Dell 3008WFP Monitor Repair

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I got this monitor on Freegle from Noel who has kindly given me a lot of stuff over the last few years. This model is from 2008 and uses a cold cathode backlight and although heavier on electricity, they are more reliable than the later LED backlit models. The power board was dead and a bit of research online revealed a known fault which had killed hundreds of these monitors, an under specification diode which overheats and goes short circuit after 4 to 5 years. The monitor was a beast to dismantle and the power board was clearly never meant to be repaired, with heatsinks that had to be unsoldered and removed to get at the failed part. Repaired it was though, using a higher specification diode salvaged from a junk power supply.

Resolution is 2560 x 1600 (roughly 2K) and the picture is exceptionally sharp with vibrant colours and smooth motion.

I'm tempted to leave the monitor naked, but the inverter has high voltages so that's unsafe. I might cut a large slot in the back though to improve ventilation and cooling, the partial cause of the failure. These monitors cost $1000 new in 2008 so to repair one for nothing is a result. 

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