Dying eMac Monitor

For a while now my eMac monitor has been flickering and my screen geometry has been fluctuating (it comes out about a half inch on each side, then snaps back to regular size). I just came back from getting something to eat and my screen was black; power light was on and the computer was humming but totally black screen. I clicked and moved the mouse and hit some keys, but no response (power saver settings are turned off). I did a hard reset using the power button and the screen remained black for several seconds before it finally came back.

This computer is pretty old, I've had it for 6 or 7 years now. I think the monitor is finally going out. I definitely don't have enough for a new computer, so I want to squeeze as much use out of this one as I can. Are there any ways I can extend the life of this monitor and/or repair it? If not, what's the cheapest way to work-around a dead monitor? Is it even possible to attach an external display to an eMac?

Akamadoushi said:

I think the monitor is finally going out. I definitely don't have enough for a new computer, so I want to squeeze as much use out of this one as I can.

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You saying you can't even scratch together $50 to $100 bucks...or maybe $150...cause if you can...you can find something used that's at least as good or better than your eMac.

Akamadoushi said:

Are there any ways I can extend the life of this monitor and/or repair it?

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Not really. You have to have some SERIOUS skills yourself to do the repairs...having someone else do it would be VERY cost prohibitive...and overall just not worth it. This is one of the problems with the "all-in-one" Macintosh's with a built in CRT display. The display many times can be the first thing to die on you.

Akamadoushi said:

Is it even possible to attach an external display to an eMac?

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How can you own a computer for 6-7 years...and not know the answer to this question!!! I shouldn't even answer it just based on principle...but yes...you can connect an external monitor (mirroring mode only).

HTH,

- Nick

pigoo3 said:

You saying you can't even scratch together $50 to $100 bucks...or maybe $150...cause if you can...you can find something used that's at least as good or better than your eMac.

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I've been unemployed for almost 2 years, so yes I am saying that.

pigoo3 said:

How can you own a computer for 6-7 years...and not know the answer to this question!!!

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Because in all that time, I've never had any problems with it. Until the past couple of months my computer has never had any issues, and so I never had any reason to look into attaching a new display. There's a port I never knew the purpose for, someone on a different site explained to me that it's a VGA port which can attach an external monitor with an adapter.

I don't know what "mirroring mode" means though. I'm not the most comp-saavy guy around, that's why I'm here asking for help, I obviously don't know as much about computers as you and there's no reason to get irate about my not knowing things. I use this computer for email, writing, and some simple games; if I were a more intense computer gamer or if I edited videos and stuff I'd probably have to know more about hardware, but for my use of this computer there hasn't been much reason to explore hardware options.

Akamadoushi said:

I've been unemployed for almost 2 years, so yes I am saying that.

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If that's the case...even if the repair was possible...it would cost you at least $50 to $100 to do it...so in any case (repair possible or not)...it doesn't appear to be in your budget to do it.

Good luck,

- Nick

Akamadoushi said:

I've been unemployed for almost 2 years, so yes I am saying that.



Because in all that time, I've never had any problems with it. Until the past couple of months my computer has never had any issues, and so I never had any reason to look into attaching a new display. There's a port I never knew the purpose for, someone on a different site explained to me that it's a VGA port which can attach an external monitor with an adapter.

I don't know what "mirroring mode" means though. I'm not the most comp-saavy guy around, that's why I'm here asking for help, I obviously don't know as much about computers as you and there's no reason to get irate about my not knowing things. I use this computer for email, writing, and some simple games; if I were a more intense computer gamer or if I edited videos and stuff I'd probably have to know more about hardware, but for my use of this computer there hasn't been much reason to explore hardware options.

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Probably the worst time for your computer to crap out on you huh? What was the processor speed for this eMac? If you can't scrape together at least $50. Then you're gonna have to settle for a computer that's really slow. Such as a PowerMac G3 or iMac G3. Those you can find for around $10-$20 on Craigslist. But the iMac G3 has another built in CRT display, So you might not want to go that route.

It's a 1 GHz, not much but it holds up pretty well for what I use it for. My parents agreed to get me a cheap monitor and the adapter I need, that should hold me over until I can find a job.

Using the mini VGA port/connection to an external monitor is the logical choice.

'Mirroring' simply refers to the image on an external monitor being exactly that on the built-in CRT monitor - not an issue for you.

One thing you might find irritating is the continuing bad image from the CRT while you're trying to use an external monitor. You may need to cover the eMac screen with a black cloth, but don't allow it to obstruct venting. You might also try rotating the eMac through 90º (or more) to hide the screen.

Keep us posted with how you get on.

Is a mini displayport not the same thing as a mini-VGA? Amazon.com seems to think they're the same thing, and Best Buy employees seem to not know what I'm talking about. Either way, I ordered the wrong converter and it doesn't fit into the port on the back of my computer. If mini displayport and mini-VGA are the same, what the **** is this?

http://img11.imageshack.us/i/s5000126u.jpg/
http://img808.imageshack.us/i/s5000127.jpg/

I need a converter that turns whatever that is into either HDMI or VGA or DVI, and I'll be able to use my new monitor.

Akamadoushi said:

Is a mini displayport not the same thing as a mini-VGA? Amazon.com seems to think they're the same thing, and Best Buy employees seem to not know what I'm talking about. Either way, I ordered the wrong converter and it doesn't fit into the port on the back of my computer. If mini displayport and mini-VGA are the same, what the **** is this?

ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting
ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting

I need a converter that turns whatever that is into either HDMI or VGA or DVI, and I'll be able to use my new monitor.

Click to expand...

A mini-vga port and a mini-display port are NOT the same. Your 1.0ghz eMac is a 6-7 year-old computer...WELL before any "mini-display" ports were available on Mac computers. Even a 2005 Mac-Mini still had a full size DVI port.

Since this computer is 6-7 years old...I'm not surprised that the Best Buy employees did not know what you were talking about. In fact...if you went into an Apple Store...most likely they wouldn't know what you were talking about either. I just went into an Apple Store this past weekend...and they weren't sure what video adapter I needed for a 2009 Mac-mini when I asked them. So they would be REALLY confused regarding a mini-VGA adapter for a 6-7 year-old eMac!

This is what you need (as you can see it includes "eMac" in the description):

Apple VGA Display Adapter - New Condition. (M8639G/A) at OWC

As you can see, this video adapter provides you with a full sized VGA connector. Since this is for a 6-7 year-old computer...you probably won't find a "mini-vga to HDMI" or a "mini-vga to DVI" adapter...so you're stuck with VGA. Or you could try using two video adapters in tandem to get you to DVI or HDMI.

Hope this helps,

- Nick

p.s. By the way...what's the deal with the blurry photos!

Thanks for the help! As for the blurry photos, my digital camera gets cranky when I use it indoors. Great photos in sunlight, zero focus whatsoever in any level of artificial light.

Update for anyone following along: the new monitor works very well, and wasn't at all effected when the eMac blacked out (which happened with increasing frequency as time went on). More recently the eMac started having more serious issues, as in it would shut itself down while in sleep mode and then take a long time (up to 20 minutes) to boot back up.

I'm not quite as bad off as I was when I needed the monitor, I was actually able to put together $261 through odd jobs and selling stuff, most of which I used to buy a used Mac Mini. I tried to do a full delete & reinstall of leopard on the eMac with the intention of trying to sell or give it away, but it blacked out halfway through the process and stopped recognizing its down hard drive. My grandfather knows how to fix computers in such a state and I think with his help it could have been done, but at that point I felt it wasn't worth saving. So, I tore it apart to salvage the RAM and copper.

The mac mini is doing great for me, but I wasn't able to transfer my copies of photoshop elements or quicktime pro.