Did I damage my monitor?

[Bryan Fowler]

so I was frustrated because I couldn't see very well through this greenscreen monitor.

 

I finally opened it up, and removed the green cover from the front. I noticed that I could not clearly see through the screen, and when I ran my fingernail across the back of the plate, it was just a little soft, and a layer came off.

 

I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be there or not, but I could see perfectly through the green after it was all gone, thanks to some 409, a paper towel, and my fingernail.

 

It looks like it was some kind of oxidation.

 

I put it back together, and now I can focus with the screen. kinda handy.

 

although it's working great, i'm wondering if I removed something that was supposed to be there...impeeding my view of the monitor?

 

Bryan

[Evan Barthelman]

I finally opened it up, and removed the green cover from the front. I noticed that I could not clearly see through the screen, and when I ran my fingernail across the back of the plate, it was just a little soft, and a layer came off.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Bryan-

 

My EFP monitor suffered from the same foggy layer. It's a clear plastic layer designed to transmit picture from the curved face of the little CRT to the back of the flat anti-reflective green filter. Think of it as a sliver of a giant fiber-optic cable. Only problem is that it degrades over time, causing a foggy appearance and rendering the monitor less-than-perfect. I was actually able to polish the soft plastic on mine and have gained a useable monitor once again. I hadn't thought of actually REMOVING the soft layer. I imagine the only problem you'll have with it is in direct sunlight where the inside surface of the AR green plastic might cause additional reflections.

 

In your other posts I noticed you're interested in making the mod for 16:9 viewing. I drilled a hole in the left side of the case and use a small screwdriver to turn the "Height" pot from one end to the other. One seems to be 4:3 the other 16:9 or close enough. It just makes for a TINY screen, but without the funhouse mirror effect.

 

Best of luck,

Evan

[Bryan Fowler]

Thanks Evan for the reply.

 

I figured it was just some crud that had gathered there over the years (or months)

 

Since that post, I purchased an LCD monitor from a flier, and it's working great. Now my CRT is my backup, and I hope I dont' have to use it. =)

 

thanks again for the reply.

 

Bryan