HP 2509m monitor - screen flutters

[bpeschka]

My HP 2509m monitor screen flutters, almost always at startup.  This will last anywhere from 5 minutes and up.  Lately, it's been lasting longer, like 30 minutes and the picture is dark on the left, clearing gradually to the right.  When the screen corrects itself, the flutter stops and the screen brightness normalizes. 

Does this sould like a monitor problem or the graphics card/processor or ???.

The specs for the PC (HP Pavillion p6367c-b) say the graphics are Integrated Intel GMA X4500 HD Graphics. I assume that means on the motherboard rather than a separate card.

TIA, Bill

[Big_Dave]

Hi,

Try these HP 2509m monitor quality articles.

How are you cabling the monitor to your PC? (VGA, DVI-D or VGA)  Are you using any adapters?  Be sure that the cable ends are tightly fastened.

Try the monitor and cable on another PC to eliminate the PC as the problem.  Alternatively, try another monitor and cable.

[TechTom]

I also have a 2509m that came purchased in a bundle with a mid-sized tower.  That was about 2 years ago.  The warranty ran out a few months ago, and then one day the wife called me at work to say the monitor was dead.

In the last month and a half I have learned a lot about this monitor, from the manufacturer of the display, to the modular design of the power/inverter pcb (power for the LCD back lights comes from the 'inverter'), to the fact that this model/series of displays seems to have included poorly manufactured components (not actually an HP issue), yet is was very well received by HP's consumers.  

There are rare instances where you can find someone to answer a question, and when the 'people in the know' answer you, they give you canned responses like telling you to replace capacitors that aren't bad, etc.

In my struggles I found that my monitor had a poorly soldered CCFL (Cold Cathode Florescent Light) backlight tube, and that this caused the 'Inverter' to over-stress, and electronic components failed (two transistors, one zener diode, one controller IC chip, and the list goes on).  I don't know of any symptoms before the original failure.  All seemed well.  Being a Electronic Technician I made the attempted to fix several parts of the power supply/inverter system.  If someone tells you the supply is 'dead' just because its plugged in and the power button doesn't light-up "blue", or that you just need to replace capacitors, or that your cables are loose - please,  do your home work first and don't just take their word for it.  There could be other issues causing the problem. Once you've learned about, and checked out the basic troubleshooting steps, then go as for Expert help.

Yes, the capacitors could be bad, cables could be loose, the board could be beyond repair, and there could be a simple fix.  But it really takes someone with a bit of repair knowledge to open the monitor and look at it to know for certain if there is something more than just a bad or loose cable.

After I repaired two transistors on the Backlight Inverter module with similar parts - the original parts are very hard to come by (Niko Semi P5506BDG and P9006EDG Logic Level MOSFETs - for those who are curious), and their specific attributes are not easily found in what I could get my hands on. Anyway, after replacing these transistors I found there was a buzzing and dimly light lower left corner.  I disassembled the monitor to find out that a wire to one of two lower CCFL tubes had totally burned open and was 'arcing' from the remaining stub of  wire to the end of the florescent tube.  (Relatively High Voltages are involved here, and can easily jump across a 1/8 inch burned up spacing.)

After repairing this, the monitor would work, but would not come out of  sleep mode without turning off the backlights after 1 to 5 seconds.  Something with the lower CCFLs was still bad.  I am assuming the other tube was also badly soldered, and it also started arcing causing the Inverter (or INL816GN CCFL Controller IC or Chip) to sense something wrong and just shut down the whole backlight system.  To be honest, by this point I was tired of trying to fix the monitor, and I didn't check for this issue with the other CCFL backlight tube. When I used a flashlight or other light source, I could actually still see the image in the LCD! Not a latent image, but a realtime, what should be seen image, like that which would be seen if the backlights were on. Lesson here - power was good, and signal was there (I.E. No bad or loose cables!), but the screen looked black as if there was no power.  It didn't need a 'reset' or anything like that.

At this point I've given up trying to fix this monitor because I need parts and assemblies I am not able to, or privileged enough to find.  So I pushed my budget and bought two replacement LCD Monitor's with LED backlights from another company. I don't know if I'd go with an HP monitor again, yet I'd like to finish this project. I'd like to look for spare parts from other people who have broken 2509m's.  I could always use a collection of working parts from failed 2509m's to construct a usable monitor.  I just want my 2509m back up at some point.

I've always thought HP was founded by Mr Hewlett and Mr Packard with quality in mind, but after the problems with my 50g, 49G+ Calculators (compared to my 28C and 48SX), and now this monitor, I can see that business pressures have changed the company (and the world).  I don't know when the monitors were manufactured, nor how long the product life cycle was supposed to be, but from what I can see, and all that I've found and learned about trying to fix this monitor, it looks as if HP just dropped support for those of us who like this monitor - its size, features, etc.  The current successor to the 2509m is the 2511x, and it just isn't the same - the 2511x doesn't even come with speakers!  Not a proper entertainment class monitor if you ask me - and to say these aren't entertainment class when they are Full HD compatible, 1920x1080, include HDMI ports, and even come in a widescreen format, is just unbelievable.

Sorry for the rant.  I just had to get my say out there, and to say this on an HP forum - well it's just about the best place I can think of for this.  I just hope all this is accepted and visible (no character limit, et al).

I just want owners to know that just because a screen flickers, or won't turn on, or that a message is displayed - these don't mean that the monitor isn't worth saving or fixing, nor does it mean a simple fix can be made by making sure cables are fully connected, or replacing a fuse or capacitors, etc.  Cables can break. Video cards too.  Yes, its true simply making sure the power cable and video cables are secure and haven't come out is one of the basic steps to trouble shooting. As an owner you should have tried that before turning to these forums (and the 'Experts') for help. (I worked in a low paying phone support center for years before being layed off, and for a so-called 'Expert' to be telling people to check cables just sounds wrong, and condescending. Yet I know how important these checks can be. I have heard - and in some cases experienced first hand - many of the rediculous and sad stories of telephone customer support, along with stories from those I worked with.)

Stripes in the display could be electronic circuit issues, but maybe not.  A 20 cent part may be all that's needed, and again a whole system (like my backlight inverter and CCFL tubes) may need to be replaced. (May be I'll up grade my 2509m to LED backlights since the LCD and Sound still seem to work just fine.) 

Flickering backlights could be the CCFL tubes going out, but they could also be signs of components on the Inverter module failing, wiring and solder connections going bad, and several other things.  "Fluttering" screens could be noise in the LCD system, failures in the differential voltage signals, bad chips or components, the LCD elemets, and even bad cables!

Anyway, good luck to all the people with issues on this monitor, and other with the same LCD/CCFL panel assembly (mine was made by LG, Part # LM250WF1-TLA1) and the Power Supply and Inverter board and Module (Power Supply:  ILPI-162 Rev B, Part Number 492961400100R, 2009.11.21, Inverter Module:  ILTR-034 Rev A, Part Number 492962200000R, 2009-07-13).

And if anyone who reads this knows where I can find a 'new', reasonably priced LG LCD assembly, or specifically the CCFL backlight assemblies, as well as an ILTR module and/or the ILPI power board assembly, please - CONTACT ME!!

[deg365]

I have the exact same monitor, just out of warrunty, with all the same problems discribed. I wont waste another minute,. Going to purchase a new monitor from another manufacturer! HP just lost another customer!

[LydiaP]

I liked your post and I totally agree with your comments about the current state of Hewlett Packard.   YEARS AGO, my first PC and all the hardware was HP, and it lasted flawlessly, for MANY years! 

I have the same monitor as you and mine has just begun to display the same problem as yours. I purchased this monitor from HP online LESS THAN 2 Years Ago, and it wasn't cheap!  Now it's going to die on me?  Right now I am hooked up to my old,  6 year old ACER monitor.  

My next purchase will likely be Acer.

I also bought a HP 320GB external hard drive ... and it S*** the bed one month prior to the expiration of warranty. HP refused to replace it.   IT was not cheap either!!

I am very disappointed with Hewlett Packard and refuse to stand behind or recommend ANY of their products anymore.  My old HP PC was a workhorse!!  But perhaps long lasting products do not bring in the profits to HP, so they have resorted to less than quality standards so the consumer has to keep replacing components.  Not me. No More!

Linda

[HardBeatZ]

Hello Linda,

I am going to forward your issues to the appropriate team for review. Someone should be in contact with you shortly to discuss your issues.

Since this is a forum that will be where the initial contact will be made. Please be on the lookout for a private message in the near future.

[Rixander]

and to take note like any other products and some will be either defective and or not working any more 

but be advised that any technology products they do age and eventualy will break down and some times it may be even a fairly new some what recent item soon after the warranty goes out 

and also take note some products maybe on the shelf for a while and that can also decrease the life of the ownership of the product  

what im saying like for example that the product came out 6 months ago and you got a recent one and that product been out for 6months adding the age of your ownership 

and I know no one wants a product that goes dead after the warranty goes out 

and btw as for the acer, i had a friend that had a laptop went dead ofter like 2 months and not even it reached the 3rd month and i recommend if he gets another laptop get a hp and he is also the owner of a hp laptop with XP 

and he did get a new laptop that is HP and he did not bothered to get he acer laptop  fixed even though it is under warranty and nothing the store can do and all he has to do is get it ship for factory repair

[Sunalta]

I see exactly same problem on my HP 2509m monitor. I bought this monitor in Futureshop in Cananda less than 2 years ago. It started flickering couple weeks ago, in the beginning, it flickered for a while and then went back to normal. Now it is flickering all the time even without connecting to the computer. So it is pretty clear that the issue has nothing to do with the graphic card and the cable.

My questions are:

Can HP or the store replace or repair my monitor? What is HP replace and repair policy?

Any other options other than purchasing a new monitor?

I searched the forum and I haven't found a clear solution about this issue yet.

Thanks in advance for your input!

[HardBeatZ]

Hello Sunalta,

What kind of warranty did you purchase with the product? If you are unsure about your warranty or you would like to find out what the repair or replacement cost would be you should contact HP directly
http://goo.gl/qHlWX

You would have to contact a local store in your area to find out what their cost for repair would be.

[LydiaP]

Sunalta said:

"My questions are:

Can HP or the store replace or repair my monitor? What is HP replace and repair policy?

Any other options other than purchasing a new monitor?"

Hello Sunalta,

Highly unlikely that HP will replace or repair your monitor unless you purchased a extended warantee from HP (or if the store where you purchased the monitor gave you some sort of extended warranty).  They seem to be ignoring the fact that there is a defect in your particular monitor.  But it can't hurt for you to contact HP and explain your situation.

From the research I did, and my own ownership experience with HP 2509m, you'll probably have to buy another monitor.  I have not heard of anyone successfully repairing this model.   Perhaps, the store where you purchased the monitor will give you a discount if you explain the problem you had with your purchase from them?  Worth a try.

My monitor did the same thing as yours. The problem began suddenly, lasted for about 2-3 weeks, then suddenly the monitor just died!   The problems has nothing to do with your video card or drivers or anything. The problem lies within the montor... i.e.: cheap workmanship.

I wish you the best of luck

Lydia