All PC Tips

Most of the computer monitors will have a ‘Degauss’ button. What is the use of this deguass feature. On pressing the degauss button the monitor will shutdown for a second and come back to life. Why does this happen? By pressing this the magnetic energy is destroyed. Here we will discuss in detail about this technology.

Monitor has a cathode ray tube. This monitors the electrons that produce the magnetic fields in the tube. The magnetic fields outside the tube for example the earth’s magnetic fields mix with the tube’s magnetic fields and distort the picture. When we press the degauss button the magnetic fields inside the tube is adjusted to match the magnetic fields outside.

Degauss is the name of a scientist. He is Johan Gauss, who researched on the electro magnetic waves.

There is another interesting news. Earth’s south and north poles have difference in magnetic fields. Therefore the monitor manufacturers make the monitor based on the customers’ location. That is the reason why when you turn your monitor to face some other direction the picture quality may change. So you may need to deguass the monitor.

But if you are using a flat monitor then you don’t need to degauss because the flat monitors do not use magnetic fields to function.

Every PC user spends atleast 5 hours looking at the monitor every day. If the picture is not clear enough then there is a high possibility that the eyes get damaged. There are many different sizes of monitors available ranging from 15″ to 17″ or even higher. The sharpness of the image in a monitor is dependent on the Graphics card. Nevertheless the quality of the monitors play an important role. Here are some of the tips that you should know before buying a monitor.

1. There are two types of monitors namely CRT and LCD. The monitor that looks like a small TV is a CRT monitor. In TV as well as CRT monitors there is a Cathode Ray Tube. An LCD monitor is smaller in width and consumes less power.
2. The 15″,17″ or 19″ TVs represent the diagonal length of the screen. Therefore if you buy a 15″ inch screen , the actual length is just 13 1/2 or 14 inches only.
3. CRT monitor is heavier than LCD monitor. LCD monitor is very lightweight.
4. The distance between two adjacent pixels in a monitor is called ‘dot pitch‘. This is measured in millimeters (mm). Smaller the dot pitch the clearer the picture quality. Usually there are monitors with dot pitch varying between 0.20 mm to 0.27mm. Some manufacturers use diagonal dot pitch while most of them use horizontal dotpitch. The diagonal dot pitch is always longer than the horizontal dot pitch
5. Resolution of a monitor has to be considered with care. Most of the monitors have resolution of 800×600 and 1024×768. The more expensive monitors have 1280×1024 and 1600×1200 resolutions. When the resolution is higher the images and text will appear smaller. But you can see more text and bigger pictures in the monitor with high resolution.
6. Another thing to note is the ‘Refresh rate‘. This rate is usually 73 Hz, 75 Hz, 85 Hz. Refresh rate of 85 Hz means the picture on the monitor is refreshed 85 times within a second.
7. The brightness and contrast can be adjusted using buttons. Some monitors come with the software to adjust these settings.

Traditional computer monitors are now being replaced by LCD monitors. The price of these monitors have dropped tremendously. Those who ignored LCD monitors due to its high price are now more interested in them as the prices have dropped. There are many reasons why LCD monitors are preferred. The first reason obviously is its thin size.

CRT vs LCD monitor comparisonz

1. Monitor’s size: Traditional monitors are similar to a TV because both of them have the CRT (Cathode Ray Tube). That is the reason for its bigger size. It therefore occupies more space at the desk. It is also heavy.

   However, LCD monitors have thin flat screen. Therefore occupies very less space and is lighter than the CRT monitor. LCD monitors can be fixed even on wall.
   

2. Display Size: Eventhough the display size of a CRT monitor is calculated diagonally, the actual display size is smaller. For instance a 17″ CRT monitor will actually have a display size of only 16″

   However, the display size of 17″ LCD monitor will have 17″ display size.
   

3. Resolution: CRT monitors can show different resolutions. The resolution can be changed as required.

   LCD Monitors will have Native Resolution and therefore has a fixed resolution. The best resolution will be the native resolution for that LCD monitor.
   

4. Viewing Direction: A CRT screen can be viewed from all directions. And from different distance.

   But LCD monitors cannot be viewed from all directions. LCD monitors can only be viewed straight. Therefore its viewing direction is limited. If viewed from other directions the colours will change and sometimes the vision will be unclear if not viewed straight. But in recent years the new LCD monitors have improved on this defect.
   

5. Radiation Emission: The radiation emission in CRT monitors are higher. This will not be visible normally but it will affect eyesight and may cause head ache. Long term use of these monitors may even affect the eyes adversely.

   LCD monitors do not have this type of Radiation emission. Therefore LCD monitors are good for the eyes.
   

6. Electricity Consumption: CRT monitors consume electricity based on their sizes. This may range between 100 to 250 Watts.

   LCD monitors just consume 40 watts. This is the reason for putting LCD monitors in laptops.
   

7. Price: CRT monitors are priced very cheap. However they consume more power.

   LCD monitors are priced higher, but they consume less electricity. Though the electricity consumption is not very significant for personal use, it is very cost efficient in big organizations with many computers.

Consider now your computer works properly. But the monitor has a problem. The monitor problems irritate us while we want to get things done fast. Follow these steps to troubleshoot your monitor.

1. First of all check if the power supply to the monitor is ON. In old type of computers the power supply is given in the CPU but in recent computers the monitors have own power cable.. Check if it is fixed correct and If the switch is on. If the power supply comes to the monitor the LED will glow in the monitor. Otherwise it does not glow.

2. After that you have a switch control in monitor for adjusting the monitor setting. You can adjust to get display. Children may change the settings mistakenly. We can check it out.

3. After that check whether video cable is connected to the CPU firmly.

4. If you have any other monitor you can connect with CPU by using the same video cable and also the problem continuous that means the video cable has a problem.

5. If you can connect your monitor with another CPU then we decide the problem is in your monitor. You have to change your monitor or repair the monitor by the technician.

6. When booting the computer the monitor that is identified maybe incorrect then we decide the problems in your display card. Try to change the monitor driver if you have the CD. Or change the video card.

After fixing new display card, if the problem continues then change your monitor. Don’t buy a second hand monitor. Buy a monitor based on new technology releases when you buy a new monitor. Recently the flat LCD monitors are cheep.