CRT Monitor Woes - Hardware & Software

Until my LCD monitor gets repaired, I am forced to use this shitty CRT screen a friend lent me. It constantly pops up with the brightness adjuster, in all of its 2-bit glory, covering the exact center of my screen while I play my vidya. It constantly pops up, covers shit so cant see, and sets the brightness from 50 to 0. This isn't software side - this is the screens own brightness slider. As if it wasn't bad enough having a huge block on my desk. Is there any way to stop/override this? It is fucking annoying as hell. I will be on a pretty decent murdering streak in BF3 and then it will pop up, cover my crosshair and more, and make the entire screen go near-black.

That sort of thing is based on the monitor, perhaps try looking the monitor up and seeing if you can't find the instruction booklet? Or try playing around in the setting and seeing if you can't find some way to disable it there.

It's most likely a problem with the buttons on the monitor itself that control the brightness. About the only thing you can do to fix that is open the monitor up and see if there's anything causing a short on the control board. Opening up a CRT is a real time consuming process, and a pain in the ass in some models to get to the PCB that has the front controls on it. Depending on how it's wired, you may just be able to unplug the buttons so they can't randomly trigger.

Opening up a CRT can be dangerous due to high voltages, so I'd recommend against it. Instead of rating me dumb why don't you explain why I'm supposedly wrong.

It stopped doing it by itself, no idea why. Thanks for the help though, guys.

[QUOTE=Metalcastr;35602640]Opening up a CRT can be dangerous due to high voltages, so I'd recommend against it. Instead of rating me dumb why don't you explain why I'm supposedly wrong.[/QUOTE] For two reasons: 1) You know nothing about electricity. 2) It's blatantly obvious you've never worked on anything with a CRT in it, yet you say it's dangerous and you shouldn't.

It's about as dangerous as putting your finger in a light socket that has no power to it. Your mind says "Why the fuck am I doing this?" and logic says "There's no fucking power stupid." [editline]18th April 2012[/editline] I'd break the buttons off. Turn it off before you try so it won't change the settings if you choose to.

Fucking Chirst. It stopped with the brightness adjustment shit, and started with "Luminance Temperatura" popping up on the screen blocking my shit. Whats worse, there isn't a button that makes it pop up, so it isn't a stuck button.

[QUOTE=WittyUsername;35619284]Fucking Chirst. It stopped with the brightness adjustment shit, and started with "Luminance Temperatura" popping up on the screen blocking my shit. Whats worse, there isn't a button that makes it pop up, so it isn't a stuck button.[/QUOTE] Maybe it has a remote and your friend is trolling you.

[QUOTE=bohb;35618225]For two reasons: 1) You know nothing about electricity. 2) It's blatantly obvious you've never worked on anything with a CRT in it, yet you say it's dangerous and you shouldn't.[/QUOTE] CRTs are dangerous enough as it is even without needing to open it up.

[QUOTE=frosty802;35623279]CRTs are dangerous enough as it is even without needing to open it up.[/QUOTE] Waah, there's this big glass thing that I don't understand, IT'S DANGEROUS DON'T TOUCH IT@!!!!

[QUOTE=bohb;35628319]Waah, there's this big glass thing that I don't understand, IT'S DANGEROUS DON'T TOUCH IT@!!!![/QUOTE] Don't knock it. One of those falls on you, you're as good as dead. I'm an expert, I have three CRTs.

[QUOTE=bohb;35618225]For two reasons: 1) You know nothing about electricity. 2) It's blatantly obvious you've never worked on anything with a CRT in it, yet you say it's dangerous and you shouldn't.[/QUOTE] He is right though. If you dont discharge it safely with a screwdriver and a piece of wire. It will discharge through YOU later on when you touch something you shouldnt inside, it will knock you on your arse.

[QUOTE=venn178;35628849]Don't knock it. One of those falls on you, you're as good as dead.[/QUOTE] Depends on the size of the screen and who made it. My largest CRT is 25" and it only weighs about 40 lb, while my 21" Trinitron weighs 77 lb. [QUOTE=venn178;35628849]I'm an expert, I have three CRTs.[/QUOTE] I have 8 CRTs. [QUOTE=inconspicious;35628904]He is right though. If you dont discharge it safely with a screwdriver and a piece of wire. It will discharge through YOU later on when you touch something you shouldnt inside, it will knock you on your arse.[/QUOTE] The only things you need to steer clear of are the anode cap, HV wire and flyback, which is pretty easy since the HV wire is the fattest wire in the entire monitor. A flyback bite is about on par with a bite from a spark plug. While it is highly annoying, it's not life threatening.

[QUOTE=bohb;35618225]For two reasons: 1) You know nothing about electricity. 2) It's blatantly obvious you've never worked on anything with a CRT in it, yet you say it's dangerous and you shouldn't.[/QUOTE] I know enough about high voltage that it can kill instantly. And you never even gave any safety precautions or recommendations and automatically assumed that OP knows enough about electricity to not get hurt. You of all people should know that users are uninformed.

Your buttons are stuck. Either unplug and give it a rubdown with rubbing alcohol or give the front panel a few good punches.

[QUOTE=Metalcastr;35630935]I know enough about high voltage that it can kill instantly. And you never even gave any safety precautions or recommendations and automatically assumed that OP knows enough about electricity to not get hurt. You of all people should know that users are uninformed.[/QUOTE] Yeah, people are being killed by lethal static shocks every winter, since you know, static discharges are in the 1000+ volt range. Oh wait, no people don't die every winter from static discharges, nor do they die from van de graff discharges, which generate even higher voltages. You know nothing about electricity, stop pretending like you do. Voltage doesn't kill people, amperage does. When a CRT is unplugged, it essentially becomes a giant capacitor. When you remove power from a capacitor, it will hold voltage, but it will at most hold a few microamps charge along with that voltage; Making it non-lethal.

[QUOTE=bohb;35618225]For two reasons: 1) You know nothing about electricity. 2) It's blatantly obvious you've never worked on anything with a CRT in it, yet you say it's dangerous and you shouldn't.[/QUOTE] I'd suggest you go back to school as it is apparently you who doesn't know anything. I am currently taking certification training on computer hardware which constantly warns how deadly CRTs are and how no average person (outside manufacturer's repair techs) should open them. You may be able to mess around inside of a monitor and not get shocked, but expecting that any average joe would too is plain stupidity. and if you wish to dick wave about having used 8 crts, i recently worked 4 years as the IT tech at a place that had roughly 60 in use that i took care of. the only time one would get 'opened up' was when it was being ripped apart in a compactor. (the area had no recycling or disposal facilities available)

High, voltage low amps. It will give you a shock but probably wont kill you. This is irrelevant annyway since you can just PULL THE POWER CORD before opening it up.

[QUOTE=Zah;35640487]I'd suggest you go back to school as it is apparently you who doesn't know anything. I am currently taking certification training on computer hardware which constantly warns how deadly CRTs are and how no average person (outside manufacturer's repair techs) should open them. You may be able to mess around inside of a monitor and not get shocked, but expecting that any average joe would too is plain stupidity.[/QUOTE] Haha, if you want to bring dick waving into the argument, I'll oblige. I went to a technical school for 4 years and have 5 A+ certifications on software, hardware, networking and servers. Now what qualifications do you exactly have again? Wait, you don't have any, you're just being a hypocrite and regurgitating something someone else told you. [QUOTE=Zah;35640487]and if you wish to dick wave about having used 8 crts, i recently worked 4 years as the IT tech at a place that had roughly 60 in use that i took care of. the only time one would get 'opened up' was when it was being ripped apart in a compactor. (the area had no recycling or disposal facilities available)[/QUOTE] By "taking care of" you clearly mean just adjusting the picture with the monitor controls and cleaning the screens with windex right? You just said you've never opened one up (other than to destroy it), so you really have no ground to stand on when trying to inform other people about what to expect on the inside of a CRT. And I really hope you were wearing a mask or standing upwind of the trash compactor, because the phosphorous on the screen and the other heavy metals ionized inside the tube are highly toxic and carcinogenic. Not to mention the glass itself is impregnated with boron and lead. You don't have any hands on experience in repairing CRTs, while I have 15 years+ experience on maintaining and repairing them. You don't have any expertise in repairing them and you nor anyone with your level of ignorance should be giving advice to people about what they should or shouldn't do.

Haha Zah. Are you seriously trying to best bohb's knowledge of CRT monitors? Keep dreaming buddy, that's like his speciality in addition to all the other knowledge he has.

[QUOTE=bohb;35634190]Yeah, people are being killed by lethal static shocks every winter, since you know, static discharges are in the 1000+ volt range. Oh wait, no people don't die every winter from static discharges, nor do they die from van de graff discharges, which generate even higher voltages. You know nothing about electricity, stop pretending like you do. Voltage doesn't kill people, amperage does. When a CRT is unplugged, it essentially becomes a giant capacitor. When you remove power from a capacitor, it will hold voltage, but it will at most hold a few microamps charge along with that voltage; Making it non-lethal.[/QUOTE] Don't be condescending. It only requires a few microamps across somone's heart to kill them, and that's easily introduced, since the body is essentially a conductor once you get past the skin layer. There is no way to guarantee the average joe knows about capacitance or voltage, or that bleeder resistors are installed and working.

[QUOTE=garrynohome;35641178]Haha Zah. Are you seriously trying to best bohb's knowledge of CRT monitors? Keep dreaming buddy, that's like his speciality in addition to all the other knowledge he has.[/QUOTE] I just find it funny that he supposedly has more knowledge than the organizations who oversee such things. [editline]19th April 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=bohb;35641134]Haha, if you want to bring dick waving into the argument, I'll oblige. I went to a technical school for 4 years and have 5 A+ certifications on software, hardware, networking and servers. Now what qualifications do you exactly have again? Wait, you don't have any, you're just being a hypocrite and regurgitating something someone else told you. [/quote] Simply an Associates in network administration. Initially started in electronics engineering but didn't finish (coincidentally after learning about capacitors). Never bothered to get all the certs that i was eligible to try testing for. Jobs now require some, so i'm refreshing myself with some training. [quote] By "taking care of" you clearly mean just adjusting the picture with the monitor controls and cleaning the screens with windex right? You just said you've never opened one up (other than to destroy it), so you really have no ground to stand on when trying to inform other people about what to expect on the inside of a CRT. And I really hope you were wearing a mask or standing upwind of the trash compactor, because the phosphorous on the screen and the other heavy metals ionized inside the tube are highly toxic and carcinogenic. Not to mention the glass itself is impregnated with boron and lead. You don't have any hands on experience in repairing CRTs, while I have 15 years+ experience on maintaining and repairing them. You don't have any expertise in repairing them and you nor anyone with your level of ignorance should be giving advice to people about what they should or shouldn't do.[/QUOTE] An average IT tech has no business rooting around inside of a monitor, so of course not. Doesn't necessarily mean I've never seen the inside of one nor that i don't know the specifics of their functionality. If you have those 15 years of experience you say, then it should be obvious that someone unknown, who may have never been inside their own computer, should not be fucking around inside a damn monitor. My initial point, plain and simple. Oh, it was rare for one of those monitors to implode in the compactor. usually too much soft material stuffed in the dumpster container.

[QUOTE=Metalcastr;35642380]Don't be condescending. It only requires a few microamps across somone's heart to kill them, and that's easily introduced, since the body is essentially a conductor once you get past the skin layer. There is no way to guarantee the average joe knows about capacitance or voltage, or that bleeder resistors are installed and working.[/QUOTE] Sorry, but you and Zah started the Edrama and kept proclaiming you know stuff about CRTs without actually have been working on one. Stop posting ignorant information you don't know stuff about and we'll be fine. [QUOTE=Zah;35643554]I just find it funny that he supposedly has more knowledge than the organizations who oversee such things.[/QUOTE] Funny, I don't remember any of the A+ certs or courses I took covering CRTs inner workings, I studied that over 15 years of working on them. And it's pretty easy to have more knowledge than a certification organization, as they only cover basics on their tests. They don't cover every real world scenario you will run into. [QUOTE=Zah;35643554]Simply an Associates in network administration. Initially started in electronics engineering but didn't finish (coincidentally after learning about capacitors). Never bothered to get all the certs that i was eligible to try testing for. Jobs now require some, so i'm refreshing myself with some training. An average IT tech has no business rooting around inside of a monitor, so of course not. Doesn't necessarily mean I've never seen the inside of one nor that i don't know the specifics of their functionality.[/QUOTE] It's kind of ironic that a network administrator, who for the entire thread has proclaimed he knows nothing about the inner workings of a CRT to just now state that he knows something about the inner workings of a CRT. Stop being a hypocrite. [QUOTE=Zah;35643554]If you have those 15 years of experience you say, then it should be obvious that someone unknown, who may have never been inside their own computer, should not be fucking around inside a damn monitor. My initial point, plain and simple. Oh, it was rare for one of those monitors to implode in the compactor. usually too much soft material stuffed in the dumpster container.[/QUOTE] I have 15 years of experience, and in my opinion (which I have stated this entire thread that you've been arguing pointlessly about and ignoring.) working on an unplugged CRT is not dangerous, even if you forget to discharge the tube. The small chance you will be bitten by the tube or the flyback is at most going to make you cuss and spit, and all of that is heavily shielded so even an idiot will have a hard time doing it. You have 0 years of experience and are trying to put words in my mouth, you need to stop, you're starting to sound really dumb.

[QUOTE=bohb;35629541] I have 8 CRTs. [/QUOTE] I meant three that I have hooked up and active on a daily basis. And they're each somewhere around 50ish pounds. Maybe more, I've never weighed my monitors.

[QUOTE=bohb;35628319]Waah, there's this big glass thing that I don't understand, IT'S DANGEROUS DON'T TOUCH IT@!!!![/QUOTE] I meant from a radiation point of view, that's how the government figured out if you had a TV or not back in the day.

[QUOTE=bohb;35644293]Funny, I don't remember any of the A+ certs or courses I took covering CRTs inner workings, I studied that over 15 years of working on them. And it's pretty easy to have more knowledge than a certification organization, as they only cover basics on their tests. They don't cover every real world scenario you will run into.[/quote] They don't cover much beyond a general description. But, i never said i learned my info from those classes. [quote] It's kind of ironic that a network administrator, who for the entire thread has proclaimed he knows nothing about the inner workings of a CRT to just now state that he knows something about the inner workings of a CRT. Stop being a hypocrite.[/quote] yeah, because myself knowing it is pointless for me to open up a monitor means i know nothing about them. oh, and obviously, two recent posts of mine = this entire thread. [quote] I have 15 years of experience, and in my opinion (which I have stated this entire thread that you've been arguing pointlessly about and ignoring.) working on an unplugged CRT is not dangerous, even if you forget to discharge the tube. The small chance you will be bitten by the tube or the flyback is at most going to make you cuss and spit, and all of that is heavily shielded so even an idiot will have a hard time doing it. You have 0 years of experience and are trying to put words in my mouth, you need to stop, you're starting to sound really dumb.[/QUOTE] I respect your opinion. You have the experience and you know how it affects you. Other people may not have the same reaction. Generally, all i'm trying to say is its better to give advice on a 'better safe than sorry' approach unless you know the qualifications of the other person.. either way, arguing is obviously not my forte. i'll just agree to disagree and leave it be.

I've taken apart only one crt so about 0% experience with crt internals and I still know that it won't murder you. You're more likely to cut yourself on the shielding then be effected by electricity. I do have lots of experience with other things that have large caps in them.

[QUOTE=Zah;35646948]yeah, because myself knowing it is pointless for me to open up a monitor means i know nothing about them. oh, and obviously, two recent posts of mine = this entire thread.[/QUOTE] I recommend you take some debate classes because you've fallen flat on your face this entire thread. You can't formulate an argument properly, you're blathering nonsensically and you flip flop more than an IHOP. [QUOTE=Zah;35646948]I respect your opinion. You have the experience and you know how it affects you. Other people may not have the same reaction. Generally, all i'm trying to say is its better to give advice on a 'better safe than sorry' approach unless you know the qualifications of the other person.. either way, arguing is obviously not my forte. i'll just agree to disagree and leave it be.[/QUOTE] Haha, you don't respect my opinion, you're just trying to save face after trying to stuff words in my mouth. If everyone had the ideology of you and didn't touch things out of fear and superstition, we wouldn't have progress in society. If it takes a few zaps for someone to learn about something, it's worth more than being ignorant and saying everything is hocus pocus.

Still, when dealing with others, its best to give warning then tell them to proceed on their own accord.