Degaussing Monitor

[duragezic]

My friend likes to use his monitor's Degauss feature. Probably about every 15 minutes. Hehe...does this have any adverse effects on the monitor, or is it harmless? Thanks.

 

[Viper GTS]

I've heard it can cause damage if overused.

Viper GTS

 

[Workin']

Your "friend" may have obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

It's probably not a good idea to degauss every 15 minutes, it probably won't hurt anything but it sure seems like it could have unfortunate long-term effects. Anything that distorts the screen like that has to be rough on the power supply.

 

[JellyBaby]

Your monitor degausses itself everytime you turn it on. So unless he keeps that tube running full-bore 24/7 there should be no reason to press that button. Yes, excessive usage can harm the monitor.

 

[Xray]

Maybe your friend has some eye trouble that he doesn't know about and he thinks degaussing helps the monitor but really its his eyes.

 

[Shagga]

It's confirmed. Excessive Degaussing can and possibly will damage the monitor. Tell him to read the Manual, it will confirm this.

 

[MWink]

My manual says to do it as little as possible. I would tell him to stop.

 

[G41184b]

What exactly is the practical function of degaussing the monitor?

 

[Workin']

Especially on larger monitors, after some time of displaying images, an electromagnetic charge builds up on the CRT shadow mask or aperture grille, and that can distort the display of colors on the screen. Degaussing eliminates this built-up charge.

 

[G41184b]

Oh thanks, so I should probably never need to do it on my 15inch monitor if i turn if off for most of the time?

 

[dszd0g]

Some monitors do not autodegauss when you turn them on. However, to the best of my knowledge degaussing calibrates the EM field. When ever you physically move your monitor you want to degauss it to have it recalibrate to earth's field. Excessively degaussing your monitor can wear out various components. Some monitors (Viewsonics are one example) will not allow you to degauss more than so often.

It is amusing though, my roommates machine is on the other side of the wall as mine and when either of us degauss our monitor it shakes the picture on the other one.