Monitor shielding?

[raungst]

I'm in the process of finishing my basement, and finally moved my arcade cabinet into a nook I built for it. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that the electrical switch that's on one of the walls of the nook would cause interference on my Hantarex monitor. Is there any thing I can do to get around this? Do they make shielded switch boxes? I assume wires going into the box are causing interference also,ithough. Can I shield the cabinet from the inside? Would I just create a box around the monitor with some aluminum?

I don't really have a choice in moving the arcade cabinet, nor the wiring. The wiring is existing and races off into another floor, so moving it would be troublesome. Any ideas how I can shield the monitor, or prevent the color distortion?

Thanks!

[BobA]

What kind of switch is it?   If it is causing a high level of electrical noise it must be a dimmer of some sort.  Electrical boxes are metal so are partially shielded but the front of the box is just a plastic face plate.  Covering that with a metal switch plate may help a bit but alot of the noise could be in the wiring to your lights.   A more expensive dimmer with better circuitry may help reduce the noise.   Try an electrical distributor in your area and outline your problem.  They maybe able to provide a solution.

If the power outlet you are using in the nook is on the same circuit as your lights it could also be contributing to the problem.

[raungst]

The nook is currently just studs and it's a plastic switch box that faces the other direction (the back of the switch box faces the cabinet). There's no dimmer, but it does control the lights in the basement. Even if the lights are off I still get the interference. If I place some spare aluminum between the cabinet and switch, things get better. I might try cutting power to the switch to verify its the switch and not something else.

I'm guessing if I build a metal box around the monitor it will fix the problem, but I've never seen anyone do that here.

[Rickn]

Just curious, why are you convinced it is the switch causing the problem. I would suggest you kill the power (breaker or fuse) to that switch and see if it goes away.
It could be a grounding issue with the receptacle you have the game plugged in to??

Rickn

[teartray]

How does the interference manifest itself? I'm just curious because I've got interference on my Hantarex and I can't work out where it is coming from.
Mine shows as a vertical wave on the left side of the screen.

[raungst]

I'm convinced its the switch because it manifests as a color distortion on the side of the monitor the switch is on. If I put metal in between the switch and the cabinet, the color distortion gets better. When I get home from work, I plan on killing the power and seeing what happens. The switch controls lights that are on a different circuit than the cab is on. 

[lilshawn]

moving/rotating/turning a monitor screws with the magnetic field that has been established in the tube. a tube that was facing north/south will often change color when turned east/west. or vice versa.

i'll bet if you take the cabinet and begin rotating it, that you will find that the spot will disappear... and it will look perfect when oriented in the same direction that the cabinet was originally before you moved it to it's new home. i believe that the distortion is only on the same side of the switch through a clever coincidence. (unless you have a bunch of steel studs and not wood)

[BobA]

+1 for degaussing.  A simple electrical lighting switch will not cause the discoloration that you describe.  Moving a monitor will cause colors to blotch due to magnetic fields (the earths).  The metal might just be changing the magnetic fields that always surround you monitor and may have no relationship to the switch.

[raungst]

moving/rotating/turning a monitor screws with the magnetic field that has been established in the tube. a tube that was facing north/south will often change color when turned east/west. or vice versa.

i'll bet if you take the cabinet and begin rotating it, that you will find that the spot will disappear... and it will look perfect when oriented in the same direction that the cabinet was originally before you moved it to it's new home. i believe that the distortion is only on the same side of the switch through a clever coincidence. (unless you have a bunch of steel studs and not wood)

This is really interesting. It's not like the cab has been in the same spot for years. It's technically 180 deg from where it's been for the last 6 months or so. Before that it had an SUV ride and was owned by someone else.

I'll try both rotating it and cutting power to the switch and report back. Will degaussing fix it if it turns out to be the fact that I rotated it (which still seems really bizarre)?

[raungst]

My wife and I were completely amazed last night. Sur enough, if you rotate the cab 45 degrees or so, the discoloration goes away. If you rotate to 90, it shows up on the other side. I apologize for doubting.

So degaussing will fix this? Does anyone recommend an inexpensive wand?

[lilshawn]

most monitors/TV's have a degauss circuit built right in. often just positioning the cabinet where you wanting it and turning it on for about 20 seconds, then turning it off for 15 minutes 3 or 4 times can clear it up.

if not, i suspect maybe there is something wrong with the degaussing circuit. either the coil is unplugged or the degauss PTC is faulty.

don't go and do something crazy, like taking some super powerful speaker magnets and trying to fix it that way, you will end up with more damage than you started with.