Power may be the culprit in monitor blowups.

By Andy Walker

Question: In the past two years, I have owned two IBM G50 monitors. In both, the picture tubes blew. The first time, IBM told me it was cheaper to buy a new monitor than to replace a picture tube. My one-year warranty had run out. The next monitor came to me from IBM as a replacement for the first one. The picture tube in the second G50 monitor blew within four months. I was later told it was an IBM-preconditioned model with only a 90-day warranty. I was past the 90-day warranty, so they couldn't help me. My third monitor is not an IBM G50. It is a lower-end product with a one-year warranty. I am hoping it will last to the year 2000. Is there anything I can do to prevent this problem from happening again? This is a costly venture. A local computer vendor advised that if the "refresh rate" in the Windows 95 program is set too high, it can blow the monitor's picture tube. Is he correct? - Dale

Answer: If you set the refresh rate on your machine too high, it will indeed blow up monitors.

A tech I spoke to said he found that the G50 monitors in particular were problematic. A trust company that used these monitors ended up replacing thousands of them across the company.

In your situation, though, a good quality power bar might be the answer. A UPS (or Uninterruptible Power Source) would also be a good idea.

Don't expect to pay less than $40 CDN / $25 US for a good power bar. The manufacturer to look for is APC. Amazon has a nice selection here. You can also check for a UPS at Amazon.com.

If you've had no problem with the power in your home before, and you have a decent power bar or UPS which cleans spikes and brownouts from a power source, then you may have just had horrible luck. If your non-IBM brand monitor suffers a similar fate, it might be time to get a good electrician in to have a look at the power supply in your home.