LCD monitors

[Eric Smith]

Barry wrote:
> If you are going to use an analog LCD monitor, you are doing yourself a
> disservice if you don't get the test pattern generator available at:
> http://www.winsite.com/bin/Info?500000030936

I just wrote one for Linux last week:

    http://www.brouhaha.com/~eric/software/lcdtest/

Actually it could probably be built for Windows as well, since it
uses the SDL graphics library which also works on Windows.

> And use it to properly set the dot clock.
[...]
> When you display this pattern, you should see an absolutely perfect and
> uniform field of alternating (but very, very fine) black and white
> vertical bars each only one single pixel wide.

My program could generate that, but you had to type five keys to get
it.  So I've just added a new key "a" which sets that up directly.  It's
in the 1.00 release which I just put on the web page.

> It may be cheaper to buy a new monitor and sell the old one for parts
> on E-Bay (the LCD panel, which may still be good, may be worth more as
> a part than the cost of a new monitor).

I've seen that good laptop LCD panels often sell for more than the price
of a new laptop equipped with a similar panel.  I've never understood
this.

Eric