Repair Dell E153Fpc

How To Repair Dell E153Fpc LCD Monitor With Shutdown Problem

Repairing the DELL E153Fpc LCD Monitor with the complaint of display shutdown after few seconds (power LED still on) was not difficult. Normally when this type of problem happens, we would first suspect the inverter board, then the filter capacitors and lastly the main board. A defective in one of the lamps and a faulty TL1451AC PWM IC or inverter ic may caused the display to shutdown as well. If the lamp is defective, it will send a feedback to pin 3 or 14 of TL1451AC IC and caused it to stop producing output signal thus the display just shut off once you switch it on. The power board is using a SG6841D pwm ic and a FQPF7N80 power fet . If this power section blow, it is quite easy to troubleshoot because it has fewer components. You can also use other part numbers to substitute the power fet.

As usual, after opening up the cover, I would first check for any burnt components, loose connector, cracked board, dry joints and etc before doing the voltage test. As for the lamps, I would check it last because lamps were seldom spoilt. Upon scanning for any bad components before starting the voltage test, I found a filter capacitor that had turned into darker color. Using the ESR meter revealed the ESR ohm has shoot up to 12 ohms. This filter capacitor located at C922 with the value of 1000 micro farad 16 volt. If you don’t have the ESR meter you can always use the digital capacitance meter. The value that I got from measuring the bad capacitor was 57 microfarad. If you don’t have ESR meter, make sure you get one-it’s fast and accurate.

Now, the question is why a filter capacitor can cause the display to shutdown? If you carefully see the picture, I’ve drawn the yellow path to show you how the voltage is flowing. By the way, the voltage at the bad filter capacitor line is 12 volt. The voltage passed through a SMD transistor in the start circuit and flow straight to pin 9 (VCC) of TL1451AC IC. In order to let the 12 volt to flow through the transistor and reach the vcc pin of the ic, first, a ‘on’ signal must be sent from the main board to trigger the transistor. If no signal send to the transistors (off signal), both transistors can’t be turned on and no voltage will follow through the ic. Thus if the main board or any of the start circuit components spoilt, there will be power but no display because the TL1451AC would not send signal to the Royer type L, C resonant and boost circuit, so no high voltage produced by the high voltage transformer and this will lead to no display.

In the above case, the LCD Monitor display shutdown was due to the ripple because of the bad filter capacitor. The ripple caused the TL1451AC IC to be unstable and eventually shutdown the output signal. Replacing only the filter capacitor solved the DELL E153Fpc LCD Monitor shutdown problem.
Conclusion, don’t always presumed that LCD Monitor is very tough or difficult to repair. From the above article, you could see that the caused of the shutdown problem was only a bad capacitor. If you fully understood how LCD Monitor works, then chances for you to successfully repair the monitor is very high but again it depends on the availability of spare parts. If you ever come across any LCD Monitor sent to you for repair for the first time, go ahead and start troubleshoot it. Who knows one day LCD Monitor repair could become one of the major source of income to you and your business.

By Jestine Yong

LCD Monitor Repair

Today’s article talks about repairing the CMV 19” LCD Monitor problems model CM-922D. The complain was no power as what the customer told me. This LCD Monitor power supply was not built into the circuit thus it need an external power adapter to power it up. The input to the LCD Monitor is 19V with 3.1 Amp from the adapter. Since the complain was no power, we have to test it out to check if the power adapter is at fault or the LCD Monitor.

The ac supply was plugged in to the power adapter and I could see the power LED was lighted up. Checking the output voltage of the power adapter I got about 19 volts which is good. Even though the LED has lit and correct output voltage, this doesn’t mean that the power adapter can maintain when there is a load (the LCD Monitor) connected to it. I once came across a Compaq 17” LCD Monitor that have a precise output voltage from the power adapter but when connected to the Monitor, the display appeared for a fraction of a second before shutting down. Usually in this case, your experienced would tell you that it could be the inverter circuit are faulty or the lamps have problem. You would be surprised that the actual cause of the LCD Monitor shutdown was due to the power adapter. It can’t sustain the output voltage when there is a load on it.

This kind of fault was normally due to a bad filter capacitors located at the output of the secondary circuit. If you have ESR meter, you can actually locate the defective electrolytic capacitors fast. If you don’t have the meter, just direct replace the caps. As mentioned in my previous repair articles, to confirm if the power adapter is truly working or not you need a light bulb to act as a load. Make sure the power LED light doesn’t blink whenever the light bulb is connected. Even if it blinks one time, this proves that the regulation is not good and need to be check entirely. In the above china made LCD Monitor, the power adapter work perfectly fine!

Since I have already confirmed that the power adapter is good, my focus now was on the LCD boards. Removing this LCD Monitor cover was very easy and you can easily access to the board when the metal casing was removed. The first thing that I checked was the SMD fuse located in the main board. If the fuse opens then there would be no supply to the ADC/SCALAR and the CPU IC thus the power LED would not light! Checking this SMD fuse was rather simple as the method of checking it is the same like a normal fuse. Use either an analog or a digital meter set to ohms range or continuity check. You can check the fuse while it is still in circuit. Yes, the fuse was found to be open circuit.

Now there is one question that needs to be answered by us. What makes the fuse to go open circuit? Well from what we have known about electronic repair, there are three possibilities as why a fuse opens circuit. First, the fuse can become open circuit due to its lifespan. Some fuses can last for many years while some only couple of years. In other words, the life span of a fuse depends on the qualities of the materials used. Secondly, the external factor such as a surge causing the fuse to open circuit in order to protect the main board. Thirdly, the main board itself have problem (such as a shorted IC’s and other electronic components) that caused the fuse to open circuit.

If the LCD Monitor problems falls in the first and the second categories then replacing only the fuse will definitely solve the problem. However, for this LCD Monitor, replacing only the fuse didn’t work at all and the fuse open circuit again. You have only two choices to solve this kind of problem. First you can use an external regulated power supply as explained in my previous repair articles and connect the negative output of the power supply to ground and the positive to the fuse (the line that leads to other circuitry) in order to detect the short circuit. Slowly vary the output voltage and monitor the current drawn. Once the current drawn about a amp or two, now place your finger to any electronic components in the main board. If you found any components that get very hot then that is the cause of the short circuit.

In this article, I’m going to do it differently to detect the short circuit. Are you ready? Now instead of replacing the fuse with the exact rating which is 3 amperes, I replaced it with a 5 amperes fuse. The purpose for me to put the 5 amp fuse instead of the 3 amp fuse was because “if the fuse doesn’t blow then the component that have short circuit would blow”. Do you get the idea? Three things can happen when you use this way to force out the culprit. First the power adapter may shut down due to heavy current draw from the main board. Second, the short circuit electronic components (either be a IC, diode, capacitors, transistor and etc) will get hot and you can quickly locate it easily by touching them. Remember don’t on it for too long otherwise if the shorted components get too hot it will go open circuit and now you will have a hard time to locate the fault. Third, you may hear a pop sound and spark from the shorted component. Trace from where the spark came from and you can easily identify the location and sometimes to the actual component that generate the spark.

For the above LCD Monitor, I actually saw a small spark at the top part of the main board once the power input jack was connected. It prompted me to the exact location and when I check the SMD ceramic capacitor (that generated the spark underneath it) with analog meter set to X 10 K ohm range; it actually developed a slight short circuit. Replacing only the fuse and the SMD ceramic capacitor solved the no power problem in this 19” LCD Monitor. This Monitor uses the inverter IC (OZ960G), A1084-25CM (2.5 volts voltage regulator), AMC1117-3.3 (3.3 volts voltage regulator), ADC IC (MST8136B) and CPU IC (MYSON MTV312MV64).

Conclusion-There are always options as to which methods that you want to use to detect the short circuit. If you prefer the latter one, then I suggest you to take some photo shots first before anything really burnt out beyond description. With the photos, at least it will give you some hints of what the components might be or even the part numbers. Well, there’s always an interesting way to solve electronic problems and this is one of the reason that I like electronic repair so much because you can always act as a detective to find out the culprit-real satisfaction! Oh! By the way, you can use the above method to any other electronic equipment and it is not limited only to LCD Monitor problems repair. Have a great hunt my friend!2

By Jestine Yong

Troubleshoot Dead Pc

Is your Computer starting to act differently that sometimes it refuses to turn on? Or your Computer looks completely dead.? If you are experiencing this kind of Computer problems, all you need is just some troubleshooting techniques to try and free all your worries and headache.

Just follow the steps below to hopefully bring your Computer back to life
The first thing you should do is check the power supply just to be sure that there is power available for your computer. Make sure the power switch is turned on and then try to plug a lamp in the wall socket to see if it works. If it does, you know there is power available. Once you know there is power, check to make sure the power cord is properly connected to the wall outlet and the computer power socket.

Note: Before you continue on to the next step, make sure your computer is completely shut down and be sure to disconnect it from the power cord as well. Also, keep in mind that all of your PC's components are sensitive to static electric charges, so it's important to ground yourself by touching the frame of your computer's case before starting any of the troubleshooting processes. This will get your body used to the computer case and eliminate any chance of static shock.

The next thing you can troubleshoot is if all of the cards within your computer are fully pushed in to their slots. Open your computer's system unit and push down on all the chips, the video card, the sound card, the modem or LAN cards, the memory cards and the CPU units to make sure everything is seated properly.

Now, check your computer again to see if you have been able to fix the problem. If not, keep troubleshooting! Next, check the power between the power supply you use and the motherboard on the back of your computer. If you need to, pull out and reinsert all of the cards. You can also try placing them in different slots until you find a perfect fit for all of them.

If you have not been able to resolve the issue, the next thing you can do is take out all non-essential parts from your computer, leaving only the basic ones in. The basic parts are the motherboard, the power supply, the display card, the controller and the hard drive. You can pull out everything else (mainly the other cards) by removing the screws from your unit, as shown in the screenshot below.

Now, replace each part that you took out one at a time until the problem reoccurs. When you replace a part and the computer stops working, you know that particular part is the reason for your computer problems. If this is the case, that part can just be replaced and your computer should then operate normally.

If you still see some issues, remove all of the remaining cards, including the display card and floppy controller. Then turn on the power just to see if the power supply is still running. If it does run, one of the cards you just removed is faulty. You will then need to get that one replaced.

These are just some simple techniques you can try to get your computer up and running again. Please use extreme caution when removing certain parts of your computer. If you are not completely sure on how to do it, get some help or take your computer to a repair shop so a professional can look at it. You don't want to risk creating other problems for your computer by doing an incorrect job.

Computer Repair Service Shop are charging so high nowadays. Some are charging 50 to 60 dollars per hour. So it's really a must to learn some Basic Computer Troubleshooting Techniques.

By Robert Desacada

Refurbished Laptops Vs

If you have been searching the web for very long looking for a laptop you have seen these three phrases. Do they have different meanings? Yes they do as we will point out some reasons laptops are labeled differently. Let's begin by examining each phrase followed with a short definition:

Refurbished Laptops
Refurbished laptops are PCs that have been bought new by a consumer and has been used between 1 day and 3 months (depending on the store). The customer returns the laptop to the store for any number of reasons. At this time the store cannot sell it "as new". It must be returned to the original manufacturer for refurbishing- which means, "to make bright, or fresh again, renovate". Most stores offer a 30 day money back guarantee and within that time period is when most of the laptops are returned for a refund and sent back to the manufacturer. Thus refurbished laptops are born. Refurbished laptops are not new, but the closest thing to it because most are within a couple of months old. Refurbished laptops will have better processing speeds, more memory, newer Windows OS and the most up to date technology.

Used Laptops
Used laptops are generally a little older, but are in perfectly working condition. Used laptops are perfect for people wanting to use a mobile computer for only a couple of applications, but still needs the mobility of a laptop. You can use these to run software programs in areas outside of an office where a desktop is not practical. Used laptops will have lower processor speeds, older Windows such as 98 and 2000, less memory space, but will still operate as a new one because they have been sent to a qualified computer techncian to be reconditioned to it's original specifications. Used laptops are perfect for students doing homework, a professional that only needs to operate a few programs, or for someone who just wants to access the internet without the bulk of a desktop.

Cheap Laptops
Cheap laptops are basically a laptop that has minimal programs, lower memory and older OS programs. Cheap laptops are only cheap in price and not in quality. Most people looking for this kind of laptop is seeking a basic mobile PC to run only a couple of applications, or software programs. Cheap laptops are also used by those who only wish to surf the net, access e-mail, or any number of functions that don't require massive amounts of memory, or lighting speed processors. Cheap refurbished laptops work as new they are just a couple of years older than a refurbished laptop. If a student only needs to run one software program, or if an office worker just needs to create spreadsheets outside of the office cheap laptops are perfect. These are the choice of many people because they are basic and "cheap".

Let's recap all this information into a nutshell:

Refurbished Laptops-newer, faster, able to operate more applications, latest technologyUsed Laptops-a little older, basic Windows OS, slower processor speeds, less memoryCheap Laptops-older, mainly for schoolwork or operating a few applications, lower memory

By M Johnson

How To Do Your Laptop

Upgrading the memory in your computer or laptop is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways of improving your computer's performance. Still many computer owners shy away from any memory upgrade for a number of reasons: lack of knowledge, warranty issues, fear of ruining their computers, compatibility concerns, or just an innate feeling that the inside of their computer is just some alien territory they must never venture.

Like a lot of things in life, a computer memory upgrade seems more complicated than it actually is. Most of the apprehension comes from a lack of knowledge. Let's face it, the average computer user may only have a vague idea about RAM, Motherboards, Graphics Cards and the like.They know their computer works when they turn it on and that's all that really matters to them. However, what most people don't realize is that with a little investment of time and a few dollars, they can make their computer work better and faster. It's an investment that will quickly pay for itself; not only will you save time when doing your daily computer chores, but the overall enjoyment of your computer or laptop will greatly increase.

First Step: Know Your RAMRAM or random access memory

This is what the computer uses to run applications and data on your computer. You need it to run your computer's OS operating system, your need it for handling graphics, files, web-browsing, e-mail and multi-tasking. RAM is vital to the operation of your computer. As a general rule, the higher the amount of RAM you have, the faster your computer will work or run.

To complicate things somewhat, there are many types of RAM. The type of RAM in your computer or laptop may depend on the year it was made.From mid-2004 a lot of the computers have DDR2 (double data rate, second generation) SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic RAM). Before that time many computers had DDR (double data rate, first generation) SDRAM. Most older systems use SDR (single data rate) SDRAM, fast page mode (FPM), or extended data out (EDO).To complicate things even further, most of the types of RAM comes in different speeds!

DDR2 SDRAM is a new standard that can boost conventional SDRAM memory up to speeds well over 200MHz and beyond. For example, the new IBM ThinkPad T43, thanks to the Sonoma Chipset or platform has 533MHz DDR 2 SDRAM.

This is much better than standard SDRAM which tops out around 150-166MHz and DDR SDRAM which starts at 200MHz and goes up to around 400MHz.Keep in mind, DRAM means Dynamic Random Access Memory and SDRAM means Synchronous Dynamic RAM.And to really confuse you, having a faster RAM speed does not (by itself) make your computer go faster, you must upgrade or increase the AMOUNT of RAM in your computer system to increase performance. Also keep in mind your computer was made to accept a specific memory speed and there's no benefit from going beyond that limit.

It's usually recommended that you get the fastest speeds for your system, this will permit for better compatibility and make it easier for future upgrades.

Second Step: Know Your Machine

Without a doubt, compatibility is the most important factor in buying a memory upgrade for your laptop or computer. It's essential that any upgrade be compatible with your computer or machine, i.e. otherwise it just won't work.

Therefore, you have to know the amount and kind of RAM you have in your computer or laptop. The best way to find this is to check your owner's manual. It should tell you the type of RAM your system is using, it should also tell you the maximum amount of RAM your system can take.Obviously, an easy way to make sure you don't exceed the maximum memory on your computer, just subtract your current memory from the allowed limit listed in your system specifications. For instance, if your computer takes a maximum of 512MB of RAM and you have 256MB installed, then you can upgrade to an additional 256MB of RAM (512MB - 256MB = 256MB).

You should also be aware that DDR is not backward/forward-compatible, which means that if you're upgrading a computer that doesn't have DDR technology, it won't take a DDR upgrade.

Likewise, DDR2 is not backward-compatible, which means if your system doesn't have DDR2 technology, it won't accept a DDR2 upgrade.So check your system very carefully and see what kind of RAM it has and the maximum amount of RAM it will take. You must also check to see if your computer's warranty will be null and void if you install the RAM yourself! Some manufacturers actually seal your computer case and you must have an authorized technician to install your RAM.

Third Step: How Much RAM Do You Need?

It's generally agreed that you need at least 256MB for Windows XP and Mac OS X. You will only need 128MB for other operating systems in Windows or Mac. Most general office work and heavy multi-tasking may need 512MB of RAM. Gamers or Professional Graphic workers usually need the most RAM - up to 2GB or more of RAM.Please note, installing a faster speed RAM (as noted earlier) will not increase the speed of your computer or laptop. The only way to increase the speed of your computer is to increase the AMOUNT of RAM you have in your system. Going from 256MB of RAM to 512MB of RAM will speed up your computer. Going to 2GB of RAM will make it go even faster. Benchmark testing has shown that you can get from 28% up to 43% increase in performance, depending on the amount of RAM

increase.However, there's always a spoiler, other parts of your computer must be able to handle this increase. Your computer will only go as fast as your slowest link. In other words, you may have to upgrade other elements in your computer to receive the benefits of a memory upgrade. Make sure you check this factor first before your make your memory upgrade. Otherwise, you may just be wasting your time and money.

Another consideration is the Memory of your Video or Graphics Card in your system. The amount of VRAM is the major factor in your display's resolution and color depth. A faster and more powerful upgrade in your Graphics Card will give you increased performance especially for handling graphics and videos, as in 3D Gaming.

Fourth Step; Ordering Your RAM

There are over 110,000 different memory upgrades you can choose from!There are many places to order your RAM, from your local computer store to online sites. Keep in mind when ordering your RAM. Many desktop systems or computers use what's called "non-parity" memory which means it does not need ECC (error correction code) or "parity" modules.

Registered, buffered, and unbuffered are other terms that will come up -- they refer to how a certain memory module processes signals. Usually, most PC systems take unbuffered RAM and rely on the motherboard controller to help process memory. Registered RAM is used mostly in servers.

Fifth Step: Installing Your New Memory or RAM

If you order your RAM online, you will receive your RAM module in an anti-static bag, along with detailed instructions on how to install your RAM. On modern system boards, RAM is installed on SIMM or DIMM modules (SODIMM in notebooks).

One of the most important things to do when installing RAM or working with your Computer is to 'Ground Yourself' to make sure you don't 'Shock' your computer with static electricity. You can take some simple precautions to prevent this from happening. If you have wrist straps designed to prevent shocks, you need to wear them.If you don't have wrist straps, here's a simple way to ground yourself:

You should turn off your computer, monitor, plus all accessories (speakers, printer, scanner). Unplug your computer and any accessories. Then quickly touch an unpainted part of your computer case and keep your feet planted in one position while installing your RAM. If you walk around, repeat the process above before you touch any internal parts of your laptop or computer.

Open up the back of your computer or laptop. Depending on your model, you may need a screwdriver. If you have a laptop or notebook, the memory slots are sometimes located under the keyboards. Most times, it's in the back of your laptop; check your manual for the location of your laptop's memory.Depending on your upgrade, you may have to replace your RAM module with the New one, in other cases, you will be adding any extra module or two. Follow the specific directions that come with your RAM upgrade; installing the RAM is only a matter of a Push and a snap! Your RAM upgrade will snap into their memory slots without too much difficulty.

Before you close the case, turn your computer or laptop on to see if your new RAM is installed. You will see it on the startup screens or you can easily check it by going into 'My Computer' under properties, if you're using Windows.

Basically, this is how to do your own computer or laptop memory upgrade. There may be other elements or aspects you might want to check out before installing your new RAM but follow the guidelines above and the detailed instructions that come with your RAM module or modules and you should be OK.

By Titus Hoskins

What Is Memory Card Speed

Memory Card Speed

Memory card speed is the card's performance with regard to how quickly data can be transferred to or from it. The card speed is often stated in 'Times' ratings i.e. 12X, 40X etc (just as the speed of recordable CD's and DVD's is measured), and sometimes more specifically in megabytes per second (Mb/s). By today's measure, sub 20X represents a standard speed, 20X to 40X is mid-high speed and over 40X is high speed. The chart below shows the relationship between the two figures.
8X = 1.2 Mb/sec
12X = 1.8 Mb/sec
20X = 3.0 Mb/sec
25X = 3.8 Mb/sec
30X = 4.5 Mb/sec
40X = 6.0 Mb/sec
60X = 9.0 Mb/sec
66X = 10.0 Mb/sec
80X = 12.0 Mb/sec
90X = 15.0 Mb/sec
133X = 20.0 Mb/sec

Why do we need different or higher speeds cards?
This is mainly due to the advancement of our digital devices, especially digital cameras, camcorders and music devices. As manufacturers develop higher and higher spec devices (i.e. higher resolution cameras and more intense multi-media functions), they are creating increasingly larger amounts information to store pictures, movies, music and so on. This in turn takes longer to record onto the memory card. For example if you have ever used a high megapixel camera with a standard speed card you may have noticed the time lag between pressing the shutter button and being able to take the next picture. This lag or delay, in most cases is caused by a slow write speed, similarly copying your photos to your PC could take time too and is caused by a slow read speed.

So who really needs high-speed memory cards?
Professional photographers and enthusiasts using professional grade cameras such as digital SLR's should use high-speed memory cards of at least 40X speed. If you own a camera with a megapixel rate above three million pixels, you will certainly benefit from a card with a higher speed rating. If you're like most of us using a compact camer under 3 million pixels, you'll get great performance from standard cards with 12X or more.

Those using digital camcorders and devices recording MP3 music or video will also benefit from higher speed cards. It used to be the case where very few people would actually benefit from very high-speed cards, typically only professionals who used expensive, specialized products benefited, but it's fast becoming a requirement on many of the latest PDA's, Cameras, phones and other mobile devices to make use of the extra speed made available by high speed cards.

People using high speed memory cards with equipment that has been on the market a while may not notice any difference in performance, but this has more to do with the limitations of the device than the flash card itself. This is because not only does your memory card have a maximum speed rating, but your camera or mobile phone will also have its own speed rating. When these products are combined, they'll work at the "slowest common denominator" e.g. if you use a 12X flash card in a camera with a designed for a maximum of 8X speed, you'll be transferring data at the slower 8X speed.

You should always check the capacity of your device before splashing out on mega fast cards, but determining the speed compatibility of your device can be tricky. Most manuals just don't tell you what speed of flash card you should use, now that would be far too easy, but they do tell you to buy their brand, which isn't much help! So a general rule of thumb, if your camera is less than three megapixels the speed rating of the flash card doesn't matter much. Most modern cameras have the ability to support far higher speeds than the cards available to purchase today, therefore, if speed is of importance, go for a faster card. Most mobile phones, PDA's and Satellite Navigators are fine with standard speed cards although some newer models will benefit from higher speed cards but not generally over 60X speed.

By Iggy Quazi