CRT Monitor giving out high pitch sound

[pchan]

Hi,
I have a Samsung SynMaster 700IFT for about 5 years. It's giving out high pitch sound intermittantly. Can I still use it until it breaks ? The display is still OK.

[redwudz]

Sometimes that is a high voltage leak, sounds like a squeak. You could power it down and unplug it, wait a few hours to bleed off the voltages, then pull the case off and blow out the dust, especially around the high voltage cage and where the high voltage plugs into the side of the picture tube. It might help. Just keep metal objects or your fingers out of there.

If it is a high voltage leak, it will probably fail soon, and you will just have a black screen. 5 years is a good lifespan. Maybe time for replacement?

[pchan]

Thanks. Sometimes the noise is ear piercing. Yes, I am considering a 17in LCD.
Trying hard to controling spending on PC stuffs....

[Poppa_Meth]

I have an old Trinitron that does that from time to time. I've been running it almost 10 years and it's been doing it for at least the last 2 years. So far it hasn't failed me.

[pchan]

Thanks. We use it for surfing and game. Sometimes, we use 3-4 hrs. The noise is more fequent lately. Will switch LCD once it stops working or there is sufficient budget.

[jagabo]

Try changing the refresh rate.

[Capmaster]

It happens when the varnish on the deflection yoke coil ages and cracks. A wire becomes loose and vibrates.

[jlietz]

I had a monitor that used to do that. A good smack to the side of the monitor usually stopped the squealing, but if I recall correctly I had to replace it within a few months.

[Ron B]

My old Samsung 955DF did the same thing. I just unplugged it, let it sit for a few minutes and plugged it back in. I've replaced it with an LCD, but it still works fine.

[ahhaa]

Another option (just to tide you over) is that, with the rush to LCD & prices dropping, quality used CRTs are practically and/or actually free for the carting off.

If you decide to try repairas above , and can locate the exact spot that is squealing, a few drops of superglue gel might get rid of it.

[handyguy]

Smack it? That is a great test, it finds out if its a cold solder joint.

[turk690]

There are three possible things inside a CRT monitor that can squeal: the power supply switching transformer, the flyback transformer, and the yoke. A good way of finding out is changing the resolution (notably horizontal; try switching from 800 to 1024) while the squealing is going on. If it changes in pitch then it's either the flyback or yoke or both; if it does not, it's likely the PSU transformer. Either way it's true the monitor may give up its ghost soon. But even getting an LCD is no guarantee of a whistle-free existence: although rare, defective backlight inverter transformers have been known to squeal just as much and just as loudly. We're all waiting for the LED-backlit LCD.

[handyguy]

Quite a few people say new LCD tv's have a buzz. Haven't found that in computer monitor lcds though, do they every buzz?

[TheFamilyMan]

I've used the "smack on the side" with my old monitor at work with good results until it finally died. My samsung 19" TFT whines if it does not have a signal, but is silent when it's really in use. Very good 19" flat panels can be had for about $200 (still a decent chunk of change), which is cheap considering what any type of 19" monitor cost just a few years ago. Used high quality CRTs can be had for less than $40, if you have access to stores that carry them.