Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!maytag!watstat.waterloo.edu!dmurdoch
From: dmurdoch@watstat.waterloo.edu (Duncan Murdoch)
Subject: Re: Screen Flash problem
Message-ID: <1990Nov7.142156.10257@maytag.waterloo.edu>
Sender: daemon@maytag.waterloo.edu (Admin)
Organization: University of Waterloo
References: <1990Nov7.031400.17195@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu>
Date: Wed, 7 Nov 90 14:21:56 GMT
Lines: 24

In article <1990Nov7.031400.17195@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu> gcook@horus.cem.msu.EDU (Greg Cook) writes:
>Recently my monitor (Samsung CM4531 EGA) has been flashing kind of like
>a spark with the screen blanking and then coming back.
>
>Has anyone experience similar behavior from their monitors and what
>is the cause?

I had the same trouble with my Zenith monochrome monitor, and it got worse over
time.  Turned out to be a bad solder joint on the power supply board inside
the monitor - perhaps an argument that one shouldn't switch monitors on and
off.  I resoldered it (it was way out of warranty) and it's worked fine since.

If you do take the cover off the monitor, be extremely careful.  Monitors have
extremely high voltages inside them, and capacitors may hold a charge long
enough to give you a bad (or fatal) jolt a long time after it's been unplugged.
You should also be careful about xrays from a colour tube; I definitely 
wouldn't power it up with the cover off.  You can also easily put the monitor
out of alignment if you accidentally magnetize anything inside, or make
other changes to it.   I'd advise taking it in for service to someone who
knows what they're doing if you don't.

Duncan Murdoch


