Author Topic: Inverter Board Help! (Read 3649 times)

Sared · « **on:** February 14, 2013, 10:09:18 pm »

Since I don't have the money to get new monitors, I use three somewhat older Samsung SyncMaster 941BW LCD monitors in an Eyefinity arrangement. They are 19' viewable, and the odd size is why screenshots I take are something of an odd resolution (1440x900x3). A few weeks back, one of them finally died out on me, and my research has shown that this particular series of monitors produced during the last generation (when DVI/VGA inputs were first being seen side-by-side) had a tendency to blow a capacitor on it's inverter board (the monitor's internal power supply).

I've built plenty of systems, but sadly have only a basic understanding of chip/board architecture/layouts. I did wood soldering in Cub Scouts, does that count?

Soooo, do any of these capacitors look blown to you? Suggestions? Ideas?

http://i.imgur.com/bYPtLQ8.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/XAVoTwg.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/VKaYQ2b.jpg

The culprits in question are centered in the second two pictures.

Da6onet · « **Reply #1 on:** February 14, 2013, 10:23:53 pm »

A multimeter that can read capacitance will tell you which ones are dead (or not holding their nominal value).

Longboard · « **Reply #2 on:** February 14, 2013, 11:30:41 pm »

Sared,

I'm back in town....get me on TS and I will try to help you.

NoCry · « **Reply #3 on:** February 15, 2013, 07:35:32 am »

i saw the title to this thread and thought "oh goodie - someone is stuck on the challenge"....

However, as I can barely switch a computer on, let alone work out what an invertor board (enhanced interrogation???) is I shall go back to my flu. Good luck however Sared.

Subb · « **Reply #4 on:** February 15, 2013, 09:00:07 am »

It's a new form of water boarding, NoCry.

Mharz · « **Reply #5 on:** February 15, 2013, 07:05:21 pm »

I'm not an electrical engineer and I don't play one on TV but I've been known to put a board together from time to time.

http://news.cnet.com/When-good-capacitors-go-bad/2100-1041_3-5940438.html

This is a good link to read for places to go and specifically in that link:

"There are usually visual clues to a bad capacitor. Often, there is swelling on the tops and the base of the capacitators, cylinders that measure about an inch in length. If a brownish residue oozes from the base, the capacitor is bad."

No Sared I'm not flirting with you.. "Hey big boy your capacitor looks a little swollen.." but I think the top of a couple of the caps you put in the pictures do look bulged out a little.

I would find a meter and put it on there. We can guess all we like from pictures but if I had the board in front of me I'd measure it.

Longboard · « **Reply #6 on:** February 15, 2013, 10:02:57 pm »

Quote from: "Mharz"

I'm not an electrical engineer and I don't play one on TV but I've been known to put a board together from time to time.

http://news.cnet.com/When-good-capacitors-go-bad/2100-1041_3-5940438.html

"Hey big boy your capacitor looks a little swollen.."

That's what she said?