My monitor has been good to me for the past 6.5 years or so since I received it as a gift.

It is/was an NEC FP1370 display (20/21" CRT display).

Over the past couple months, it has sometimes emitted a high pitched squeal that seemed to go away once it warmed up 2-3 minutes after turning it on. Recently it stopped doing that and seemed to act normal.

Today, it emitted an arcid odor as if an electronic component had let out the magic genie (smoke) inside. The monitor did not stop working or appear to have changed display qualities other than the left hand side top was VERY hot to the touch and smelled of the same arcid odor that the monitor had emitted. We did not notice any smoke, just the odor. It took some time maybe 5 minutes to figure out that the odor source was indeed the monitor.

I unplugged the unit and am not using it as I am afraid it may cause a fire.

My main questions are:

1. Should I junk the monitor or should I search out some sort of repair facility. I have done no research on this.

2. Has anyone ever had a monitor repaired? Was it worth it?

3. How much is a 20-21" LCD monitor?

4. Any guesses as to what may have burned up, yet allow the unit to continue to function?

I know this was not an inexpensive monitor, and I already miss it. It was much larger than the 19" unit I am currently using. I hate to see it go, but if a replacement is to be made, I will replace it with an LCD display (less energy, less space, sharper image).

I use my display for CAD and graphic applications as well as surfing the web, so I opt for the larger displays.

Advice is always welcome.

Go to a shop ask what they want for repair

if repair exceeds quote for new monitor, get new monitor.

I have a 32 inch TV with a bad degaussing ring, it'll change colors if one color stays on screen for long

I picked up a 21" widescreen LCD monitor a few months a go fo under $200.

Please don't invest money into repairing a tube monitor.

The way they measured things, LCD flatscreens will give you more actual screen than their tube counterparts, so a 19" flat panel will give you at least as much usable screen as a 20" tube. Not to mention the quality difference I'm sure you are already aware of.

Without even looking for a bargain, there are tons of everyday vendors selling 19"+ LCD panels for under $200. Better deals can be had with some shopping.

(Ugh. Getting RID of tube monitors has by my dilemma! LOL Can't give them away. If I want to be environmentally correct, I have to pay $15 each to get rid of them.)

Oh, and let us know if you need a work party to help move that thing out of your office. Between our Harbor Freight transmission jack and the strong backs of a few local teener guys, I'm sure we could git-r-done. j/k

I agree with the others, replace it with an LCD. FWIW, it sounds like the flyback transformer went kerflooey. The only reason I know this is...

Back in the dark ages when I worked for GE we were using Sun 2/120 or Sun3/50 or something of similar vintage when this happened to mine. Not knowing what it was, but since we were under contract to Sun I called the local Sun office. They weren't in yet, so their answering service picked up the call (remember answering services?) I left a message that "my Sun died". About freaked the lady out because she thought I said "my son died"...

Skip

It is possible that a cap smoked. Electrolytic caps are famous for that. In a power supply, it smooths AC ripple to give cleaner DC, Doesn't explain the hot side of the monitor. It may be that it was always hot and you never noticed. I hate working on monitors. Easy way to get shocked even with the power disconnected (caps can hold a high voltage charge). You may look inside. Look to see any burned components. Look for caps (small roud cans) that are badly leaning to one side. These caps have an electrolyte that sometimes cause the cap to explode, leak or just come apart. Also be aware, they are polarized and must be put in the correct way or they WILL explode.

I'll join the 'junk it' contingent. Most repair shops will charge you more than the monitor is worth just to open it up. CRT's on the used market are a dime a dozen - you can't get rid of them. Big ones are harder to find but they are still out there.

For what it is worth... A student did some energy conservation experiments for us. At the 17" size range there is about 30 watts difference between CRT and LCD. I would expect that to be even greater savings with a monitor that big.

Again FWIW - If you go LCD don't cheap out too much. It you are sitting in front of this thing all day you want something that gets along well with your eyes. LCD's have come a long way from the early days and most are pretty good now. You still find some though that are not as sharp as you might like or have an annoying flicker - rare but be careful. I'm using a 19" Benq just now. That is a pretty cheap brand and it is just fine. ymmv so try to get some seat time before you buy. Your monitor is in my opinion the most important part of your computer.

Repairing a monitor is not worth the cost IMHO. Buy new.

I am with it on the" trash it" crowd. But sometimes it is too easy to spend other peoples money. Could be a pain to fix. Once in awhile it is something obvious and easy. Follow your nose (source of the smoke) and your wallet.

Junk it.
if you are doing graphics and cad, a $200 LCD may not give you what you want/need.
my old 21 inch Sun CRT is still a better picture than my 24 inch Dell LCD.

I'm currently using an old 19" CRT I had laying in a closet for just such an emergency. It is sharper and better colors than my old one, but what I really can't stand is that it is so much smaller.

I priced out some 21 - 22" LCD screens and it presently looks like I am looking at between $280 - $700 for something that I want. I'll have to go visit some of these in person before committing to anything as I agree that the display is one of the most critical components of a PC. (The other(s) being the output device(s)).

I want a FAST display. I have had laptops with nice displays, but they were not even close in speed to a good old CRT. They were without a doubt sharper, but were most definitely slower.

I also play games in addition to CAD/graphics and sometimes watch movies in the back round. (all work and no play makes john a dull boy)

Thanks for your feedback and your input. I will make an attempt to locate some sort of repair facility and try to feel them out for a ballpark figure to repair. I will miss it, but do look forward to regaining my desktop.

BTW, this 19" takes almost exactly the same space as my 21" did.

I nearly popped a nut lifting that old sucker. I'll have to drive my van if I'm taking that thing anywhere.

Disposal is another issue. What would one do with something such as this to ecologically dispose of it properly?

Junk it. I had my NEC 21" repaired and it went out in about 4 months. $135 down the tube. Using a 19" now but is not a LCD. Neither was the 21".
LCD prices nationally so some of the vendors will be near you.
http://www.pricewatch.com/monitors/
Big bucks for the 24" and 22" but CAD needs the high res.


Not to hijack. Just a quickie question. Picture size and aspect info needed.
Anyone do any DVD movies? What is the picture size? 720 x 480 seems too small on my TV and makes the picture very hard to see, especially any writing such as credits.