Strange Problem With a CRT Monitor

[foleysbase]

I have a Dell D1226H 19" CRT monitor that is giving me a strange display problem. It has been tested using several (over 5) different computers and has the exact same problem on all of them. To the right of any text, such as what I'm typing now or whats displayed on the website or even icons on the desktop there are dark lines to the right of them that are most visible on a light background. They are present no matter which refresh rate is used or which driver is used. I've taken some pictures of it to give you an idea. If I knew what was wrong I know enough to open it up and fix it safely and have the tools to do so.

http://profile.imageshack.us/user/foleysbase/images/detail/#106/p4140046px2.jpg

http://profile.imageshack.us/user/foleysbase/images/detail/#168/p4140045ov4.jpg

 

[sJetski]

Bad news: Smeared text is often a sign that a monitor has aged and won't be usable for much longer.

Good news: ocassionally this can be caused by a bad vga cable eg; kinked cable, oxidized pins etc.

I was lucky, i had fixed a very similar issue by replacing a kinked vga cable. Hopefully you already have another cable to swap and test with. Otherwise a shorter, thicker cable with barrel ferrites on both ends is the best cable to buy. The 3' or 6' super-vga cable from monoprice ought to work perfectly. It may not be worth opening up the monitor to tinker with. Exact repair instructions are hard to come by, and there is tremendous voltage stored inside that will easily kill/mame a person, even if the unit has been unplugged for awhile.

If all else fails, and you are a CRT fan, there is still a precious small supply of new, high-end CRT's available on ebay, in 19", 21" and 22" sizes. If you are patient, some good deals can especially be had on the higher-end new 19" crt's (trinitron and diamondtron aperture-grill "AG" tubes).

Good luck either way, let us know how it turns out.

 

[MadMan007]

At first I was going to suggest convergence adjustment in your OSD but I don't think that would do it in this case. You could always try though. Otherwise there are always focus adjustments on CRTs after you remove the outer plastic shell, you ought to find some access holes in the metal shield. Radioshack used to have a set of plasitc adjustment tools designed for CRT adjustments.

 

[JRW]

Judging from the pics it looks like a bad VGA cable ,I've had similar symptoms (although not nearly as pronounced) when one of the BNC connectors came lose on my CRT.

 

[foleysbase]

I tried all the things that were suggested so far but I can't get any improvement out of it so I think its time to send it to the trash heap and get a new one. Thanks for the help guys.

 

[MadMan007]

Please try to find an electronics recycler instead of putting it in the regular trash.