Problem with black levels on Orion 2012 / 2022 (possibly) monitor

[Timstuff]

I'm not sure what my model number is (I'm kind of stupid that way ), so so I took a picture of the monitor's label using my cell phone for the experts here to look at. I went to one of the monitor ID sites, and pretty sure that it's an Orion 2012 / 2022 since the chassy looks exactly the same.



Basically, my problem with the monitor is that during gameplay, the imagery looks washed out, with blacks appearing as gray. It's hooked up to an Ajax PCB, which I've been using to test it. Also, when the screen is supposed to be totally black, a series of flickering gray and white vertical lines appears across the screen, with a concentration of them on the left hand side (the monitor is mounted vertically, BTW).

I think it's worth mentioning that the monitor and PCB are getting their power through an un-filtered 50-foot extension cable leading to my tool shed. The wiring in the cabinet I'm working with was not working, so we directly spliced the DC power converter and the monitor to an AC power cable. I know it's not a safe setup at all, but it was only meant to be temporary so that I could test the monitor and PCB. I'm planning on booting up again with a surge protector next time, but I'm not expecting it to solve the mystery of the gray blacks.

So, does anyone have any suggestions for how I can fix the black levels, and hopefully get rid of those flickering vertical lines that appear when the screen goes "black?" Me and my dad tried tweaking the adjustment knobs in back of he monitor, but I'm pretty sure they're all related to screen position. Thanks in advance!

[qrz]

well, if the monitor has a "hot" chassis , you have a shock/fire hazzard  !!!
an isolation xformer eliminates that risk.  if it has a smps , then likely ok as is.....
so much for the disclaimer .

as for the settings ,

turn the brightness and contrast down , then adjust the screen  ( lower ctl on the fly ) till there is just a hint of video on screen.
then turn the bright and contrast to desired levels....

qrz

[Timstuff]

I'll try tweaking the knobs some more tomorrow and see if I can improve the picture. BTW, does anyone know if the ordering of the various control knobs is more or less the same on most monitors? I found an image of a different monitor's chassy where all the knobs were labeled, and I'm curious if that would be an accurate guide for knowing which knob does what...

[Timstuff]

Well, I'm starting to consider that maybe the problem this monitor has is that it's friggin' old... I spent about 30 minutes this afternoon twiddling with the various adjustment knobs until my fingers were sore, and while I did get the colors to look better, the problem with the gray lines when the screen goes black still persists, and depending on the images on the screen, the picture seems to suck itself inward, making for a very unstable image. I tried taking a quick video of it with my phone.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lNA3QSts48[/youtube]

I'm thinking maybe I should start looking at LCDs... This one is looking pretty good at $198, I suppose.

http://reviews.cnet.com/lcd-monitors/samsung-syncmaster-203b-black/4505-3174_7-31961886.html?tag=prod.txt.1

Really, it kind of comes down to this: which makes more sense, spending money to fix my Orion monitor and then having to buy an Arcade VGA card for $80 in addition, or just spending $200 to get a brand new monitor, which will let me keep the video card I have, and have a much nicer image to boot?