Question Monitor Problem

[Fluffly Fluff]

My monitor is 4k LCD UHD. It is nearly four years old now. When turning it on the maker name/logo (Japannext) appears and then it is up and going. But recently, instead of showing the name, it flashes white like it is putting up the name all blurred kind of. Then it emits what sounds like a quiet but very high pitched sound and the screen kind of goes grey/black. At that point the screen seems to be locked and nonfunctional as the remote buttons make a red light kind of flash at the bottom of the monitor like it is getting the message but it then will not display its usual message on screen. Also, at that point, when I turn on my computer (which I always do after seeing the name/logo) the computer turns on fine, but the screen just remains grey/black, not showing the start up screen from the computer etc. If I play with it--that is, turning the monitor on and off half a dozen times, eventually the name/logo appears and then all is well, and there are no more problems. But my question is, what is doing this? Could a room temperature of say 12-15 degrees C do that? Is there some kind of problem with the monitor hardware? It is obviously not the computer, as it is not even on when this happens. Also no cables are loose--like the power cable. Any help would be great. Thanks in advance.

 

[Aeacus]

Hardware dies on daily basis and this is evident by:

turning the monitor on and off half a dozen times, eventually the name/logo appears and then all is well

So, better start looking towards new monitor. Since at one point, no matter how many times you flip the monitor on/off, it won't "revive" itself and remains dead.

 

[Fluffly Fluff]

What would cause this? I have read LCD monitors are good for 50,000 hours and mine was used for maybe only about 18,000. The climate here is very hot and humid in summer. Would that be the cause? And what specifically would have broken down and need replacing/fixing? Is it worth being serviced and restored? The monitor is 50" in size and cost about $500 and a new one now would cost roughly the same.

 

[Aeacus]

I have read LCD monitors are good for 50,000 hours and mine was used for maybe only about 18,000. The climate here is very hot and humid in summer.

MTBF value is set in precisely controlled environment, aka ideal conditions (just perfect humidity levels, temperature, air pressure, and 0 dust). Since your environment is far different from "ideal conditions", the failure can happen much sooner. High humidity is #1 electronics killer.

Also, while the LCD panel itself may last for 50.000 hours, in the monitor, there are loads of other hardware as well, that can fail. And when your monitor has questionable build quality, it can die much sooner. Or in other words: if you pay peanuts - you will get monkeys.

What the exact cause of failure is - difficult to say. Since i'm not Japannext engineer and i have 0 know-how of what the monitor consist of (e.g i wasn't the one who built it), i can only guess what might have happened. But guessing doesn't make it any better.

Is it worth being serviced and restored?

As of fixing it goes, most of the times, it is not worth it.

There are only 2 establishments who could fix it;

1. Manufacturer itself (Japannext)
2. Any 3rd party electronics repair shop

With 3rd party repair shops, they don't give you any guarantee on how long the "fix" lasts, IF they even are able to fix it.

And with manufacturer, question is, IF the manufacturer is even willing to take the repair job. Often times, the repair job, including shipping (which you must pay), costs more than brand new unit.

The monitor is 50" in size and cost about $500

This is extremely cheap. 4K, 50" monitor for mere 500 bucks only?
Proper 4K monitor, in 50" size, costs easy 1000 bucks.

 

[Fluffly Fluff]

Yeah, everything you say makes sense. That said, I was curious about the cause as I was wondering if I could fix it somehow myself. Linus does a video where he restores a monitor with a cracked display (and, no, this is not what the problem is here--the display is NOT cracked). I was also wondering if maybe the maker could fix it as it might be something like a minor problem and hence, would be worth it. I have no idea what would cause the screen to flash like that and then glow grey without doing much more than that.

Like, could it be the inverter that is failing and would do that? And could I fix that myself?

 

[Aeacus]

Linus does a video where he restores a monitor with a cracked display (and, no, this is not what the problem is here--the display is NOT cracked).

Yes, Linus'es videos are fun to watch and he makes it look easy.
Thing is, do you have the same level of know-how and experience as Linus does? I don't think so. Since if you do, this topic wouldn't exist.

That being said, and to repair your monitor, you need:

1. Know-how to properly disassemble your monitor (without breaking the cover and/or any internal delicate wires/connections).
2. Know-how to identify internal components and reliable place where to source spare parts from.
3. Soldering skills.

If you're missing any of the 3, there are little, if any, chances for you to fix your monitor by yourself.

I was also wondering if maybe the maker could fix it as it might be something like a minor problem and hence, would be worth it.

Contact the manufacturer and ask them IF they are willing to take the repair job. If they are, you have to pay shipping to their facility. Once the monitor arrives at their place, the can quote you on a repair job, if it is even viable. And you'd be paying shipping back to you as well. Btw, might want to cross your fingers that monitor doesn't get further damaged during shipping.

 

[Fluffly Fluff]

Yes, you are spot on across the board. I looked at a bunch of videos and agree completely. The brand is also not a well-established one either where parts are easy to find. Were there a video where someone tackles a similar problem with the exact same model I have and I got my hands on cheap parts it would be a different case, as well.

Contact the manufacturer and ask them IF they are willing to take the repair job. If they are, you have to pay shipping to their facility. Once the monitor arrives at their place, the can quote you on a repair job, if it is even viable. And you'd be paying shipping back to you as well. Btw, might want to cross your fingers that monitor doesn't get further damaged during shipping.

Already done, and they are on board. I dont know how much shipping is for the thing and wonder, but where I live you have to pay for disposal anyhow--and if you send it to them and then decide not to have it repaired you have no further charges to pay. According to their message, it looks like it will cost in the $100 tops range unless it is the main panel, and that looks intact. Hence, I have little to lose in just sending it to them for repairs in case the costs are reasonable.

And maybe this is a rare thing, but if you do go ahead this company (Japannext) pays the return shipping according to their message. I live locally though, and doubt that would hold if it had to be shipped abroad.

Regardless, thanks for your time and replies.