Ach! Damn! My screen keeps going in and out of focus. What do I do?

[Rabrrrrrr]

It's an old monitor (not that old, really, maybe 6 years), it's worked well, and done well. Been a real workhorse.

But today it just started going in and out of focus. I degaussed it, but that hasn't made a difference.

It's a 19" CRT.

I'm assuming this means it's at the end of its life. Which, on one hand, will give me finally justification to buy an LCD one, but on the other hand sucks, because and LCD screen is expensive as all fuckout.

Any suggestions on what might be happening, and whether it's easily fixable?

It shouldn't be from any interference from anything, since the monitor and the rest of the computer equipment have been hanging out together for some time, and I haven't moved anything.

[ladjf]

1. I think it's time to purchase a new monitor.

[benburch]

2. You might have a dust problem...

It is *just* possible that you have enough dust in the works to cause some arcing.

If you carefully pull take the back shell off, you can vacuum off the dust and see if that is it.

Note that there are capacitors in a monitor that can hold enough of a charge to hurt you for a considerable period of time after it is unplugged, so this must be done with care. Ideally, you should wait a couple of hours for the bleed resistors to do their job and discharge those caps.

If this does not work, it is most likely that a new monitor is what you need as any other repair could cost you more than a new 19" CRT.

[Rabrrrrrr]

4. I had wondered about dust

After it spent it's first 6 years in NYC, it was always dusty, and I was thinking it's probably chock full of dust on the inside.

I'll give vacuuming it out a shot.

[benburch]

6. But if you need a deal on a 19" LCD...

Here is a good deal...

[Rabrrrrrr]

11. Hmm...it tells me "connection was refused when attempting

to contact service.bfast.com"

Sad.

[txaslftist]

3. Stop taking drugs

[underpants]

5. Ask your corn liquor provider is they are using copper tubes

if not change corn liquor provider

[Jackpine Radical]

10. Or stop eating those mushrooms.

[The Traveler]

7. Hmmmm

You're probably losing a power amp. CRT's require nice stable high voltage sources. (By the standards of the 1930's, you're sitting in front of a powerful particle accelerator.)

Or it could be due to dust buildup inside the case. Dust bunnies can hold charge, which creates a field which can screw up the electron beams and make things go out of focus.

One thing you might try is cleaning it out with canned air. Can you see an obviouw way to open it up? Unfortunately most monitor cases are not designed for easy access.

Obviously do this with the power off and the unit unplugged. Remember that big capacitors retain charge for a long time and can still zap the crap out of ya. So leave it plugged in for an hour or so and let some of that charge bleed off. If you haven't done this kind of thing before, proceed with great caution.

Odds of success: Moderate. Odds of an electrifying or otherwise unpleasant experience: pretty good. Danger Will Robinson. The Traveler will not be responsible for any negative karmic consequences resultant from discussion of this hypothetic procedure. Do not attempt under the influence of Nyquil, alcohol, mary jane, ecstasy or other mind altering substances like oxygen, Mountain Dew.

Happy trails.

[kick-ass-bob]

8. Mine is changing colors...

I get flashes of tint changes (kinda pinkish).
Its 2 years old and a 19 inch LCD...

Doesn't sound good, does it?
At least its my work computer...

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

9. If you need a new monitor...

The following is all you need to know:

http://www.azatek.com

These guys r00l.

[Rabrrrrrr]

13. That place is great!

l33t!

[Historic NY]

12. Someone here mentioned the following site as a help....

http://60gp.ovh.net/~cleanyou/

[Rabrrrrrr]

14. Thank you, but my screen isn't dirty - it's out of focus.

:P

Heh heh.

[Aristus]

15. Rub your eyes.

There. Did that help? :D

[NoPasaran]

16. Switch to decaf after the second cup

[Maddy McCall]

17. Six years is OLD for a monitor.

I've never had one last five years. Indeed, the one that came with my son's computer last year lasted about seven months.

I'd look at getting a new monitor.

[opihimoimoi]

18. Get a Dell/inspiron/3.46ghz/76 bucks a month/will last 7 years and still

be fast/i planning on getting one today/