monitor black screen based on other electrical devices working

[inquisitor1]

my monitor shuts off for 1-5 seconds when my clothes dryer or other appliances are working. my clothes dryer is in the 2nd room and it mostly spins one way. every 10 minutes it stops, then spins the other way. the monitor has a black screen, then 1-5 seconds later comes back on. then when about 15 seconds later it spins the main direction again and it flashes the screen off

in my home if I disconnect an audio connection from 1 pc to the other, it will make the screen black for 1-3 seconds. somethig with disturbance in the electrical flow to make the screen go black. if I fire up a dremel, when I turn it on, it will make the screen go black for 1-3.

I tried to isolate the monitor to its own wall socket but the dryer from the other room is doing it.

im trying to understand if perhaps I need a voltage regulator or stabalizer?

I saw this item that you can set the voltage you need. maybe it stabalizes the voltage to a constant 220v so any voltage spikes will prevent it from happening?

 

[Bill_Bright]

im trying to understand if perhaps I need a voltage regulator or stabalizer?

Perhaps a good UPS with AVR (automatic voltage regulator). Traditional voltage regulators are great for very minor fluctuations, but if more severe (and yours sounds more severe), getting a "boost" with the help of the UPS batteries may be needed.

HOWEVER, you first need to make sure your house wiring is correct. Note that every home and every computer user should have access to a AC Outlet Tester to ensure the wall outlet is properly wired and grounded to Earth ground. I recommend one with a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupt) indicator as it can be used to test bathroom and kitchen outlets (outlets near water) too. These testers can be found for your type and voltage outlet, foreign or domestic, (like this one for the UK, or this one for German outlets) at most home improvement stores, or even the electrical department at Wal-Mart. Use it to test all the outlets in the home and if a fault is shown, have it fixed by a qualified electrician.

If your wiring tests correct, you should try to put the dryer on its own circuit (should be already, IMO) and/or move your computer to a different, isolated circuit.

 

[dgianstefani]

This happened with my old secondary monitor when I turned my room fan on, with my new one it doesn't.

Second getting a good UPS - which means Online Double Conversion.

Refurb units are a good way to save 70%, just get one with new batteries fitted and consider a fan swap as they can be noisy.

 

[ty_ger]

The problem could be originating through the house wiring and electrical outlet, or it could be propagating through the air. If your monitor display cord is long, inexpensive, or damaged/kinked/chaffed, I would suspect that replacing the display cord could resolve the issue. The audio connection thing makes me think it isn't a house wiring problem.

 

[Bill_Bright]

or it could be propagating through the air.

That would be some pretty serious RFI/EMI. But the point is valid. Make sure all your cables are undamaged and securely attached. I would not suspect the length of the cables UNLESS the problem has been a problem since day 1.

 

[Shrek]

Tripp-Lite have isolated banks; I had the same issue with the monitor turning off for a bit when I turned on a table fan till I moved them to different banks.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Clothes dryers are very high-wattage appliances. No surge and spike protector can help when a high-wattage appliance creates a significant dip (opposite of spike) or sag (opposite of surge) on the circuit. The dryer needs to be on a totally separate circuit or the affected device (monitor in this case) needs to be protected by a device that can "regulate" the monitor's input voltage by "boosting" the voltage to compensate for the dip or sag. That boost must either come from large storage caps or a battery (or both). Surge and spike protectors have neither.

 

[ty_ger]

That would be some pretty serious RFI/EMI. But the point is valid. Make sure all your cables are undamaged and securely attached. I would not suspect the length of the cables UNLESS the problem has been a problem since day 1.

Yeah, but what is unplugging a speaker cable going to do to mess up the power from the outlet? That's why I am wondering how it could be something other than EMI. Who knows. A dodgy cable could have errors all the time, and only when there is some additional EMI does the error rate reach high enough that error correction falls behind real-time and the screen blanks out.
If the monitor cable is like a 10 or 15 foot cable, even more likely to be a source of the problem.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Yeah, but what is unplugging a speaker cable going to do to mess up the power from the outlet?

It shouldn't.

I surely suspect some grounding issues here. A bad ground could seriously degrade EMI/RFI suppression, it could also cause other interference issues - besides being a safety issue. So this must be checked first, starting at the wall to ensure house wiring is correct and safe!

I also agree long cables, especially with data cables, can cause problems. But not out of the blue after working fine - not unless new damage occurred or a connector wiggled loose. Long cables are often exposed to tripping issues. And any cable may be exposed teething puppies or other critter damage. Loose connections may allow dirt, dust, moisture and other contaminates to get in between the contacts - and/or promote corrosion.

I will also add that no two wall outlets, even when on the same circuit, provide the exact same path to Earth ground. In audio setups, for example, such differences may result in 50 or 60Hz hum or buzzing ("noise"). In video devices (particularly older analog video) this "noise" may appear as "snow" or wavy lines on the display.

And in some cases, if you touch metal on one device connected to this outlet and the other hand touches a device connected to that outlet, you may even feel a tingle [hopefully no more than a "tingle"] of an electrical shock. Not good! Especially if you have a compromised heart or an implanted heart pace maker.

For this reason, all devices attached to a computer should be powered through the same wall outlet as the computer to ensure they all have the same "common" ground. If not possible, then all devices should be strapped together using basic 22 AWG "Hookup" wire to a case screw on each case to establish a common ground.