Would anyone be able to help me fix a Dell E173FPF monitor? The power turns on fine and it shows the screen for a split second but then the image disappears. The screen stays on but there is nothing displayed. I am sure there is something wrong with the inverter board but I am not sure how to determine what it is.

5/12/2009 5:56:23 PM

if you look at it in sunlight or other bright light can you see the image being displayed (sans backlight)?

if not, more than likely it's FUBAR

if you can see the picture, you can try a new inverter board, they are usually <$20 for most models and fairly easy to swap -- just search for blahblah model inverter on ebay

if it's the actual CCFL tube (and this is usually the culprit if it's been dropped real good), those are a fucking bitch and a half to replace and probably not worth the trouble. brightness will probably never be uniform again after all is said and done, and that's assuming you don't break any connections or scratch/crack the panel. I doubt this is the problem if you're seeing it light up for a second, but I guess the tube could be out of spec enough for the inverter to start up and then shut itself down?

[Edited on May 13, 2009 at 9:33 PM. Reason : .]

5/13/2009 9:29:02 PM

the fix is easy

head on over to http://www.slickdeals.com and buy a better one for under $100

5/13/2009 11:08:16 PM

I think you meant


slickdeals.net, sir.

5/14/2009 9:08:34 AM

That model is known to have bad capacitors on the inverter board. The symptoms are exactly as you describe.

I can fix it for $40, but like most people said you really might as well just buy a new one.

5/14/2009 12:08:22 PM

yeah, i found the new/referb inverter boards online for $40 but was hoping to be able to fix it for a few bucks. guess i will toss it and get a new monitor.

5/14/2009 6:30:09 PM