My Hitachi monitor has a problem, help

[Galvin]

I have a Hitachi SuperScan Elite 751
Purchased march 1998. The 3 year warranty died out.

Well the problem is that when I switch say from full screen dos box to desktop. instead of the desktop just snapping up on my screen. It now sorts of zooms to the display. I can see the monitor first starting to display the desktop but it takes a second for it to fully take up all of the monitor space.

Also I hear crackling, like static electrcity. I tried degouse or how ever you spell it, but that didn't fix it. I'm afraid that I may lose my picture.

The only thing I can think of that may caused this but I don't know how. Is Pledge grab it, these are cool for dusting, but they are charged with static electricity. I used this on my monitor screen, not sure if that's it. Because the problem started right around when I used them.

Anyway anything you can think of to help this problem, thanks.

[Galvin]

Well it seems the more I switch between a dos full screen and graphics the worse this problems becomes, the less the better it gets. Is this normal?

When I do dos programming which is a borland 7.01 dos program that uses graphics, switching between full text mode and grahics happens a lot so I can debug, I started this around 2 days ago.

[Jorden]

Tried full DOS already, instead of DOS under Windows?
Do you have any problems under Windows?
How full is your harddrive? (The second pause can be due to the swap file in Windows being too small for DOS box operations)

Jord.

[LvR]

Galvin

I would have that monitor checked out pronto by a repair technician - It sounds like you have a flyback transformer on its way out, or alternatively a bad flyback tuning capacitor.

This sorta thing can cause fires and also end up damaging your monitor tube in the worst case depending on the design of the drive circuitry..

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Lawrence

[Galvin]

Right now I can't afford to get it repaird. When I get more money next week i'll check into that.

Thanks.

[Galvin]

Well this is not good. I called hitachi. I mentioned the problem, they said if it's the tube, then it will cost more to fix than what the monitor is worth.

I seems like my monitor is dying. I paid 1000 bucks for this with a 3 year warrenty from compUSA in 98, and now the Monitor decides to die on my after the warrenty expirers.

[xortam]

So will you be replacing it with another Hitachi?

[Galvin]

I don't know. Might be bad luck. Anyways I spoke to the hitachi repair center, the tech their said its most likely the high voltage module $125 to fix, if it's the tube their will be no charge and I just use the monitor till it dies on me one day.

[LvR]

Your eyes will tell you if the tube is still acceptable.

If you are at any stage able to get a very decent picture in any mode on the tube, then it is most likely ok.

The high voltage module is the flyback transformer I previously mentioned - even at $125 I would say it is still worth it if the tube is ok.

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Lawrence

[Galvin]

Once I am in text mode or graphics, the picture is solid. It's only when I switch modes like text mode is 60hz and graphics is 100hz, so doing that switch causes all that crackling crap.

I am setting up an appointment, lucky the repair center is only around 45minutes from me. That still sucks, is it common for a voltage module to die in 3 years?

[LvR]

Galvin

Its not common, but the design and layout of the monitor dictates long term reliability.

More often than not, the combination of heat generated in the housing and bad ventilation is the cause of disaster - the potting resin and plastic coatings on components goes brittle, crack, and this is where the fun starts - if you are a smoker, even worse.

Personally - I would really like to stay in the presense of the monitor while they repair it - from your responses I would say it is not the flyback transformer, but rather one of the tuning capacitors that gets switched in and out depending on the monitor horizontal/vertical frequencies


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Lawrence

[This message has been edited by LvR (edited 18 May 2001).]

[Galvin]

Well it was the flyback, they showed the flyback unite, it's in the corner back left corner, away from other components, they didn't charge me for the flyback since the unit was recently out of warrenty. So it cost me $100.

[LvR]

Glad it worked out ok then

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Lawrence