So my monitor decided to die 
It is an LG Ultrawide 29UM68.
How it Happened (if it helps...)
For a few days I noticed a light ticking sound at a very steady interval (just loud enough to be annoying) but I just assumed it was a speaker fault and didn't pay much more attention to it. The ticking would go away if I unplugged the USB-C to HDMI cable from my Mac/monitor but resume if I plugged it back into either any port (both on the monitor or Mac if I remember).
I was working away today and then I heard something blow and the monitor shut off. Nothing else on the same power strip had any issue so I don't think it was external. The only signs of life in it is a flickering power light which struggles to stay on (and a weird quiet flicking sound).
The monitor is about 5 years old now but I would say it has only done about 2 years total of 9-5 work which isn't a whole lot.
Can I fix it?
So after phoning a few places that don't repair monitors and others that wouldn't quote me unless I brought it in (which I cannot travel to because of pandemic restrictions) I decided to take off the back cover and have a look
. I can see two places on the board (A and B) which have clearly blown or burned.
The burn at A is likely the original issue (and I wonder if it is linked to the HDMI input in any way given its position on the board).
The blow at B was probably added (or at least made visible) by me when I decided to unplug everything (display ribbons, backlight and speakers) and power it on to see if I could isolate the issue in one of the other components. I unplugged the power adapter from the mains (so I could safely plug it back it from a distance) and didn't wait very long before plugging it into the monitor at which point I saw it spark and burn at B. I'm guessing that wasn't a good idea right? (this is what happens when software engineers play with hardware)
Is this sort of damage to a board normally repairable?
I would rather not dump a perfectly good and nice panel (whether I use it as a monitor again or make some type of smart mirror or some other project out of it). I may as well learn something now that I have it opened.
I found a replacement board for 50 euro and given that I will likely be charged that in just labor alone if I bring it somewhere it would probably be just best to replace the board itself. Anything above that cost I think I would just replace it.
Given the information above, is it worth perusing a board replacement? How likely is the panel and other components to still be working? Is there anything else I should check so that I don't instantly destroy the next board? I haven't disassembled anything else to see under the board or look at the other ones; should I?
Additional Question
What was the most likely cause of this? Was it most likely just an internal fault (maybe humidity or dust)? Could it be the power adapter? Could it be my USB-C to HDMI cable or my Mac? I just want to make sure that if I repair it or replace it that the same thing won't happen again straight away (or that my Mac won't kill another monitor).
It is an LG Ultrawide 29UM68.
How it Happened (if it helps...)
For a few days I noticed a light ticking sound at a very steady interval (just loud enough to be annoying) but I just assumed it was a speaker fault and didn't pay much more attention to it. The ticking would go away if I unplugged the USB-C to HDMI cable from my Mac/monitor but resume if I plugged it back into either any port (both on the monitor or Mac if I remember).
I was working away today and then I heard something blow and the monitor shut off. Nothing else on the same power strip had any issue so I don't think it was external. The only signs of life in it is a flickering power light which struggles to stay on (and a weird quiet flicking sound).
The monitor is about 5 years old now but I would say it has only done about 2 years total of 9-5 work which isn't a whole lot.
Can I fix it?
So after phoning a few places that don't repair monitors and others that wouldn't quote me unless I brought it in (which I cannot travel to because of pandemic restrictions) I decided to take off the back cover and have a look
. I can see two places on the board (A and B) which have clearly blown or burned.The burn at A is likely the original issue (and I wonder if it is linked to the HDMI input in any way given its position on the board).
The blow at B was probably added (or at least made visible) by me when I decided to unplug everything (display ribbons, backlight and speakers) and power it on to see if I could isolate the issue in one of the other components. I unplugged the power adapter from the mains (so I could safely plug it back it from a distance) and didn't wait very long before plugging it into the monitor at which point I saw it spark and burn at B. I'm guessing that wasn't a good idea right? (this is what happens when software engineers play with hardware)
Is this sort of damage to a board normally repairable?
I would rather not dump a perfectly good and nice panel (whether I use it as a monitor again or make some type of smart mirror or some other project out of it
). I may as well learn something now that I have it opened.I found a replacement board for 50 euro and given that I will likely be charged that in just labor alone if I bring it somewhere it would probably be just best to replace the board itself. Anything above that cost I think I would just replace it.
Given the information above, is it worth perusing a board replacement? How likely is the panel and other components to still be working? Is there anything else I should check so that I don't instantly destroy the next board? I haven't disassembled anything else to see under the board or look at the other ones; should I?
Additional Question
What was the most likely cause of this? Was it most likely just an internal fault (maybe humidity or dust)? Could it be the power adapter? Could it be my USB-C to HDMI cable or my Mac? I just want to make sure that if I repair it or replace it that the same thing won't happen again straight away (or that my Mac won't kill another monitor).
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