Samsung 305T - Video Distortions

[Muratus]

Hey Everyone,

My Monitor started acting very strange a few days ago, and I've been searching for info on a possible fix. I ran across these forums and have been very impressed with the amount of information available here. Unfortunately I've not found the same problem that I'm having, so I figured I'd post and see if anyone can point me in the correct direction.

My monitor is a Samsung 305T. A few days ago it started having a light almost transparent green-ish or red-ish pixelated (is that a word?) color appearing over the screen. I can see everything but it's making it very distracting to use the monitor. It's not over the whole screen it's kind of spotty and some times flickers a bit. At first it would come and go. If I would turn it off for about an hour it would come back on fine for awhile. Now it is there more then not.

I connected the monitor to a different computer and the distortion is still there, which should rule out my video card.

I absolutely love this monitor and really don't want to part ways with it, so I'm looking for a way to repair it or have it repaired. I did find this guy on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/Samsung-305T-syn...#ht_2486wt_903 that claims he can fix distortions. But I'm kind of leery of this.

Any idea's on what could be going on or what I should look for / test?

[retiredcaps]

You can start by posting clear focused pictures of your boards (logic, power, inverter) both sides with a top down view. Read the FAQ on how to insert pictures. Then members can offer suggestions based on your symptoms on what to test/measure.

Originally Posted by Muratus

My monitor is a Samsung 305T. A few days ago it started having a light almost transparent green-ish or red-ish pixelated (is that a word?) color appearing over the screen.

[Scenic]

http://www.givemefile.net/smanuals/m...ile/37241.html

^ service manual which also describes how to take it apart without damaging anything..
enter the captcha and hit enter.. should start downloading then..

[Muratus]

Originally Posted by Scenic

http://www.givemefile.net/smanuals/m...ile/37241.html

^ service manual which also describes how to take it apart without damaging anything..
enter the captcha and hit enter.. should start downloading then..

Wow thanks, that will be a great help.

I must say I'm really worried about opening this thing up. I've repaired the caps on a free HP lcd that was given to me, but this is quite a different beast, one with allot of $$ involved.

[Muratus]

Ok, here are the pics. I tried to get as clear and close as I could.

Nothing really stands out as far as caps go, with the exception of where I put a red arrow point to one. It seems to have a very slight dome to it, where as the others all seem very flat topped.

Hopefully someone will be able to notice something I don't or have some ideas or suggestions.

Also what about the ebay guy? He seems to think he's got it figured out. Any ideas on what he is adding a fan to or cooling extra? Or what he's fixing?

Thanks again guys

[Scenic]

oh dear.. full of Sam Young caps


macro mode on your camera helps btw (so does adding your location to your profile to suggest where to buy caps from).

i'd replace them all on the PSU, inverter and the logic board. from my expirience with samyoung, most of them probably dried out or are
at least on their way.. pulled tons of these which had perfectly flat tops, but were still bad. they usually don't bulge when they fail (just like OST).

as for the logic board, you can use normal through-hole caps as a substiture, lying them flat on the board and connecting the pins with the pads.

i did this a dozen times when the replacement caps were too high. a tiny drop of superglue to hold the new cap on the board, then solder the pins to the pads (vice versa may rip the pads off when you bend the cap around to glue it)

all the ebay guy most likely does is a full recap. but who knows what caps he uses for that..

[alexanna]

Originally Posted by Scenic

oh dear.. full of Sam Young caps


macro mode on your camera helps btw (so does adding your location to your profile to suggest where to buy caps from).

i'd replace them all on the PSU, inverter and the logic board. from my expirience with samyoung, most of them probably dried out or are
at least on their way.. pulled tons of these which had perfectly flat tops, but were still bad. they usually don't bulge when they fail (just like OST).

as for the logic board, you can use normal through-hole caps as a substiture, lying them flat on the board and connecting the pins with the pads.

i did this a dozen times when the replacement caps were too high. a tiny drop of superglue to hold the new cap on the board, then solder the pins to the pads (vice versa may rip the pads off when you bend the cap around to glue it)

all the ebay guy most likely does is a full recap. but who knows what caps he uses for that..

Mr. scenic, It very well may have been one of your posts I read about removing the smd caps without damaging the traces,Do you think there would be a benifit going over it again?This sounds like a high dollar monitor.
Al.

[Muratus]

Originally Posted by alexanna

Mr. scenic, It very well may have been one of your posts I read about removing the smd caps without damaging the traces,Do you think there would be a benifit going over it again?This sounds like a high dollar monitor.
Al.

Please do tell or point me in the correct direction. I'm very worried about this as it is a very high dollar monitor. Only reason I was able to get it was I amazingly found it for 1/4 of the retail price. I couldn't pass that up. No way I could ever justify spending full retail even on this monitor, even though it's the greatest monitor I've ever used!

I made a list of all the caps on the 3 boards:

Logic Board

5 - V0033 100 25T
2 - 671D 10 50V
1 - V1444 100 16J
1 - 67G 220 16V
2 - 84151 82 16FA
1 - 677FK 100 35V

PSU
1 - 150uF 450v
1 - 10uF 50v
1 - 100uF 10v
3 - 47uF 50v
1 - 100uF 50v
1 - 1000uF 10v
1 - 68uF 63v
4 - 1000uF 35v
1 - 2200uF 10v
1 - 1000uF 25v

Inverter
6 - 220uF 35v

Interestingly 2 of the 1000uF 35v on the PSU are Rubycon while the rest are all Sam Young. As far as I know this monitor hasn't been worked on before, but strange to see the mix of caps.

I put everything back together and tested it again (hoping that some how taking apart and back would magically fix something. LOL). I was able to get a picture of the screen where you can see some of the distortion. This time it's showing as pinkish on the side of the open window. The desktop background was all red at the time. It appears to be bleeding over the color.

Here is a pic attached so you can see. Maybe it will help.

p.s. I filled in my location, but my camera isn't good enough to have a macro mode.

[PlainBill]

Originally Posted by Muratus

Please do tell or point me in the correct direction. I'm very worried about this as it is a very high dollar monitor. Only reason I was able to get it was I amazingly found it for 1/4 of the retail price. I couldn't pass that up. No way I could ever justify spending full retail even on this monitor, even though it's the greatest monitor I've ever used!

I made a list of all the caps on the 3 boards:

Logic Board

5 - V0033 100 25T
2 - 671D 10 50V
1 - V1444 100 16J
1 - 67G 220 16V
2 - 84151 82 16FA
1 - 677FK 100 35V

PSU
1 - 150uF 450v
1 - 10uF 50v
1 - 100uF 10v
3 - 47uF 50v
1 - 100uF 50v
1 - 1000uF 10v
1 - 68uF 63v
4 - 1000uF 35v
1 - 2200uF 10v
1 - 1000uF 25v

Inverter
6 - 220uF 35v

Interestingly 2 of the 1000uF 35v on the PSU are Rubycon while the rest are all Sam Young. As far as I know this monitor hasn't been worked on before, but strange to see the mix of caps.

I put everything back together and tested it again (hoping that some how taking apart and back would magically fix something. LOL). I was able to get a picture of the screen where you can see some of the distortion. This time it's showing as pinkish on the side of the open window. The desktop background was all red at the time. It appears to be bleeding over the color.

Here is a pic attached so you can see. Maybe it will help.

p.s. I filled in my location, but my camera isn't good enough to have a macro mode.

Caps from different manufacturers in a new product is more the norm than anything.

Many caps are available in several form factors - normal; taller, but a smaller diameter; shorter with a larger diameter. Ordering the wrong one can be embarrassing. Include the diameters of any caps that are in close quarters as well as the maximum height allowed on the PSU.

PlainBill

[retiredcaps]

I must of gotten too much sun today, but I cannot see any red arrow in your picture? Anyways, it doesn't matter. If it is slightly domed, you will need to replace it.

I found an interesting URL where one person suggested buying a cheap USB powered fan and hooking it up to the monitor to keep your monitor cooler. It won't fix the root problem, but may help and is a cheap workaround.

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1455899

It seems that the ebay guy might know that a certain chip is overheating or doesn't get enough airflow? That explains the heatsink. The USB fan might help?

Originally Posted by Muratus

Nothing really stands out as far as caps go, with the exception of where I put a red arrow point to one. It seems to have a very slight dome to it, where as the others all seem very flat topped.

Also what about the ebay guy? He seems to think he's got it figured out. Any ideas on what he is adding a fan to or cooling extra? Or what he's fixing?

[alexanna]

Originally Posted by alexanna

Mr. scenic, It very well may have been one of your posts I read about removing the smd caps without damaging the traces,Do you think there would be a benifit going over it again?This sounds like a high dollar monitor.
Al.

I have searched and I cannot find the posts about removing the smd caps, So with the risk of stepping on someone’s toes here goes. Very fine point soldering tip, Point of a single edge razor blade between the cap and its black insulator gently heat the pad and gently rock the cap. Do this on both pads until the cap comes off. Please do not force anything. It may well be a good idea to practice this on a five dollar monitor, not one that might equal a house payment! Please if anyone has a another sugestion let me know
Al.

[retiredcaps]

This youtube video might help? 9 minutes long.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NN7UGWYmBY

Originally Posted by alexanna

I have searched and I cannot find the posts about removing the smd caps

[Muratus]

Well for an update. I've not been totally convinced caps are at the root of my issues.

I spent all day searching for more information when I finally found out the logic board is the same as gateways 30" monitors ( LTM300M1C8LV3.2 ) then I found these forum threads that seem to have the same problems with their gateways as I'm having. Though mine is not near as bad yet.

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?...highlight=305t
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1035859515

I also talked to the eBay guy and here is what he said he is doing to fix them:

"The lcd controller has a chip with 750 solder joints that has loosened up from heat. These monitors average about 150 degrees internally and since the board is near the top of the screen where the heat rises to, it has issues.
It needs to be remounted, then a heatsink and fan is what I add in to help stop the excess heat from hopefully doing it again.
Right now, The oldest repair I have out there is just short of 4 months since I fixed it, so That is what I base my warranty on (warranty covers the chip that was redone- not the whole monitor)
I theory, it should outlast the original setup with it being resoldered and better cooled"

That seems to fit with the way to fix the gateways and they even reference the eBay guys auction. Saying it's not worth $170 to fix.

So anyone here have any experience with reflowing the solder on a chip?

[Muratus]

Originally Posted by retiredcaps

I must of gotten too much sun today, but I cannot see any red arrow in your picture? Anyways, it doesn't matter. If it is slightly domed, you will need to replace it.

I found an interesting URL where one person suggested buying a cheap USB powered fan and hooking it up to the monitor to keep your monitor cooler. It won't fix the root problem, but may help and is a cheap workaround.

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1455899

It seems that the ebay guy might know that a certain chip is overheating or doesn't get enough airflow? That explains the heatsink. The USB fan might help?

I also found that thread when this problem first started. What I did was made a Plexiglas fan shroud that fits over the vent holes on the top rear of the monitor. On that I mounted 3 - 120mm computer fans. They are each wired to a USB plug that goes in to the USB ports on the monitor. At only 5V the fans are very quite, yet due to their size they move allot of air out of the monitor.

The damage has already been done, but going forward hopefully my fans will help keep it from happening again after getting it fixed.

[retiredcaps]

See my earlier post with the youtube video.

Personally, I would not have the skill or equipment to do it properly.

I have reflowed some solder joints on a transformer, but the spacing is wider than a chip.

Originally Posted by Muratus

So anyone here have any experience with reflowing the solder on a chip?

[severach]

The people working with the HP dv series fiasco have studied BGA problems and solutions most extensively. Read those threads before spending any money.

Reflowing BGA chips does not work. It is only good for a 30 foot 30 second warranty to pawn your problems off on someone else assuming that the chip doesn't burn out from heat or shorted pads. I reflowed an HP dv6000 with my Aoyue 2702A+ and it worked but I don't expect it to have a long life. The same joints will break again under the heat stress.

Improved heat sinking doesn't work in the long run because it doesn't get at the root flaws. The common root flaw for all BGA problems is lead free solder heat tolerance. In the HP dv series fiasco other root flaws are that the nVidia chips are defective by design and some pads are missing solder, also problems related to lead free solder.

The only method that lasts is reballing with 63/37 and though reducing the heat is always good, eutectic tin lead solder is good enough that the joints should last with the original TDP.

I just bought one of those broken Gateway XHD3000 monitors and had the display driver Altera HardCopy HC1S30F780NAE reballed with 63/37. It went from zero to hero. I improved the heat sink but did not add a fan. The hottest place I can find is the ram chips next to the Altera chip at 55*C. The Altera runs at 50*C. Modern chips are rated to run at 150-175*C junction temperature. No fan is needed.

Reballing is not practical without expensive equipment and is cheap if you find a fair reballer. If your reballer uses lead free solder or is not willing to divulge which solder is being used, point your wallet elsewhere. Good reballers are out there that know what solder to use with warranties up to a year, the same warranty as the XHD3000 made by the company formerly known as Gateway.

$170 is overpriced taking advantage of the value of the monitor and has nothing to do with the cost of the repair. I got one more reball service into the Gateway XHD3000 repair fray so the price has dropped.

Interesting differences between the XHD3000 and the 305T. Same display driver. Same inverter. XHD3000 power supply external. 305T power supply internal. XHD3000 lots of interfaces. 305T DVI only. The internal power supply would increase heat and the smaller video scaler board would decrease heat.

[Muratus]

I was reading about actual reballing last night. That seems like the way to go. There is a reballing service listed on eBay classified. They want $75 to reball and warranty their work for 1 year.

For the moment, I have it running normally. It's been going for about 12 hours now with no issues. I read about the Apple laptop guys putting some card board under their boards to put more pressure on their chips and make contact. So that's what I did. I did put my 3 - 120mm exhaust fan hood back on. It's pushing out allot of warm air. Hopefully this will hold until I can locate a reballer to do a proper fix.

I never intended on ever buying a 30" monitor it always seemed way out of reach. I do allot of distress merchandise business on eBay. Buying pallets of retail/online store returns then reselling on eBay. I stumbled on this monitor when buying some pallets of stuff. I only paid $400 for it 2 years ago. It was a brand new return from Amazon. The box looked like it had never been opened. I just couldn't pass it up.

It's amazing how spoiled a person can get on a 30". I've been using my 22" for the last few days. It's been driving me nuts!

[jeffstearns]

Muratus, now that a year has passed, can you tell us what happened with your monitor? Was it the caps? The solder? Excessive heat?

I ask because my 305T is failing in the same way, and it'd be nice to know how you fixed yours.

thx!

[timtowdi]

I am also very interested to hear what you did to resolve the issue. I am on my second 305T monitor (first was completely unusable and replaced under warranty) and am having the exact same issue you describe but my warranty is over. I am using this notebook cooler to cool my monitor to prolong the inevitable.. Don't ask about aesthetics, not really concerned about that anymore

[jeffstearns]

I disassembled my 305T and removed the video board. I sent it to a reballer who removed the ALTERA chip, replaced its solder balls with 63/37 leaded solder, and reflowed it. I paid about $50 for labor + shipping.

I reinstalled the video board and the monitor worked perfectly for ~48 hours. Then it began exhibiting problems again -- vertical bands of color somewhat like a TV test pattern.

I don't blame the reballer. He had no way to test his work. We both knew that, and we agreed that he'd do his best. He offered to rework the board again at no charge, but I decided that I'd try a different approach.

I sent the entire monitor to Amkotron in Southern CA (they do Samsung's warranty service, and they're nearby). Amkotron has a mixed reputation, and I was hesitant about dealing with them, but they repaired the monitor quickly and returned it in perfect physical condition. That was 30 days ago. It's been working fine ever since.

I'm not using any auxiliary cooling on the monitor. I may attach a small 12v fan and power it from the USB port, but the monitor isn't really running very warm. The hottest part of the case is the backside top at ~36 degrees C.