A few CRT questions

Tosan

Limp Gawd
Joined
May 3, 2007
Messages
147
After more disappointing experiences with various LCDs, it looks like I'm back to using a Dell P992 CRT on my main computer for better or worse. Unfortunately, my P992 is beginning to lose its focus and the classic Trinitron long warm-up time/green tint problem has become more pronounced lately.

The P992 doesn't seem to have the color return/image restoration option in the OSD that usually temporarily fixes this problem, even though the Sony model it's based off of does. If I were to get an RS232 -> TTL cable off Ebay and use WinDAS, would I be able to fix any of this? WinDAS typically seems to be used to fix the brightness problem on Trinitrons, but it looks like it's capable of other adjustments as well.

Also, I have two new in box Dell P1130s that I got off eBay about four months ago, but neither are very good. I was pretty frustrated that two new monitors performed so poorly, and just ended up shelving them because there seemed to be nothing I could do to fix either. I'm wondering now if it'd be possible to fix some of their problems with WinDAS.

The first one seems to have been magnetized and has a purplish tint in one area, and the colors are a bit out of whack. I'm really not too hopeful about it, but can I do anything to get rid of the magnetization without opening it up? Obviously, I've tried degaussing it in the OSD but that's done nothing.

The second one has terrible convergence and focus issues in some corners that I was never able to fix through OSD adjustments, and text appears to "ripple" or shake at higher resolutions and refresh rates. The problem is most pronounced in the OSD, but visible elsewhere as well. My P992's image is mostly stable even in the OSD at the same resolution and refresh, so I assume there's something wrong with it. Is the rippling a common problem with these monitors, and could the other things be fixed with WinDAS?

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can offer. :)
 
I tried a NEC 20WMGX2 a while ago and ended up returning it due to a number of issues, and I really just didn't care for the gloss.

I've also been through a Dell 2007WFP and HP LP2065 (both S-IPS) more recently. The Dell was returned for two dead pixels and terrible flickering on light gray and blue colors, and I'm sending the HP back due to a strong yellow/red tint that seems to be uncorrectable and the exact same flickering problem, though it wasn't quite as bad as the Dell.
 
Have you tried adjusting the landing controls in the OSD to get rid of the purple corner? I don't see any reason why those wouldn't be there, but it does sound odd that image restore is missing. Windas does have landing options but they pretty much do the same as the OSD landing. You can't do much to fix color problems in Windas (unless you have a colorimeter) but you should be able to switch the color controls in the OSD to user mode and set the RGB bias/gains yourself, I have had good results getting rid of a green tint that way, just takes a bit of time to get all the colors looking right.

As for convergence you should be able to completely fix that up in Windas, though you might still need to adjust the internal focus pots if things are still blurry. I've had mixed results adjusting those myself, on my G520 I was able to get absolutely perfect focus but when i recently adjusted one of my P1130's I could not get it perfect, only "acceptable".

I'm not sure what can be done about the rippling text, I've seen that before but it was very infrequent so I never looked into fixing it. I am however pretty sure that its some kind of voltage regulation issue, in which case it would probably require the replacement of a resistor on the flyback somewhere.
 
It's been a while since I looked at the P1130 that had the color issues, but I did try adjusting the landing and had no luck. Isn't a bright purple "splotch" (for lack of a better word) usually an indication of magnetism though? My P992 has some in the upper right corner as well (it was a refurb), but it disappears after it's been on for about 30 minutes. It's always visible on the P1130, though.

It is odd that image restoration is missing. The P992 is just a Sony G410 in a Dell case, and I'm fairly sure that model has it -- my G420 did anyhow. I don't suppose WinDAS could start the image restore process by itself or give me the option in the OSD?

I've gotten the impression that the P1130s (or Dell's QC at least) were not quite up to the quality you'd expect from a real Sony G520, so maybe there's nothing that I can do to completely fix these. The convergence and focus being adjustable is encouraging, so I'll give this a shot if I can find anyone selling a cable.

I'm still concerned about the rippling though -- I played around with it a little last night and it seems to be worse at some resolutions and refresh rates than others. Some very high bandwidth settings like 2048x1536/75Hz actually cause much less rippling than lower combinations like 1400x1050/100Hz, which looks absolutely terrible. If the only way to fix it is to open it up and replace something, I'll either have to live with it or try and fix the other one (if it's even any better).
 
Weird. I've got the same rippling problem you do with my Dell P1130, but only at the higest two or three bandwidth settings. (IIRC.) Those resolutions are useless to me for text anyway, so it doesn't bother me. I have, however, used those higher resolutions to do photo editing work, where i don't even notice the ripple except for menu items and such.
The focus on my P1130 is starting to get a little off, though; you're saying that the only way to fix that is to adjust some random pot somewhere? Any idea where to find that pot or what to search for online to tell me what pot to adjust?

_nick
 
Hmm, maybe it's a common problem then. I took a closer look at my P992 and at 1280x960/100Hz it's definitely rippling a little too, but not enough to be visible anywhere other than the OSD. It's slightly worse on the P1130 at the same resolution, and anything well above that looks quite bad. Do you remember what settings it typically shows up on on your P1130?

I could just use 1280x960 at 100Hz if I can fix the convergence, but it's a bit grainy on a 21 inch monitor. Seems like a bit of a waste too, considering it's technically capable of as high as 128Hz at that resolution.
 
i'm usually stepping back a notch on the refresh rate since it's making it harder for the monitor to draw a sharp image - that's what my superstitious mind figured anyway ;)
 
It's been a while since I looked at the P1130 that had the color issues, but I did try adjusting the landing and had no luck. Isn't a bright purple "splotch" (for lack of a better word) usually an indication of magnetism though? My P992 has some in the upper right corner as well (it was a refurb), but it disappears after it's been on for about 30 minutes. It's always visible on the P1130, though.

Yes that is the result of magnetism, where exactly is the blotch located? If its not in a corner I'm not suprised the landing didn't help. I think your only option might be to try a degaussing coil, or maybe get ahold of a semi-strong magnet and put it near the blotch, I've heard that can sometimes help.

It is odd that image restoration is missing. The P992 is just a Sony G410 in a Dell case, and I'm fairly sure that model has it -- my G420 did anyhow. I don't suppose WinDAS could start the image restore process by itself or give me the option in the OSD?

I'm not sure but that is definitely possible since Windas seems to have variables for every function. Problem is a lot of them have obscure names so it might be difficult to figure out which one is for image restore.
 
The focus on my P1130 is starting to get a little off, though; you're saying that the only way to fix that is to adjust some random pot somewhere? Any idea where to find that pot or what to search for online to tell me what pot to adjust?

The pots are not random, there will be only 2 of them, one for horizontal focus and the other is vertical focus. Just take the plastic casing off and look at the left side of the monitor, you should see them.
 
The pots are not random, there will be only 2 of them, one for horizontal focus and the other is vertical focus. Just take the plastic casing off and look at the left side of the monitor, you should see them.
Cool. I'll play around with that as soon as i get back to school. Thanks for the info!
Gah. I'm going to regret being up this late in the morning! :(
</threadjack>
 
Yes that is the result of magnetism, where exactly is the blotch located? If its not in a corner I'm not suprised the landing didn't help. I think your only option might be to try a degaussing coil, or maybe get ahold of a semi-strong magnet and put it near the blotch, I've heard that can sometimes help.

I've still got the P1130 with the magnetism boxed up. I'll drag it out of storage tomorrow and have a look at it again. If I recall correctly it was somewhere near the bottom right section of the screen, but not exactly in a corner.

Is there any chance I could damage my monitor or render it unusable by messing around with stuff in WinDAS, or doing what you suggested with a degaussing coil or magnet? If so, I'll probably use the P1130 that's in the worst condition as a test subject before trying it on my P992. :p
 
As long as you save your monitors data the first time you fire up Windas you can pretty much do whatever you want with it, if you screw up no big deal just load back the defaults.

A degauss coil should be safe as long as it's used properly, you can find exact instructions on google. A magnet is also safe but don't leave it near the screen for too long.
 
Tosan: i was reading a Wikipedia article the other day that had some interesting ideas for degaussing monitors. Worth a read, at least. Luck!
 
I've still got the P1130 with the magnetism boxed up. I'll drag it out of storage tomorrow and have a look at it again. If I recall correctly it was somewhere near the bottom right section of the screen, but not exactly in a corner.

Is there any chance I could damage my monitor or render it unusable by messing around with stuff in WinDAS, or doing what you suggested with a degaussing coil or magnet? If so, I'll probably use the P1130 that's in the worst condition as a test subject before trying it on my P992. :p

Also can try a crude correction by situating a refrigerator magnet by the monitor. A little change to the magnetic environment around the monitor might then bring it within the landing controls range of adjustments to fix...

(Worked for me with an earlier monitor...)
 
Thanks for your help, guys. I've ordered one of the converter kits and I'll give it a try as soon as possible.
 
I pulled my other P1130 out of storage and the rippling is no better or worse than on the other one. I'm pretty sure I saw the exact same problem on another P1130 I returned a long time ago, so that's three for three, and it affects my P992 slightly as well. I believe I even saw a little of it on my old Sony G420, so maybe it's a common Trinitron problem. It's very irritating since it's noticeable on text at higher res/refresh rates. I wonder what's causing this.

Oddly enough, this other P1130 doesn't seem to be nearly as bad as it was when I gave up on it and boxed it up months ago. I fixed some minor purity issues in the bottom left corner very easily by adjusting the landing, and the focus and convergence are better than the other one. All three P1130s I've tried have had bad convergence that's very hard to adjust through the OSD in the upper left corner of the screen though, so I'm hoping Windas will help with that a little. I think with a little tweaking both of these monitors would be amazing for gaming, though I plan to pick up a cheap LCD to use for desktop work.
 
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