Look what i picked up!

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

50 bucks for this. Samsung Syncmaster 930BF, pristine condition, never opened. Fault: no power. Fix: ONE capacitor. First cap on the 5v rail, before the filter coil. Green Samxon, didn't bother to read the series. 16v 1000uF. Replaced with Nichicon PL 10v 1000uF. All other caps tested fine. I've seen the same type of Samxon cap gone bad in the same position, in a LG Flatron of the same size. Makes me wonder whether someone doesn't know how to read datasheets, or they do it on purpose. But who cares, it got me a cheap and easy to fix monitor, so i'm not complaining. Put the thing back together, and... we have power! But oh my it's got a buzzing power supply. A bit of lacquer will fix that tomorrow.

I actually like it. The only problems are that i need higher resolution than the 1280x1024 this thing offers, and that it's too damn bright. But with the looks and the DVI input, it'll sell quickly for $100+.

PS - yes i know i'm still on Vista on the main computer. Can't be bothered to upgrade it, that's planned when i'll be buying a new HDD.

[mockingbird]

Re: Look what i picked up!

I don't want to rain in on your parade, but you paid way too much.

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Look what i picked up!

I don't want to rain in on your parade, but you paid way too much.

Was expecting that kind of comment. Well, the economy in Romania is WAY WAY different from... pretty much anywhere else. The crappiest 19" LCD retails for $165 around here, and that's in online stores. For people who are dumpster diving, scrap iron or copper is the best they can get. One guy on a local auction site is selling 17" LCDs with missing boards or damaged screens for $30 and calling it an "awesome offer". No such things as monitors on the curb here.

On topic: sharp eyes will notice another little mod besides that cap, post if you see it.

[mockingbird]

Re: Look what i picked up!

I know, I understand. If I was in Romania, I would jump on it. But you're in Bucharest... I thought things were much better in that city. In any case my reasoning is that replacement capacitors would cost me maybe $15 after shipping, I certainly wouldn't have left them with the Samxon and what appears to be series "GF"... (I trust Samxon, but GF series is unreliable)

So $65 for a screen, plus picking them up, is too much of a hassle. I have the luxury of waiting for deals to fall into my lap sometimes.

So yea, I don't know how long the rest of those GF will last. That Flattron I told you about also had GF, they were ALL bulged. By the way, PL is not a suitable replacement for GF. You need United Chemicon LXY, LXZ, KY, Panasonic FC, Nichicon PW, PM, HE, or Rubycon YXG.

I wouldn't sell it in the condition it's in. It's just not worth the hassle if it breaks down on the guy.

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Look what i picked up!

In my case, replacement capacitors = free. I have enough of them around, and i don't have to pay shipping when i buy caps coz i buy them locally. Anyway, since you said PL isn't a suitable replacement, can you provide a datasheet? I couldn't find one for this series.

As far as selling it goes, no one will blame me if it breaks down a couple years later, since monitors gone bad within the warranty period (or just afterwards) are common. I offer 6 months or an year verbal warranty to everything i sell or fix, so far nothing came back except that DV9000 laptop that i reflowed poorly the first time. It's been about 10 months since the second intervention on that, so all is fine with that one as well.

Yes things are better in Bucharest... or at least used to till this government screwed EVERYTHING up.

PS: I wonder, is there such a thing as custom firmware for LCDs? One of the main reasons i still use CRT monitors is that they can be dimmed very very low. None of the LCDs i've used so far (with the exception of a couple laptop screens) can be dimmed as low as i like for night use.

[mockingbird]

Re: Look what i picked up!

Heh, I wish I could get those capacitors locally, only fake Chinese stuff around here, and it would take me an hour to get there by bus. I've heard of people playing with the firmwares, but I imagine the step would be to dump the rom chip that's on the logic board.

The question is also how tightly can the controller "dim" the CFL bulb. Dimming CFL bulbs is not as easy as dimming regular lightbulbs. Give it too little voltage, and it won't start or it will keep flickering.

Here's the spec sheet.

edit: Ah, you're right! PL is indeed acceptable. It's been deprecated by PM since 2002. They probably just took out the lead to make it Rohs compliant or something stupid like that.
edit 2: Actually I was able to get PL at my electronics store a while back, only really small values though.

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Look what i picked up!

The Nichicon PL came from some server mobo iirc, but stores here do carry United Chemi-Con. And there's always Farnell for any special stuff. Edit: I see. Lower ripple current rating and slightly higher ESR on the Nichicon. I'll be taking it apart again to quiet the transformer, i'll see if i can find a better replacement then. But seriously now, i doubt it has to swallow 1A of ripple in this monitor. If it doesn't get hot, i'll just let it be.

[mockingbird]

Re: Look what i picked up!

Farnell sent me a big box full of paper envelopes and a few capacitors, and they charged me $20 for that. I'm not dealing with them again.

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Look what i picked up!

That's interesting. I don't deal with Farnell directly, there's a small company that does orders from them, and they only charged me $5 extra for 3x firewire chips that i ordered a few months back (which cost about $8 each).

Edit: For the CFLs, one could simply increase the frequency so the duty cycle can be lowered even more, or at least that's the way i'm thinking, i never got to play with one yet. But still, i think i'll get my big CRT fixed and start saving money for a LED screen. Hacking a LED inverter would be a piece of cake.

[mockingbird]

Re: Look what i picked up!

Over here they're called "Newark". They have their warehouses in the United States, but I'm in Canada. Digikey doesn't cause me any problems and they're not morons, they ship in small boxes and only charge me $8. But everytime I want to order from Newark, even if I'm ordering something that weighs half an ounce, it's automatically $20.

Where is there distribution center in Europe? I was in a remote part of the Ukraine many years back and I was surprised to see a lot of Chinese OEM stuff like Foxconn selling for very reasonable prices at the meager internet cafe there. (Mind you, most of the people in that city were still using outhouses, and out of those who did drive cars, they drove ones that were 40 or more years old).

At least in Romania the women are not kurvas.

[TrippKJ4BKD]

Re: Look what i picked up!

Hey I think. What a good deal on the monitor Th3 and to be able to turn around and double your money real easy. Sounds good to me.

[romansroad]

Re: Look what i picked up!

Fix: ONE capacitor.

Nice find and nice fix!!!

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Look what i picked up!

Over here they're called "Newark". They have their warehouses in the United States, but I'm in Canada.

Ah, Canada. Yea i know shipping stuff to Canada can be a pain.

(Mind you, most of the people in that city were still using outhouses, and out of those who did drive cars, they drove ones that were 40 or more years old).

As far as cars go, well when the Top Gear guys came here to shoot an episode in Bucharest, their jaw dropped. Random fact: Ferrari sold all its 2010 AND 2011 stock, which is 50-something cars, vs the 10-20 they were expecting to sell. This place is crazy - there are two types of rich people here - those who don't have a care in the world and got everything they have from family, and those who worked for it. And most of those who worked for it know where they started and are open for collaboration, so as long as you know something well, no matter what that something is, there will always be work.

Sure there still are very poor people, but most of the poor guys that i know don't work sh*t. And then cry about not getting any money. We need more ambition. If the current government is screwing things up, let us screw them up. Too bad we can't organize in large groups, the largest protest was ~20k people this summer, and worse things have happened since then. If we'd block all main streets in Bucharest they HAVE to listen, but we're too stupid to do that.

Another random fact: Contraband has gotten so bad that cigarette companies have put adverts around the country and on TV, that say we shouldn't encourage it and buy legitimate. Kent sells 2 packs for the price of one in certain areas. Since i don't smoke i don't really care about that, but oh, they jacked up the price of beer too.

At least in Romania the women are not kurvas.

I'd rephrase that - at least you can still find ones that aren't. Coz all they promote on TV these days is whores and more and more are aligning to the trend.

[mockingbird]

Re: Look what i picked up!

there are two types of rich people here - those who don't have a care in the world and got everything they have from family, and those who worked for it.

Yes, those people who collaborated with Ceauşescu were rewarded for it... Lesson, serve your country, no matter under which régime, and you will be rewarded for it. You see this kind of despotism in many former Soviet satellites. In that city I was in, there were many black brand new BMWs that were parked or would pull up to the curb. Everytime the guys we were with saw them, they'd say "Mafia".

Yes, cigarettes were crazy cheap there. I used to buy the local brands for 50 cents a pack. All the Russians worshipped "L&M" for some reason - it seems to be a popular European brand - not my cup of tea. As for the beer, the local "Peeva" was pretty reasonable. You would ask for a bottle from the local Gastronom and the lady would take it off the shelf and wipe if off with her towel... Reasonable beer, pretty cheap, but not crazy cheap. I don't really drink beer at all, and unfortunately I haven't had a cigarette in months.

We also have contraband cigarettes. We have "Native Americans", the government gives them their own land, because they feel sorry about the church killing so many of them, and the Natives produce large quantities of inferior cigarettes. The packs can sell for anywhere between 2 and a half to 5 or even 6 dollars. Still better than a legitimate pack which go for $8 to $10. Now you know why I stopped smoking.

The best cigarettes I had were "Klassika". They're these cheap-as-dirt cigarettes you buy by the carton-load in the "Reenak" or the market, $5 for 25 packs. They're filterless, and the packs have a picture of Joseph Stalin on the front. Very good tobacco. I think the Ukranians get their tobacco from Cuba. Much better than any American cigarette.

You know, Hitachi had a hard drive assembly plant in Hungary many years back. That's where they assembled those Deathstars. That didn't work out too well for them.

I'd rephrase that - at least you can still find ones that aren't. Coz all they promote on TV these days is whores and more and more are aligning to the trend.

Yes, the disease of westernized women is spreading even to Asian countries, it is becoming impossible to find ones that are down to earth. My suggestion is, if you feel the need to marry, marry a women from a remote farming village. But then you also have to live there. If you take her out of the village to the big city, she will eventually become a kurva.

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Look what i picked up!

Okay back on topic. Lacquer didn't do anything, and a test with the bare boards running without the case revealed the true source of the buzzing. It's the panel itself that buzzes, more specifically the CCFLs (NOT the inverter transformers). It goes away when the brightness is advanced past 70%.

I just wish it'd been the other way round - in the day it's a lot more likely for the buzzing to be drowned out by other noises.

[Pyr0Beast]

Re: Look what i picked up!


Edit: For the CFLs, one could simply increase the frequency so the duty cycle can be lowered even more, or at least that's the way i'm thinking, i never got to play with one yet. But still, i think i'll get my big CRT fixed and start saving money for a LED screen. Hacking a LED inverter would be a piece of cake.

And transformers say: hot hot hot !

I lower it as much as possible. I see stuff tuned for higher frequency than necessary, lower it and power savings are usually in a range of W. Lots of power wasted in those small parts.

Dimming shouldn't be an issue it is usually manufacturer defined as most inverters can be dimmed to about 10% with no flicker.

(But you can also lower brightness in your graphic card)

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Look what i picked up!

(But you can also lower brightness in your graphic card)

Yes but that sucks.

It's leaving tomorrow for $92. Good job methinks. Gonna hunt for a 22" now.