My monitor showed "PLEASE CHECK SIGNAL CABLE." What does that mean?
The monitor needs to measure the horizontal sync frequency to determine which of its presets to match the resolution format to. The most common reason for this message is that the sync signal is missing. You need to do the following:

• On monitor models with dual inputs, make sure the monitor input select switch is in the proper mode for the channel you are using (refer to your manual)
• Check the pins on your signal cable to see if any are bent, broken or pushed in.
• Verify the video card is putting out a valid signal by substituting another monitor, or taking this monitor to another PC. Even if your PC appears to be booting up by the indication of floppy or hard drive activity, the video card may not be putting out a signal.

Other on-screen messages on various models related to this discussion are "SIGNAL MISSING" , "NO SIGNAL" and the tri-color "SELF TEST."
 

My monitor showed "OUT OF RANGE." What does that mean?
Start Windows in the safe mode by pressing F8 the instant you see "Starting Windows 9x". Select Safe mode from the startup options menu.

1. Click the right mouse button on an empty spot on the desktop
2. In the popup menu, click on "Properties".
3. Click on the "Settings" tab at the top of the Display Properties window.
4 Click on "Advanced Properties".
5. Click "adapter"
6. In the Refresh Rate window, select "Adapter Default" or 60Hz.
7. Click on the Monitor tab, and uncheck "Automatically detect Plug and Play monitor".
8. Apply the settings, and restart Windows normally.
Go back to Display Properties and select the resolution and refresh according to the preset timing table in your user manual.



Sometimes, my monitor makes a high pitched noise.  What should I do?
Usually, it is due to a transformer in the monitor which resonates due to the gap in the core upon which the coils are wound. Minute physical changes occurring due to normal warming may cause the gap to assume a spacing just right so the magnetic field sets it vibrating like a speaker, and the gap is of a wavelength that reproduces a high pitched tone. It is in no way harmful to the monitor. In order to correct this, the monitor will need to be returned for repair.
 

Where do I get drivers for Windows 3.x or NT?
There are no monitor drivers written and is not necessary for your monitor to work. The inf files are used in Windows 95, 98, 2000, and XP. As long as you have the 3.x drivers for your video card, simply set up the refresh rates using the timing guide in the monitor manual as a reference. Please contact your video card vendor for assistance.
 

My model is not listed in Windows Display Properties. What should I do?
If Windows identifies your monitor as Plug and Play , it has done what it was intended to do. The video card in the PC gets the information about the monitor via an additional line in the video signal cable that connects to the monitor EDID chip. This chip has the same information the inf file has, and more. The monitor shows as "Plug and Play Monitor" and not the specific model because Windows needs to have the name of the monitor in its database. Naturally, new models come out all the time, so the inf file is a way to enter the make and model of your monitor. As long as you are able to select resolutions within the monitor's range, you do not need to install the inf file.
 

How do I set the refresh rate on my monitor?
Refresh rates cannot be set from the monitor, they are set through the video card refresh interface. If you have the early version of Win95, please contact your video card vendor for assistance.

For Win95 OSR-2

1. Click the right mouse button on an empty spot on the desktop
2. In the popup menu, click on "Properties".
3. Click on the "Settings" tab at the top of the Display Properties window.
4. Click on "Advanced Properties".
5. Click on the "Adapter" tab.
6. Click on the down arrow in the "Refresh" window.
7. Select a refresh rate from one listed in the timing table in the monitor user manual.
8. Click on "Apply" and follow Windows' dialog prompts.

For Win98

1. Click the right mouse button on an empty spot on the desktop
2. In the popup menu, click on "Properties".
3. Click on the "Settings" tab at the top of the Display Properties window.
4. Click on "Advanced".
5. Click on the "Adapter" tab.
6. Click on the down arrow in the "Refresh" window.
7. Select a refresh rate from one listed in the timing table in the monitor user manual.
8. Click on "Apply" and follow Windows' dialog prompts.

For Win2000

1. Click the right mouse button on an empty spot on the desktop
2. In the popup menu, click on "Properties".
3. Click on the "Settings" tab at the top of the Display Properties window.
4. Click on "Advanced".
5. Click on the "Monitor" tab.
6. Click on the down arrow in the "Refresh Frequency" window.
7. Select a refresh rate from one listed in the timing table in the monitor user manual.
8. Click on "Apply" and follow Windows' dialog prompts.
    

How do I set the resolution on my monitor?
Resolution is set in the Display Properties window.

My monitor has the energy saving feature, How come it's been running all day?
Your monitor is Power management compliant- that is, it responds appropriately to power management signaling. It works like this:

• If either Vertical Sync or Horizontal Sync coming from the display video card are removed, the monitor will enter the Standby/Suspend mode. In this mode, the deflection and high voltage are turned off, reducing power consumption in the monitor to less than 30 Watts.
   
• If both sync signals are removed, the CRT filament will be turned off, as well as the deflection and high voltage. This is the Off mode. The monitor power consumption is reduced to less than 15 Watts.
   
• To adjust the idle time for power management, go to "Display Properties", click on the "Screen Saver" tab, and enter the times in the "Energy Saving" feature section.
   

My monitor went off, while I was in the middle of a program.  What should I do?
The monitor Energy Saving circuitry cannot be disabled, this must be accomplished from within the PC. First determine if the monitor went into the power management mode by observing the power light . When the power light on the monitor turns from green to orange, or turns from green to orange and blinks, that indicated that it was commanded to enter a sleep mode. You need to perform a series of steps to determine the cause. Do the following:

• Disable power management in your PC motherboard BIOS, and WINDOWS screen saver Energy Star settings under Display Properties.
• If the problem recurs, leave the PC on, turn off the monitor power switch and disconnect the monitor signal cable from the video card. Power the monitor, and observe the power light. It should stay green and you should see the self test, "signal missing" or "check signal cable" message on the monitor. These indicate the monitor is functional but no receiving a signal from the computer.
• Reconnect the signal cable to the video card. If a picture appears, the monitor may have gone into the sleep mode by itself. If the problems recurs after this, leave the PC on, do not disconnect the signal cable, but turn the monitor power switch off for five seconds, then back on. If the monitor enters the sleep mode after re-powering, contact your vendor for service.
• If, after powering the monitor with it disconnected from the video card, and then reconnecting the cable, you see the self test, "signal missing" or "check signal cable" message on the monitor, it indicates no signal from the PC. If the display is restored by rebooting the PC, there is an indication that the PC is crashing, and this will need to be resolved.
   

I have a splotch of color in a corner of the display.  What should I do?
The CRT (picture tube) has picked up a bit of magnetism. Normally, the internal automatic) circuit, that operates each time the monitor is powered on, takes care of this. If you have speakers or anything with a transformer or motor in it (Electric clock, cordless phone charging base, etc.) move them away from the monitor. If you see a reduction in the effect at that time, you have located the source of the problem.

Press the Degauss button on the front of the monitor. Repeat the application, if needed, about once every ten minutes (the degauss circuitry needs time to recharge) until the discoloration has cleared up. When you press the Degauss button, you will observe a wobble of the picture for about one second, letting you know the degaussing circuit is working. If repeated attempts do not clear up the discoloration, a Service Technician can manually degauss the CRT with a special device just for this purpose. The term used here is purity, and should not be confused with brightness uniformity.

I have faint ghosts to the right of my icons.  What should I do?
The likely cause is that you are using an extension cable added to the video cable that came attached to the monitor. This happens because the video card cannot drive the monitor properly with the extension. This is called impedance mismatch. If extending the cable is necessary, you need to purchase a PC video distribution amplifier, available from video equipment suppliers. If you are not using an extension, your video card may be defective. Test the monitor on another PC.
 

My monitor screen changes color by itself.  What should I do?
You may have a connection problem.

1. Check your cable connections.
2. Take the video card out of the PC, clean the card contacts with a pencil eraser, then reinstall the card.
3. Observe if the problem occurs only in Windows. If so, it may be a software driver problem.
4. Test with a different resolution or color depth setting.

You can also connect the monitor to another PC (or substitute another monitor on your PC, if possible)

We always suggest checking external factors when color changes are the question. If you feel you have the problem isolated to the monitor, please contact our Customer Service Department to receive an RMA. (Return Material Authorization)

The edge of my display seem to vibrate or quiver rapidly.  What should I do?
You may be experiencing what is called non-synchronous jitter. The following section details this and discusses workarounds.

Whenever electrical current flows in a wire, a magnetic field is induced. Monitors utilize magnetic fields in the deflection yoke specifically in order to generate a display and can be influenced by external fields, and will show the effects of that influence.

A user may observe that the characters or icons on the display "dance" or "shimmy". the display may be described as undulating or swimming. Careful observation will show that the size and position of the display does not change, but the edges may be modulated at a rate of approximately 10 times a second. This is a symptom of what is termed non-synchronous jitter. It is caused by external magnetic influence generated by electrical devices. The effect is the result of the difference between the power line frequency (60Hz) of the external devices and the refresh rate of the monitor (typically 70-76 Hz). The external field impresses itself upon the beam of the CRT, which is being driven at the refresh rate and "dithers" the beam producing a beat frequency or difference between the two frequencies. The effect may be constant or intermittent, depending upon the characteristics of the source. Intermittent effects are caused when there are current flow surges as when devices turn on, or collapsing field when they turn off. Possible sources can be any of the following:

• Power base with plugs and switches.
• Printer or other peripheral containing a power transformer.
• Power strips.
• Fluorescent lights.
• Appliances containing motors.
• Wiring inside walls, floors or ceilings
• Electric meter or power panel.

The user can verify that the effect is due to external influence by doing the following:

1. Change the refresh rate of the resolution exhibiting the effect to that of the line frequency (60Hz). This is done by running the Video Adapter utility software and using a custom monitor setup. If this proves to greatly reduce or eliminate the effect, then they are on the right track. They may then revert back to the previous refresh rate and move to the next step.
2. Turn off all possible sources of magnetic influence. If the effect is reduced or eliminated, they can begin restoring power, one device at a time to identify the influencing apparatus.
3. Relocate equipment as required, to result in the best reduction or elimination of the effect.
    

I see a pattern on solid backgrounds that look like wood grain or fingerprint?
What you have is called Moiré. It is an optical effect that is unique to monitors due to the relationship between the electron beam spot size, the shadow mask hole diameter and the scan frequency. It is most noticeable on solid color backgrounds.

You can usually reduce or eliminate the effect by adjusting the MOIRÉ function on the monitor control menu.

If your model does not have this function, changing the frequency the monitor is operating at by changing the vertical refresh frequency. follow the steps under Setting refresh elsewhere in this section.
 

How should I clean the screen on my monitor?
You can use standard liquid glass cleaners. Spray onto a soft cloth, then wipe the screen. Avoid spraying liquid directly onto the screen, as it may run down inside the mask onto the circuit board.

How do I remove the base from my monitor?
Place the monitor on its top. Locate the tab on the cabinet bottom next to the base facing the back of the monitor. Press down on the tab and slide the base over it. Lift the base at a slight angle from the edge near the tab and withdraw the base.  Please note that one some models if there is no tab, or the base is mounted with screws, the base is fixed and may not be removed. Please see "Are the base and signal cable removable on my monitor?"

If the same symptoms occur when the monitor is not connected to the PC, Then your monitor requires service. Please contact our Customer Service Department, and have your model, serial number and purchase date handy.

The above should answer how to treat the problem. If it does not answer your question, please contact Princeton's Technical Support Representatives Monday - Friday between 6am-5pm (Pacific Standard Time) at 1-800-747-6249 or by email at TechSupport@princetongraphics.com