Dell U3011 Blank Screen Isse

pvc

Weaksauce
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Sep 7, 2008
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I've started having this issue where after a couple of hours of use, the screen goes blank while the monitor is still "powered" (I can see the blue light in the power button). It is as if just the panel has lost power. The only way to get it up and running again is to pull the power plug, wait 3-4 minutes, and put the plug back in. Plugging it in immediately after a disconnect doesn't display the Dell logo and the issue persists. Which makes me think it could be a capacitor issue.

I was able to replicate the issue with HDMI and DVI-D from different sources.

Anyone else face this issue? I've owned this for 4+ years, so no Dell support/repairs I'm afraid.
 
Strange coincidence that you posted this today. I am having the exact same issue and appear to be in the same boat re: warranty.

One thing to note is there is a strange buzzing noise after I power down the monitor but before I unplug it coming from the back. After unplugging it slowly dissipates. At first I only needed to unplug for a few seconds but it seems to be getting longer.

I will report back if I make any progress...
 
Strange coincidence that you posted this today. I am having the exact same issue and appear to be in the same boat re: warranty.

One thing to note is there is a strange buzzing noise after I power down the monitor but before I unplug it coming from the back. After unplugging it slowly dissipates. At first I only needed to unplug for a few seconds but it seems to be getting longer.

I will report back if I make any progress...

This is unfortunate. I guess I was also a bit shortsighted when I bought the monitor. I hadn't looked into post warranty support.
 
I have this issue now as well on one of my U3011s. It started right after the last AMD 15.4 beta driver but that seems to be a coincidence as even the OSD will not come up when in this state. Paying for out of warranty repair is one thing but not to offer any at all is another entirely for an item this pricey. Thanks Dell. :(
 
I started having this same issue a week or two ago. Did anyone find a fix for this? Thank you!
 
Use a very bright flashlight to determine if the display still showing an image. Perhaps the backlight is turning off.

If it is displaying an image, you have an inverter problem. If it is not displaying an image, maybe the main board or main psu is dying.

If you're interested, we could try replacing the main board with a ZWS driver board. I've tested LM300WQ5-SLA1 to ~100Hz without issue, so that's a nice plus too ;).
 
I was unable to see an image still being displayed. How could I tell if the main board or PSU is dying?

Use a very bright flashlight to determine if the display still showing an image. Perhaps the backlight is turning off.

If it is displaying an image, you have an inverter problem. If it is not displaying an image, maybe the main board or main psu is dying.

If you're interested, we could try replacing the main board with a ZWS driver board. I've tested LM300WQ5-SLA1 to ~100Hz without issue, so that's a nice plus too ;).
 
I was unable to see an image still being displayed. How could I tell if the main board or PSU is dying?
Disassemble and check the rails with a multimeter.

There are probably markings by the power connectors indicating proper voltage levels. If not, cap values give a decent hint.

25v caps usually mean a 16v rail, 16v caps usually mean a 12v rail, etc
 
Thank you! I got it disassembled.

This is what the board looks. I looked at the caps and didn't notice anything out of place. The board does make kind of like a high frequency hum when the monitor is on, but does not have input.

I don't have really any tools that are specific to troubleshooting electronics, but can probably get access to some if I know what I need. I will look to find a multimeter from a friend.

Thank you for all of the help. I will post steps on how to dismantle with pictures shortly.
 

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The monitor has gone blank multiple times in the past 20 minutes. If I shake it, it will turn back on.
 
I wonder if these are ticking to die now. My u3011 died and a quick search show recently a couple people on other forum have dead u3011.
 
I replaced the power board and power conditioner and look to be back in business! yeeeehhhaawww!
 
Hi I've got the same issue with me Dell 30" U3011 monitor :( Dell don't wont to know about it seeing its no longer under warranty :(
Can someone tell me what parts i need to replace i.e. model part numbers etc. and if ya have it the place where to get them thx.. this monitor cost me a lot of money and im very disappointed that dell wont help at all... TIA..
 
no one really ?
I have a HP U3011 monitor which would go blank after a couple of minutes. During troubleshooting, I noticed that the 5 V stayed steady but the 24 V supply would die. Traced the fault to the AC/DC converter which drives the 2 MOSFETS to generate 24V. The AC/DC converter is TOP266VG and can be located under the MOSFETS heatsink. It is hidden under the heatsink, so you will need to desolder the MOSFETS and the heatsink to get to this chip. Purchased the chip from eBay, replaced and the monitor is happily chugging along ever after. I purchased a few more chips due to the pandemic and the time it takes to get them. So, if anyone is interested to buy TOP266VG, let me know.
 

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I got 2 of them, doing the same thing.

I believe they overheat. You can help
it by lowering brightness. But, ultimately, if I do something fullscreen they will blank out.

Turning them off or just waiting, then it comes back once its cooled off. Notice on the back how hot it is when blank.

As others have the exact same issue, Im convinced its something Windows changed.

Edit: Probably not Windows if the issue goes back this far. It just happened to two of mine at the same time.
 
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Hey I dont suppose you have a pic of the location of those TOP266VG's on the board? Got it all apart; having trouble locating them and wondering if there are different power boards...
 
Hi I've got the same issue with me Dell 30" U3011 monitor :( Dell don't wont to know about it seeing its no longer under warranty :(
Can someone tell me what parts i need to replace i.e. model part numbers etc. and if ya have it the place where to get them thx.. this monitor cost me a lot of money and im very disappointed that dell wont help at all... TIA..
Yeah, it's pretty lame. Just be sure to vote for any right to repair laws or anyone that says that they're going to enact them. It's a great display and it's dumb for them to just die like that, with no moderately priced way to fix it.

I don't think Windows has anything to do with it. I had two of them for many years. One died a couple of years ago and I broke the screen trying to get it apart and now the second one has started cutting out and like others have mentioned here. If you turn it off for a while or especially unplug it, it seems to kind of reset or behave itself again.

Who knows what part to try to fix or replace or where to get it because the consumers have no right to repair their very expensive electronics. You're just supposed to throw them away and buy another one. It's crazy.
 
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Yeah, it's pretty lame. Just be sure to vote for any right to repair laws or anyone that says that they're going to enact them. It's a great display and it's dumb for them to just die like that, with no moderately priced way to fix it.

I don't think Windows has anything to do with it. I had two of them for many years. One died a couple of years ago and I broke the screen trying to get it apart and now I'm the second one has started cutting out and like others have mentioned here. If you turn it off for a while or especially unplug it, it seems to kind of reset or behave itself again.

Who knows what part to try to fix or replace or where to get it because the consumers have no right to repair their very expensive electronics. You're just supposed to throw them away and buy another one. It's crazy.
I did some extensive search some time ago. I found this among other things. Hope they help.

https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=56411&page=3

 
Just to add a success story: I replaced the TOP266VG and now all is well so far. Only been a couple of days, but before then the monitor was going black within a few hours. I'm in Wellington NZ. I had 2 spare TOP266VG if anyone needs.
 
Hi All,
I was following this threat and replaced the TOP266VG as one of my 3 DELL U3011 was behaving exactly as you posted here.
In my case the problem is still present. Not happy with 1 change I had changed a second chip (I bought 3) but still on and off randomly.
I was able to "feel" the oscilador in and out as perceived the high frequency noise change when running ok and when not.
Tested all the electrolytic capacitors related to this part of circuit and they all measured ok.
Any one have a suggestion what else can be falling here? By the way, hitting the board make no effect (broken or fixing) so I distrust in a bad contact issue.

Thanks in advance.

dell u3011 chip.jpg
 
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My two U3011's also have the blackout issue. I have never bothered to turn them off for a few minutes and back on, because they came back on after a few minutes on their own in the past. However, I don't know if anyone else has experienced this, but I've found that if you unsnap an application from full-screen mode, or snap a new application into full-screen mode on the effected monitor, it triggers the screen back on. Sometimes only for a few seconds, sometimes permanently. I haven't tried this via keyboard shortcuts, but I'm guessing it will still work. (Windows 10+: Win+Down Arrow to unsnap a fullscreen app, Win+Up Arrow to maximize)

After reading this forum it does seem like they have this issue more often in the summer when it's hot. But you can't help the heat when these monitors pull 110-250 watts. Personally I opted to just upgrade to some new 4K MSI's that only take 48 watts (I'm sure I'll see some savings on the power bill next month! :)

I work in IT for a stingy company and decided I would move these monitors to my desk at work as opposed to mismatched 21's. In the end I wanted to research the issue before I decide to keep, donate or sell these monitors. I think what I'm going to try is to take some quiet 80 or 120mm fans and power them via the USB hub and mount them to the back. Haven't decided if I just want to mount it above the vent in a pull configuration, or possibly cut a hole in the back and push cool air in. If this is indeed a heat issue it should be a workable solution without pulling the boards apart on 11 year old units.
 
Just to let you know that thanks to other forum help I had found that my monitor issue was due to a (single) bad soldering that apparently is the same in all this failures. My Dell is now back on duties. Good luck to all !
 
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