A couple weeks ago my monitor was crackling and then it would just snap to a thin white line for a second and then back again. However the other day it came on and the crackling got worse and it was trying to come on but kept phasing out. I noticed at the back that when it was trying to come on a loud spark would appear just inside the casing near the socket at the back. Has anyone seen anything like this and know if it's fixable? All the repair shops want money for an estimate and they just aint getting it. Thanks for any replies.

G'day Goosh,

Whatever you do, don't touch it! That's the high voltage stuff that is making the sparks.
Did it get wet? or did something (like coffee) get spilt in there?
If the sparks are near the power socket, it may be just a mains connector that has come loose.
It could also just be an accumulation of dust if you live in a dry climate.
So, you could unplug it;pull the case off and clean it out with a duster or brush, check for any obvious shorts and then put the case back on and try it again.
Just don't do anything with it if the power is on...
regards,
Elric

I wouldn't even take the case off unless you are trained in reparing monitors. Even with the power unplugged, there is still enough power in the capacitors to do plenty of damage.

rain3d is correct. There are capacitators in there that'll give you one helluva belt even if it's unplugged. There are ways to discharge the monitor to work on it. I repair PC's, printers and terminals for a living, and even I wouldn't bother with it. Buy a second hand one, or a new one.

goosh

Listen to these guys........you don't want to go in there if you are not expert at that. Screwdrivers have been known to fly across the room and stick into things, walls people..... much better to be safe than in the hospital.

As monitors age, the insulation starts to break down and cause sparks. You can leave it off overnight and then blow it out real good and try it after the dust settles.

But if it is over three years old, time to buy a new (better quality) one.

Taking it to a "shop" might just be a short term solution. They might just blow it out and spray it with something that seals the cracks in the insulation for a few months. Best to invest in a new one.

Hi guys thanks for the advice. I took it to a shop and the guy said it would cost $60 minumum to fix but it might be more but he never even opened it. I just left it with him. I might get a brand new one for xmas :-) I have an old 14" for the meantime but it's weird. It only works in safe mode. In normal mode after the welcome screen it goes nuts flickering on the desktop screen.
Thanks again for the advice.

G'day,

That might be because the old driver is set for SVGA (1024X780?). Go into system.ini amd rem out that driver and put:
didplay.drv=vga.drv
re-boot and see if that helps: you mightonly get 680X480, but it will be better than safe mode.
regards,
Elric