1. monitor turned off

Can I find out, with code, if monitor was turned off?
Or can I turn off monitor with code?

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2. Re: monitor turned off

tone.skoda at gmx.net wrote:

> Can I find out, with code, if monitor was turned off?
> Or can I turn off monitor with code?

Not without specific hardware. The cable connecting a computer to a monitor
is (usually) one-way.

As for turning a monitor off, most CRT monitors have a physical on/off
switch due to the large voltages generated inside them. It would be totally
impossible to flip such a switch using software alone.

You might have better luck if you can find a way to send the monitor into
standby mode (if it has one) instead - to do that you would need to
interface with the graphics and monitor drivers and send the right calls.

Most operating systems detect whether the screen is on or off by asking the
user:
"Can you see this message?". If the answer is yes, chances are the screen is
on.

Of course, you could go 'mad scientist' and build a hardware/software
interface with power switching relays and stuff. ;)

--
[ Carl R White == aka () = The Domain of Cyrek = ]
[ Cyrek the Illogical /\ www.cyreksoft.yorks.com ]

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3. Re: monitor turned off

I thought it wasn't possible.
Monitor supports standby. Is standby same as turning off monitor?
For example, is better to turn off monitor overnight or just leave it to go
into standby mode?


----- Original Message -----
From: "Carl W." <euphoria at cyreksoft.yorks.com>
To: "EUforum" <EUforum at topica.com>
Subject: Re: monitor turned off


>
> tone.skoda at gmx.net wrote:
>
> > Can I find out, with code, if monitor was turned off?
> > Or can I turn off monitor with code?
>
> Not without specific hardware. The cable connecting a computer to a
monitor
> is (usually) one-way.
>
> As for turning a monitor off, most CRT monitors have a physical on/off
> switch due to the large voltages generated inside them. It would be
totally
> impossible to flip such a switch using software alone.
>
> You might have better luck if you can find a way to send the monitor into
> standby mode (if it has one) instead - to do that you would need to
> interface with the graphics and monitor drivers and send the right calls.
>
> Most operating systems detect whether the screen is on or off by asking
the
> user:
> "Can you see this message?". If the answer is yes, chances are the screen
is
> on.
>
> Of course, you could go 'mad scientist' and build a hardware/software
> interface with power switching relays and stuff. ;)
>
> --
> [ Carl R White == aka () = The Domain of Cyrek = ]
> [ Cyrek the Illogical /\ www.cyreksoft.yorks.com ]
>
>
>
> TOPICA - Start your own email discussion group. FREE!
>

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4. Re: monitor turned off

Better in standy. The most critical "moment" in the life of the monitors 
and other circuits is the power up, when all the capacitors are charged and 
generate a big  current flow  through diodes and voltage regulators.

Rubens

At 15:18 11/2/2003, you wrote:
>
>I thought it wasn't possible.
>Monitor supports standby. Is standby same as turning off monitor?
>For example, is better to turn off monitor overnight or just leave it to go
>into standby mode?
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Carl W." <euphoria at cyreksoft.yorks.com>
>To: "EUforum" <EUforum at topica.com>
>Sent: Tuesday, February 11, 2003 1:48 PM
>Subject: Re: monitor turned off
>
>
> > tone.skoda at gmx.net wrote:
> >
> > > Can I find out, with code, if monitor was turned off?
> > > Or can I turn off monitor with code?
> >
> > Not without specific hardware. The cable connecting a computer to a
>monitor
> > is (usually) one-way.
> >
> > As for turning a monitor off, most CRT monitors have a physical on/off
> > switch due to the large voltages generated inside them. It would be
>totally
> > impossible to flip such a switch using software alone.
> >
> > You might have better luck if you can find a way to send the monitor into
> > standby mode (if it has one) instead - to do that you would need to
> > interface with the graphics and monitor drivers and send the right calls.
> >
> > Most operating systems detect whether the screen is on or off by asking
>the
> > user:
> > "Can you see this message?". If the answer is yes, chances are the screen
>is
> > on.
> >
> > Of course, you could go 'mad scientist' and build a hardware/software
> > interface with power switching relays and stuff. ;)
> >
> > --
> > [ Carl R White == aka () = The Domain of Cyrek = ]
> > [ Cyrek the Illogical /\ www.cyreksoft.yorks.com ]
> >
> >
> > TOPICA - Start your own email discussion group. FREE!
> >
>
>
>
>TOPICA - Start your own email discussion group. FREE!

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5. Re: monitor turned off

On 11 Feb 2003, at 19:18, tone.skoda at gmx.net wrote:

> 
> I thought it wasn't possible.
> Monitor supports standby. Is standby same as turning off monitor?
> For example, is better to turn off monitor overnight or just leave it to go
> into
> standby mode?

That's impossible to tell, by looking at it or thru the email, really. For 
instance, turning a tv off with a remote control only sets it to the same 
standby mode as the monitor. It hasto stay awake at very low power 
consumption to be looking for the "on" command or the existance of 
incoming video signal again. If you don't have it on a UPS or surge protector  
to protect it, turn it off manually when you leave it. Otherwise, let the puter 
put it to sleep, it should be cold when you come back to it in the morning. If 
not cold, it's not a decent powerdown mode.

There is a gotcha to autopowerdowns: the puter could freeze up. Let the OS 
power the video or harddrives down, not the bios. If i let the bios power down 
the harddrives, win95 freezes. If i let win95 power off the screen, win95 
freezes when turning the screen back on. (this is not hardware or driver 
related, it's happened on several computers.) If anything has a harddrive 
powered down, and an application wants to use it, the application usually 
crashes or reports a drive error. So i disabled all powerdown options, and i 
use the on-off button when i want it on or off. Not letting the drives power 
down will reduce the life of any drives over 5400 rpm, but some of my drives 
have been going 24-7, 99.5% of the time, since 1994.

Kat

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