So I've bought a faulty TFT...

[googlemad]

In my typical fashion I got a request from a member of staff (personal job) saying their home LCD isn't powering on.

 

Got it to the office and indeed it isn't, even with a new power cable.

 

But it looked in decent nick 19" screen so I offered a tenner for it and got it!

 

Any ideas on if I can get it to fire up? It's a Proview ma-982kc

[Oops_my_bad]

Ha! Not the ending i was expecting.. is it still under warranty?

[ahuxham]

You may just find yourself £10 down, apart from this solution (if it works)

 

From experience, and valuable experience, I have found that grabbing a heat gun, removing enclosures and heating any PCB board with solder tends to work.

 

The amount of laptops I've bought off ebay for £20-60 quid with "Video, Graphics not working, no video output" only to get the boards out, heat them up so the solder re-solders and switch them back on, and voila Life! and resold for £300-600

[IanT]

You just brought a broken screen, you a mad man!

[dhicks]

I have found that grabbing a heat gun, removing enclosures and heating any PCB board with solder tends to work.

 

That really works? I've just bought a monitor off eBay that has a faulty backlight - the screen turns on for a couple of seconds, then goes black. If you look very carefully you can just see the display is still on the screen, it's just not lit. The eBay seller refunded the money straight away so I've gone and bought another monitor, but I might try and get the old one working now as well...

 

--

David Hicks

[ahuxham]

That really works? I've just bought a monitor off eBay that has a faulty backlight - the screen turns on for a couple of seconds, then goes black. If you look very carefully you can just see the display is still on the screen, it's just not lit. The eBay seller refunded the money straight away so I've gone and bought another monitor, but I might try and get the old one working now as well...

 

Really does!!

[webman]

the screen turns on for a couple of seconds, then goes black. If you look very carefully you can just see the display is still on the screen, it's just not lit.

 

Sounds like the inverter has failed. If you can get the replacement component - you sir, should have a working monitor.

[EduTech]

You just brought a broken screen, you a mad man!

 

Probably why he has "mad" at the end of his username its not only mad about google! he is also a mad man hehe

 

Hope you get it fixed mate

[dhicks]

Sounds like the inverter has failed. If you can get the replacement component - you sir, should have a working monitor.

 

How do I figure out which part the inverter is? Do I need to get one that's specific for the model of monitor, or are they generic parts?

 

--

David Hicks

[webman]

How do I figure out which part the inverter is? Do I need to get one that's specific for the model of monitor, or are they generic parts?

 

Usually model-specific from my experience but Ebay throws up some 'universal' ones - but I don't know enough about them to recommend those. Further investigation reveals your problem could also be the backlight.

[SYNACK]

You could avoid the whole issue of tracking down whether it is the inverter or backlight, save some power and get better colour reproduction by modding it to use LED backlighting. Makes it much more robust also.

 

Inventgeek.com - LCD Backlight Fix - Overview

LCD Backlight Conversion to LED

Sprites mods - LEDs replacing CCFL backlight - Intro, theory

3mm single LED Pro Backlighting Kits [PROBACKLIGHTKIT3MM] - $15.00 : Nonfinite Electronics, Your source for everything Game Boy related!

[webman]

Nice comment in the second link, about LEDs... One also exploded due to an accidental over volt. Shot me in the Chest. Panel okay though.

[dhicks]

heat gun

 

I don't have a heat gun... does a hairdryer work?

 

--

David Hicks

[ahuxham]

I don't have a heat gun... does a hairdryer work?

 

--

David Hicks

 

Yes, but your going to have to hold it there for alot longer, the solder should turn very shiny, at the point where its almost fluid again, and that's the point to stop. It needs to solidify to work.

[ahuxham]

Well I'll be damned. I've never heard of this before.

 

I've got a busted laptop in Chez Tonnix upon which I might give this a whirl.

 

I know it works on kayaks - here's one I fixed with a hairdryer a couple of months ago...

How to fix a plastic kayak or canoe

 

Works wonders on HP dx** series laptops, the amount bought on eBay and fixed within an hour is amazing. People just flog them for cheap, and they get resold for masses when sold