LG194WT LCD Monitor Repair - Part One - Take it apart

So, whilst I've been messing around trying to get my 8 year old dishwasher working, this 8 year old computer monitor stopped working.

The monitor is an LG194WT. I actually have two of these which were bought at the same time in order that our office desk, under which our two PC towers live, looks tidy and balanced. As it is, this particular monitor has had far more use than its twin and a couple of days ago it just would not switch on at all. Having fixed a couple of other monitors previously, both of which had faulty capacitors on the power supply board, I expected that this monitor had the same problem. It does, and I've ordered some new capacitors from CPC which should be arriving in the next day or so. I also had the option of buying the so-called "repair kit" for this specific monitor for £9 but it was significantly cheaper to buy the new components individually from CPC (less than £3).

In a later post I'll be doing the re-soldering and reassembly but to keep this post a manageable size, I'll just cover the taking it apart side of things for now.

It should go without saying that the very first thing to do is disconnect power lead from the monitor, along with any other leads that are plugged in.

Now, remove the silver bezel from the LCD. The bezel is just clipped on and can be removed using a spadger or a blunt knife. I've taken a picture of back of the bezel as removed so you can see where the clips are. Really, it is a quite straightforward process and with care, you should be able to remove the bezel without damaging it.

Next step is to remove the four phillips head screws from the back of the monitor:

At this point, the whole LCD and power assembly can be removed from the rear case. Note that the on/off buttons on the rear case are connected to the assembly. You'll need to disconnect the little plug thing as per the picture below:

Which leaves you with this:

If your monitor is anything like mine, there will be a number of wires taped down. The tapes need to be removed or, at least, lifted, so that the wires are free. Next, very carefully disconnect the multiplug from the actual monitor. This just pushes out but because it is very small and delicate, it is advisable to use a plastic drift of some sort. The plug needs to come out straight rather than at an angle (else the pins inside it might break). I had to resort to pushing on one side and then the other, just a tiny amount each time, before the plug was sufficiently detached to push it from the middle.

With all the tapes and trim removed, and the multiplug to the LCD disconnected, the power supply assembly can be "turned" off the LCD. You will have four pairs of wires at one end of the power supply. Turn the power supply off the LCD as if the end with the wires was a hinge. You should then see this:

Disconnect the wires from the board. The plugs just pull out:

The power supply is now completely disconnected from the LCD. Put the LCD somewhere safe. Remove the power supply from its cage by disconnecting the multiplug that comes from the adjoining board and removing the four phillips head screws.

In the pictures below, the damaged capacitor can clearly be seen - it has a bulging top.

That's basically it. Next step is to replace the faulty capacitor. There are in fact nine capacitors on the board. I intend to replace eight of them (and so leaving the very large capacitor well alone). These are the specs:

Just waiting for my delivery from CPC now....

More soon, no doubt...

D