Repair LCD Power Supply The Easy Way

Troubleshooting LCD monitor power supply pack is easier than the crt monitor power supply.

It is small and compact and usually has only one output which is 12 volt and range from 2 ampere to over 4 ampere. Some designed have 18 and 24 volts also. Nowadays most LCD power supplies are build into the main board such as the Dell E151FP LCD Monitor while the older type were separated as power pack module.
The power pack module type is easy to diagnose because you can replace another working unit just to make sure is the power pack that giving problem. You may also use an external dc power supply to power up the LCD to confirm if the power pack is faulty. If you do not have the external dc power supply, you can always use this method to isolate the problem especially the symptoms are no power, low power and power blink. Using the rear light bulb (12 volt) from a car and connect it to the power pack output jack. If it light brightly then the power pack is okay. If it blink or dim the power pack have problem. Why have to use this method to test it? Because, if there are components shorted or leaky at the LCD main board, it will affect the power supply performance.
From experienced, most of the LCD power supply problems whether in the power pack or built into main board were due to the failure of electrolytic capacitors (most probably due to heat) in the primary and secondary section. Most of the capacitors have a high ESR which causes the power supply to produce low output, blink or no power at all. Typical value electrolytic capacitors in the primary side are 47 and 100 micro farad 50 Volt and the secondary sides are 1000 to 2200 micro farad 25 volt. Sometimes you can see the capacitor top casing became bulge and the sleeve that covered the capacitor casing turned into darker color like brownish.
The power section in some of the LCD screen are still using the UC3842 pulse width modulation (pwm) ic. This type of ic is quite easy to find in the market compare to some power ic which is very difficult to get. Samsung 153V LCD monitor is using the TOP247F power ic which is quite easy to troubleshoot if power fail in this model. Some power pack that came in only have minor burnt and after cleaning it and replaced the fuse, it will work as good as the new one.
Troubleshooting LCD power supply is not that difficult provided if you know how a power supply work. If you are unsure of how to troubleshoot power supply, I urge you to read all my power supply articles at the power supply page. I will continue to post more power supplies articles at that page and hope you could drop by more often to check out my website.
Jestine Yong is an electronic repairer and a writer. For more LCD repair information please visit his electronic repair website now!

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Safety Tips to Building a Computer


There are some important precautions you should take into account when building a computer to ensure the safety of you and your computer parts. This article gives you some helpful tips on building your computer in the safest way possible.
Stay Safe With Electricity

Electricity is an important issue to consider with dangerous implications for those who ignore it. When building your computer, be 100% sure that the power supply is disconnected from the mains. Also make sure that all network cables and telephone lines are disconnected from the computer.
Another electricity safety tip is to only turn the power on to your computer when the case cover is on. Don't ever work on the inside of your computer with the power plugged in and turned on.
Be Aware of Static Electricity
Static electricity is a real hazard than can cause significant damage to your computer
components.

To prevent this from happening, follow these simple tips:

- Always wear an antistatic wrist band when building your computer.
- Keep sensitive components in the antistatic bags that they came with, and only remove them from the bag when you are ready to install that component.
- Try to handle your computer components by their edges only.
- Avoid building your computer in areas of high static such as carpeted areas. If you can, try to avoid wearing clothing such as those made of synthetics as they may create static.

Use the Right Tools for the Job
These days, building a computer doesn't require many tools at all. But if you're going to be using a tool, make sure you use the right one for the job. Some tools that you may need for assembly are:

- Phillips screwdriver
- Flat nose screwdriver
- Pliers
- Antistatic wrist band (highly recommended)
- Nut driver (optional)

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How to Choose the Right Webcam Surveillance Software?

Technorati Profile
Webcam for Spying Purposes

You have the ability to use your webcam (connected to your PC) as a surveillance tool. And to control it, all you need is inexpensive webcam surveillance software. As a matter of fact, such software allows you to connect more than one camera. It can display as much as 16 webcam views on your computer screen.

Moreover, webcam surveillance software even allows you to detect motion and start capturing an event within milliseconds. This means that you don’t have to keep your webcam surveillance software turned on all the time in order to secure the area. By using motion detection webcams, you can also save your computer’s HDD (hard drive) space.

You know, video takes a lot of hard drive space. Non stop recording for 24 hours can cost you 1GB of HDD space a day. Well, it depends on the chosen image quality. Lower quality images will require less bandwidth. Also, if you set lower FPS (frames per second), then you’ll save even more HDD space.

But if you have a large HDD (like 160GB or more), then there’s nothing to worry about.

What to Look for in Webcam Surveillance Software?

Before you decide to order webcam surveillance software, there are a couple of things to consider. Let’s take a look at some of the features of webcam software that you should seriously consider, ok.

Audio Capturing – Does your webcam surveillance software have audio capturing option? If not, then you should consider that carefully. If you want to record a conversation, it’s crucial.

Compressed Files – Does your webcam software compress video files? If not, then the space of your HDD might fill up quickly. Try to search for software that compresses the video without losing its quality.

Remote Access – This is very important. If you leave your webcam to record the area, you should have the ability to access your webcam’s view via internet connection. This is very neat function that is absolutely must in webcam software.

Motion Detection – We’ve already mentioned that. Motion detection is also extremely important. You don’t want to record the area when nothing’s going on, right. So make sure that motion sensing is enabled in your software.

Alert Options – Does the webcam surveillance software have an alert option? Some webcam software alert when they detect something. They can alert via email or even dial a phone number. You should seek for this feature, because it’s very neat.

Multiple Webcams – Can your surveillance software record a live view from multiple web cameras? 2, 4 or 16? If you want to connect more than one camera to your PC, then multiple webcam support is absolutely must in the software you choose.

Stealth Mode – Does the webcam software run in stealth mode? Stealth mode means that nobody can see if the software is running or not. Not even if they Press “Ctr+Alt+Del” and look at Windows Task Manager!

Look for webcam surveillance software that allows you to do all or at least most of the functions mentioned above. If your software isn’t capable of detecting motion, doesn’t have alert option, doesn’t have audio recording options, then search for a better solution.

In Conclusion

Webcam software (for spying or home protection purposes) combined with a few inexpensive webcams, can definitely serve as a basic home security system. You can put your webcams in the most important places and have your PC to record each camera’s view. And if motion sensors detect something unusual, they can alert you via email or phone.

However, if you’re really looking for quality and all-in-one solution for professional home protection, then a more powerful DVR security system with multiple spy cameras could be your best shot. Such systems cost over thousand dollars, but they’re ideal for quality home or office protection.

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Many people want to have some kind of spy equipment for better home security. However, besides wireless spy cameras, VCR or DVR systems, there is also special software used to control those surveillance gadgets.

Large companies use professional security systems along with already built in (embedded digital video recorder or PC based DVR soft) spy camera control software. But what about smaller guys? Do you also have to spend thousands of dollars for professional spy security system and software to feel safe and secure in your house? And the answer is not necessarily.

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COMPUTER HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE DOWNLOADS

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