HP vs19d Fix

**UPDATE: VS19e monitor repair instructions and pics now available: VS19E

The other day, I rolled out of bed in the morning and after a cup of

Gevalia’s finest, I sat down at my computer to check the weather. To
my dismay, upon clicking the power button on my HP vs19d LCD monitor, nothing happened. The blue LED would light up for a few seconds, I would hear a high pitched squeal from inside the monitor, and then nothing. This process would repeat itself until I eventually unplugged the monitor. I later called HP tech support to find that the monitor would have to be replaced. Good thing I bought that expensive three year extension warranty, right? Well, turns out that my warranty only covered my desktop and didn’t extend to the monitor. Excellent.
It seemed like I had one of two options. I could either attempt to fix the monitor myself, or buy a new one. I needed to access my computer to get some files for work, and the HP LCD was the only monitor I had. So, making my decision, I visited NewEgg from work and bought a 19″ WS Acer for a great price.
But I still wasn’t happy that my monitor was only two years old and on its way to the dump. So I decided to crack it open and have a look around. If you’re having a similar problem, follow along, because now my monitor works fine.

To fix yours up, you’ll need:

A phillips head and flathead screwdriver
Some replacement caps (I needed 3x 1000 microF caps rated at 10V or above)
A soldering iron
Solder
Desoldering tool or braid

Ok, first, we need to get the back stand off. Remove the two visible screws, and then pop the plate off the top of the stand to gain access to the third screw.Now slide the base out from the back of the monitor. Whenever the monitor is laying face down, it’s good practice to lay it on an old clean cotton tshirt or something to keep it from getting scratched up. Now we need to pry the front plate off from the rest of the monitor. Using a flathead screwdriver, gently insert the tip into the crack along the side of the monitor and pry until you hear one of the snaps come loose. After the first one, it gets easier. Continue in this fashion to completley remove the front panel.

Once you’ve done this, gently remove the LCD screen and the PCB that holds the buttons from the plastic case. The LCD assembly will still be attached to the plastic by the speaker cords, so it obviously can’t be completley removed. Once you have them separated, turn the LCD over and you should see this:

The larger metal case on the right holds the power supply, while the smaller case on the left holds some of the display circuitry. Gently peel back the metal tape and unscrew the two screws that hold the metal case down. Carefully fold the metal case to the right to expose the power board:

So I could more easily move the board around, I also removed the two screws that held in the power cord socket:

Now it’s time to investigate where the problem lies. I checked over all the capacitors and found these three in one of the corners of the board. Two of them had dried electrolytic fluid on top, indicating that they were blown. The third one (on the left) was bulged out on the top, which meant it had probably blown too, but the ‘X’ vent on top hadn’t cracked open. So, these were the caps I needed to replace. Make sure you read the side of them to see what size (Farads) you need to get.
I propped the board up in the air (it was pretty tricky to do this part) and used a nice soldering iron to melt the solder that attached these caps while I gently pulled on them. Eventually, I got all three loose.
Using the new caps I bought from Radio Shack for $1.59 each…I then proceeded to solder the new caps into place. BE SURE YOU GET POLARITY RIGHT. On mine, the black half circle that was printed on the PCB indicated the negative terminal. Pay attention to which way the busted caps are oriented and make sure you orient the new ones in the same fashion.

Now we have the new caps soldered and in place, so put all the screws back into place, replace the metal box and the metal tape, gently set the LCD back into the plastic case (be sure to stick the buttons PCB back where it belongs), snap on the front cover and reattach the base. If you’ve done everything correctly, and the caps were the problem, then your LCD monitor should be good as new! Funny that little things like capacitors can cause such a headache.
If this tutorial saved you lots of money or time, a small donation would be enormously appreciated. This little stream of income allows me to dedicate more time to helping others with their problems. Thanks for stopping by!

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59 Comments

  1. Anonymous

    Reply

    My wife's computer when black about 11 a.m. on Christmas day. Within two hours I had it back up and running using your instructions. There was no cost since I was able to pull good caps from a junk board I had in my barn. Thanks!!

  2. Anonymous

    Reply

    Please add a warning that capacitors may have left over charge – I saw pretty big spark when I accidentally touched both terminals. Other than that your procedure has also worked great for me on HPVS17x monitor. I only gave myself about a 10% chance of doing the soldering right, getting the polarity right, taking it all apart and putting it all back together without breaking something else but thanks to this post I did it. I wish like automobiles, HP could be forced to do a recall – I'm saddened by the waste of how many of these monitors must have ended up in landfills. Anyway, thanks much and I will send along my contribution.

  3. Anonymous

    Reply

    hi,i keep reading your blog over & over just to make sure i'm doing everything right. i'm very technically challenged! ok, my hp vs17e has the burned out cap thingys (yes i managed to get the cover off & actually take out the 3 oozing caps) but now i dont know about the soldering part. cant i just use crazy glue or silicone? i really dont feel safe after the 2nd degree burns i suffered today by picking up the wrong end of the solder thing. please, i know i'm a klutz….. thats why i'm anonymous!

  4. MD Schmidt

    Reply

    Hey anonymous, sorry to hear about the injuries. Unfortunately, crazy glue won't work, you need the solder to make an electrical connection with the traces connected to the pin holes.

    My suggestion would be to ask a friend if you aren't comfortable with the soldering iron. The fix is pretty easy, but the odd angle you have to work at makes the soldering a little less straight forward.

  5. Anonymous

    Reply

    hi again, thanks for quick response. i just have to accept that i cant get around soldering. this is my 2nd monitor in 3 yrs so my fear of failure & having to replace another one is really high. i'm using a big old compaq monitor from 1998. boy am i glad i didnt throw that out! reading all these success stories gave me confidence to take the thing apart & buy the caps,solder thing etc. but i balk at actually attempting the repair. i seem to be a serial monitor killer. hp vs17e will live again! whatever happens, i'll let u know. this is a great source for info anyway. has anyone ever heard of something called 'liquid solder"?

  6. pcollenFL

    Reply

    I started experiencing similar problems with my HP vs19d monitor, and decided to open it up and inspect the caps. My monitor did NOT have the same hardware configuration as shown in these photos..I only have one single large PC board with power, video, and sound all integrated on this one board. The 100 uF 10Vdc caps are more closely spaced, and all showed signs of bulging/venting and so I managed to squeeze three new 1000 uF, 35 Vdc caps into the narrow confines previously occupied by the 10Vdc caps and now my monitor is working like new…

  7. pcollenFL

    Reply

    Correction to my earlier post…caps were NOT 100 uF 10Vdc, but were 1000 uF 10Vdc. Replaced by 1000 uF 35Vdc (Radio Shack p/n 272-1032 @ $1.59 each)

  8. Ythill

    Reply

    Another success story, but I'm mainly commenting to add some advice. If it doesn't work on the first try, don't give up: I took my vs17x apart four times tonight, but now it's working. Here are some things I learned:

    If your ribbon cable comes out, gently pry up the black bar and slide it back in, then push the bar down firmly. The printed side of the ribbon should face toward the printed side of the board (the solder side). If your screen flashes white and then black, you have the ribbon cable in backwards.

    Check your solder points carefully after they cool. A magnifying glass is very helpful. If they are dull gray or visibly cracked, remove the solder and do them again. Google "cold solder" for ways to avoid this problem.

    And make sure you replace the metal tape! It's more important than it looks. If it's lost some of its stickiness you can put regular electrical tape over it to hold it in place.

  9. Anonymous

    Reply

    Thanks for the great instructions. We're elbow deep into our monitor and are having a hard time picking out any busted capacitors. Two are slightly bulged and we will replace those.

    Just to cover all bases, how can you tell if the fuse is blown? Ours is opaque white. We can't see inside. Does that mean it is blown?

  10. MD Schmidt

    Reply

    I can't exactly recall what my fuse looked like, but I do not think the opaque color of the glass indicates it is blown. If you really think it could be a fuse problem, you can look for a fuse tester, or a multimeter set to continuity mode should be able to indicate if it is still intact.

    I thought the same thing the first time I took mine apart, that it might just be the fuse. My recommendation is to replace any of the suspicious caps and give it a try. If it still doesn't work, test your fuse.

  11. Getoninja

    Reply

    last Friday 2/19/10 my brother came home with a like new HP vs17x. I was so excited to test it out and then told me he got it for free at a garage sale after buying a water cooler from the owner. I was like, awesome for free and basically like new. So, I hook it to my PC and nothing. All got was a the blue light from the power button and faint sound from the speakers. Then I was really bummed out, espically since whats wrong and about fixing monitors. So, I take my search on Google. Find this blog about the problem with the capacitors. I figure why not, lets bust this thing open and hope it can be the Caps. After following the great visual instructions, the caps on my monitor were also damaged. Cool, found the problem, next issue I never Solder. If I try soldering I might waist money but if I succeed, only cost me about $5 for the Caps. Next day (Sat) I go to Radioshack for the 3 caps at $1.59 each and a solder set for $7.99 (the one I had at home had huge tip). Once I was home I started. (forget eveything else I want to do this asap, kinda like going to the dentist the sooner the better). Removing the first Cap with the soldering tool was a pain and tricky but I figured out a trick. By the time I got to second Cap I had no problems. Then came the actual soldering. I was very careful and clean, and in he process I accidentally burnt my left figure garbing the metal part of the soldering tool. 20mins later I was done!! Finally the time has come to test the monitor. Was my time, effort, money and burnt left finger worth the repair? Well……yes it was!!! It was like Xmas all over agian. The monitor works like a charm. All I spent was like $5.00 for Caps. Like paying 45 for the monitor,. The Solder tool doesnt count, I needed one already, hehe.
    But I want to say major thanks to this Blog. this rocks so hard!!!!

  12. Anonymous

    Reply

    I can't believe it worked.

    My monitor looked way different on the inside and I had to unscrew every single screw in order to get to the caps.

    Thanks for the post!

    //Lars

    PS. HP should burn in hell for selling this useless piece of hardware.

  13. peter

    Reply

    I have the vs17e, with the works for 3 seconds problem, I opened it up but all the caps look good, I changed the 3 that is said to change plus another 2, but the monitor is still the same.
    Anyone know what could be the problem, could another cap be gone, but none show signs of leakage or bulging.
    Thanks
    pete.

  14. Anonymous

    Reply

    I have a vs17e that a friend give me, he got it along the road. It would power on,the blue light would stay on. The picture would stay on for 3 sec.I didn't have anything look bad in mine. I replaced the 3,tried it,same thing.Tore it apart and stared replacing some smaller caps. I found one that had real light brown on the bottom.220uf 25v close to the biggest one.Was pretty sure I found the problem. Still the same. Tore it apart right away and while everything was warm and I could smell just a trace of something. What smelled was the big cap 100uf 450v. Replaced that. PROBLEM SOLVED. It works now, stays on. All the parts came from old boards out of tv's and monitors that I've had for years.

  15. Ed

    Reply

    Thank you. I sent a donation. Your instructions worked perfectly, and my monitor is again working (though now as a spare since a bought a new Acer to replace it not knowing what a simple fix it was.) Thanks for sharing.

  16. MD Schmidt

    Reply

    No problem Ed, glad you found the instructions useful. Oddly enough, you're scenario sounds exactly like mind. After the HP died and before I fixed it, I did the same thing and bought a new Acer. Always nice to have a spare and keep some junk out of the landfill though. And thanks for the donation.

  17. Evan

    Reply

    Can't thank you enough for the advice. I Googled troubleshooting tips and the first thing that popped up was this blog. I have never tinkered with a circuit board before and my first attempt was a complete success. $5.11 later I have a perfectly functional lcd monitor! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

  18. Digital Neptune

    Reply

    You rock dude. Picked up a free monitor at a yard sale. It wasn't working. Found your page. $4.86 spent on ebay for 4 caps and 3 days shipping later and the monitor is working great. Learned how to identify a bad capacitor and how to replace it. Thanks.

  19. Anonymous

    Reply

    thanks to this page i was able to fix the vs17x with only replacing 3 caps that i had from an old power supply, total cost was $2.16 and that was for the monitor itself from a pawn shop! i have also repaired a vs19e doing the same thing, replacing 3 caps. so far i have 2 working monitors for a total of less than $10! it pays to be smart enough to fix something if it is simple like this, thank you again!!!

  20. Ralph Willey

    Reply

    I replaced the capacitors however after putting everything back together the screen is either all white or all black when the power is on.
    There is a ribbon cable on the back of the LCD. One end goes into the LCD where does the other end go – it doesn't seem to be connected to anything???

    Thanks,
    Rwilley@bellsouth.net

  21. Dan

    Reply

    Michael,

    Thanks very much for the advice! I've followed it, had to replace 2 (bulged) capacitors only and now it works like a charm.

    Dan

  22. Anonymous

    Reply

    I'm an Electronics Tech x29 years. – THAT APPLICATION -REQUIRES- LOW ESR CAPACITORS. – RADIO SHACK DOES -NOT- CARRY OR SELL LOW ESR CAPACITORS. – As such your 'fix' is temporary.

  23. MD Schmidt

    Reply

    Thank you for your insight Anonymous.

    1. This "fix", temporary or not, has worked so far for me and others. It's saved a good piece of hardware from going to the junk heap, and it's saved people some money.

    2. Claiming to be an expert in the field of electronics and touting that this application requires the use of low ESR caps without any explanation of why doesn't do much for the credibility of your cause.

    For those that are wondering, low Equivalent Series Resistance caps have less loss than higher ESR capacitors. They are generally required in high efficiency applications.

    Verdict: Low ESR capacitors are more expensive than the middle-of-the-road ESR types they sell at Radio Shack. Since this is the real world, you'll have to balance for yourself the increased cost (and probably shipping) of the better caps against the ones you can get immediately from Radio Shack.

    My Radio Shack caps have worked fine in all the monitors I've fixed. If they all happen to pop again, I might try the low ESR ones, just to see how they perform. I have no idea what the ESR of the original caps were, and that may have very well caused the problem with the HP monitors in the first place.

    To anonymous: I do sincerely appreciate your tip. In the future, explain your position without touting how long you've worked in the industry, because that means nothing to me. And for God's sake, turn off CAPS LOCK.

  24. James

    Reply

    I don't know my ESR from an EKG, and a few days ago I didn't even know what a capacitor was.
    But a search on ebay, $4.49 later for some Nippon KZE low ESR capacitors I am back in business, with two capacitors too spare.
    Loved the repair so much did it to a Phillips TV on the side of the road.
    Wish I could donate to your cause, but if I had that kind of money, I'd have bought a new TV.

  25. MD Schmidt

    Reply

    Haha, thanks James. I'm glad you found some inexpensive low ESR caps. Good to know the same fix is easily applied to TV's as well.

  26. Anonymous

    Reply

    A real great instruction. I've successfully reanimated my HP vs19b from 2006 based on your instruction. Gratulation. That has cost me 1.5 Euros and saved me about 200 bucks.
    Greetings from Vienna, Austria

  27. MD Schmidt

    Reply

    Thanks anonymous, glad to hear you got it up and running, and saved yourself some euros.

  28. Anonymous

    Reply

    Thanks so much for this! Even though my hubby has a degree in electronics, I had to beg him to open my monitor to see what the problem was. He just wanted to buy a new one, but I had read your post and insisted that he follow your directions. $6 and 500 humble pies later, my hubby has fixed my monitor and works just like new! Thanks again!

  29. Anonymous

    Reply

    Worked great, had to replace a couple different capacitors though. Thanks for all the information and keep up the great work.

  30. Anonymous

    Reply

    Low ESR capacitance issue.

    As with Scopes: check your facts.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrolytic_capacitor

    Section = Electrical behavior of electrolytics

    "Low ESR capacitors are imperative for high efficiencies in power supplies. Low ESR capacitance can sometimes lead to 'destructive' LC voltage spikes when exposed to voltage transients."

    Looks like the real problem with HP's capacitors is their use of Low ESR capacitors to meet power consumption targets.

  31. Anonymous

    Reply

    Thank you for your site. I just replaced 2 680uf 16v capacitors in my HP vs17. They were alot more difficult to get to than the vs19 you demonstrated on but non the less I did it. While praying to GOD most of the time.

    I couldn't get the desolderer to work so i wallowed the hole out with a safety pin while heating it. That was the only trouble.

    Thanks again for saving me the price of a new monitor. Especialy in todays economy. I'm sending alittle your way.

    mer1966@bellsouth.net
    iwonattit4tats@yahoo.com

  32. Anonymous

    Reply

    The Dreaded Capacitor Plague. I have fixed pobably 20 of this model monitor because of the defective Taiwanese Caps they used. Literally every company that makes or brands flat panels had similar Capacitor problems, so try not to beat HP up too badly. Nice job on the repair hints. I would like to make a suggestion. Rather than use a flat blade screwdriver to remove the bezel I use Guitar Picks, they are rounded, about the same hardness as the plastic case and if you slip with one you don't scratch the monitor casing or put a nasty gash in your finger. Otherwise, great job.

  33. Carlos

    Reply

    Thanks for the instructions. I successfully repaired an HP vs17 by replacing two blown out capacitors.

    Again, thanks a lot for sharing!

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  35. Younggunnaz

    Reply

    I had the same problems listed above. Purchased the 3 capacitors from Radioshack as well as all other supplies. Everything totaled under $20. Put in some time and work and next thing you know its working again! Take you very much for putting up this guide and hope that HP learns not to put in anymore cheap parts.

  36. Reply

    Great advise. My problem is the power light will flash and click for about 10 minutes and then it will come on. Could you hazard a guess that it is the caps before I go and open it up

    • MD Schmidt

      Reply

      Hmm, that’s a little different behavior than what I’ve seen before. Do you hear anything high pitched as the monitor is coming on? Can you describe the clicking sound a little more?

    • Karen S.

      Reply

      My monitor was doing the same as Tracy’s until the day it quit coming on at all (power button just flashed and quietly clicked when the light pulsed). I figured I had nothing to lose so followed the instructions here and found two blown capacitors. Replaced them for about $3.50 total and now the monitor works just great! By the way … I’m a school secretary, so if I can do it … anyone can! Thanks for the easy to follow directions!

  37. Scott

    Reply

    I purchased my monitor in 2004, maybe 05, so it is now at least 6 years old. My problem started witht he monitor not waking up from power save mode. A quick reset of the power button usually woke it up. then it rapidly went down hill. Since this is the secondary monitor for a dual monitor system, the PC was still usable. I suspected a power supply problem, and researched it as such. I found this page. All I can say is I could not have written a better procedure. Thank You!

  38. Reply

    Thanks a million! I had the exact same problem. The extra capacitors I had lying around happened to meet the requirements but were a bit large and needed to be crammed in there (the only extras I had were much higher voltage). Regardless, they did the trick!

  39. Bronzen

    Reply

    HP Monitor VS19b.
    I purchased the above brand new, even though it was made in 2006. I plugged it in and it never did turn on. I tried it with another computer and cord with the same result. Does anyone know where to get the schematics for this and can someone tell me where the “fuse” is located. I came across this on another site and loved this ariticle. Maybe it could be written in a step by step, listing all the parts, what they are and what they do. I would pay for instructions like that. Thanks

  40. Barney O'Connor

    Reply

    My vs17 just suddenly stopped working. No power light or any other indication. I pried it open and the fuse is OK, but there are some small signs of leaking from three electrolytics that are in the same corner as those your picture. My board is laid out a little different but without a schematic, I’m guessing that these acomplish the same thing as those you referenced. I’m going to try to replace them and see what happens, but I am somewhat worried as my sympthoms are different.

  41. Michael

    Reply

    You are the BOMB! Found this monitor and was getting the blinking blue light….found 2 bad capacitors…..replaced with radio shack 1000uf 35 v….now getting a solid blue light and the monitor screen lights up…unfortunately, when I transfer my video cable from the good monitor to this one ( vs17x) it stays blank….I think I messed up the ribbon cable….I couldn’t disconnect it without breaking the black piece that holds it in. I taped it down with duct tape hoping the contacts would hold, but I don;t think that is working….the connection was so fragile!!! Any suggestions????

  42. Tariessia

    Reply

    I have a HP vs19d that I purchased new from HP in 2006. It just died. Mine does not look quite like you photos when you get it apart. In fact there was much more to disasembeling it, so I wasn’t real sure it would be the same problem. I have it apart now and found three capacitors together that are definatly bad. Haven’t replaced them yet. I have a question. Does the fuse need replaced also? The one it has is white, not clear, so I can’t tell if it is ok. It looks ok, no burn marks or anything, but I don’t want to have to take this thing apart again.

    • Reply

      In the one’s I’ve repaired, the fuse never needed to be replaced. That being said, I can’t say for 100% that the fuse ISN’T bad. If you want to be sure, use a multimeter in continuity mode to see if the fuse is still intact. My guess, however, would be that the fuse is fine and just the caps need to be replaced.

      • Tariessia

        Reply

        Ok, the capacitors are replace. I have power and display for about 30 seconds, then the screen goes black. If I turn the monitor off and back on, it comes on for about 30 sec. than black again. Any ideas?

  43. Bob Widmar

    Reply

    Mr. Schmidt,

    I read your article above with some interest as my HP vs17e just went south. What the heck. Got cheap caps from partsexpress and dove in. Taking the unit apart was not easy but it came apart and sure enuf, one bad cap (1000uF). Soldered in the new one and voila. I have pictures of each stage if anyone else would like to see the inside the 17e. Where should I send them?

    Thanks a bunch.
    Bob W

    • Reply

      Bob,

      Send the pics to mschmidt[at]schmidtcds.com. I don’t have a 17e tutorial up but, so I’ll add a section for your pics here (and credit you of course). Thanks for the help and glad it worked for you.

      Michael

  44. Tariessia

    Reply

    I am stil trying to get my monitor to work after replacing capacitors. It comes on for about 30 seconds then goes black. If I turn monitor off, then back on, I get the same result. Anyone have any idea what I did wrong?

  45. Fernando

    Reply

    Thank you very much for your detailed instructions about repairing a HP LCD monitor vs19b. I was able to identify the damaged capacitors (two in my case) witch I replaced with the “tremendous” cost of 1 Euro, for both.
    The main problem is the opening of the plastic case…but with some care, the thing worked.
    I apologise for my poor English and for not sending pictures of the repair work, but I don’t know how to attach picture files to this reply.
    Be careful with the connection of the ribbon between the monitor and the frame or the screen will not work properly.
    Best regards.

    • Reply

      No problem Fernando, glad it helped! In the future, if you (or anyone else) wants to contribute a set of pictures showing the process you took to get your monitor apart, weird issues you ran in to, things you wish you had done differently, etc, send them to mschmidt[at]schmidtcds.com

  46. Fernando

    Reply

    Thank you for your prompt answer. The monitor is working pretty well (until now). I look the net http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague and they say it is a real plague affecting lots of electronics using capacitors made in Taywan.
    I think I have at least two more capacitors needing replacement. They have leaked a “white gel”, I presume through the bottom rubber seal. I will send to your adress the pictures I took during the repair work indicating the leaked fluid, and I will appreciate your advise.
    The layout of my circuit board is quite different from the one shown in your pictures.
    I’ll send the pictures in the next two hours and of course a contribution for you good cause.
    Best regards

  47. John Williams

    Reply

    Ho hum, another success! VS19 quit when in sleep mode and I was doubtful but things worked out fine!! One thing, the fuse on the power panel, which was not blown(?) is a mini ceramic rated at 3.5 A @ 250 V. The only problem was soldering upside down in a mirror!!

    Thanks, hated to throw away a 19″ monitor!!

    John…

  48. Ray

    Reply

    A really big thank you for these instructions. I have 4 HPvs19 screens, 1 the earlier x version has worked for 5 years the other three all bought new stopped working around at around 24 – 27 months of age. I knew it would be capacitors but never thought I could fix them myself. Never used a soldering iron in my life but with you easy instructions I repaired the first one in 40 minutes and the others in less than 30 minutes and with the 10 capacitors I bought on ebay for £1.87 delivered. Thanks again. Ray

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