[SOLVED] Re: Completely OT: How to Degauss a Computer Monitor?

[Ralf Mardorf]

On Sun, 2011-02-13 at 07:14 -0600, Gene Heskett wrote:
> On Sunday, February 13, 2011 06:19:09 am you wrote:
> > Pardon, I hope you're indulgent, but perhaps another user or video
> > engineer is able to help. Using Ubuntu Studio/64 Studio is unpleasant
> > while the screen has got colour spots.
> > 
> > When turning on my monitor or using the degauss option by the menu,
> > nothing happens, but a little click sound, without the additional noise
> > done by the degauss.
> > 
> > Because I don't have the professional equipment to degauss CRTs from
> > external, I tested
> >         a demagnetiser coil for analog audio heads, with and without
> >         touching a long screw driver,
> >         a reversing hammer drill,
> >         not a hand-held blender, because the cable was too short,
> >         but a fan heater and
> >         another monitor degaussing while face to face to the motley
> >         monitor
> > without success.
> > 
> > Until now I didn't screw on the monitor.
> > 
> > Any trick how I can degauss it today, without repairing it and without
> > buying a low cost CRT degausser?
> > 
> > Any hints about what component/s might be broken?
> 
> That monitor will eventually need repair, the varistor circuitry that does 
> this has failed.  Its a fairly common failure.

Hi Gene :)

thank you. You're right, but too late, I already repaired it.

I called Thomas, he said that usually the black box connected to the
wire, wrapping the tube, will be unsoldered and he was right. I opened
the monitor and this resistor-thingy was single sided unsoldered and
additionally half of the land isn't existing. I soldered the pin to the
half of the land and now it's repaired. Unfortunately opening the
monitor was hard and it is much harder to close it correctly, so for the
moment the monitor isn't closed very well, but the screen is ok.
Degaussing is working again.

Cheers!

Ralf

PS: Any hints how to close a MEDION LIFETEC MD 1998 JB J91B case are
welcom *lol*.

> 
> I don't know what is available where you are, but Radio Shack used to sell 
> an audio tape eraser for about 25$ back in the day of audio cassettes.  It 
> is strong enough that I have even used it to degause the steel racks the 
> monitors were mounted in after a heavy lightning storm.
> 
> It is slightly shorter than a pound of butter, has a pushbutton switch in 
> the top of its T shaped handle, and should not be energized for more than a 
> minute at a time else it will overheat, but be aware that it should not be 
> turned off until it has been removed, slowly, to a distance of 3 or 4 feet 
> in order for the residual fields to decay slowly enough to result in the 
> metals in the crt to be truly demagnetized.
> 
> A tv service shop that has been around for a long time may have a big coil 
> that was used for that back in the day & may be willing to loan it to you 
> for an hour or so.  Same rules apply there, be several feet away before 
> turning it off.
> 
> > Cheers!
> > 
> > Ralf