future though where more people seek to repair their non-CRT monitors as stores stop selling normal computer monitors to push "smart" monitors filled with ads and anti-features. I sort of doubt this will happen. Computer monitors are used by professionals in every industry all over the world. Going the way of s…

Smart monitors are being widely sold already and getting more common. The fact that they generate continuous income for the manufacturer after the sale is too tempting for many companies to abandon entirely.

Most likely we'll see non-smart monitors only sold in bulk to business customers, or as highly overpriced displays with limited features (like we do now with TVs) or there will be enterprise options in software (probably though management software) to disable some (but not all) of the advertising, screen-capturing, and AI functions which is just what we see now with Windows and other hardware used by enterprise customers.

Re: Notes on the Troubleshooting and Repair of Computer and Video Monitors

#20

Post by simoncion »

Jordan-117 wrote: post #15
simoncion wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Anybody experience an issue like this before... I have, but only when I've gotten something on the monitor (like liquid droplets or thin hairs placed just right) that did funny things. Have you carefully cleaned your screen recently? If it's not crud on the screen, then my vaguely-educated layman's guess based on the symptoms is that some part of the light guide layer between the tiny shutters and external surface…

Considered that, but I've wiped, scratched, and put light pressure on the spot with no visible change. Not sure how it could have been damaged in one pixel-sized spot without affecting the surface or any surrounding pixels.

Sure, I also don't know how this damage could have happened. But, I do know that much, much larger structures sometimes buckle and break for no immediately-obvious reason. I don't see why the same wouldn't be true for extremely tiny ones.
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