Colour cycling / Dell monitor service menu (was: Feature request, but must be universallly accepted by ALL blanker authors)

Gene Heskett gheskett at shentel.net
Mon Oct 5 08:04:43 UTC 2020


On Sunday 04 October 2020 23:50:42 Adam Nielsen wrote:

> > It turns out that the color cycling screen was that old 17" 4x3 Dell
> > lcd monitors response to the synch drop that shuts most modern
> > monitors off.
>
> Someone has probably enabled burnin test mode on this monitor.  The
> method to switch it on and off is pretty much the same on all Dell
> monitors.
>
> Switch the monitor off with the power button on the front panel, then
> hold the 'menu' and '+' buttons at the same time while you press
> 'power' to turn it on again.  Keep holding both 'menu' and '+' while
> the screen is blank, letting go a few seconds later once the normal
> display appears.  This brings the monitor up in service mode.
>
> When in service mode (depending on model) you can press the '+' or '-'
> buttons to bring up the service menu, or on older monitors you have to
> go into the normal menu (which now displays some additional model and
> firmware version numbers, confirming you're in service mode) and go to
> the 'factory reset' option.  Normally the factory reset menu gives you
> a submenu with yes/no options, but with service mode active you get a
> third menu option that will take you to the service menu.
>
> In the service menu, look for the option called 'Burnin mode' or
> similar and switch it off.  This will cause the monitor to actually go
> into powersaving mode when there is no signal, rather than go through
> the colour cycling test mode you're seeing.
>
> Once you've made your changes, exit the menu and switch the monitor
> off and on again with the front panel power button to exit service
> mode.
>
> Cheers,
> Adam.

Thank you Adam. Printed and carried up the hill to the shop for 
prompting. I spotted it, looking pretty new, at a yard sale nearly 20 
years ago, and brought it home for a $20 bill. Its been above and behind 
a CNC'd 7x12 lathe ever since, but the lexan sheet in front of it is 
much the worse for hot flying swarf.


Cheers, Gene Heskett
-- 
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
 soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law respectable.
 - Louis D. Brandeis
Genes Web page <http://geneslinuxbox.net:6309/gene>


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