Ask a Question
or
Create a Poll
  1. Home /
  2. Questions /
  3. Computers
  4. / Computer Hardware
  5. / Computer Monitors
  6. / Computer Monitors (General)

by Squirrel Face on January 26th, 2009

Squirrel Face

Question

Help answer this question below.

When you press "degauss" on your monitor, what does it do and how does it work?

Share:
Other

Answers. Showing one answer.

  • by Im Alec has abandoned this account on January 26th, 2009

    Im Alec has abandoned this account

    Behind the phosphor of a CRT monitor is a metal mask which ensures that the electron beams for the three colours only fall on the phosphor spots corresponding to their colour. The electron beams represent a changing electric current, and changing electric currents generate magnetic fields (which are measured in gauss). This means that the mask can get slightly magnetized. When it does so, instead of either blocking or passing the electron beams it can bend them slightly, causing them to hit the wrong phosphor and generate strange colours.

    The degauss button attempts to remove this magnetic field bu generating a relatively powerful oscillating magnetic field which is then smoothly ramped down to zero. That why you see the picture go very wrong when you press the degauss button, then gently come right again. This should clean any stray magnetic fields out of the mask and return the picture colour to its original state.

    Degaussing is needed only for CRT type screens, which are almost obsolete now.

    Comments

    • Thank you so much. I just got dual monitors at work and I was wondering what exactly that did. =)

      Squirrel Face

      by Squirrel Face on January 26th, 2009

    • Like
    • Report

    1 comment | Post one | Permalink

Want to attach an image to your answer? Click here.

Did this answer your question? If not, then ask a new question or create a poll.

More Questions. Additional questions in this category.

You're reading When you press "degauss" on your monitor, what does it do and how does it work?

Follow us on Facebook!

Related Ads

Related Questions

Professionally Researched

Answerbag

a Demand Media company