I've had this problem for THREE YEARS at first I thought it was normal, but then it gradually got worse over time.
I have a Neso FD225P and it uses a Sony Trinitron tube. I fixed it by adjusting the SCREEN pot, and finally black actually looked black, and colors were vivid. I had to turn R and B up a bit afterward (Red and Blue bias up by 150, and I kept Green at 0) because colors were a bit tinted.
This is the first time I've ever opened a monitor so it was quite scary knowing a CRT had a huge electrical charge.
I also had to adjust the focus pot because text was fadey.
I've had this problem for THREE YEARS at first I thought it was normal, but then it gradually got worse over time.
I have a Neso FD225P and it uses a Sony Trinitron tube. I fixed it by adjusting the SCREEN pot, and finally black actually looked black, and colors were vivid. I had to turn R and B up a bit afterward (Red and Blue bias up by 150, and I kept Green at 0) because colors were a bit tinted.
This is the first time I've ever opened a monitor so it was quite scary knowing a CRT had a huge electrical charge.
I also had to adjust the focus pot because text was fadey.
Good luck.
Yeah, if you have a G2/Screen pot, it's the best way to go. No different from adjusting the G2 by software if your monitor supports that. Obviously, no different from soldering in a resistor either.
Even if your monitor is primarily software adjusted, with no screen/G2 pot, there is an HV trimmer to adjust. I may try that someday. I think this is just an HV problem, and maybe that trimmer can fix it at the source.
I think some of the geometry/convergence/color problems may be caused by the HV drifting around, and so adjusting the HV trimmer, rather than just the G2 would put the monitor back to 'stock' voltages again, curing all problems caused by the HV drift, not just G2.
Anyone brave enough to test this? One guy did a few pages back. I guess I should email him about it. If it works as expected, we'll never need to buy anything to fix these, just adjust a trimmer and be done with it.
WOW!!!!! i changed my G2 value!!!! the most amazing thing is not how much better it looks brightness wise, but how much SHARPER it looks!!!!! even with the resistor fix that i originally did years ago, the G2 mod is much much better (and flexible as well, as you can keep tweaking it in various degrees)
i want to explain a "gotcha" that i ran into in case anyone else might run into the same thing - i realize that this may already be discussed in this thread, but this thread is sooooo long i find it impossible to read it all and retain the information ;-)
actually i want to suggest that it might be a good idea to create an entire SUBFORUM just for this sony/dell monitor problem, so that all the future posts can be more easily looked through & digested for new readers as SEPERATE threads! there is just too much information in this one thread to follow it all logically and it gets bigger and bigger with more info every single day...
but according to those directions, the dat file can be modified simply by using NOTEPAD
however, i found on my PC (running win98se) that if i used notepad to modify the file it would NOT work - no matter what i did, turning wordwrap on or off, including simply opening a dat file generated by windas and saving it in notepad but making NO changes, i would get error msgs if i tried to either VIEW the file in windas, or LOAD it to the monitor
the error msgs i got were something like
"Now model = P1110,
Save model = P1110 9186.mdl |0|.
Load OK?"
then
"Now using std=G1.std,
Save data std=G1.std
Save format is different!"
then multiple error messages that said
"ECS syntax error"
to which i had to keep pressing "OK" to each time
although i do not know what NOTEPAD was changing by itself, it was definitely corrupting something in the file, and through some trial and error of trying several different editors i found that if it used WORDPAD and saved the file as "text", THEN IT WORKED FINE!
after using WORDPAD, as a sanity check i could then open the changed file in WINDAS and view the modified G2 parameter correctly prior to loading it to the monitor, whereas with notepad i only got error messages like above (and after notepad mucked the dat files up windas would not show anything for any parameters in the dat files, so i suspected something was not kosher)
but after using WORDPAD for changes i could not only verify the setting i modified (G2) but also load the changed file in WINDAS to the monitor & it made the change active!!! yes!
now i plan to go back again & reread as much as i can in this thread to see if there might be other parameters or tweaks that i should consider - so far the change i made has improved my monitor vastly but i'm sure there is a lot more i don't know about that may also be useful - thanks for everyone's input! this is amazing...
first of all, i had not rebooted my PC (or powered off my monitor?) after installing the WINDAS software; and for whatever reason (and i am not sure if this would be true for anybody else) but no matter what COM port i chose in config & attached the cable to, it wouldn't work until i rebooted/powered everything off
- jon -
Allalala Yuti (kind of Swiss yodel)! Halleluia! Or whatever!
It finally works!
Jon's comment on the monitor reboot (Sony G500) was instrumental in the monitor modification success. The communication with the monitor functioned only when the monitor was freshly switched on. By freshly, I mean immediately after switching on. The DAS load/save failed if I did not launch Windas in the very second after switching on the monitor. It seems that the monitor goes into sleep mode after a while which prevents any communication through the ECS port (4-pin head).
In my case, I used two monitors: my current monitor along with my PC, and the too bright G500. As I like to see what is happening, I connected a second PC to the G500 to keep it "woken" as it continuously sends a signal.
I guess that many people use the defective monitor as the principal monitor so that the sleep mode does not occur.
The second point is to short-cut the CTS and RTS pins (adapter cable). The information has indeed been given in the thread but mentioned very few times and therefore can easily be forgotten.
As to Slipkid's "idea to create an entire SUBFORUM just for this sony/dell monitor problem", I humbly think that the HOWTO on geocities.com/gregua/windas is playing that role. The only comment I would have about this site is probably to update it with the latest observations/discoveries to better help new comers. It is however a lot of work and I do understand that it is much easier to say it than do it.
In order to help new comers, I would add the following (although it might have been mentioned many times already):
- WINDAS can also function on WinXP, but everything which uses the Windows/System folder must be changed to Windows/System32. Note: during the installation of the Windas "patches", one of the .dll file is saved in this folder.
- after Windas installation, the error messages that say: "ASTRO SG IS NOT USED. PLEASE CHECK CONFIGURATION!", "ASTRO SG COMMUNICATION ERROR", "ASTRO SG TIMING SETUP ERROR" do not prevent continuing with the procedure. They will cease when the CONFIG setting in Windas is changed from the default to "MANUAL".
- the correct pin order (adapter cable) is from top to bottom: GND, Vcc (+5V), RX, TX.
- the connector (4-pin) on a Sony G500 cannot be accessed unless removing the housing. The connector is on the bottom right-side of the monitor when facing the back of the monitor. To my view, it is extremely difficult to remove the housing without breaking the so-called "two tabs". In addition, they do not play a significant role in maintaining the housing as there are many other "sliding tabs" that keep it tight together along with the two screws.
- not to forget to short-cut the RTS and CTS pins on the adapter cable in case it has 6-pins.
- once Windas is working and the monitor ready to be connected to the PC, there are two choices: either a. Connect the defective monitor to your principal PC (where Windas is installed) and work blind when loading/saving to the monitor's EEPROM, or b. Use 2 PCs and another (working) monitor, the second PC being used as a signal generator to the defective monitor to prevent to slip into the "sleep mode" (the second PC only has to be switched on).
- with my G500, the default G2 value was 164. I gradually reduced it to 105, which seems to me to be good for a deep black and vivid colours.
- when Windas is loading/saving, the monitor's OSD is locked. The load/save window must be closed to access the OSD.
This is about what I can remember of the 20-30 hours spent on struggling with Windas, the adapter cable, the monitor and reading again and again this thread.
I have picked up on this thread, but the think I am missing is the cable specifications and any other such hardware info I need to follow this through. I have picked up WinDAS and got that installed. Can someone point at the thread I need or supply the necessary specs? I have a Dell P1110, which is indeed too bright
Howdy! My first post. Been lurking a long time though.
First of all... thank you all for contributing to, and hosting this wonderful information. I've lost a lot of sleep dreading the idea that I would have to send my monitor in for service. With my luck, sony would screw the pooch.
I bought my monitor brand new and paid full list price. Worse, is that I live in a remote area and shipping costs would KILL me (80lbs +), and the rough handling would likely kill the package UPS drove a forklift thru my GDM-F400... it took a year to settle the claim, and guess who got screwed?)
So, for those good reasons, I am probably the most grateful reader on this site!
Anyway... I have some Questions... if you don't mind.
1.) Does WinDAS (and the addon DLL libraries) contain a configuration utility for the Sony GDM-F520 model? (don't know the version #... but the posting date on h++p;//vvvvvv,ablserv,corn/files/windas/WDAS/ was 26-Apr-2005)
2.) When you edit the .dat to lower G2 drive... does it affect all user modes?
3.) If the monitor is left off for several days... does the modified .dat stay in effect? Or is there a factory default.dat stored as a backup in the EEPROM? (like when a BIOS battery dies and CMOS defaults to factory presets)
4.) After editing the .dat... and then using "image restoration/color reset/color return" function in the OSD, does the EEPROM change the .dat file that was just modified? (does it UP the G2 again?)
5.) Does changing G2 affect all visa modes?
6.) After reading the windas user .doc , I read that the program has a factory default library in menu 8.3.
Has anyone tried this? And does it require a full recalibration of whitebalance etc???
I might be overly optimisitc, but is it possible that WinDAS accesses a hidden factory default that is stored in the EEPROM? It seems to me that factory calibration must be a major expense and labor intense, and because of the fact that EVERY CRT monitor is different, wouldn't it make sense for Sony to store an unmolested, NON-USER_ACCESSABLE copy somewhere in the EEPROM rather than in the WinDAS software???
7.) Has anyone measured the resistor after removing it to see if it is out of spec? Does the "color return" function actually have a bug? Or does the resistor value actually drift over time?
8.) I've read mention that it might be possible to use the USB port for the ECS interface. Does WinDAS list a USB port option in the menu?
Specifics about my monitor :
It is overbright... getting worse. Problem started about 3 years ago. But a symptom I have not seen mentioned in this thread is that during powers up, and when it goes into power-saving mode... I get a super blue box (3/4 screen) that bounces around as it goes thru vesa mode changes.
When it was new, this bouncing box was super dark gray - or wanna-be-black - and was barely noticeable. Now it's "BRIGHT-poke-your-eyes-out-blue! Whites are white. Blacks are grayish blue. OSD image quality is perfect.
Occassionally I see blue retrace lines, a power-off/restart corrects that.
Current Settings...
BRT=0
CNT=100
Expert color mode = B/Red=0, B/Grn=0, B/Blu=0, G/Red=80, G/Grn=80, G/Blu=80
I've ordered parts and will be building the ECS interface cable this weekend. I will be etching my own PCB, and hope to make a batch of them. Might have some to share in a few days.
I've just built my ESD cable and set the DAS software.
My monitor is a sony cpd 520g.
Its image was too green, G2 was 163, i've changed to 120, the difference is great, but the green is yet strong.
Can anyone help me with my Sun 90W10 monitor(same as Sony W900). On dark background you can see retrace lines and picture is slightly reddish. If I adjust color settings(R,G,B Bias and Gain) to zero, some of the retrace lines fade but some are still visible.
There is a service port behind the monitor(looks somewhat S-video port but there is place for 8 pins in three rows). Where can get service cable and software(or is WinDAS appropriate)?
I have opened monitors casing and I found one potentiometer for picture focus. Could there be more hidden somewhere? Also noticed that I cant use Hutzelmans instructions for brightness modification because this monitor uses different circuit board.
www hutzelman com /web/pages/hardware/Mods/SonyCRT/
google images search for r459 brings up this result as number one. it's a picture guide to doing the resistor. For those of us that have a soldering iron and some old electronics (psu's for me) laying around, this is 100x faster than trying to build the cable and adjusting the eeprom values.
If you know someone who solders invite them over, this should take 15 minutes.
Well my RMA'd widescreen came back so I havent really messed with my p992 much. It has a bit of a green tint that needs to be corrected, but that should be relatively easy...but before I do that, a new problem has crept up and there is no point in fixing one without fixing the other...
As soon as the monitor is turned on and the computer it is attached to is booted up, the bios screen appears, but it has a strange little anomaly for a few minutes and then goes away on its own... no big deal unless your trying to time a keypress to get into bios, start up order or the like...
each line of text seems to make little rotations, almost like spinning on a mirrored axis, going from normal text capable of being read, to spin around into inverted text (like looking at it in reverse like a mirror) the speed that it performs this remarkable gyration speeds up and slows down, until it peters out on its own, or sometimes there is an audible "click" noise and it resets itself instantly.
The longer the monitor is on, the less noticable or shorter duration of these gyrations...
Wanted to clear something up. R457 and R459 are in series ANYway, so there's no need to worry about bridging them with solder. Those two contacts are connected 100% by a trace on the opposite site.
Be aware. This fix is mainly for the dell p1110 built on the sony chassis.
The hp, or others built on the nokia chassis can access g2 through menu button activated service mode and/or have a third pot on the transformer for brightness.
I've tried the white balance adjustment in DAS, Adjustment, Procedure.. but for sure i've messed up things.. but loading a backup of .dat file was ok.. =)
So again I've tried editing manually the .dat file.. I've changed G2 from 160 to 135 on the section 7: Reg_8_1
The screen has the image to green, the black is not pure black, as the grey scale.. to green too.
So I've tried editing anything with G_*
On section 11: Reg_8_5 I've changed the values of: G_DRIVE, G_BKG_B_CENT, G_BKG_B_MAX, G_ USER_DRV and G_USER_BKG, alway subtracting about 20 units from its original value.
After loading this file, the image was much better, then I made the Adjustment, Procedure, Final Setting. Then the image changed I little, so I noticed that it turned from Color mode Preset (which I've was working with) to Easy. So in changed it back to Color Mode Preset and the colors were now as I've edited.
Ok.. I was happy, but after a few hours with the monitor turned off, I saw that the colors were green again.. ='(
I've loaded again the edited .dat file.. good colors again.. Final Setting.. and again a few hours with the monitor off.. the green was back.. I've saved the current configuration and compared the files.. after few hours off the monitor lost the configuration.. but why??
I am kind of jumping into this thread.
I have intslle WinDAS, but now need to know how to get the needed cable. Can someone point at the thread I need or supply the necessary specs? I have a Dell P1110, which is indeed too bright
Wanted to clear something up. R457 and R459 are in series ANYway, so there's no need to worry about bridging them with solder. Those two contacts are connected 100% by a trace on the opposite site.
Be aware. This fix is mainly for the dell p1110 built on the sony chassis.
The hp, or others built on the nokia chassis can access g2 through menu button activated service mode and/or have a third pot on the transformer for brightness.
I've had this problem for THREE YEARS at first I thought it was normal, but then it gradually got worse over time.
I have a Neso FD225P and it uses a Sony Trinitron tube. I fixed it by adjusting the SCREEN pot, and finally black actually looked black, and colors were vivid. I had to turn R and B up a bit afterward (Red and Blue bias up by 150, and I kept Green at 0) because colors were a bit tinted.
This is the first time I've ever opened a monitor so it was quite scary knowing a CRT had a huge electrical charge.
I also had to adjust the focus pot because text was fadey.
Good luck.
I did Image Restoration in the Color section of my OSD, then the colors were back to what they had been when I bought the monitor. They were just perfect and equally vibrant all over the spectrum. No brownish tint like before. Did you try that? Maybe it's called Color Restoration in your monitor, or something.
I did Image Restoration in the Color section of my OSD, then the colors were back to what they had been when I bought the monitor. They were just perfect and equally vibrant all over the spectrum. No brownish tint like before. Did you try that? Maybe it's called Color Restoration in your monitor, or something.
Nope, no such option for mine. Not even in the extended service menu. I'm able to edit the RGB values in the service menu, however.
I was wondering if someone can help me out. I have a Sony 24" W900 (different from the one posted by someone else here). It has the brightness problem and I can clearly see the retrace scan lines. There is one really noticeable white one going right across the screen.
This monitor doesn't have the 4pin connector in the back. There is a service input that looks similar to an S-Video input.
I'm trying to find the R459 to solder the resistor but I can't find it. I've uploaded some pics of the back. Please help me find where to solder the resistor.
Edit: I've attached a pic of what plugs are in the back. Most of the Dells and Sonys here have that 4pin outlet. Mine has the S-video looking plug
My Sun 90W10 uses same circuit board and has same service port connector. Have midieval10 or someone else solved this problem how to fix this monitor? I have retrace lines and picture is reddish.
Can anyone help me with my Sun 90W10 monitor(same as Sony W900). On dark background you can see retrace lines and picture is slightly reddish. If I adjust color settings(R,G,B Bias and Gain) to zero, some of the retrace lines fade but some are still visible.
There is a service port behind the monitor(looks somewhat S-video port but there is place for 8 pins in three rows). Where can get service cable and software(or is WinDAS appropriate)?
I have opened monitors casing and I found one potentiometer for picture focus. Could there be more hidden somewhere? Also noticed that I cant use Hutzelmans instructions for brightness modification because this monitor uses different circuit board.
Any help would be much appreciated.
Ok, I solved this problem for myself. I soldered 22MΩ(I didn't take away original resistor because it's a bit tricky to remove) resistor on R1819 and that's it. Black is black and no more retrace lines.
Hi all,
Mission accomplished! I have a GDM-FW900 that is back to looking awesome thanks to the good info here. Does the G2 value drift over time? It was never this bad when I bought the monitor. I purchased the RLC-1 adapter off ebay, it worked great. Does anyone have any interest in a utility to modify the SEEPROM values? I might start looking at the bus commands and write my own software (WinDas has an awful interface). The only issue I see is that different monitors have a different memory map (the mdl files have this data).
I've just built my ESD cable and set the DAS software.
My monitor is a sony cpd 520g.
Its image was too green, G2 was 163, i've changed to 120, the difference is great, but the green is yet strong.
Any clues?
Many thanks for the information here.
Sorry the poor English.
Try the image restore fuction (you need to warm up the unit at least 3-45 minutes) in the unit's OSD. Do it for all the three (3) color temperatures plus the sRGB.
If that does not correct the issue, then you will need to peform a white point balance adjutment. You'll need WinDAS and three patterns: black, white and IRE30 (grey). If you can get a hold of a Video Signal Generator, that will be the best way to generate these patterns. Also, you'll need a colorimeter which reads Yxy, Yu'v', and XYZ units. The process is not an easy task, but once you get a hang of it, you'll able to color correct/adjust the monitor's colors, whites and greys to the three color temperatures, and the green cast should go away.
What should the default orthogonality setting be on HP p1110? Im running it at 1600x1200 75hz. My two year old son keeps playing with the controls and putting it off the setting. My current orthogonality value is 55 but im not sure it looks correct.
What should the default orthogonality setting be on HP p1110? Im running it at 1600x1200 75hz. My two year old son keeps playing with the controls and putting it off the setting. My current orthogonality value is 55 but im not sure it looks correct.
To stop the little one messing up the screen settings, try the lock-out feature - which should be available from your on-screen-display.
There may be an auto-center/alignment button which can restore the picture, or perhaps try reverting to the default factory setting button.
I am not familiar with the p1110, so for more information I would consult the hp website for the user-manual, or look for information on the equivalent sony model.
Hi all guys!
I just bought a SONY GDM FW900 that have the "too bright" issue, but it's in perfect extetic condition. I would like to buy RLC-1 cable WinDAS adaptor, but i want a confirmation of the wires i should change.
Look at this picture in the site of the RLC-1 (i can't post links yet) that is the default factory wires configuration:
So for the correct DAS configuration i must swap the last 2 wires (BLACK) with WHITE) and the two center ones (GREEN WITH RED) of the RLC-1 connector.
I had a Dell P1110 with the over-bright issue and after getting both the the Windas software and the cable from DigitialNemesis as recommended from the gregua site and voila!! One brand new monitor. the initial G2 was around 175 and I was able to get it down to 120 and the colour and blacks are brilliant.
I do have a question though - I have another one which has the opposite problem, not bright enough and predominately greenish look. I can also see the diagonal scan lines.... So I look at increasing the G2 value or is there anything else I should do?
I got one of these monitors (P1110, Dell) free at work, and it was shot. I put off fixing it for months because I have no electronics experience or knowledge. Finally, today, I came across this thread and learned how to fix it. I soldered 5 1Mohm resistors in series, because I couldn't find any higher. I ended up with just over 4.9 Mohms resistance when I was done, clipped out the old resistor, soldered in the new one, and boom! It's gorgeous!
I love this monitor, and I'm so thankful for this thread saving it, that I registered just to say thank you to everyone. Great job. I'll be coming back for advice for tweaking it, or any monitor related problems I have. I'm sure to find the answer here. Great job, foks! Keep it up.
I also have a P1110 that I took home when my office put in LCD monitors.
I bought the adapter cord and installed the Windas software. Everything was going according to plan but Windas is still telling me that it can't find my Security Key. I downloaded the 'WindasPatch' file and unzipped the three files to my Windas folder...but it's still a no go. When I try to open the 'patchDas' file, it flashes on the screen for a split second but won't stay open so that I can read it.
Thanx to WinDAS I have been able to fix the bright screen and retrace problem on my Sony CDP-E400P monitor.
I used Wordpad on WinME, installed on a Toshiba 310CDS notebook and a RS232-TTL interface bought as a kit on ebay for just 17 EUR, shipping included.
While I was trying to send the modified file back to the monitor, I had some 'ECS syntax error' alerts, then I understood that the name of the file you send to the monitor has to be the same as the one you saved from the monitor.
I had 95 for G2, I dropped it to 80 and the display is OK.
After the change, I was not able to call again the monitor menu (geometry had to be settted again), don't now why.
I turned off monitor, restarted computer, loaded the modified file again, and the problem was solved. Don't know exactly which action succeded.
Now the display it's beautiful.
Ciao to all
Satiropan
Comments
hah maybe I should read the rest of the thread first :-) glad you got it working
I've had this problem for THREE YEARS at first I thought it was normal, but then it gradually got worse over time.
I have a Neso FD225P and it uses a Sony Trinitron tube. I fixed it by adjusting the SCREEN pot, and finally black actually looked black, and colors were vivid. I had to turn R and B up a bit afterward (Red and Blue bias up by 150, and I kept Green at 0) because colors were a bit tinted.
This is the first time I've ever opened a monitor so it was quite scary knowing a CRT had a huge electrical charge.
I also had to adjust the focus pot because text was fadey.
Good luck.
Yeah, if you have a G2/Screen pot, it's the best way to go. No different from adjusting the G2 by software if your monitor supports that. Obviously, no different from soldering in a resistor either.
Even if your monitor is primarily software adjusted, with no screen/G2 pot, there is an HV trimmer to adjust. I may try that someday. I think this is just an HV problem, and maybe that trimmer can fix it at the source.
I think some of the geometry/convergence/color problems may be caused by the HV drifting around, and so adjusting the HV trimmer, rather than just the G2 would put the monitor back to 'stock' voltages again, curing all problems caused by the HV drift, not just G2.
Anyone brave enough to test this? One guy did a few pages back. I guess I should email him about it. If it works as expected, we'll never need to buy anything to fix these, just adjust a trimmer and be done with it.
i want to explain a "gotcha" that i ran into in case anyone else might run into the same thing - i realize that this may already be discussed in this thread, but this thread is sooooo long i find it impossible to read it all and retain the information ;-)
actually i want to suggest that it might be a good idea to create an entire SUBFORUM just for this sony/dell monitor problem, so that all the future posts can be more easily looked through & digested for new readers as SEPERATE threads! there is just too much information in this one thread to follow it all logically and it gets bigger and bigger with more info every single day...
ok, here's my gotcha
to find and change the G2 value i followed the information on p991s excellent "how to" webpages here: (THANKS!)
http://www.geocities.com/gregua/windas/adjustment.html
but according to those directions, the dat file can be modified simply by using NOTEPAD
however, i found on my PC (running win98se) that if i used notepad to modify the file it would NOT work - no matter what i did, turning wordwrap on or off, including simply opening a dat file generated by windas and saving it in notepad but making NO changes, i would get error msgs if i tried to either VIEW the file in windas, or LOAD it to the monitor
the error msgs i got were something like
"Now model = P1110,
Save model = P1110 9186.mdl |0|.
Load OK?"
then
"Now using std=G1.std,
Save data std=G1.std
Save format is different!"
then multiple error messages that said
"ECS syntax error"
to which i had to keep pressing "OK" to each time
although i do not know what NOTEPAD was changing by itself, it was definitely corrupting something in the file, and through some trial and error of trying several different editors i found that if it used WORDPAD and saved the file as "text", THEN IT WORKED FINE!
after using WORDPAD, as a sanity check i could then open the changed file in WINDAS and view the modified G2 parameter correctly prior to loading it to the monitor, whereas with notepad i only got error messages like above (and after notepad mucked the dat files up windas would not show anything for any parameters in the dat files, so i suspected something was not kosher)
but after using WORDPAD for changes i could not only verify the setting i modified (G2) but also load the changed file in WINDAS to the monitor & it made the change active!!! yes!
now i plan to go back again & reread as much as i can in this thread to see if there might be other parameters or tweaks that i should consider - so far the change i made has improved my monitor vastly but i'm sure there is a lot more i don't know about that may also be useful - thanks for everyone's input! this is amazing...
Allalala Yuti (kind of Swiss yodel)! Halleluia! Or whatever!
It finally works!
Jon's comment on the monitor reboot (Sony G500) was instrumental in the monitor modification success. The communication with the monitor functioned only when the monitor was freshly switched on. By freshly, I mean immediately after switching on. The DAS load/save failed if I did not launch Windas in the very second after switching on the monitor. It seems that the monitor goes into sleep mode after a while which prevents any communication through the ECS port (4-pin head).
In my case, I used two monitors: my current monitor along with my PC, and the too bright G500. As I like to see what is happening, I connected a second PC to the G500 to keep it "woken" as it continuously sends a signal.
I guess that many people use the defective monitor as the principal monitor so that the sleep mode does not occur.
The second point is to short-cut the CTS and RTS pins (adapter cable). The information has indeed been given in the thread but mentioned very few times and therefore can easily be forgotten.
As to Slipkid's "idea to create an entire SUBFORUM just for this sony/dell monitor problem", I humbly think that the HOWTO on geocities.com/gregua/windas is playing that role. The only comment I would have about this site is probably to update it with the latest observations/discoveries to better help new comers. It is however a lot of work and I do understand that it is much easier to say it than do it.
In order to help new comers, I would add the following (although it might have been mentioned many times already):
- WINDAS can also function on WinXP, but everything which uses the Windows/System folder must be changed to Windows/System32. Note: during the installation of the Windas "patches", one of the .dll file is saved in this folder.
- after Windas installation, the error messages that say: "ASTRO SG IS NOT USED. PLEASE CHECK CONFIGURATION!", "ASTRO SG COMMUNICATION ERROR", "ASTRO SG TIMING SETUP ERROR" do not prevent continuing with the procedure. They will cease when the CONFIG setting in Windas is changed from the default to "MANUAL".
- the correct pin order (adapter cable) is from top to bottom: GND, Vcc (+5V), RX, TX.
- the connector (4-pin) on a Sony G500 cannot be accessed unless removing the housing. The connector is on the bottom right-side of the monitor when facing the back of the monitor. To my view, it is extremely difficult to remove the housing without breaking the so-called "two tabs". In addition, they do not play a significant role in maintaining the housing as there are many other "sliding tabs" that keep it tight together along with the two screws.
- not to forget to short-cut the RTS and CTS pins on the adapter cable in case it has 6-pins.
- once Windas is working and the monitor ready to be connected to the PC, there are two choices: either a. Connect the defective monitor to your principal PC (where Windas is installed) and work blind when loading/saving to the monitor's EEPROM, or b. Use 2 PCs and another (working) monitor, the second PC being used as a signal generator to the defective monitor to prevent to slip into the "sleep mode" (the second PC only has to be switched on).
- with my G500, the default G2 value was 164. I gradually reduced it to 105, which seems to me to be good for a deep black and vivid colours.
- when Windas is loading/saving, the monitor's OSD is locked. The load/save window must be closed to access the OSD.
This is about what I can remember of the 20-30 hours spent on struggling with Windas, the adapter cable, the monitor and reading again and again this thread.
Hope that it will help others.
Good luck and keep faith.
Thanks in Advance
Jeff
I've just built my ESD cable and set the DAS software.
My monitor is a sony cpd 520g.
Its image was too green, G2 was 163, i've changed to 120, the difference is great, but the green is yet strong.
Any clues?
Many thanks for the information here.
Sorry the poor English.
There is a service port behind the monitor(looks somewhat S-video port but there is place for 8 pins in three rows). Where can get service cable and software(or is WinDAS appropriate)?
I have opened monitors casing and I found one potentiometer for picture focus. Could there be more hidden somewhere? Also noticed that I cant use Hutzelmans instructions for brightness modification because this monitor uses different circuit board.
Any help would be much appreciated.
For a great source of monitor information on the net is ... add wwws
repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_monfaq.html
I am getting disappointed with this board vs short-media version.
I type in, post, send, and it loses the lot, even after refresh. What a waste of time.
Why cant we cut and paste from this text box to save loss of postings !
google images search for r459 brings up this result as number one. it's a picture guide to doing the resistor. For those of us that have a soldering iron and some old electronics (psu's for me) laying around, this is 100x faster than trying to build the cable and adjusting the eeprom values.
If you know someone who solders invite them over, this should take 15 minutes.
As soon as the monitor is turned on and the computer it is attached to is booted up, the bios screen appears, but it has a strange little anomaly for a few minutes and then goes away on its own... no big deal unless your trying to time a keypress to get into bios, start up order or the like...
each line of text seems to make little rotations, almost like spinning on a mirrored axis, going from normal text capable of being read, to spin around into inverted text (like looking at it in reverse like a mirror) the speed that it performs this remarkable gyration speeds up and slows down, until it peters out on its own, or sometimes there is an audible "click" noise and it resets itself instantly.
The longer the monitor is on, the less noticable or shorter duration of these gyrations...
Any ideas on how to fix it?
Wanted to clear something up. R457 and R459 are in series ANYway, so there's no need to worry about bridging them with solder. Those two contacts are connected 100% by a trace on the opposite site.
Be aware. This fix is mainly for the dell p1110 built on the sony chassis.
The hp, or others built on the nokia chassis can access g2 through menu button activated service mode and/or have a third pot on the transformer for brightness.
Regards
I've tried the white balance adjustment in DAS, Adjustment, Procedure.. but for sure i've messed up things.. but loading a backup of .dat file was ok.. =)
So again I've tried editing manually the .dat file.. I've changed G2 from 160 to 135 on the section 7: Reg_8_1
The screen has the image to green, the black is not pure black, as the grey scale.. to green too.
So I've tried editing anything with G_*
On section 11: Reg_8_5 I've changed the values of: G_DRIVE, G_BKG_B_CENT, G_BKG_B_MAX, G_ USER_DRV and G_USER_BKG, alway subtracting about 20 units from its original value.
After loading this file, the image was much better, then I made the Adjustment, Procedure, Final Setting. Then the image changed I little, so I noticed that it turned from Color mode Preset (which I've was working with) to Easy. So in changed it back to Color Mode Preset and the colors were now as I've edited.
Ok.. I was happy, but after a few hours with the monitor turned off, I saw that the colors were green again.. ='(
I've loaded again the edited .dat file.. good colors again.. Final Setting.. and again a few hours with the monitor off.. the green was back.. I've saved the current configuration and compared the files.. after few hours off the monitor lost the configuration.. but why??
Any clues?
Am I doing anything wrong?
Thanks in advance.. and sorry the poor English
I have intslle WinDAS, but now need to know how to get the needed cable. Can someone point at the thread I need or supply the necessary specs? I have a Dell P1110, which is indeed too bright
Thanks in Advance
Jeff
I did Image Restoration in the Color section of my OSD, then the colors were back to what they had been when I bought the monitor. They were just perfect and equally vibrant all over the spectrum. No brownish tint like before. Did you try that? Maybe it's called Color Restoration in your monitor, or something.
Nope, no such option for mine. Not even in the extended service menu. I'm able to edit the RGB values in the service menu, however.
My Sun 90W10 uses same circuit board and has same service port connector. Have midieval10 or someone else solved this problem how to fix this monitor? I have retrace lines and picture is reddish.
Ok, I solved this problem for myself. I soldered 22MΩ(I didn't take away original resistor because it's a bit tricky to remove) resistor on R1819 and that's it. Black is black and no more retrace lines.
Mission accomplished! I have a GDM-FW900 that is back to looking awesome thanks to the good info here. Does the G2 value drift over time? It was never this bad when I bought the monitor. I purchased the RLC-1 adapter off ebay, it worked great. Does anyone have any interest in a utility to modify the SEEPROM values? I might start looking at the bus commands and write my own software (WinDas has an awful interface). The only issue I see is that different monitors have a different memory map (the mdl files have this data).
-z
Try the image restore fuction (you need to warm up the unit at least 3-45 minutes) in the unit's OSD. Do it for all the three (3) color temperatures plus the sRGB.
If that does not correct the issue, then you will need to peform a white point balance adjutment. You'll need WinDAS and three patterns: black, white and IRE30 (grey). If you can get a hold of a Video Signal Generator, that will be the best way to generate these patterns. Also, you'll need a colorimeter which reads Yxy, Yu'v', and XYZ units. The process is not an easy task, but once you get a hang of it, you'll able to color correct/adjust the monitor's colors, whites and greys to the three color temperatures, and the green cast should go away.
Hope this helps...
LAG, Jr.
To stop the little one messing up the screen settings, try the lock-out feature - which should be available from your on-screen-display.
There may be an auto-center/alignment button which can restore the picture, or perhaps try reverting to the default factory setting button.
I am not familiar with the p1110, so for more information I would consult the hp website for the user-manual, or look for information on the equivalent sony model.
Thanks, hope this helps.
I just bought a SONY GDM FW900 that have the "too bright" issue, but it's in perfect extetic condition. I would like to buy RLC-1 cable WinDAS adaptor, but i want a confirmation of the wires i should change.
Look at this picture in the site of the RLC-1 (i can't post links yet) that is the default factory wires configuration:
So for the correct DAS configuration i must swap the last 2 wires (BLACK) with WHITE) and the two center ones (GREEN WITH RED) of the RLC-1 connector.
Is it right?
Thank you very much!
Gotta say - "Thank you all very much" .....
I had a Dell P1110 with the over-bright issue and after getting both the the Windas software and the cable from DigitialNemesis as recommended from the gregua site and voila!! One brand new monitor. the initial G2 was around 175 and I was able to get it down to 120 and the colour and blacks are brilliant.
I do have a question though - I have another one which has the opposite problem, not bright enough and predominately greenish look. I can also see the diagonal scan lines.... So I look at increasing the G2 value or is there anything else I should do?
Thanks again all....:)
P2
I love this monitor, and I'm so thankful for this thread saving it, that I registered just to say thank you to everyone. Great job. I'll be coming back for advice for tweaking it, or any monitor related problems I have. I'm sure to find the answer here. Great job, foks! Keep it up.
Thank you, again.
I bought the adapter cord and installed the Windas software. Everything was going according to plan but Windas is still telling me that it can't find my Security Key. I downloaded the 'WindasPatch' file and unzipped the three files to my Windas folder...but it's still a no go. When I try to open the 'patchDas' file, it flashes on the screen for a split second but won't stay open so that I can read it.
I'm running Windows XP.
Can someone shed some light on my problem?
I would really appreciate some help, or some insight on this.
I used Wordpad on WinME, installed on a Toshiba 310CDS notebook and a RS232-TTL interface bought as a kit on ebay for just 17 EUR, shipping included.
While I was trying to send the modified file back to the monitor, I had some 'ECS syntax error' alerts, then I understood that the name of the file you send to the monitor has to be the same as the one you saved from the monitor.
I had 95 for G2, I dropped it to 80 and the display is OK.
After the change, I was not able to call again the monitor menu (geometry had to be settted again), don't now why.
I turned off monitor, restarted computer, loaded the modified file again, and the problem was solved. Don't know exactly which action succeded.
Now the display it's beautiful.
Ciao to all
Satiropan
after applying the patch, it says checksum fails.. not sure where the problem is though..
can someone pelase help me out or perhaps zip the files and upload it somewhere?
Many thanks,
Michael