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Date:      Mon, 22 Sep 1997 00:02:12 -0400
From:      Mark Mayo <mark@quickweb.com>
To:        Chuck Robey <chuckr@glue.umd.edu>
Cc:        Mark Mayo <mark@quickweb.com>, freebsd-hardware@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: My monitor's got the Shakes...
Message-ID:  <19970922000212.52880@vinyl.quickweb.com>
In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.3.96.970921233616.24355Y-100000@Journey2.mat.net>; from Chuck Robey on Sun, Sep 21, 1997 at 11:40:39PM -0400
References:  <19970921230233.54358@vinyl.quickweb.com> <Pine.BSF.3.96.970921233616.24355Y-100000@Journey2.mat.net>

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On Sun, Sep 21, 1997 at 11:40:39PM -0400, Chuck Robey wrote:
> On Sun, 21 Sep 1997, Mark Mayo wrote:
> 
> > Hi all... well a bad couple of weeks on my hardware seems to be 
> > getting worse. Suddently, my monitor is "shaking". Basically, every
> > 10 minutes or so (not regular) a small, rapid shaking happens. A
> > slight brightness fade-in, fade-out sort of happens at the same time.
> > The picture would appear to be moving straight up and down (by a 
> > really small amount, but enough to be REALLY damned annoying).
> > 
> > Any idea what the cause could be??
> > 
> > This monitor has already developed a pretty serious case of ghosting,
> > so I fear that this fit of shaking is my signal that "she's gonna blow!".
> > 
> > It's a 17" MAG, about 3.5 years old I believe. Been a faithful monitor,
> > but it's been going downhill at a break-neck speed the last 6 monhts or
> > so.
> 
> Oh, lovely.  I'm reading this on a 3.5 year old 17" MAG.

What model?

> 
> It sounds like arcing somewhere in the HV section.  Can you literally hear
> it?

Hmmm. I haven't really heard anything, but when you mentioned it I put
my ear on the side of the thing -- all I heard was a slight buzz sound,
and an occasional crackle, which sounded a lot like a static discharge.
There doesn't seem to be a connection with the "shake/jitter" and the
sound inside the monitor though.

> As the capacitors get older, sometimes they go bad.  If you're lucky,
> that's it.  If you're not, it could be something expensive, like a
> transformer arcing.  Affecting multiple sections also makes it sound like
> the power.

It's very small jitter, and very rapid - I'm not imagining an 'arc'
producing this, but I have no knowledge about how monitors work at all!
I've been told that the ghosting I'm experiencing is a common sign of
the capacitors getting old and bad -- if they are inexpensive then I
certainly hope the capacitors are the problem. How much does a repair like
that usually cost?

> 
> One other thing to watch for ... MAGs can't stand overheating.  You don't
> have some printouts laying on the top of the monitor, do you?

No, I keep it wide open, since I noticed long ago that the thing gets
pretty darn hot. In fact, I've thought about opening up the ventilation
holes a little with a drill since it really is very hot (keeps me warm
in winter ;-)

Thanks for the tips,
-Mark

> 
> > 
> > TIA for any tips, like "you can fix this by .."  :-)
> > 
> > -mark
> > 
> > -- 
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >  Mark Mayo		  				mark@quickweb.com       
> >  RingZero Comp.  	  		   http://vinyl.quickweb.com/mark 
> > 
> > 	 finger mark@quickweb.com for my PGP key and GCS code
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > "The newest book, The Dilbert Future, took a broader view, describing how 
> > idiots will threaten every aspect of business, technology and society in
> > the future."	--Scott Adams
> > 
> > 
> 
> ----------------------------+-----------------------------------------------
> Chuck Robey                 | Interests include any kind of voice or data 
> chuckr@eng.umd.edu          | communications topic, C programming, and Unix.
> 213 Lakeside Drive Apt T-1  |
> Greenbelt, MD 20770         | I run Journey2 and picnic, both FreeBSD
> (301) 220-2114              | version 3.0 current -- and great FUN!
> ----------------------------+-----------------------------------------------

-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Mark Mayo		  				mark@quickweb.com       
 RingZero Comp.  	  		   http://vinyl.quickweb.com/mark 

	 finger mark@quickweb.com for my PGP key and GCS code
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The newest book, The Dilbert Future, took a broader view, describing how 
idiots will threaten every aspect of business, technology and society in
the future."	--Scott Adams



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