http://www.ecoustics.com/latest/articles Latest articles, updated every five minutes http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/21683/ Do you have a LCD monitor that turns on but has no picture? Does it display for only a few seconds than go blank, or maybe it just turns off completely? I've been seeing this problem more and more and I find myself doing the same repair over and over again. Thats right, I'm talking about the power inverter. The power inverter is a power supply that takes the low voltage that runs all the logic and steps it up to around 600 to 800 volts with an even higher initial start voltage. It does that in order to run a cold cathode flourescent lamp (CCFL) that illuminates the LCD panel itself. These inverters seem to be a weak point in LCD screens and my experience is that they fail most of the time because the electrolytic capacitors failed, or filter caps. There are usually 2 or 4 caps that range in value between 220uf to 1000uf and I've just made a habit of changing them. If you're failry proficient with electronics you might save yourself a lot of grief by changing these first. They're usually pretty easy to spot because they'll be around the input side of the inverter... Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:45:06 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/141702 How can you make Vista less annoying? Or back up your data easily? Or preserve your pricey new HDTV's picture? We've got solutions for these and 22 other common tech conundrums. Mon, 28 Jan 2008 01:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/140796 Monitoring the power that my gadgets suck up, and making a few changes, helped me to be greener--and cut my bills. Sat, 29 Dec 2007 11:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/140745 Monitors follow some pretty familiar seasonal sales patterns--but don't forget that arranging to purchase a bundled display when you purchase a new PC can be a big money saver, too. Mon, 24 Dec 2007 01:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/talk/209 Back in 2004, when Gateway bought eMachines, I thought it was likely that, eventually, Acer would pick up Gateway as the next major PC company acquisition. This was because Acer was serious about entering the US market and the only company that was affordable which had major shelf space was Gateway.   Look at the facts.Gateway has owned the low end of the PC market with their eMachines brand for some time, has some of the strongest monitors (see their 24” widescreen products) in the segment for the price, and has recently strengthened their Gateway laptop and desktop offerings. (The new notebook computers a... Tue, 28 Aug 2007 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/126224 AOL Active Security Monitor helps manage the security of multiple PCs. How well does it work? Thu, 29 Jun 2006 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/125661 If you have a huge monitor, love games, and have money to burn you'll probably want nVidia's latest and greatest--but be sure your PC maker knows what it's doing. Fri, 12 May 2006 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/12322/ DVI (Digital Visual Interface) is the newer digital connector that is quickly replacing VGA connections for hooking up your average flat panel monitor to your PC. Projectors, HDTV's and other digital equipment are also making use of this new connection. However, the prospect of just going out and picking up a new DVI cable for... Fri, 14 Oct 2005 18:00:19 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/10868/ Question:Is there an anti reflective coating which can be applied to a 19 inch monitor that has too much glare from overhead lights?-submitted by curiousAnswer:Yes. There is a do-it-yourself anti-glare coating available for reducing the glare from ambient room lighting on glass screens.Vision Clear USA has a product available called Glare Buster, which claims to reduce glare by up to 96%. The product comes in the form of an aerosol that you apply to your screen. Though it indicates that it's for use with TVs, you could probably use it on a CRT PC monitor as well. Though I've never used this product, a 6 oz. can is only 19.95, which isn't a huge loss if it doesn't work as well as claimed. Plus, you'll have enough left over to apply it to every tube TV you own.To buy this product from Amazon, click here.Matt Whitlock - Editor, TechLore.com Thu, 17 Mar 2005 21:47:39 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/10825/ Available sizes: 10" - 76"There's no fighting it; the world is going flat. Thin display technology is growing in popularity on a daily basis, and flat panel has the potential to someday replace nearly every TV technology entirely. Need an example? Look at the computer industry for a moment. Bulky CRT monitors used to sit on a desk in nearly every computer equipped home. Now, flat panel LCD monitors are quickly replacing the older tubes, and that trend is expected to continue until the CRT is extinct. The TV market is a little different, considering that most people own a television greater than 19 inches. Since LCD monitors get increasingly expensive as the increase in size, getting one for your living room is a much more costly endeavor than putting one on your desk. The flat panel market is currently dominated by two separate technologies - LCD &Plasma. Each technology operates on very different principles, but the end result gives you a display that has the thickness of your favorite paperback. Going flat has tremendous advantages over regular TVs. They have very sharp image quality, beautiful colors, PC compatibility (usually), and more. Plus, you can hang them on a ... Thu, 10 Mar 2005 17:56:50 -0500