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Need help - How do I open the 2007wfp cover? Monitor has intermittent vertical synchronisation problem.
To open the cover of my 2007wfp monitor I removed the 4 screws located in the square where the monitor gets attached to the stand, but the cover would not come off. There must be some hidden retension somewhere, which I couldn't find.
Does anybody know how to open the box?
Is there a repair manual available somewhere?
Any help is greatly appreciated!
Message Edited by HEW399 on 03-28-2008 07:42 PM
tr4
1.7K Posts
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March 22nd, 2008 22:00
You carefully pry around the perimeter of the case to open most lcd's. I've never seen a manual. i don't think dell even has them.
What is wrong with yours?
HEW399
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March 23rd, 2008 01:00
The monitor has an intermittent problem. It looks like it is loosing vertical synchronization sometimes (the horizontal lines are all over the place). I suspect a faulty connector or a bad soldering point to be the reason. When the monitor is cold, the problem does not show up. When it gets pretty warm, the problem might show up. Tapping with a finger against the back of the cover causes the picture to stabilize immediately, but after a while the problem might come back. It looks to me that thermal expansion could be the cause the problem. Of course the problem could also be caused by a faulty electronic part like a capacitor. I would like to check and reseat all connectors and also take a look at the electronics. Unfortunately, I do not have access to an oscilloscope and/or logic analyzer anymore since I retired. But on the other hand I do not have schematics either...
I might try your suggestion tr4 if I do not get some more detailed advice. I would hate to break the cover...
Anyway, thanks for your suggestion tr4!
tr4
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March 24th, 2008 02:00
I assumed you verified with dell that your lcd is out of warrenty first.
I think you are on the right track. An IC or cap would likely cause your problem.
A very dull and rounded putty knife no more than an inch can do the opening job. I like to start at the bottom myself as it shows less.
HEW399
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March 26th, 2008 02:00
To tr4.
Thanks for the tip on opening the monitor cover. I took the plunge and opened the housing of the 2007wfp (with almost no scratches). I would have needed 6 putty knives because there are 6 latches inside the bottom and the top and 4 inside the left and right side.
I took all PCB's out and checked them. The PCB where the DVI cable gets attached to looked like there was something spilled on, which had dried of course. It looked to me like a capacitor on the power supply board had burst and spilled electrolyte onto the adjacent PCB. But the power supply board was clean and all component were ok. The only conclusion I could draw was that I was sold a refurbished monitor! Anyway, I cleaned the PCB, put all PCB's back in, made sure all connectors were seated ok and closed the monitor. The monitor has been running for about 14 hours today without a single hitch.
Here is a picture of the PCB. On the left hand side of the PCB it looks like the soldering points of a capacitor could have been shorted by the contaminaton. There are several other areas affected, but the picture does not show them clear enough. I had asked Chris about how to open the cover by sending PM's, but he played dumb with me. So I'm glad you encouraged me to go ahead. Thanks again!
tr4
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March 26th, 2008 13:00
I'm glad you went for it. I tend to discourage many as it is dangerous inside but I felt you had the ability. I would consider replacing that capacitor. Be sure to get a 105 degree rating. I see some heat discoloration so I would also resolder some of the joints.
I would not feel slighted about the support staff. Dell does not repair monitors as far as I know. They send them out and the staff have a little more liability since they work there.
You don't need taht many putty knives once you have done a few as I have
HEW399
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March 26th, 2008 15:00
Thanks for the comments. Some of the apparent discoloration (the larger areas) is just shadows. The discoloration around the soldering points consists of some flux residue (can be identified using a magnifying glass). I'm not worried about the capacitor right now. If I should run into a problem soon I will know where to look first.
Should I need to open this or another LCD monitor in the future I know how to do it. I would use some thin steel blades to open all the latches at once and thus would be able to open the cover without any scratch. Using an 8", 10" and 12" blade or any combination of the three would allow to open all common size monitors ranging from 17" up to more than 30" monitors.
Right now I'm a happy camper. I have been buying Dell computers for more than ten years now. This is the first time I have been disappointed. I would have expected getting some help at least. As soon as the warranty expires you cannot use the chat anymore. For $29.90 or so you can talk on the phone to some expert who probably knows less about electronics than you and me (I have been working in the computer business for more than 20 years in main frame computer development and production). I wish Dell would have some kind of repair manuals available online for people like you and me, so we could tackle our computer problems ourselves. Oh well, I guess that will never be the case...
HEW399
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March 28th, 2008 23:00
Blackesmith
1 Message
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June 17th, 2013 02:00
Hey guys,
I have the same monitor and I love it, been using it for 4-5 years at least (and I notice it was about 4-5 years ago that this thread ended, haha), but a lightning storm came through recently when I was away from home and when I got back, the screen wouldn't turn on. It didn't flicker, there were no popping noises, no smoke came out (thankfully! can't lose that magic smoke)...in fact, the LEDs behind the buttons didn't even light up. It was DOA.
Fortunately, none of my other computer hardware was affected, and as I was running a dual-monitor system I was still able to use the computer; just with vastly reduced desktop space. Knowing the warranty was up on the LCD, I figured I had nothing to lose, might as well take it apart and see what I could see.
I got stuck by the same problem HEW399 had that caused him to start this thread: After taking the stand-plate screws out, I couldn't figure out where to go from there to open the outer casing. I entered the question into a web search and came across this thread. After reading through it, I was able to disassemble the LCD very easily and without leaving so much as a single scratch on the screen. So I wanted to thank you guys for having this detailed conversation over 4 years ago, it really helped me out! Especially the follow-up posts after Hew399 finished his repairs--the detail given in those follow-up posts is awesome, and combined with the apparent success of the endeavor, it restored my confidence to take the plunge myself(I had started with a "what have I got to lose" attitude, but my total inability to remove just the outer casing destroyed that pretty quickly). I want to continue the tradition, maybe someone else will come along and find this info useful.
At this point, I can only report "success" as such:
1)I was able to dismantle the LCD and get at the circuitry to poke around for what had broken when the storm came through
2)I am almost certain I've discovered the problem, and I now have hopes it will be operational again soon!
You both spent some time discussing methods for popping open the outer casing without causing scratches, and they sounded good but I didn't have the tools you were talking about. Turns out I didn't need them at all. However, I was somewhat confused as to where to begin my efforts at popping the case apart; either it was never spelled out specifically or I missed it when it was. I was able to figure it out based on the discussion about scratches.
So for anyone else who may attempt this project...once you have the four screws removed out of the back, turn the monitor over so that it is lying on the table face up, with the bottom of the monitor (the side with the buttons) facing you. Then, using both hands, grab the edge of it so that your thumbs grasp it from behind and underneath, then curl the four fingers of each hand to that your fingertips are pressing against the inside bevel of the black plastic border or "frame" that gos around the front. Now, squeezing with your thumbs and flexing your hands, gently the pry the plastic of the border away from the screen by wedging your fingers between that plastic border and the screen surface. It should begin popping off easily; simply work your way all around the screen. But don't pull them too far apart, there are some cables and ribbons that have very little slack in there and pulling too far could damage the cable. Take it slow and easy, then detach the cable on the body side, leaving it attached to the little circuit board for the buttons.
Now you're ready to go ahead with any further disassembly necessary to get to the area you are aiming for: and it is all fairly self explanatory past this point so I'll leave off the detailed explanation. Good luck! :D
As for what I discovered that I think is the problem, I had dismantled everything necessary to get at the three primary circuit boards so I could check them for damage, thinking maybe one of the caps on the power supply circuit had popped. But when I detached the board and turned it over to look at it, I was surprised to find a fuse just past the power input! Here's a pic to show what I'm talking about:
I'd bet anything that fuse is just blown and replacing it will make the monitor work good as new. So that's the plan. I'll report back with the results, and thanks again for this thread!