Some models use a relay to switch some component configurations in the scan circuits for the different scan rates. There is nothing wrong with this. The newer monitors use electronic switching.
In a properly designed monitor, there is no excessive wear by changing modes. The fact is, that since you are using older monitors that are used in the first place, the failure rate is probably higher because of age, not how they are being used.
It is a fact that these monitors will run for only a certain amount of hours in their lifespan. There is something called MTBF "Mean Time Between Failure". In the lower end of the monitors, this factor is not published. Usually manufactures will not make a determination of this spec, because there is an added R&D cost involved. They are only interested that the monitor will last a bit more than the warranty period.
The MTBF for most of the CRT's (picture tubes) is about 30,000 to 40,000 hours. Under normal use, this is about 4 to 6 years. The life span of the electronics to keep up their performance is about the same. This is why after about 4 years, if the monitor is still working properly, it is a good idea to sell it while it is still working. This is how you can find so-called good deals on monitors, which in reality it is not a good deal, because it has reached its MTBF factor.
If you were to buy a new monitor, you will find that you can run it for a bit more than 4 years with reasonable reliability. After that period the CRT may be a bit soft, and the scan accuracy may not be the same as when new.
--
Greetings,
Jerry Greenberg GLG Technologies GLG
=========================================
WebPage http://www.zoom-one.com
Electronics http://www.zoom-one.com/electron.htm
=========================================
"Halfgaar" wrote in message
news:c5mjmf$31g$1@news1.tilbu1.nb.home.nl...
I was wondering, is modeswitching harmful for a CRT monitor? And when I say
harmful, I mean that when you mode switch about a dozen times an hour, that
an average second-hand monitor will only last a month? I ask, because I
friend of mine switches back and forth from Linux textmode to GUI-mode, and
he has destroyed two second hand monitors in a relatively short time; the
second within a month, the first I don't know. I asked if he had grounded
them to an earth, and he had.
And another thing; in some monitors, you can hear relays switching when the
monitor switches mode. What is this, and why do some monitors do this, and
others don't? Someone once told me that a when a monitor has such a relay,
that it is a sign of quality. Is there any truth to that?
TIA