Monitor Loses Focus

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jan Alter
  • Start date Start date
J

Jan Alter

We have a 17" CTX monitor that has mysteriously lost focus. Everything
appears fuzzy, though just as bright as usual. There is no flickering on the
screen and all attempts to "recall" its settings fail. Monitor is hooked up
to a machine running Win98. As the computer boots up one sees nonsharp and
fuzzy characters all through the DOS boot and into Windows. Does anyone have
a remote idea what is going on? I haven't hooked it up to another computer,
thinking it could be the graphics card, as I doubt that's the problem.
However, any strong suggestions otherwise will probably motivate me in that
direction.
 
Jan said:
We have a 17" CTX monitor that has mysteriously lost focus. Everything
appears fuzzy, though just as bright as usual. There is no flickering on the
screen and all attempts to "recall" its settings fail. Monitor is hooked up
to a machine running Win98. As the computer boots up one sees nonsharp and
fuzzy characters all through the DOS boot and into Windows. Does anyone have
a remote idea what is going on? I haven't hooked it up to another computer,
thinking it could be the graphics card, as I doubt that's the problem.
However, any strong suggestions otherwise will probably motivate me in that
direction.
Click to expand...

It's not the computer or video card, it's the monitor. Sounds like
something in the high voltage section either failed, or is loose, or
perhaps dirt ingress is affecting it. Can't really tell without looking at it.

If you're lucky it's something like dirt on the focus adjust and you could
try adjusting it to see if the wiping action of doing so cleans it; If you
can get to it from the outside, that is. I suggest you NOT try opening the
monitor up and running it that way (to adjust it) because, unless you know
what you're doing, that's a good way to get a super nasty shock as high
voltages all all over the place inside.
 
It just so happens that we had a fault with our CTX 19" 930F monitor with
the same issue. We tried a few things to try and get it to work, such as a
new DSUB cable, use against a different PC and got so pissed off we were
going to throw it in the bin.

We decided to phone CTX up this morning and told them it was broken and the
error. They then said a replacement would be with us tomorrow morning at no
cost! Wow!

Give them a call!

Graham
 
We have a 17" CTX monitor that has mysteriously lost focus. Everything
appears fuzzy, though just as bright as usual. There is no flickering on the
screen and all attempts to "recall" its settings fail. Monitor is hooked up
to a machine running Win98. As the computer boots up one sees nonsharp and
fuzzy characters all through the DOS boot and into Windows. Does anyone have
a remote idea what is going on? I haven't hooked it up to another computer,
thinking it could be the graphics card, as I doubt that's the problem.
However, any strong suggestions otherwise will probably motivate me in that
direction.
Click to expand...
If its not under warranty it simply needs the lid popping off and on
the Line output transformer there's a knob marked FOCUS.

Only trouble is there's 15-20,000 volts kicking about there so you need
to be careful.
 
Thanks Conor. I guess I was careful and the focus seems to have worked.
Click to expand...

Well... If you're not knowledgeable in electronics and monitor
calibration you could be asking for trouble.
It might be a simple thing to just turn that focus knob, but there are
set voltage ranges you have to stay within while doing so.
If you tweek that knob(voltage) to high it will greatly shorten the
life of the monitor.(flyback transformer's don't like be overdriven
and will let you know so.)
 
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