|
OK... I'm assuming here that this is a computer monitor you're talkling about...
Monitors (and TV's) are very robust critters. They'll survive gettinig rained on, muddy, etc, for the most part. Water doesn't really hurt electronics, provided, of course, that the water and the power aren't in the electronics at the same time. From your description, it sounds like the monitor was laying on the ground and got rained on. First, I'd suggest taking the cover off, and making sure that there isn't too much crud on the board, and that it's dry inside. Remove the cover and the tin sheilding (if present). Check to make sure that there isn't any mud in there, and that the board is clean and dry. If not, clean it out, taking care not to zap yourself on the HV sections in the off chance the thing still has a charge. Be sure that the tube isn't broken, and that the neck board is firmly connected. Look for obvious signs that something arced - like burnt marks, cracked flyback, etc. Look for bulging capacitors, check the fuse, etc.
To clean the screen, just use water and a soft cloth or even a paper towel. If the antiglare coating has started to flake off, it is possible to remove it entirely and restore an even appearance, but it will take some work, and I'd suggest leaving that for once you get the thing working.
Once you've verified that it's clean and dry inside, and let it dry if it wasn't, you're ready to test it. Plug it in, and hit the switch. The light should come on, and will probably be orange, indicating no sync. If you get a tick-tick-tick, and the light flashes, or if the light won't come on at all, you've got something wrong, more than likely the HOT (horizontal output tube). If smoke comes out, or if it catches fire, than it is more than likely not worth messing with.
If it powers on, you're ready to hook it up to a computer. Shut it off, and connect it to a computer. I'd use an old, junk PC, just in case, although I have _never_ seen a monitor fry a computer. I just have an old 486 I use with a simple bootable DOS disk with an image viewer and a test pattern. Hook up the monitor and turn it (and the computer) on. If if works, you're home free. Just clean the monitor up and put it back together. If you're missing a color, than more than likely the cable is damaged. Check to make sure that none of the pins are broken or bent together. There is typically one missing pin, but it's supposed to be like that. The important ones are 1, 2 and 3 - which are the Red, Green and Blue signals, respectively. If the cable is detachable, replace it, if not, try wiggleing it and bending it near the connector and near where it enters the monitor. Since the signal lines are thin, coaxial cable, they get damaged easily if the cable is bent sharply against a wall or something.
This should be enough to get you started - let us know how things go. If the monitor needs any signifigant repairs, it's probably not worth messing with at this point. Computer monitors are cheap and easy to get used. A good 17" typically goes for $50 or less. Be on the lookout though, some newer monitors (in the last 3 years especially) are total crap. Don't even bother with cheap, poorly made monitors. I've seen AOC moniitors and KDS monitors that had absolutely horribly DC restoration, right out of the box. Distorted and fuzzy picture is pretty common too. Monitors shipped with OEM systems like Hewlett Packards and Compaqs (the consumer ones, anyway) are garbage too. If it says Packard Bell, don't even waste the time to plug it in. Dell monitors (the business grade ones anyway) are typically very good, they're typically Sony monitors. Viewsonic, Sanyo, Hitachi and Mitsubishi also make good monitors. Sun and SGI monitors are excellent, they're almost always Sony sets. They typically need to be hacked to work on a clone though.
And a final word of warning - if you see one of those gawdawful LCD monitors, run. Run away. Far away. I have never seen one with a good, sharp picture or good color, and have never seen one that didn't totally kill my eyes. It's not worth wasting the time looking at them in the stores. The technology isn't there yet. Not even close.
Agh. This turned into a rant... I need to control myself. No more posting before coffee... Anyway, let us know how you turn out with the monitor. Believe it or not, most of the monitors I've found work just fine. People just throw them out because they get larger ones, or they buy a new PC/Clone that comes with one and get rid of the old (typically better) monitor. A while ago, I found an absolutely gorgeous Viewsonic monitor in the trash. Thing looked brand new - it was a very expensive monitor when it was new, and it was only 4 years old. Perfect, crystal clear picture. People are wasteful and stupid.
-Ian
|