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Re: [Wlug] Acer Flat-screen monitor, needs repair, does anyone want?

by David P. Connell

And just for reference - not to dump on the company (if they even exist anymore!), all the electrolytics I removed from Liz's Acer monitor were from CapXon. And don't ask why I save them, but more than half the ones I have replaced have the same color scheme as these (green/gold writing). Maybe it is a rating (temperature, ramps up and down, etc.) I should know these things....and there are certainly what are considered 'premium' grade capacitors. DaveC On 1/7/2012 10:28 AM, Kieran O'Callaghan wrote: > The funny smell is usually from electrolyte leaking from bad capacitors. > They were Abit ones affected by the so-called Capacitor Plague: > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague > There was an interesting industrial espionage story behind that where a > Taiwanese was using an electrolyte formulation that was only partially > recreated from a Japanese manufacturer. Continuing capacitor problems > might be from that same formula still bouncing around, or they might be > plain old heat problems, or simple under-engineering. > > On Fri, 2012-01-06 at 17:33 -0500, E Johnson wrote: >> Dave, >> >> Very glad to know that you managed to resurrect this thing. Meanwhile >> I am very happy with the new one. >> >> Thanks for the feedback on how you repaired this unit. Its twin here >> (not in warranty) is still running fine, but I can imagine I someday >> might have to deal with a similar problem in this one. >> I used to build& instect& troubleshoot small electronic devices, >> mainly little telemetry units for rockets,& mysterious black boxes >> for aircraft carriers. Except now I have no soldering tools any more. >> >> Anyway, mybe the dysfunctional heat sink was what caused the heat >> problem& early demise of the monitor. I now recall a "funny" smell >> right after the first blackout. >> >> Hopefully the heat sink on the remaining one here is glued on well >> enough. If the DH ever turns loose of Monitor 2 long enough, maybe we >> can take a look. >> >> Dave - How much disassembly is required before the heat sink is visible? >> >> Thanks again to everyone here. >> >> Liz J >> >> On 6 January 2012 15:55, David P. Connell<davec99(a)charter.net> wrote: >>> Just for general info: the aforementioned Acer monitor from Liz had >>> several obviously bad caps in the power supply section. They were all >>> from the same manufacturer and the worst were all the same value. As >>> mentioned below, I just replaced all of them while I had it open - well, >>> not the very largest, or the very smallest, nor the solid ones. The big >>> and small ones looked pretty good, with no signs of bulging or leakage >>> and I'm hoping they were made on a different assembly line, since the >>> values were way different from the bad ones. >>> >>> It has been running for about 18 hours, played a full DVD movie, and >>> returns from powers-saving mode. I'm not entirely convinced that one of >>> the IC's is not running at the edge of its specs, since there was some >>> evidence of heat there. Also, on the video output board, there was a >>> poorly adhered heatsink that I reattached with a spec of super glue and >>> a small gob of silicone fixant. It was kind of tipped over onto another >>> chip and not doing its job - probably not an electrical problem. >>> >>> I am glad, and hope for the future, that there is nothing wrong with the >>> part that would normally encompass the inverter, because it is >>> integrated into the LCD itself and runs the full width of the screen. >>> If I were to be very careful, I could restore the bad caps and try to >>> take advantage of Acer's (so far) excellent customer service and >>> warranty service, but the way the monitor was constructed insured a lot >>> of evidence is left of any repair work (special tapes, tricky plugs, etc >>> - no seals though). >>> >>> I have also had to do a capacitor replacement on my otherwise very nice >>> Samsung SyncMaster 226BW. Thank goodness for forums! >>> >>> By the way, I am down to a single machine running MythBuntu/MythTV as >>> far as Linux goes, although I am constantly using various Live CD's for >>> the ease of use, testing, and tools they provide. I also have a couple >>> of Android devices, but haven't dug inside them much except to 'root', etc. >>> >>> Thanks Liz also - the time was enjoyable, finding the parts helped me >>> find some other stuff, and it worked! It goes very nicely with my Acer >>> 23"LCD/LED. >>> >>> DaveC >>> >>> On 1/6/2012 11:51 AM, John Stoffel wrote: >>>> Tim> Funny you say that. We have dozens of those monitors where I >>>> Tim> work and we pick one day a month and for about 2 hours we set up >>>> Tim> a assembly line. One person desolders the bad caps, another >>>> Tim> person solders on new ones, then we have one monitor we use as a >>>> Tim> test rig. We can crank them out at this point. Though we long >>>> Tim> ago figured which 5 caps are the likely culprits and we just >>>> Tim> replace them all, even if the cap looks good. >>>> >>>> I love the Samsung 204Bs, I wish I could get more of them. Nice >>>> 1600x1200 display, pan/tilt/height adjustments, etc. Got any you want >>>> to sell? >>>> >>>> John >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> Wlug mailing list >>>> Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org >>>> http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug >>>> >>> >>> -- >>> David P. Connell >>> "Watch where you're going; remember where you've been." >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Wlug mailing list >>> Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org >>> http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug >> _______________________________________________ >> Wlug mailing list >> Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org >> http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug -- David P. Connell "Watch where you're going; remember where you've been."

Jan. 7, 2012

Re: [Wlug] Acer Flat-screen monitor, needs repair, does anyone want?

by David P. Connell

That was the only real issue with the whole thing - getting it apart blind. It ended up coming apart more like a cell phone than a monitor, by my experience. Once the stand is off, there is only one screw to remove, then its the trusty old guitar pick (secret tool of the cell phone/ipod industry) to remove the rear cover. Not required, but I also removed the whole screen and electronics modules from the rest of the plastics by removing 4 more screws - 2 on each side. The real difficulty, in order to make it look untouched, was that the power supply electronics and video inputs were under a steel cover that was fastened down with metalic tape, which I did not have in stock. I replaced by being careful and using some double-sided clear tape (Later). I slipped the button array circuit board loose from the frame and let it dangle carefully. I disconnected the output lines to the 'inverter/backlight/rest of the display electronics' which are dangerously exposed across the entire bottom of the screen, but fairly sturdy (double-sided tape?). This allowed me to move the unneeded parts well away from dropped tools, etc. Those connections were hard to disconnect, only because they are well-made and require some wiggling. I believe I left my mark most evidently there, especially since I numbered them and didn't bother to clean off the numbers. After doing one, I believe I could probably complete the process without anyone knowing I had been in there. Except....I used a totally different brand of capacitor with higher temperature ratings and the physical sizes were different as well. I matched the ratings otherwise. I guess I had to unplug those cable to remove the two boards to properly inspect and work on them. I guess there were 5 more screws there. And the video cable connector screws/nuts had to come off as they were holding that side of the small board into the cage. The heat sink was on the small board and itself was very small. The caps were all on the power supply board. It is made to be set up in several configurations. I didn't study whether that was for different models or just different caps. but I used the same positions as before, since the holes were left open from my de-soldering braid. The caps are all tacked down with a solid silicone-like substance. I used a matching almond silicone that is a little more rubbery, but still electronically neutral (enough). I finished cleaning up the dust with my trusty dollar brush, blew out everything with the canned air, and put it back together. It has been on ever since I finished and let the silicone dry for a while (hair dryer helped). It only just now exhibited a little bit of what I would call a 'hot chip', but I am definitely not a pro (I was an English Major), since there were a couple of black sections that remained until I passed the mouse over them. The Samsung I fixed a few months ago did that occasionally as well, but not very often, and then seem to stop, so I don't really know. If that is the only thing wrong, I will call it "useable" or "donateable" but maybe not "saleable". I know, I know, an English Major who makes up his own words....I enjoyed the time spent doing the repair, but if I charged what I make at my real job, it might come out pretty close to what I paid for this Acer 23" that I am using right now (which is why I bought it even after I repaired the Samsung - and like Liz and company - you have to have working tools to get your job done). Sorry for such a long message about hardware and nothing about Linux - hardware is more my strength these days. DaveC On 1/6/2012 5:33 PM, E Johnson wrote: > Dave, > > Very glad to know that you managed to resurrect this thing. Meanwhile > I am very happy with the new one. > > Thanks for the feedback on how you repaired this unit. Its twin here > (not in warranty) is still running fine, but I can imagine I someday > might have to deal with a similar problem in this one. > I used to build& instect& troubleshoot small electronic devices, > mainly little telemetry units for rockets,& mysterious black boxes > for aircraft carriers. Except now I have no soldering tools any more. > > Anyway, mybe the dysfunctional heat sink was what caused the heat > problem& early demise of the monitor. I now recall a "funny" smell > right after the first blackout. > > Hopefully the heat sink on the remaining one here is glued on well > enough. If the DH ever turns loose of Monitor 2 long enough, maybe we > can take a look. > > Dave - How much disassembly is required before the heat sink is visible? > > Thanks again to everyone here. > > Liz J > > On 6 January 2012 15:55, David P. Connell<davec99(a)charter.net> wrote: >> Just for general info: the aforementioned Acer monitor from Liz had >> several obviously bad caps in the power supply section. They were all >> from the same manufacturer and the worst were all the same value. As >> mentioned below, I just replaced all of them while I had it open - well, >> not the very largest, or the very smallest, nor the solid ones. The big >> and small ones looked pretty good, with no signs of bulging or leakage >> and I'm hoping they were made on a different assembly line, since the >> values were way different from the bad ones. >> >> It has been running for about 18 hours, played a full DVD movie, and >> returns from powers-saving mode. I'm not entirely convinced that one of >> the IC's is not running at the edge of its specs, since there was some >> evidence of heat there. Also, on the video output board, there was a >> poorly adhered heatsink that I reattached with a spec of super glue and >> a small gob of silicone fixant. It was kind of tipped over onto another >> chip and not doing its job - probably not an electrical problem. >> >> I am glad, and hope for the future, that there is nothing wrong with the >> part that would normally encompass the inverter, because it is >> integrated into the LCD itself and runs the full width of the screen. >> If I were to be very careful, I could restore the bad caps and try to >> take advantage of Acer's (so far) excellent customer service and >> warranty service, but the way the monitor was constructed insured a lot >> of evidence is left of any repair work (special tapes, tricky plugs, etc >> - no seals though). >> >> I have also had to do a capacitor replacement on my otherwise very nice >> Samsung SyncMaster 226BW. Thank goodness for forums! >> >> By the way, I am down to a single machine running MythBuntu/MythTV as >> far as Linux goes, although I am constantly using various Live CD's for >> the ease of use, testing, and tools they provide. I also have a couple >> of Android devices, but haven't dug inside them much except to 'root', etc. >> >> Thanks Liz also - the time was enjoyable, finding the parts helped me >> find some other stuff, and it worked! It goes very nicely with my Acer >> 23"LCD/LED. >> >> DaveC >> >> On 1/6/2012 11:51 AM, John Stoffel wrote: >>> Tim> Funny you say that. We have dozens of those monitors where I >>> Tim> work and we pick one day a month and for about 2 hours we set up >>> Tim> a assembly line. One person desolders the bad caps, another >>> Tim> person solders on new ones, then we have one monitor we use as a >>> Tim> test rig. We can crank them out at this point. Though we long >>> Tim> ago figured which 5 caps are the likely culprits and we just >>> Tim> replace them all, even if the cap looks good. >>> >>> I love the Samsung 204Bs, I wish I could get more of them. Nice >>> 1600x1200 display, pan/tilt/height adjustments, etc. Got any you want >>> to sell? >>> >>> John >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Wlug mailing list >>> Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org >>> http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug >>> >> >> -- >> David P. Connell >> "Watch where you're going; remember where you've been." >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Wlug mailing list >> Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org >> http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > -- David P. Connell "Watch where you're going; remember where you've been."

Jan. 7, 2012

Re: [Wlug] Spam

by Henrique

This software is more designed more blogs and web-forums, but it has a huge and growing database of bots and spam and an easy to use API. http://www.stopforumspam.com/ Hope it is of use, Henrique. On Sat, Jan 7, 2012 at 12:43 PM, Michael Checca <mchecca(a)gmail.com> wrote: > I did a quick google search and got this: http://untroubled.org/spam/ > I haven't looked into it too much, but he has 7z'd spam messages for over > 14 years. That should provide a pretty good range. > > HTH, > Mike > > On Sat, 07 Jan 2012 12:25:11 -0500, Jason Couture <plaguethenet(a)gmail.com> > wrote: > > > If anyone knows a good way to get various types of spam, please let me > > know. I've tried the usual suspects and tactics but I'm not getting > > enough > > (approx 1 message per hour Max). I'm attempting to train a Bayesian > > filter. > > I've got a honeypot email address setup (honeypot(a)openflock.com) if > > anyone > > has a maildir formatted spam folder that has alot in it, please feel free > > to tar it and send it to me. I'm looking for approx 3,000+ emails. > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug >

Jan. 7, 2012

[SPF:Probably_Forged] Re: Monitor resolution ...

by Robert Krawitz

On Sat, 07 Jan 2012 11:45:01 -0500, Frank Sweetser wrote: > > In the past, tv and monitors were two seperate products that shared > some common underlying technology. Nowadays, they're just different > market segments for the same product, differing mostly in the size, > case, and marketing. > > Plus, since most HD content is recorded at a native resolution of > 1080, watching it on a monitor with a physical resolution of 1080 (or > multiple thereof) gives the best results. This is nice if you want to > watch blue ray of HD streaming on you pc. If you have a 1920x1200 monitor, there's no problem: just letterbox the 1920x1080 output. I recently bought a used Dell Precision M6500 laptop; I wouldn't consider an M6600, despite the faster processors, because of the inferior screen. -- Robert Krawitz <rlk(a)alum.mit.edu> Tall Clubs International -- http://www.tall.org/ or 1-888-IM-TALL-2 Member of the League for Programming Freedom -- http://ProgFree.org Project lead for Gutenprint -- http://gimp-print.sourceforge.net "Linux doesn't dictate how I work, I dictate how Linux works." --Eric Crampton

Jan. 7, 2012

Re: [Wlug] Spam

by Michael Checca

I did a quick google search and got this: http://untroubled.org/spam/ I haven't looked into it too much, but he has 7z'd spam messages for over 14 years. That should provide a pretty good range. HTH, Mike On Sat, 07 Jan 2012 12:25:11 -0500, Jason Couture <plaguethenet(a)gmail.com> wrote: > If anyone knows a good way to get various types of spam, please let me > know. I've tried the usual suspects and tactics but I'm not getting > enough > (approx 1 message per hour Max). I'm attempting to train a Bayesian > filter. > I've got a honeypot email address setup (honeypot(a)openflock.com) if > anyone > has a maildir formatted spam folder that has alot in it, please feel free > to tar it and send it to me. I'm looking for approx 3,000+ emails.

Jan. 7, 2012

Spam

by Jason Couture

If anyone knows a good way to get various types of spam, please let me know. I've tried the usual suspects and tactics but I'm not getting enough (approx 1 message per hour Max). I'm attempting to train a Bayesian filter. I've got a honeypot email address setup (honeypot(a)openflock.com) if anyone has a maildir formatted spam folder that has alot in it, please feel free to tar it and send it to me. I'm looking for approx 3,000+ emails.

Jan. 7, 2012

Re: [Wlug] Monitor resolution ...

by Frank Sweetser

In the past, tv and monitors were two seperate products that shared some common underlying technology. Nowadays, they're just different market segments for the same product, differing mostly in the size, case, and marketing. Plus, since most HD content is recorded at a native resolution of 1080, watching it on a monitor with a physical resolution of 1080 (or multiple thereof) gives the best results. This is nice if you want to watch blue ray of HD streaming on you pc. David Glaser <dglaser(a)glaserresearch.net> wrote: >I was looking at monitors at WurstBuy and noticed that the maximum >vertical resolution is 1080 lines. > >I then looked at the sites of the various monitor manufacturers and >also >noticed that almost all of their offerings has a maximum vertical >resolution of 1080 lines. You could get higher resolution but the >prices are through the roof. > >Can anyone shed some light on the trend? > >-David >_______________________________________________ >Wlug mailing list >Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org >http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug -- Sent from my Android phone with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.

Jan. 7, 2012

Re: [Wlug] Monitor resolution ...

by Gregory Boyce

The general public has been trained that HD resolutions are the best, and LCD manufacturers get economy of scale by making TVs and monitors at 1080p ) On Jan 7, 2012 11:30 AM, "David Glaser" <dglaser(a)glaserresearch.net> wrote: > I was looking at monitors at WurstBuy and noticed that the maximum > vertical resolution is 1080 lines. > > I then looked at the sites of the various monitor manufacturers and also > noticed that almost all of their offerings has a maximum vertical > resolution of 1080 lines. You could get higher resolution but the prices > are through the roof. > > Can anyone shed some light on the trend? > > -David > > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > >

Jan. 7, 2012

Monitor resolution ...

by David Glaser

I was looking at monitors at WurstBuy and noticed that the maximum vertical resolution is 1080 lines. I then looked at the sites of the various monitor manufacturers and also noticed that almost all of their offerings has a maximum vertical resolution of 1080 lines. You could get higher resolution but the prices are through the roof. Can anyone shed some light on the trend? -David

Jan. 7, 2012

Re: [Wlug] Acer Flat-screen monitor, needs repair, does anyone want?

by Kieran O'Callaghan

The funny smell is usually from electrolyte leaking from bad capacitors. They were Abit ones affected by the so-called Capacitor Plague: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague There was an interesting industrial espionage story behind that where a Taiwanese was using an electrolyte formulation that was only partially recreated from a Japanese manufacturer. Continuing capacitor problems might be from that same formula still bouncing around, or they might be plain old heat problems, or simple under-engineering. On Fri, 2012-01-06 at 17:33 -0500, E Johnson wrote: > Dave, > > Very glad to know that you managed to resurrect this thing. Meanwhile > I am very happy with the new one. > > Thanks for the feedback on how you repaired this unit. Its twin here > (not in warranty) is still running fine, but I can imagine I someday > might have to deal with a similar problem in this one. > I used to build & instect & troubleshoot small electronic devices, > mainly little telemetry units for rockets, & mysterious black boxes > for aircraft carriers. Except now I have no soldering tools any more. > > Anyway, mybe the dysfunctional heat sink was what caused the heat > problem & early demise of the monitor. I now recall a "funny" smell > right after the first blackout. > > Hopefully the heat sink on the remaining one here is glued on well > enough. If the DH ever turns loose of Monitor 2 long enough, maybe we > can take a look. > > Dave - How much disassembly is required before the heat sink is visible? > > Thanks again to everyone here. > > Liz J > > On 6 January 2012 15:55, David P. Connell <davec99(a)charter.net> wrote: > > Just for general info: the aforementioned Acer monitor from Liz had > > several obviously bad caps in the power supply section. They were all > > from the same manufacturer and the worst were all the same value. As > > mentioned below, I just replaced all of them while I had it open - well, > > not the very largest, or the very smallest, nor the solid ones. The big > > and small ones looked pretty good, with no signs of bulging or leakage > > and I'm hoping they were made on a different assembly line, since the > > values were way different from the bad ones. > > > > It has been running for about 18 hours, played a full DVD movie, and > > returns from powers-saving mode. I'm not entirely convinced that one of > > the IC's is not running at the edge of its specs, since there was some > > evidence of heat there. Also, on the video output board, there was a > > poorly adhered heatsink that I reattached with a spec of super glue and > > a small gob of silicone fixant. It was kind of tipped over onto another > > chip and not doing its job - probably not an electrical problem. > > > > I am glad, and hope for the future, that there is nothing wrong with the > > part that would normally encompass the inverter, because it is > > integrated into the LCD itself and runs the full width of the screen. > > If I were to be very careful, I could restore the bad caps and try to > > take advantage of Acer's (so far) excellent customer service and > > warranty service, but the way the monitor was constructed insured a lot > > of evidence is left of any repair work (special tapes, tricky plugs, etc > > - no seals though). > > > > I have also had to do a capacitor replacement on my otherwise very nice > > Samsung SyncMaster 226BW. Thank goodness for forums! > > > > By the way, I am down to a single machine running MythBuntu/MythTV as > > far as Linux goes, although I am constantly using various Live CD's for > > the ease of use, testing, and tools they provide. I also have a couple > > of Android devices, but haven't dug inside them much except to 'root', etc. > > > > Thanks Liz also - the time was enjoyable, finding the parts helped me > > find some other stuff, and it worked! It goes very nicely with my Acer > > 23"LCD/LED. > > > > DaveC > > > > On 1/6/2012 11:51 AM, John Stoffel wrote: > >> Tim> Funny you say that. We have dozens of those monitors where I > >> Tim> work and we pick one day a month and for about 2 hours we set up > >> Tim> a assembly line. One person desolders the bad caps, another > >> Tim> person solders on new ones, then we have one monitor we use as a > >> Tim> test rig. We can crank them out at this point. Though we long > >> Tim> ago figured which 5 caps are the likely culprits and we just > >> Tim> replace them all, even if the cap looks good. > >> > >> I love the Samsung 204Bs, I wish I could get more of them. Nice > >> 1600x1200 display, pan/tilt/height adjustments, etc. Got any you want > >> to sell? > >> > >> John > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Wlug mailing list > >> Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > >> http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > >> > > > > > > -- > > David P. Connell > > "Watch where you're going; remember where you've been." > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Wlug mailing list > > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug -- Kieran O'Callaghan kieran(a)tiac.net Cell: (978) 760-1428

Jan. 7, 2012