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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: Framiga on January 02, 2004, 11:43:22 AM

Title: Suggestion . . . for free :-)
Post by: Framiga on January 02, 2004, 11:43:22 AM
Hi All,

Do you own an expensive VGA monitor to which you are very fond and that it begins to visualize too dark images?

Well . . .i own an old "IDEK iiyama MF5121" (a 21" that in 1989 was sold at 5000 USD) that visualizes dark picture (the Black Level was very low).

To fix it? too expensive

Replace it? with a new 21" . .  .i can't buy a new one ATM

So i decided to do the "great jump in the dark" . .  .to open it and to try to restore its normal values.

Honestly, I had not never seen before,a so well  constructed chassis and shielded structure (1 mm.)

With the help of some Test Patterns Monitor Test (http://de.aminet.net/pub/aminet/util/misc/MonitorTest.lha) (RTG compatible) i've done some basic fine tunings, increasing the 3 trimmers/knob on the deflection PCB ("giogo di deflessione" in italian) and a trimmer labeled "sub-bright" until i've seen again the darker zones of the images.

Pay attention at:

HI VOLTAGE (mine is 27KV)

DO the job after 20 minutes from the switch-ON

WHITE BALANCE (and in mine BLACK BALANCE too)

GEOMETRY

FOCUS

and do those job, ONLY if you know what you are doing.

Last but not least, do the job ONLY if your CRT is in good condition and obviously, if you can't buy a new monitor :-)

Good luck

Ciao

PS- with the "regenerated monitor", NOW i can see all the smallest details, like some emoticons or so.

Title: Re: Suggestion . . . for free :-)
Post by: iamaboringperson on January 02, 2004, 11:47:02 AM
Quote
HI VOLTAGE (mine is 27KV)
:nervous:  :nervous:  :nervous:  :nervous:  :nervous:  :nervous:  :nervous:
Title: Re: Suggestion . . . for free :-)
Post by: Framiga on January 02, 2004, 11:49:33 AM
@iamaboringperson

can you explain me better?

Cheers

Title: Re: Suggestion . . . for free :-)
Post by: iamaboringperson on January 02, 2004, 11:53:38 AM
Quote

Framiga wrote:
@iamaboringperson

can you explain me better?

Cheers


Yeah, sure.

Even though I have opened monitores before (and TV's since I was a kid), one of my biggest fears are high voltages, which is why I am now so affraid of opening a monitor.

I hate high voltage!! (However I did fix my AT A 4000 T PSU switch....)
Title: Re: Suggestion . . . for free :-)
Post by: iamaboringperson on January 02, 2004, 11:56:23 AM
Quote
Suggestion . . . for free
Yeah, but it's only the first suggestion that is for free! All of the other tips will cost you only $29.95 per month! Subscribe now! ;-)
Title: Re: Suggestion . . . for free :-)
Post by: Framiga on January 02, 2004, 12:02:32 PM
Hi iamaboringperson

oh yes me too.

Anyway, after years of "repairings, mod and so", i've learned, to pay attention with those gears.

The last electic shock i've had, was from the A4000 PSU . . .  .brrrrr!!!! DOLORE !!!!

Ciao

Title: Re: Suggestion . . . for free :-)
Post by: amigamad on January 02, 2004, 01:42:37 PM
Im lucky at the moment my 17 inch belinear has been good since i bought it about 4 to 5 years ago. :-)
Title: Re: Suggestion . . . for free :-)
Post by: mikeymike on January 02, 2004, 01:51:26 PM
I wouldn't mess with the insides of a monitor unless it was critically important.  I like my life.  :-)
Title: Re: Suggestion . . . for free :-)
Post by: mikeymike on January 02, 2004, 01:52:52 PM
Quote
Im lucky at the moment my 17 inch belinear has been good since i bought it about 4 to 5 years ago


Argh.  I had a 17" Belinea monitor, which my parents now have (I currently have a v. nice 19" Iiyama).  The Belinea has to be degaussed at least once a week and even then the loss of focus is apparent to me in that time.
Title: Re: Suggestion . . . for free :-)
Post by: Framiga on January 02, 2004, 02:10:54 PM
OT

sorry for the OT:

i'm just received 2 strange mails:

--------------------------------------------

1- From: dynamite@cynapses.org
  Subject: you are an idiot
  Attachment: painfulness.bat
  Text:
 
why do you do that?


2- From: info@planetunreal.com
   Subject: registration confirmation
Text:
   
Thanks for your registration.
( We say Sorry again, the first mail was delivered to an unknown mail address.
This was a bug in our mailing system! )

The amount of 239.- USD was deducted by your credit card.

Welcome,
you can now visit more than 1200 very very hot web pages!
Your registration, pages and passwords are in the attachment.

Attachment:  yourregistration.bat
---------------------------------------------

Have you an idea? Viruses?

Cheers

Title: Re: Suggestion . . . for free :-)
Post by: mikey2001 on January 02, 2004, 02:22:11 PM
Sounds like the second one is definately a virus, because the attachment (always dodgy anyway) is a .bat file.  :-(
Title: Re: Suggestion . . . for free :-)
Post by: Framiga on January 02, 2004, 03:11:16 PM
Hi mikey2001

even the first has a.bat attachment:

1- painfulness.bat

2- yourregistration.bat

Strange ways . . .

Thanks

Ciao


Title: Re: Suggestion . . . for free :-)
Post by: mikey2001 on January 02, 2004, 03:48:46 PM
I dont know if you know, but a .bat (batch) file is double clicked on a PC would execute some sort of command contained in the file. Im not sure what effect the file would have if you tried this on an Amiga though.  :-( Best advice is to just delete the file and do not under any circumstance open the .bat file.  :-)
Title: Re: Suggestion . . . for free :-)
Post by: Varthall on January 02, 2004, 04:31:56 PM
Quote

mikey2001 wrote:
I dont know if you know, but a .bat (batch) file is double clicked on a PC would execute some sort of command contained in the file. Im not sure what effect the file would have if you tried this on an Amiga though.  :-( Best advice is to just delete the file and do not under any circumstance open the .bat file.  :-)

Hem, usually PC viruses with a bat extension are not scripts, but plain x86 executables... You would have to launch them under PcTask, and still it would probably say "this program cannot be run in dos mode" :)
Once I replied to such a message, asking for an Amiga version of the attachment I've received... strangely, no one ever replied me ;)

Varthall
Title: Re: Suggestion . . . for free :-)
Post by: Varthall on January 02, 2004, 04:33:20 PM
Quote

iamaboringperson wrote:
Quote
HI VOLTAGE (mine is 27KV)
:nervous:  :nervous:  :nervous:  :nervous:  :nervous:  :nervous:  :nervous:

Yep that pretty scaring... an electric shock of this strenght would lead to instant death, I guess :((

BTW how much difficult are LCD screens to repair? They should be much safer to mess with as no high voltages are involved. Has anyone tried to repair one?

Varthall
Title: Re: Suggestion . . . for free :-)
Post by: Ilwrath on January 02, 2004, 04:57:21 PM
Quote
I wouldn't mess with the insides of a monitor unless it was critically important. I like my life.


Too True.  I don't think the voltage is life-threatning, as it's a very quick spark, but it'd still be enough to cause some burns, etc.  At least that's what I'd estimate, as I watched a spark jump to my grounded workbench, inches away from my hand.  :-o   I followed the procedure to discharge the thing first, even.  Last time I'll open a monitor.

Fortunatly, many new monitors and televisions have their diagnostic modes totally electronic, now.  I fixed a miscoloration and non-linearity on my Toshiba television by just accessing the factory service menus.  There are websites that list the codes to get into these menus on all sorts of devices.  :-)
Title: Re: Suggestion . . . for free :-)
Post by: frankb on January 02, 2004, 05:44:23 PM
Quote

Varthall wrote:

Hem, usually PC viruses with a bat extension are not scripts, but plain x86 executables... You would have to launch them under PcTask, and still it would probably say "this program cannot be run in dos mode" :)
Once I replied to such a message, asking for an Amiga version of the attachment I've received... strangely, no one ever replied me ;)

Varthall

Actually a *.bat file on MS-DOS/Windows is a batch file. It is a script file. Batch as in a batch of commands put together to run quickly in succession. In fact .bat files are the first type of script file known to the Microsoft world.

The potential damage that could be wrought by running one of these .bat files is extremely high.
Title: Re: Suggestion . . . for free :-)
Post by: takemehomegrandma on January 02, 2004, 06:09:18 PM
Quote

Framiga wrote:
OT

sorry for the OT:

i'm just received 2 strange mails:

--------------------------------------------

1- From: dynamite@cynapses.org
  Subject: you are an idiot
  Attachment: painfulness.bat
  Text:
 
why do you do that?


I got the same thing to my hotmail account (possibly through the amiga.org address?):

From :  
Sent :  Friday, January 2, 2004 1:40 AM
To :  darth_x0@hotmail.com (:-o :-? **my** address is takemehomegrandma@hotmail.com)
Subject :  you are an idiot
 
Hotmail has permanently blocked the following potentially unsafe attachment(s): idiot.com (99 KB) More Info...  

why do you do that?
 
 
 
Title: Re: Suggestion . . . for free :-)
Post by: sir_inferno on January 02, 2004, 06:28:07 PM
lol, i always download those

DON'T PANIC!!!  :-D

i drag them into notepad and look @ how they're made. Most just try to do a low level format or somthing, nothing too interesting, a few do a netsend to everyone on the network going, IF YOU READ THIS YOU ARE A MUNCHKIN or somthing, and then reload themselves so you keep getting the messages until the sending computer restarts or runs out of memory, some deltree windows on restart, and some simply open a web location where they have the proper virus/trojan
Title: Re: Suggestion . . . for free :-)
Post by: Varthall on January 02, 2004, 11:50:16 PM
Quote

frankb wrote:
Quote

Varthall wrote:

Hem, usually PC viruses with a bat extension are not scripts, but plain x86 executables... You would have to launch them under PcTask, and still it would probably say "this program cannot be run in dos mode" :)
Once I replied to such a message, asking for an Amiga version of the attachment I've received... strangely, no one ever replied me ;)

Varthall

Actually a *.bat file on MS-DOS/Windows is a batch file. It is a script file. Batch as in a batch of commands put together to run quickly in succession. In fact .bat files are the first type of script file known to the Microsoft world.

The potential damage that could be wrought by running one of these .bat files is extremely high.

True, but, from what I have seen until now, executabels are often disguised as .bat, .pif or
.scr files. Seeing that the suffix is not .exe, a novice user would think is not an executable, hence it's not a dangerous file.

Varthall
Title: Re: Suggestion . . . for free :-)
Post by: tonyw on January 03, 2004, 12:09:09 AM
@Varthall:
"BTW how much difficult are LCD screens to repair? They should be much safer to mess with as no high voltages are involved. Has anyone tried to repair one?"

Don't you believe it. The backlight /behind/ the LCD screen uses about 200 V ac to work. You can get a nasty shock from that, but I don't know what sort of power is involved, probably a couple of watts. You'd probably get burned by it (it's high frequency).

tony

Title: Re: Suggestion . . . for free :-)
Post by: KapitanKlystron on January 03, 2004, 04:22:08 AM
You want to be very carefull around CRT's.  The voltages are indeed life threatening. Especially the  aquadag and certainly focus screens as well.  

Although DC will not cause you to do the 60hz shuffle, 30 to 50 mA. is all thats required to cause cardiac arrest.

Take it from someone who deals with high energy sources everyday ( I am an Industrial Electrician).  I mind my manners around CRT's
Title: Re: Suggestion . . . for free :-)
Post by: kgrach on January 03, 2004, 07:35:41 AM
LCD's have High voltage on the backlighting. Give you a nasty surprise they will. But nothing really lethal like a CRT. Also CRT's can hold a big charge long after the plug has been pulled. CRT's can really chuck you across the room if you are not careful!

I unfortunately have done the funky chicken and the Wiley coyote act a few times in my life. Not fun!!!!
Title: Re: Suggestion . . . for free :-)
Post by: Framiga on January 03, 2004, 10:29:10 AM
Hi All,

mine was only a suggestion (not an order), for who is be able to do the job.

So . . . . as never said :-)

Ciao

Title: Re: Suggestion . . . for free :-)
Post by: Framiga on January 03, 2004, 10:43:17 AM
Hi takemehomegrandma

the 2 last mail (with viruses) wasn't sent directly to my address, but:

From dynamite@cynapses.org
To lu###zz@tiscalinet.it
Subject you are an idiot

and

From info@planetunreal.com
To ThatAccount####@tiscali.it
Subject registration confirmation

so same Domain but with the address of who have spread (with its AddressBook) the viruses . . .i think.

Anyway, as already said i haven't a PC.

Ciao