Monitor hurts my ears! Help!

[Yuriman]

My monitor, not 2 minutes ago, started making a realy high pitched humming, right at the edge of audibility. Its giving me a headache. What is the cause? It does it at all reses and refresh rates. How do I make it go away!

[Oklahoma Wolf]

This is often caused by loose coil windings or other vibrating components inside the monitor. Any good technician should be able to track down the offending component and fix the problem - I don't advise doing this yourself without the proper training.

[Yuriman]

Well, I went to get a drink, and when I came back it was silent. Hope it doesnt happen again.

[Oklahoma Wolf]

Me too... often problems like this come back once in a while. Depending how irritating it gets, you could probably live with it as it rarely indicates a serious problem and is usually harmless, unless it drives one insane ;)

[champdog]

This happens to my TV all the time. The only way to stop it is to slide it around a little on the desk, and eventually I find a spot where it stops. I should probably get it fixed by a technician, but then again, that costs money :p

[mdcomp]

Sometimes happens in psu's, never heard of it happening in monitors though. When it happens to my psu, I have to leave the room, lol. Its annoying, but better than paying to have it fixed.

Matt

[Ravsitar]

My POS 19" TV does this as does my parents. A good smack on the side fixes them. Man I can't wait for Christmas bonus. Come to me 36" TV!

[Omega Destroyer]

Yeah this happens to my monitor from time to time too LG 795 Ft+

At first I thought it was a refresh rate problem but it started happening more and more often, and the picture was distorted everytime it happened. Eventually, the screen size shrunk, and the only way you can get it back to regular size is by hitting it. Yeah I know it's not very technical, but I refuse to open up a monitor and risk frying myself (20000 volts). I'm not sure how to fix the problem permanently but everytime it does that, I give it a good whack.

[Crash893]

my old old monitor did that

a good wack usually got it to settle down

althogh this wasnt the best thing to do

every once in a while i would wack the side of it and the enitre montior wuld hue green or red or blue

a few more wacks would put it back

it eventually fried ( like 5 or so years later)

[Oklahoma Wolf]

I don't recommend whacking any CRT display to fix anything... eventually it will cause more problems than it fixes, as one friend of mine discovered when he whacked his monitor so hard it blew instead of getting me to fix it for him (it had bad solder joints all over - I could have fixed it in no time). He brought the monitor to me afterwards, but there was nothing I could do - the cost of fixing it was too high with several blown components needing replacement in addition to the soldering joints.

Anyhow, to get back on track, the usual high pitched squeal without any other signs of problems is not a big problem in itself unless you really can't stand the noise. Whacking it works because the loose vibrating component gets shifted enough to stop it squealing, and that can help for a computer PSU, but monitors and TV sets are usually a bit more delicate. Sometimes shifting it around a bit will fix it without having to hit it, so I'd try that before taking it to a shop or giving up and living with it. Only whack a monitor you're ready to replace ;)

Omega, your monitor is an example of a high pitched noise indicating a more serious problem, and from your description I can tell from here that having a tech resolder all cold soldering joints in it (this is a common cause of many monitor troubles) would have a 95% chance of fixing the monitor for a good long while. Your monitor may last years as is, or it could give up on you much sooner than that. Getting the problem dealt with now would save you having to replace it later, but if you wanted an excuse to replace it anyway this may be a good one sooner or later ;)

[moz_21]

My uncle has an old 14"? RGB monitor that squeals like all get-out... Very annoying...

Oklahoma Wolf: Just curious but what does a bad soldier joint look like? My bro's monitor has a basically unadjustable vertical pan (it will be in one spot and you move it slightly it will shoot off the screen) and I think it is a bad joint. Thanks!
-Moz

[Oklahoma Wolf]

Bad soldering joints can be obvious or not so obvious. Look very closely in a well lit area at each joint and see if there are any cracks around where the various component's pins come through - most times there will be a ring crack around the pin. Some bad joints only appear under a magnifier. Some hot spots for bad joints include areas around any large heatsinks and around the flyback transformer. Be advised that the power supply caps may hold a charge for a good long while - try not to touch them unless you know they're fully discharged, and take care not to let the soldering iron slip if you resolder them. Also, if at all possible, leave the big red CRT anode wire in place - often it's possible to work around it.

The touchy vertical control may be something other than a solder joint - very hard to diagnose from here. If you don't find any bad joints that cure it, bring it to a tech for an informed diagnosis.

[BPM]

I've found mine doing this high-pitched ringing recently too. Its a 18" viewable factory (Micron) monitor, so I have no idea who made it.

It usually happens during the first few minutes after the monitor wakes up from sleep mode. Seems fine after that.

[Oklahoma Wolf]

Tracing the manufacturer is easy - most monitors have an FCC ID number on the label... go here (https://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/oet/cf/eas/reports/GenericSearch.cfm) to do a search, and all will be revealed.

[Yuriman]

How much "exactly" would this cost? Also, it gets worse the more white I have on my screen. Its REALY BAD.

[Oklahoma Wolf]

I can't speak for other techs, but at my rates I could probably have the problem diagnosed and solved in an hour (most should be able to in this time) - about $30 Canadian. However, most shops have expenses to take care of so you may have trouble finding a competant tech who could do it for so cheap. I work out of my house as a sideline these days, so I don't have to charge so much. IIRC, rates in Saskatoon where I used to live averaged about $65 per hour Canadian.

I would ask around where you live, or search the newsgroups for a reputable place to get the repair done for a good value.

[Yuriman]

Well, my monitor is still under circuit city's waranty, so I guess ill just return it and get another(again).

[Oklahoma Wolf]

Warranty is good :D

[Aaron_ATX]

Originally posted by Ravsitar
My POS 19" TV does this as does my parents. A good smack on the side fixes them. Man I can't wait for Christmas bonus. Come to me 36" TV!

a good smack seems to fix most of my electrical equipment.

hi-tech!

;)