The other thread about monitors spurred me to plead for help, heh. 'elp.

I have terrible luck with monitors breaking on me, and wonder if there's anything I'm doing or in my current setup that's causing the problem. I have a Sony 21" GDM F-500 that has died three times since I purchased it in June, 1999. Prior to that, I had a Sony 17" SE2T which died twice in a few years, and I also had a crappy 15" TTX monitor which died during the same time frame.

Other than concluding I got a lemon or Sony makes fragile monitors (and I don't think the latter is true), I can't figure out what's wrong with my set-up. At first I thought I might have a problem with power surges, so I've gone with heavy duty APC protectors. I was also concerned that a TV, on the other side of the wall, might be generating disruptive magnetic fields, so I moved that. But my monitor still died again recently -- are there any other probable causes that I should be aware of?

On perhaps a related point, is it better to leave a monitor on (with a screen saver) or off when not in use? I know a lot of people that leave their computer on 24/7 and argue that it's better because the monitor/computer isn't "shocked" by being turned on/off as frequently, but intuitively it seems better to shut it off when not in use.

Stefan

I have had three Sony monitors over the last 10+ years - a 15, 17, and now a 19" Sony. All have been fault free. The 15 and 17 are still running as far as I know by the people I sold them to.

What did the repairers say was wrong when they repaired them ? Power supply ?

I always run my computer and monitor through a heavy duty power filtering powerboard.

I had a relatively new monitor go up in smoke just this year. It was the damndest thing I ever saw. I had it less then a year. I turned it on one day and heard a sizzling sound, not unlike a steak on a grill. I looked around the room to see what the heck was going on, and then I smelled smoke. It was wafting up from the monitor cabinet. The guy at the shop said they're like light bulbs, they just go out when they go out and there's not much you can do. Personally I think it's just random, and you and I both have really bad monitor karma.

Stop overclocking your monitor to get an extra bit of performance from it.

I would suggest that you stop playing Freedom: First Resistance

Heat, maybe? What kind of enclosure do you have it in, if any? Do you have cats? Cat hair is killer on all things electronic.

I've had (knock on wood) good luck with monitors over the years. I turn mine off when I'm not using the machine. My wife leaves hers on all the time, and she's not had any trouble, either, so I doubt one approach is better than the other.

>What did the repairers say was wrong when they repaired them ? Power supply

Nope. Generally the tube goes -- one of the two trinitron wires starts flickering and the tube "pops" back and forth in focus, and then dies. The only reasons I can think of are: power surges (which I think the monitor is now protected from); heat (which suggests I shouldn't leave it on when not in use); or some magnetic effect from something (and I rearranged things to make sure nothing that gives off such an effect is nearby: phones, TV, speakers, although they should be shielded.

On the more recent monitor, it may have just been a lemon, I guess. Sony just repairs it and gives it back, as opposed to replacing it, so there may be an underlying cause that will keep reoccurring because of something not obvious to the repair guys. Frustrating. I do love the image quality of Sony monitors - just wish I had better practical experience with them.

Thanks for the suggestions/anecdotes

Stefan

Do you mode switch often? Ie resolution and/or refresh rate. This will stress the tube somewhat, but shouldnt invoke failure so quickly. Is the monitor subject to any vibration by transportation or, say, on a wobbly desk against which you vibrate yourself?

BTW I've always used iiyama monitors (at home and work) and have never heard of a problem with them except an initial failure upon delivery.

I guess this is an appropriate thread for this question:

My 17" Trinitron is experiencing some vertical pincushioning. Unfortunately, the monitor controls only let me tweak horizontal pincushioning. It isn't so bad that I feel like I need to get the thing serviced, so I'm wondering if there is anything I can do myself?

- Alan