# ACER Monitor AL1716W : No Power



## omega3 (Apr 19, 2010)

I bought this monitor new about two years ago. It was made Aug 2007. But since I bought it off a guy who didn't want it, but only wanted the CPU it came bundled with, ACER has refused to honour its warranty. Tough luck for me. :dead:

Anyway, the monitor worked perfectly until about a week back. When I power up my computer CPU, then my monitor.......I realised there was no light on the power button. The monitor had no power at all. I changed power cable, didn't work. Plugged it into another computer, didn't work either.

Since ACER is not helping me out (_unless I pay them : 1. Verification without proceeding to repair/service: *$50* 2. Labour charge for repair/service of system: *$80* 3. Replacement of faulty parts: to be advised by the service engineer._ :upset, I have no choice but to attempt to fix this myself. And I am soooo glad I found this forum.

I have removed the power (inverted?) board. Capacitors are not bulging, eveything looks fine, to my untrained eyes.

So, based on the symptoms I mentioned, what could be wrong? I really hope some one could point me in the right direction. Thanks!! ray:

I am not sure if this will help, but I took some pics. Thanks!




















Can anyone help? Based on their experience with a similar situation?

Does anybody even care to help? Am I wasting my time here?


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

i have asked someone to have a look at the problem


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

Hi There 

start by looking at the back of the board and checking the solder joints that I have marked (see attachments) & re-solder if you see that the joints are in any way cracked or "lacking in quality". 

Check out the top of the board and look for ant damage to the transistors / diodes mounted on the heatsinks. Anything damaged will need to be replaced.

if that is all looking OK, I can't quite tell from the photo's then look at the second photo attached .. 

#1 I have already mentioned above, was to check the soldering. 

#2 id a wickman fuse, check that it's not open circuit. If it is then there is most likely something else seriously wrong. check the transistors using an ohmmeter and a diode tester to see if there is any possibility of being faulty. You should see no short circuits on any of them.
If the fuse is faulty replace ONLY with the same type and value that was fitted originally. Nothing smaller and nothing larger!!

Check the resistor (#3) using an ohmmeter. It should read approx 0.7 Ohms. If it reads anything differently try getting a replacement and see if that helps to get the set working. Make sure that its the same value and wattage. This looks like it is a safety resistor and as such it's important that it's correct. 

Check by replacement all the capacitors that I have marked if you find nothing wrong up til now. you can also try replacing the power supply controller IC I have marked as #4.

another point you might want to check is that nothing is faulty on any other board that is normally wired to this one, before you start changing stuff in the power supply. Any power rail that tries to give too much current to another board is going to stop the power supply from working.

This is an extremely dangerous "project" for the inexperienced "engineer" and I strongly advise that you do not tackle this if you have no experience of fault finding or electrical / electronic work!!


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## omega3 (Apr 19, 2010)

Done_Fishin said:


> Hi There
> 
> start by looking at the back of the board and checking the solder joints that I have marked (see attachments) & re-solder if you see that the joints are in any way cracked or "lacking in quality". .......


Thank you for your reply. It is detailed and very useful. Looks like the problem is more complex than I thought, and will need for me to seek the assistance of a "professional". I will print your reply and ask a friend of mine.

This board plugs to a front little controller unit which looks ok to me.

Thank you again and thanks also to dai. :grin:

BTW, does anyone know where I can just buy one of these power boards?


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

you might be lucky on e-bay, to buy from a dealer will probably cost as much as a new monitor. You could check the manufacturers site for dealers though, to be sure.


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## omega3 (Apr 19, 2010)

Done_Fishin said:


> you might be lucky on e-bay, to buy from a dealer will probably cost as much as a new monitor. You could check the manufacturers site for dealers though, to be sure.


Yes, I've been trolling ebay but no luck yet. I have three options : find someone to repair it, buy a new one, or dispose of it (don't fancy this option). Anyway, thanks again, you've been a great help. :wave:


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

I generally keep unrepaired items pending the day I a lucky enough to get a second unit with a different type of fault .. then I can prove where the problem lies, and hopefully fix it.


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## omega3 (Apr 19, 2010)

Done_Fishin said:


> I generally keep unrepaired items pending the day I a lucky enough to get a second unit with a different type of fault .. then I can prove where the problem lies, and hopefully fix it.


Thats a good way to deal with faulty hardware. And a great way to learn too. I am a DIY person myself, but electronics have never been my strong subject!


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

Been in Electronics (repairs to component level) for years but very rarely manage to find service manuals these days with enough detail to help pinpoint the faulty components. For a single repair a service manual is too expensive! Most times you only see a certain model for repair a few times.

When you have a unit that has several boards inside, any board can be the source of stopping the power supply from functioning. Removal of a board may let the power supply function but you still don't know whether you have a power supply problem due to function or load .. and sometimes I have found that swapping power supplies between two faulty units lets both units come back to life !! At least for a limited time .. as the supply ages it can have reduced ability to supply, as the "load" ages it may request more power. You just don't have a chance without spare boards and then you can't always be certain.


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