degauss

[Computer]

What does the degauss feature on monitors do. They make it all blurry for a few seconds and then it's fine????

whats with that?

thanks

[DPA]

degauss is a feature to remove magnetism that may have been induced by a magnet from a speaker, or ..magnet to the monitor's tube.

gauss is a measurement for magnetism

de, meaning not or without

so de-gauss means, removal of magnetism

[Computer]

thanks, to bad my old monitor didn't have that feature. I think I got a magnet to close to it and screen went all purple in the one corner.

[DPA]

mmm, some/most monitors have a degauss feature built in so when you turn them on they will do it.

if you ever magnetize your monitor, just turn it off, then back on, wait about 5 seconds, and then leave it off for about an hour. it fixes them about 95% of the time [in my experience]

[Computer]

Thanks, but that monitor's long gone. Good to know for future reference though.

[howste]

Here's another one for future reference. Hold a running AC motor near the monitor and it will also degauss it.

I had a monitor many years ago before automatic degaussing was standard. It was getting pretty discolored across maybe a third of the screen. Someone told me about that trick, so I tried it. With an electric hand mixer it was fixed in seconds! The AC motor creates alternating magnetic fields that remove the residual magnetism. Just hold it near the monitor and move it around a bit until the color returns to normal.

[Tomteriffic]

Originally posted by howste
Here's another one for future reference. Hold a running AC motor near the monitor and it will also degauss it.

I had a monitor many years ago before automatic degaussing was standard. It was getting pretty discolored across maybe a third of the screen. Someone told me about that trick, so I tried it. With an electric hand mixer it was fixed in seconds! The AC motor creates alternating magnetic fields that remove the residual magnetism. Just hold it near the monitor and move it around a bit until the color returns to normal.

Works well, too well sometimes. I ran a vacuum cleaner too close to one of my electric guitars once and demagnetized the pickups.

[dunbar]

Originally posted by Computer
thanks, to bad my old monitor didn't have that feature. I think I got a magnet to close to it and screen went all purple in the one corner.

For any monitor where degauss is not available (either the degauss circuit has failed or the monitor never had degauss), one can obtain a demagnetizer to perform such degaussing. Just avoid the demagnetizers intended for use as casette tape head demagnetizers - these are usually too weak to degauss the monitor.

I have a Radio Shack 'bulk tape demagnetizer' which works from 5 feet away; it is so strong that it has permanently warped the shadow mask (the exact thing that gets unintentionally magnetized) on one monitor. That damage looks like residual magnetism, but will never ever erase with degauss techniques. Point is, the above tools are compromises, use with care.

[Tarp2]

A deguass ring is available at just about any retail electronics store. It is simply a plastic ring wound with wire, and a 120v plug. It is handy when you move the position of a TV or monitor. Just follow the instructions.

Tarp

[dauss]

Some of the color swirls are also caused by the earth's magnetic field.