Is My Monitor Dead?

[Jethro]

Go get a cheapo flashlight from any store. The kind that you hold in
your hand. Place it directly against the monitor so that all the light
is being directed into the panel and none is leaking out of the sides.
(You will have side leakage with a floresent campling lamp).

This simulates what the CCFL is doing inside the monitor. It should
then pass through the LCD panel, into the rear and back out again,
When it comes back out again, you should be able to see the image on
the LCD screen. Think of an LCD screen like a stained glass window.
Unless there is light behind it, it doesn't look like much. From
outside a church the stain glass looks non descript. Go inside and
look out and it is a wealth of colors.

If you see the images, then you have a problem with the light and the
circuitry is delivering the right power to the Liquid Crystals to amke
them change to the proper colors in the proper locations to form the
image. Changing out the inverter and/or the CCFL will solve your
problem.

If you don't see an image, then the problem is somewhere else. It
oculd be with your graphics adapter, it could be with your LCDs
internal circuitry. If it still doesn't work on a second computer,
then it is probably fried.

Here are some links about changing your CCFL that may be helpful.

http://home.comcast.net/~stonent/screenfix.htm
http://www.hackaday.com/entry/1234000523065961/
http://www.inventgeek.com/Projects/shorts/lcdfix.aspx
http://iantha.vectorstar.net/ccfl.html
http://www.lcdpart.com/doc/ccfllampreplacement.html (4 different
walkthroughs)

I don't know who makes Sceptre, but take a look here to try and find
your inverter. Once you get the cover off, you can just try and find
it here as most of the inverters have photos.

http://www.lcdpart.com/doc/inverter.html

Good Luck!
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Thanks GrimJ

Your response was extremely informative and detailed, and I appreciate
it. I will investigate what you say.

Jethro

 

[Jethro]

Thanks GrimJ

Your response was extremely informative and detailed, and I appreciate
it. I will investigate what you say.

Of course, as I said earlier, I have to figure how to open the Sceptre
case. I have removed all the visible screws in the rear, but the back
panel just will not budge.

 

[kony]

Of course, as I said earlier, I have to figure how to open the Sceptre
case. I have removed all the visible screws in the rear, but the back
panel just will not budge.

Sometimes if you change your viewing angle on a plastic case
and shine strong light at it (also varying angle) you can
barely see where cases which snap-together with friction
tabs, have those tabs (sometimes through the crack but often
not, you look for very slight irregularities on the outside
such as changes in color or flatness). If this monitor is
under warranty (I don't recall rest of the thread details)
don't open it, RMA it. If no warranty, take a dull thin
object and slide it through the crack carefully and pop the
friction tabs. This is assuming some exist, if you have
removed all cosmetic exterior panels and screws then that's
pretty much all that's left to hold it together.

 

[Jethro]

Sometimes if you change your viewing angle on a plastic case
and shine strong light at it (also varying angle) you can
barely see where cases which snap-together with friction
tabs, have those tabs (sometimes through the crack but often
not, you look for very slight irregularities on the outside
such as changes in color or flatness). If this monitor is
under warranty (I don't recall rest of the thread details)
don't open it, RMA it. If no warranty, take a dull thin
object and slide it through the crack carefully and pop the
friction tabs. This is assuming some exist, if you have
removed all cosmetic exterior panels and screws then that's
pretty much all that's left to hold it together.

I have tried again to shine a 2-cell flashlight into the screen to see
if I could see anything like an image, and I cannot.

I have been able to pop off the plastic framing around the screen,
using the prying technique you describe. I would suppose that now I
can expose the innards. I have not done that yet.

Can you guys recommend a reasonable, but visually good, LCD flat
replacement - like 20"?

Thanks

Jethro

 

[Jethro]

I have tried again to shine a 2-cell flashlight into the screen to see
if I could see anything like an image, and I cannot.

I have been able to pop off the plastic framing around the screen,
using the prying technique you describe. I would suppose that now I
can expose the innards. I have not done that yet.

Can you guys recommend a reasonable, but visually good, LCD flat
replacement - like 20"?

Thanks

Jethro

I now have the LCD apart, and the circuits exposed, I see no black
spots, nor do I smell anything. I see no fuse.

I guess I'll trash it, unless someone has an idea I can handle.

Jethro