Should I?

Oh no..

Another of those bath Monitor breaking techniques of Krisdel^® Enterprises.

i think you should.

with the long bow from far away.

and ya put it on video would be sweet. shivy

You should rig the monitor on something to make it mobile and video tape yourself "on the hunt"!

Put the camera in the middle of the monitor and make it the "bullseye".

That would be cool!

And have a split screen set up with a second camera panning the whole thing.

Loupy

I think it needs one of those stick-on exploding targets. The crossbow should give you enough range. Roll 2 cameras. You could turn it into a real competition if the screen can last long enough to hit the charge.

Don't forget your PPE.

I am sure its a rats work, Its ashame for cat family.

Sound like its already dead and the misery is yours in having to get a replacement. So be waste of a good arrow or bolt. But if it will alleviate your misery we want to watch.

Most LCD monitors that die are simple fixes. Shine a flashlight directly onto the screen to see if it is just a bad back light (usually a long thin fluorescent). If you've got no power, open it up and check the power supply, usually it's just a couple of capacitors gone bad. Replace them and then you're good to go. FIX IT! FIX IT! YOU CAN DO IT, FIX IT!

I did open it up, it was jammed full of surface mount stuff...if it had been an old fashioed TV I'd have fixed it no prob' ...must be getting old, I don't have any electronic kit at home and 'cos I only work a 3 day week the boss doesn't like me doing home jobs in the lab...(he doesn't understand it's the unwritten law of electronics...thou shall repair stuff and make arrow speed chronometers)
I think it's the PSU, I can hear it going wheeee, then it gives up and shuts down, originaly a few off/on cycles would kick it into life.

I mean I don't want to shoot it, but sometimes a cat has to do what a cat has to do (usually in next door's garden)
Del

"cat has to do what a cat has to do "

If that is the case how come they(rats)have done this?

That sounds like the high voltage for the backlight is bad. As someone else suggested you can shine a flashlight to see if their is still an image on the LCD. If it still has an image but the backlight or high voltage supply is bad, perhaps you can make a video projector like this project.

I guess shooting an arrow through it is just as good though.

Put a big rat silhouette on it first. Maybe that'll give you inspiration.

Longbow or crossbow?... Why not both?

I'd like to see a wristrocket version with a 12" bow, or maybe a wide aspect slingshot with 1/2" ball bearings. Can you make one Del?

before you do it, did you try plugging it in first, or did you just need an interesting target? wait..... let me put on my safety glasses......safety first ok, ready

You really WANT to shoot an arrow through it, don't you?

OK then; you will NEVER, EVER be able to fix this. Said so, I did!

Now you can enjoy guilt-free target practice!

Yes, you should. Don't let those boring guys persuade you to try to fix it! Have two pleasures: purchase a new shiny one that you wanted for a long time, and have much fun taking the old one to the big heaven of the monitors. And - of course, you didn't really need to ask - post the movie! ... Besides, I'd say that in my case a good .357 would also result in some pretty good moments!

All I know is, whatever you do with it, we want the video.

I have a big problem with failed appliances that can't be fixed. I have big difficulty accepting that the item is trash. Dead appliances never leave me (unless I find someone who has a use for it), they get stored indefinitely on "might figure out how to fix this someday" or ""may have useable parts" or the uneasy "can't put that in a garbage bag" or other insidious deep-rooted cultural prejudices about garbage (might need that, take it home... etc). (need - - trash - - therapy -- video )

How about shoot it first, then strip it down for us, put the parts in some kind of order, and show us how much they are(n't) worth

That is a big prob with modern production methos which make it very difficult to even dis-assemble some stuff and virtually impossible to repair it once you final do get into it.

Get yourself a 10X microscope and a micro-soldering gun and you're in business. That's how they salvage the boards on a bad run.

Think electronics, only smaller... A steady hand and you're on your way to a promising careerer as a brain surgeon.

I agree, but the problem anymore is finding parts and/or diagrams for the %%^#@ things. I had a coffee maker go out the other day - just a thermal fuse, but no clue as to the ID of the part and no help from the manufacturer (who wasn't really the manufacturer, only the rebrander). I could have just jumpered it out, but... I finally went to the local Good-Will store, bought a similar one that was crap (It wasn't the same brand or model, but there really are only about three different ones out there), ripped out the bottom, swiped the thermal fuse and put mine back in service. But, I resent paying $5 for a thermal fuse, plus the trip.

Now my trusty bread machine has lost the shaft seals. Apparently this is a common problem and nobody sells the things. They need to be molded so I can't just jury-rig something (well, I could but I suspect it would leak every few months and I'd catch holy heck about oily bread). Anyway, the water, salt, honey, etc all leaked into the bearing (not properly sealed - cheap) where the baking temperature carmelized everything, seizing the bearing, scoring the shaft. Oy! Better, the bearing was shrunk fit into a cast aluminum housing which I get to probably crack as I try to remove it. When we finish keel-hauling mortgage bankers, I suggest saving the ropes for planned obsolescence marketing geniuses!

For just a few cents more, I could have designed a replaceable seal that would have gone on forever.

"I don't have any proof, but"

I love a good conspiracy... when I was at the Conspiracy Addicts Anonymous meetings, we started our personal messages with those words..

Chris

MICROWAVE MICROWAVE MICROWAVE MICROWAVE MICROWAVE MICROWAVE MICROWAVE MICROWAVE MICROWAVE MICROWAVE MICROWAVE MICROWAVE MICROWAVE MICROWAVE MICROWAVE MICROWAVE MICROWAVE MICROWAVE MICROWAVE MICROWAVE MICROWAVE MICROWAVE

Ok, I'll shoot the microwave next...

The arrow must be on fire when it hits the LCD, and the video must be at 600fps. Jennifer Love Hewitt absolutely has to be involved somehow.

When a forum member needs enabling, we are here for ya!

I endorse the longbow / crossbow combo shot - presuming you don't have any friends with a trebuchet.

Should any member want to fork over a few shekels we could donate this for future bath-breaking!

Nah, a trebouchet would make things too hard to record - it would launch the monitor too far...

Sadly, today's electronics are NOT designed nor intended to be repaired outside of an expensive manufacturer's refurbishing facility or a repair shop that has invested big bucks in the equipment needed to do the job. I had a motherboard meltdown due to capacitors failing, I can get the parts but repairing the surface mount crap is a royal pain, if it can even be done without damaging the PCB. Getting schematics is often difficult or impossible and the ridiculous practice of house numbering everything from the mundane to private parts (pun intended ) is a further intentional block to repair. Given the fact that many parts are unavailable, difficult to find, discontinued (after two years) and often very high priced (check out the prices on those stupid CCF bulbs!), it is not economically worth repairing, it is cheaper to go buy another one...what a waste of resources! We need to remove control from the pencil-necks (bean counters, etc.) and get things back in order.

I would paint a nice picture of a rat on the screen and take aim at his 'b...s' with the crossbow! Here ratty, ratty, kitty wants to play.

Mine had failed too last year.

Eventually I found a friend who had the time to look at it. It was the output capacitor of the HV switcher for the back light. This is a component that is under stress.

Even if it is not made to be repaired, they can still be.

Repairing equipments is a way to rebel against the wasteful society and save on energy and pollution.

If you liked your monitor, spend some time on it because the next generation is not going to last very long either. The quality is not improving.

Thanks for your support on this.
I might plug it in one last time and shine a light at it as suggested...if it's just the back light I might have a try at repair.
If not it's the BIG HEAVY crossbow bolt from very close range.
It may be a while yet as I've suddenly got a load of interesting work....(which I might blog)
Don't fret tho' you can rely on Del to keep you posted.
Del

I want a video of the shot.

But, do it with one of your home made armour piercing arrow points.

I don't think an arrow has enough inertia to penetrate a monitor screen due to it's toughness, as you state. A 44 magnum from my Henry repeating rifle would do the job, but that's not an option you have. Do you have in England reenactment battles like we have here of the revolutionary and civil wars? There's always lots of weapons available from long bows to cannons. A 1# recoilless round would put a beautiful 1" dia hole right through that monitor.

Yes, there's a big re-enactment fraternity over here.(I don't do it) The re-do the Battle of Hastings every year I think.... the bloody Normans still win every time.

We'll see how the arrow and crossbow bolt do when I eventually get round to it.
Del

the bloody Normans still win every time

Well of course we do. Willie and the boys didn't have bean-counters rationing horseshoe nails.

Yeah, and you hadn't just marched down from the previous battle at York.
Del

Are you preparing all your bows for the them ? I wonder .

And the target practice. PAste a photo as you release your bow.

Please read:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague

I recently repaired a 2-year old 17" LG Flatron that had 4 bad caps.

I agree that we have had a rash of bad capacitors on the market, for various reasons and that they almost always die a premature death with bad consequences. The picture of the Choyo capacitors in the WIKI article referenced above looks a lot like my motherboard that blew its guts out.

None the less, switching supplies are very hard on electrolytics, even good ones, their life spans are almost always shorter than in linear power supplies (I was tempted to say always). Electrolytics must be used because of size and capacity constraints, film and tantalum capacitors can be substituted (but not always) but they are much larger (film) and expensive. Electrolytics are the necessary evil of power supplies, however a good, quality electrolytic will out last cheaper ones but at a cost penalty which is taboo in the industry these days.

You may very well choose a better quality capacitor for repair but the industry generally will not for manufacture.

I just had a high end video card go. About 3 years old. 4 electolitic caps had burst. For about $5 I replaced them (without circuit diagrams) plugged it in and it worked!

Sorry to regress, but before I do I'll weigh in:

1) Try to fix it, just to learn how. THEN shoot it, not just for irritating you but also to make a point (see #2).

2) ABSOLUTELY video tape it, but I agree it should be jittering around a bit or at least swinging back and forth on a rope. This better represents a real-life situation where you are taking aim at a bean counter or some other dastardly foe.

3) Use both weapons and a mace, if necessary. This way you can fit it into a smaller box to return to the manufacturer along with a note pointing to your video. Send a similar link not just to the manufacturer but to the OEM, the reseller, retailer, and all their evil, resource-destroying spawn. Just to further press home the point ; ).

But here is my question. I have three (3!) dead monitors, each identical. The flashlight trick shows nothing, either in external monitor mode or dual monitor mode. Also, for awhile the issue seemed to be somewhat intermittent. For awhile one worked on one laptop but not another, now nothing at all. At first I suspected I had a bad cable that slowly infected all three montors, but now I think I may have a driver problem. The reasons are too long and too uncertain to go into, but if anyone has a suggestion on how to better diagnose this situation (intermittence, worked on one PC but not others, possible S/W driver issue, etc.), please let me know. I guess I need a little direction on how to characterize the problem. Something is trying to happen, so they're getting power, but I can't accept that all three are bad.. My Notebook DOES drive a 4th LCD panel just fine, so it isn't that. But I also notice that not all cables are missing the same pin, and for awhile that had me chasing the tail around a bit. I need a little direction to better isolate what is going on, I think..

SECOND, I have a 36" LCD television AND a different Notebook monitor (the 17" LCD monitor on a Dell Inspiron 9200) BOTH of which are missing a vertical band around 2 inches wide, right down the center.

I know this is insufficient detail to diagnose the issue, but I am not very technical and, either in spite of or because of my blathering, I don't have much time for this. Should I try one of those LCD repair shops that advertise all the time? Yes, it's a sin, but I'm desperate..

Any insight would be most appreciated.
Eric

I would take care to the location your target is placed. You don't want all those liquid crystals spewing just anywhere. They may cause the plants to become bi-polar. You don't want manically depressed flower just won't bloom unless they're playing videogames and eating potato chips all day. Youwant them to get out and find a job attracting bees and such to allow us to harvest them and make pizza and herbal tea while watching the Discovery Channel... What was the subject again?

PMSL...we need you on the Bath Breaking Thread (just ask Kris for the secret password)

Del

I thought of your TV problem when my keyboard stopped working correctly this morning.

I asked CR4 friends for advice.

I got good advice.

In the meantime I borrowed my wife's keyboard.

I think she got angry. She said she would not tolerate the situation.

I decided to see if the neighbors would stick the thing in their dishwasher.

"Where's the keyboard honey?"

"It's stuck to my computer, works fine. I cleaned it with cotton swabs and alcohol. Took about 20 minutes."

"Oh."

Why has the Bath Breaking Thread been resurfacing so frequently as of late?

I think that you should plug the monitor in and then shoot it with a steel bolt from your favorite crossbow. I do love a good fireworks display!

I need to apologize for my last comment, I thought you were trying to destroy your LSD monitor. Sorry for the miscommunication. ;)

Longbow or crossbow isn't important. The imprtant thing is to make it spectacular, so use explosive packed arrows for this.

Shoot it - but it needs to be dramatic.

I think you need to write a mini-soap/drama around it.

Del gets home after a hard day - TV doesn't work - Del loses it and shoots TV with handiest weapon which just happens to be a crossbow that is already loaded.

Of course, somehow we have to get Del and the TV outside for the final shot so you'ld better get Mrs Del making cardboard props of the lounge room....

It must have other uses than being used for target practice. Could it, for example, be used to help slide a cast iron bath out of a building?

You already know that Mrs Del will not be happy if she finds an arrow protruding from that LSD LCD. In an effort to promote family harmony, I would like to offer either of my air cannons. The compact one will accept roughly 1" projectiles. The man sized version will accept 2.1" objects. Both are constructed from steel pipe, and have been tested to 165 PSI.

PS. A little talcum powder in the barrel makes for a more dramatic launch.

Do you core out pieces of potato to fire out this cannon?

Personally I suspect Del would eschew destructive use of such a modern device.

However I might imagine him using flaming bolts and arrows along with a battle axe.

Now for Astronauts your sort of cannon, as is the potato cannon, is well suited for tether capture work of nearby stuff. -well maybe not... By the time we got through with the Asteroid Potato Cannon Concept I was convinced it was my contribution to the Bath Breaking Thread category.

However for odd floating tool or tool bag, a net firing hand cannon could have retrieval of the odd wrench, or other Spaceman got away stuff, don't you think?

Anyway it does sound as if it is Capacitors that are highly suspect as causing the TV to fail.

P.S. For Space use recoilless operation is desirable, making nonlethal standard net firing weapons, less useful in outer space. There is the possibility that net firing capture cannons might be useful if for some reason or another a SpaceMan on a Space Walk needed to be hauled in. As they taught in the Swimming Pool, Reach, Throw, Row, Go.

Not sure rowing in space is a workable option
Del
Hey...how did we end up in space

Traces of nuts

<...Both are constructed from steel pipe, and have been tested to 165 PSI....>

Make sure the flanges are correctly rated.

Threaded pipe, no flanges.

If you do manage to identify a blown component, check DigiKey or Mouser Electronics.

If you shoot it, for the dramatic effect, soak it in gasoline (petrol) and use a flaming arrow. Or, seal it to where it's airtight and fill it with some kind of explosive gas.

Don't kill it. It may come in handy one day. As body armour maybe, the way things are going in the world. I don't throw out anything that i may be able to fix some day. My 30m x10m shed is organised into sections with the various types of gear in their appropriate spot. When i retire i will have the time i need to fix the things that i have saved.

Come to think of it, by the time i retire and get around to fixing it, each thing will probably be incompatible with the new stuff i have.

Shoot the %&^#*r.

Show the video.

I'm just going to clear out the shed. mutter mutter, damn cat

<Drool> Oooh! Some more stuff for the Friday afternoon CR4 picture quizzes! Don't let Randall or PlbMak in there!

Do it, film it, post it.

Do it, film it, post it.

Yes.... but what about the LCD monitor.

A special occasion like this calls for a really special bow. Think MythBusters. I'm sure Adam and Jamie could could come up with something that would launch a fence post or sharpened telephone (sorry, telegraph) pole into the monitor. People all over the world will be watching the video. Don't think on the scale of public access TV.

There comes a time when life tests what a man is made of. Stop repressing the real cat inside you. To all monitors around the world, "FEAR THE CAT"!

You are on to something there. The National Hurricane Center must have one of those 2x4 launchers for rent.

It would be interesting to see just how tough they are. i.e. start small and work up to the crossbow at close range type of test.

Mrs Cat was out, so I snuck out and did the dastardly deed.
It was tad dissapointing, the bolt didn't penetrate to the back, but there was a mark on the back...it made a mashed up hole, no oozing gunk, just cruncky stuff.
Heck see for yourself!

Thta dmn monitor jumped back an inch or two at impact.
So, next time I go bak to the middle ages in the KrisDel^TM time machine I shall have an LCD panel strapped to my chest
Del

Possibly I ought to send you my shotgun.

It would be interesting to see some test, but I recon it would stop a shot gun or a small hand gun say 9mm (ok it would get knocked back a few feet).
I think a high velocity round is needed.
I've seen reports that bolts or arrows do better at penetrating bullet proof glass than 9mm slugs.
Del

Lot of kinetic energy from the 9mms with slugs moving at 1200 fps.

The old 45s like the model 1911 put out a right huge slug at 800 fps.

I forget how quick a 22 moves, but think they go faster than even the 9mm, and hear cops fear 22s since due to speed and size they supposedly will pierce body armor. I shot some old Mauser from 1895 a few times, which was interesting. Shoot that thing 5 times in one day, and you want to go home.

Possibly for complete destruction a battleaxe is the way to go.

P.S. Supposedly Demolition is number one in job satisfaction.