Dell P1110 21" CRT repair thread

[Sparkey55]

Re: Dell P1110 21" CRT repair thread

I have that same Dell model with the over brightness problem ( now fixed). I fixed mine by parallelling a string of seven 10 meg ohm resistors across a feedback resistor near the G2 takeoff. Now setting the brightness near halfway is fine.

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Dell P1110 21" CRT repair thread

Alright, that software almost made me have a heart attack. But, eventually, it is solved. I also posted this in the relevant thread on Icrontic, which is 24 pages and several years long... Here's what i had to battle:

1. Sometimes WinDAS will not connect to the monitor unless you try to connect immediately after you switch the monitor on.
2. I have found that my monitor loses the 5v standby rail at a certain point, making WinDAS unable to save the file completely. The solution was to draw a wire from my power supply's 5v line and wire it up to the 5v of the TTL cable.
3. My P1110 will not load the file immediately after save - i need to turn it off then back on. Otherwise the WinDAS software would hang after the 2nd bar and the monitor would be DEAD. Still, after the WinDAS hang, ending the process, unplugging the power then plugging it back in, and opening it up and selecting Load File again would write the file properly and the monitor would wake up. Phew. I almost thought i bricked it.

Can't wait to pick up that VGA cable tomorrow. Btw, i used a XP virtual machine inside VMWare.

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Dell P1110 21" CRT repair thread

Well, since i don't have a VGA cable atm that means i can't get into the menu either. I own another similar monitor, an IBM P275, and as far as i remember that very function is responsible for the increasing brightness. And since i have already built the service cable and have the software, why not do it the right way.

[yyonline]

Re: Dell P1110 21" CRT repair thread

Did you try the monitor's "color return" feature (accessible via the normal menu)? That brought most of the Dell Trinitrons at work back to normal color, even some of those that were showing the retrace lines.

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

An engineer friend of mine called me a couple weeks back and asked me if i was still interested in his Dell P1110 21" monitor, he said he doesn't bother with it anymore. I wasn't in town then, i went and picked it up now. I paid him $24 for the beast.

It has the classic overbrightness problem common to this series, in this case it's as bad as it gets, retrace lines visible at zero brightness. In these monitors, there is no G2 (screen) adjust knob on the flyback, it's all MCU controlled. All you get is two focus knobs. Fortunately the fix is known, these monitors have a TTL port at the back, and a serial port (RS232) to TTL cable together with the WinDAS software can be used to adjust ALL parameters of the monitor, G2 voltage included. I have already built the cable using a MAX232 converter IC and i've had the software around for several years.

The guy didn't have a spare VGA cable and neither have i, so it'll have to wait until tomorrow. In the meantime, i'll give it a good cleaning. I'll be giving away my good ole' Nokia 920C (19") to a friend of mine who still runs a 15". The Nokia is a great monitor, i only paid like $12 for it 4 years ago, and all it needed was a good calibration, but the curved screen and ABL issues (contrast limiting when transitioning from dark to bright) have kinda gotten on my nerves. The Dell P1130 is 21" worth of flat, anti-glare goodness.