filip@alberta.UUCP (Don Filipchuk) (07/15/88)
Hello,
I leave my A500 on for weeks at a time (I frequently
run a ray tracer) (and it hasn't "burst into flames" yet! :-) )
and had a question.
I have MachII and was wondering exactly what the screen blanker
does. Does it shut off the signal from the Amiga to the monitor or
what? The reason I ask is this : I shut my monitor off when I leave
for the day, but may check several times just before walking out the
door ( to see if it GURU's ... if it will crash, it does so on
the first 4-7 scanlines...), which involves turning the
monitor on and off a few times in relatively rapid sucession.
(ie over the space of 15 minutes ... while I'm brushing my teeth, etc.)
Would it be better to leave the monitor ON and let the screen blanker do
it's thing all day (keeping me from turning the monitor on and off a
few times each morning...) or does the screen blanker not really
save the TV.
That is, is a screen blanker an acceptable substitute for having
the monitor turned off for 8 hours?
( yes I know I probably sound like a doof, turning my monitor on
and off in the morning, but I can't help it... picture the scene,
"oops forgot my office key, take shoes off, run upstairs, hmmmm,
I wonder if it GURUed and I'll have 8 hours of downtime
instead of 8 hours of number crunching whil I am gone?" So
I walk into my computer room and turn the monitor back on
to check.... sounds improbable? happens all the time...)
Thanks,
Don
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Don Filipchuk | "... with human females, I must |
| | restrain myself too much. They are |
| University of Alberta | quite fragile." |
| Edmonton, Alberta | |
| Canada | - Lt. Worf -- |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------maloff@calgary.UUCP (Sheldon Maloff) (07/19/88)
In article <298@cadomin.UUCP>, filip@alberta.UUCP (Don Filipchuk) writes: > I leave my A500 on for weeks at a time (I frequently > I have MachII and was wondering exactly what the screen blanker > does. Does it shut off the signal from the Amiga to the monitor or I use popcli2 and it does turn off the signal to the monitor, freeing up the DMA cycles for cpu processing. (How much this speeds up the cpu processing speed I don't know). Most screen blankers put up a 1 bit plane screen in front of all others (the screen of course is black), and turn off the mouse pointer. > what? The reason I ask is this : I shut my monitor off when I leave > for the day, but may check several times just before walking out the > door ( to see if it GURU's ... if it will crash, it does so on > the first 4-7 scanlines...), which involves turning the > monitor on and off a few times in relatively rapid sucession. > (ie over the space of 15 minutes ... while I'm brushing my teeth, etc.) This is really bad on the picture tube. The problem is much like a lightbulb. The tube goes from cold to warm (or hot), then cold, then warm, then cold... In a light bulb this type of thermal stress breaks the filament. The picture tube undergoes the same stress, shortening its life. > Would it be better to leave the monitor ON and let the screen blanker do > it's thing all day (keeping me from turning the monitor on and off a > few times each morning...) or does the screen blanker not really > save the TV. I leave my monitor on all the time except for long holidays (in which case the whole system comes down). Its been on for about 1.5 years now. Its warm as a toaster, but it has no problems. Here at the university terminals are left on constantly. Very seldom does a picture tube go in for repair. > That is, is a screen blanker an acceptable substitute for having > the monitor turned off for 8 hours? Yes. || Sheldon ----========== \\ -----======|| || maloff@calgary.UUCP -----====== // Calgary, Alberta || || {ihnp4!alberta}!calgary!maloff -----== \\ Past Host of the || || .. eventually, we'll all be scaled by zero and ---= // '88 Winter Games || || converge upon the origin ... then we'll party! -= \\ ---==||