1907FP, power button repair

Dell does not have monitor repair service

"The 10 minute, done is beautiful, repair requires drilling a small hole through the plastic directly over the actual switch below, without touching or destroying the delicate switch below. (With this problem the on-off switch will have a dead feel, not the positive click feel of the other four switches on the monitor)

  i used a 7/64 inch drill bit twisted by hand.  Disconnect cables. Twist the bit, remove a small amount of plastic then inspect and repeat until the hole is through the plastic and you see the silver/gold colored foil of the actual switch (do this when you are Calm, Relaxed and not in a hurry).

  The LED is directly below the on-off switch so the hole is offset toward the "+" switch so the hole is half into the monitor bezel and half into the on-off plastic switch cover.

  After the hole is drilled the actual on-off switch below may then be gently pushed with any convenient plastic rod that will fit through the hole ( I carved down the pocket holder part of a cap off of a pen). And, the monitor is in use now to write this.

  This non working monitor was donated to our community computer reuse project in conjunction with the Office of Resource Efficiency http://www.resourceefficiency.org/ electronics recycle program. If you are planning to retire your monitor with this problem, you may send it here and we will add it to our reuse project.

I hope you've been able to fix this by now. I have had the same problem. I removed the front frame and unscrewed the circuit board from the frame. At that point you can activate the power button by pressing the contact on the circuit strip. This contact is offset to the left of the power button (as you look at the monitor). I was not able to repair the button and I have not found out where I can get a new one. Now I turn the monitor on and off by a power strip.

The frame was tricky to remove. I used a beveled edge putty knife and worked around the frame to pop the tabs. I think a 1 to 2 inch putty knife would work good, but I've heard of people doing it with a butter knife. That would probably cause some damage. Always work from the outside to avoid damage to the screen. The top and bottom are easiest. All you need to do is create a gap between the case and the frame and pry the frame forward. This will release the tabs as you work around. On the sides, this requires more of a prying action. Insert the knife about 1/6 inch and pry the case outward gently to achieve the gap. If you get it right, it won't take much force, so take it slow and experiment until you get it right.

Be careful of the wire strip that connects to the circuit board. This will be vulnerable until you get the circuit board unscrewed. This is difficult to re-attach, so I just left mine loose. I don't use these buttons anyway.

I'm in same boat as you are! It just gave out few minutes ago!   :(  I've used this awesome 1907PFc Ultrasharp monitor for about 3 years.  I'm not sure if I can physically repair the power button without picture to picture repair instructions.

ROI,

Perfect play by play.  Took me longer to get the monitor bezel/surround off than to actually fix the button.  I have the 1907FPc.  Great monitor minus the inferior power button design.  First and foremost check that your warranty is out of date begore you mod/fix. I accidentally snapped the power button off while removing the circuit board from the buttons.  The power button itself would have remained inactive either way. 

Big Thanks to ROI for not letting my monitor become a 280$ boat anchor!!!

Thanks to ideas from here and www.fixya.com/.../t633499-removing_front_bezel_dell_1907fp_monitor, this ended up being pretty easy to "fix."  I had already pried off the power button using a small screwdriver.  It came out very easily.  Then I was able to use a pocket knife to activate the actual switch.  No need for drilling -- there was room to get in there once the power button was gone.  Back in business!  (Thanks!)

I realise that I am a bit behind with the posting of this note but, hopefully, it will be read by ROI and Fixxerupper1907.

Many thanks for posting this tip.  I really am very grateful because you have saved me somewhere between £100 and £170 for a new monitor.  When the button failed, as seems to happen to so many others, I took the monitor to three seperate repair shops.  Not one of them would touch it but all three were very keen to sell me a new monitor.

I find it absolutely extrordinary that a company with the reputation of Dell should issue a unit that is simply rubbish and then offer absolutely no back up at all.

When following the tip for repair I too found that getting the bezel off took a certain amount of courage, the corners being a bit reluctant to release.  Rather than apply too much point loading with finger tips I used a plastic kitchen utensil, the frying pan type, and up came the corners easily. I then drilled a hole 1/8th" right over the diode, snapped the bezel back, inserted a wooden toothpick and bingo, the screen lit up again and I am £170 richer.  Thank you very much gentlemen.

This experience has taught me something about Dell quality that I be passing on to others.

It is easier to just open up as described, cut a piece of tie wrap, super glue it so that it extends out from the button to press against the metal tack.  Works great!