Fix a stuck pixel on an LCD monitor

If you liked this instructable, then you'll probably like the other things on my site here... Voiding Warranties

UPDATE: This Instructable was on Engadget! http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/24/how-to-guide-details-fix-for-stuck-pixels/

I am going to show you how to fix a stuck pixel on your LCD monitor. Stuck pixels are really annoying and just plain look bad. Over the past few years I have had to fix SO many stuck pixels. It's not that hard to do and usually only takes a couple of minutes. Enjoy!

This will only work on LCD monitors, but this includes computer LCD monitors, laptop screens, cameras (the screen might have a hard protective shield over it that you will have to take off), and hand-held systems (will most likely have a hard protective shield). Does anybody know if this will work with an OLED screen? I think that it will, but I'm not positive.

Note: This will only fix stuck pixels. Not dead pixels or hot pixels. A dead pixel is when the pixel is always off. It is easiest to spot a dead pixel against a white background. The pixel will appear to be non existent. It will look darker than the stuck pixel in the image below. A hot pixel is when the pixel is always on. It is easiest to see against a dark background. The pixel will be bright white. A stuck pixel will usually the red, green, blue or yellow, but can also be a light black color (pictured below). A stuck pixel is caused by a manufacturing defect in which it leaves one or more sub-pixels permanently turned on or off.

By the way, the picture that I took is a bad example of a stuck pixel. Because it is black, one might think that it is actually a dead pixel but it is not. It just so happened that all of the sub-pixels in that pixel were permanently turned off. The next time I see a dead pixel on a computer that isn't black, I will update the picture because the current one is a bad example.

PS: This is my first Instructable so please be nice. :)

Step 1: Materials

There are three different methods that I know on how to fix a stuck pixel. Here are the materials you will need for each.

1st method, flashing different colors rapidly:
JSScreenfix.com has a great tool. This is their free java applet or you can download it below.

2nd method, applying pressure to pixel:
Damp paper towel
Small stylus or dull pencil. (I used an odd looking stylus from a board game)

3rd method, tapping the pixel:
Pen with cover on or another small, blunt object. (I used the back of the same stylus)

Comments

[MrJLatino]

Hi, i have a question: can stuck pixels be fixed if they are all in a straight line that comes down across the screen? I m trying all these methods on my IMAC but its not working. Can you help me out?

[PedroDaGr8]

As others have mentioned this is either a video card issue or bad/dying LCD column driver. The latter are not fixable (to the best of my knowledge.) while according to the poster above the former are a silent recall issue for the iMac.

[Einsteins Circuitry]

Can you describe it more? Is it a vertical or horizontal line, or is it a diagonal line? Is it a solid line, or is it a bunch of stuck pixels that just happen to be in a line-like shape? If it is a solid vertical, or horizontal line, then it is a faulty lcd, and there is nothing you can do. Also, is your iMac the newer one that is aluminum and black? If it is, than the display has a glass/plastic plate over the lcd making method 2 & 3 useless.

[Richard_[UK]]

I think he means like screen burn-in...

[animaster]

LCD's can't burn in, he just got a broken LCD screen

[underwhelmed]

Actually, he has a video card issue that is well known for iMacs. If you take it to an Apple store they will fix it for you.

[violentorchid]

I haven't really ever had a stuck pixel. Must be all the shaking and stuff. Treat you screen like an etch-a-sketch is what I got out of this.

[Power-Inside]

I heard someone say to try moving a magnet piece near the stuck pixel..

[scistone]

don't use a big one or you need to get a new coputer.

[doofusrocker]

i just named mine "Pete" and left him alone.

[Win Guy]

I have two named "Joe" and "Phil".

[rcguymike]

:A
@color 90
@color C0
@color A0
@color F0
@color 00
@goto A

much better colors, light blue, light red, light green, white, black, and repeat. This will use quite a bit of cpu because it is an endless loop executing as fast as the cpu can command it.

[SonOfaVermonter]

Thank you for using a mac, they are the best. As I'm sure you know

[Miles Tails Prower]

That is just your opinion. I think Macs are terrible. Overpriced with poor hardware and keyboards that give you RSI. Windows for the win, atleast for me. (Yes, I have used a mac with snow leopard so i know what i am talking about.)

[woodstockbirdy]

Their better for games but not so much other things.


GO APPLE

[CropJ]

for the sake of argument... go pc.

[www.microbike.ie]

I have both mac mini and 2 CPU 8cores Xeon self build they are both good for certain things

[wakojako]

I have a quad core windows PC.
After a few weeks it got slow, then snowballed over a few months until it completley crashed giving me "disk read errors".
BTW Ubuntu works fine and dosent give me errors, but I cant use it 'cos my wifi adapter isn't compatible. :(

[www.microbike.ie]

that is still only 4 cores I have 2 processors to run windows at acceptable speed :-)

[Sovereignty]

You can use the NDIS wrapper with the original Windows drivers to activate your Wireless. Linux, Windows, I'd even return to DOS before I used a Mac. Why someone would be 'proud' to own one is beyond me. Like being proud of riding the short bus.

[www.microbike.ie]

who is proud?

[shadowyblade]

yea! I have found someone besides me who realizes how pathetic Macs are!

[PaulMakesThings]

Right out of the box they already do everything they will ever do. This is a plus or minus depending on what you want.

[DylanDonohue]

actually, Ubuntu would be the best, being that it's free :)

[thepaul1993]

They are not so good if they get broken pixels.

[coolpizzadude]

I figured I would throw this link in, it's a stuck pixel remover program specially designed for psp's.

[ElvenChild]

dont forget to turn the device off first

[RecoiL]

I kinda pushed over a Coca Cola bottle on my display... it was closed, but the cap hit the screen slightly and left a mark of a dozen blue pixels... these methods work in my case as well, right ?

[irinewiri]

Hello

Here is a photo with my blue stuck pixel. Hope is useful...

Blue stuck pixel photo

[irinewiri]

P.S.: Maybe one would like to take patience downloading the original photo file by clicking the link under the normal photo, so the blue color and the texture of the screen pixels would be visible.

[killbox]

>PS: Beetlegossip suggested that you could also go into Notepad in >Windows >and then create a batch file and write this, > :>A >@color 0f >@color f0 >@goto A name that something like test.bat and then run it, hit alt+enter to make it full screen, this is not as good as the color option but it does make it flicker white and black.

[beetlegossip]

If you wanted a change in colors you could put something like, @color 53 @color 35 @color 23 @color 32 The possibilities are endless in a bat file! PS: You should see if the same thing works on a mac

[anomdebus]

(this is XP or later, I think; tested on XP)
:A
@set /a tx=%RANDOM% %% 16
@if %tx% LSS 10 (@set x=%tx%) ELSE if %tx% EQU 10 (@set x=A) ELSE if %tx% EQU 11 (@set x=B) ELSE if %tx% EQU 12 (@set x=C) ELSE if %tx% EQU 13 (@set x=D) ELSE if %tx% EQU 14 (@set x=E) ELSE if %tx% EQU 15 (@set x=F )
@set /a ty=%RANDOM% %% 16
@if %ty% LSS 10 (@set y=%ty%) ELSE if %ty% EQU 10 (@set y=A) ELSE if %ty% EQU 11 (@set y=B) ELSE if %ty% EQU 12 (@set y=C) ELSE if %ty% EQU 13 (@set y=D) ELSE if %ty% EQU 14 (@set y=E) ELSE if %ty% EQU 15 (@set y=F )
@color %x%%y%
@goto A

[drresearch]

Just curious, what would something equivalent be in the linux bash?

[anomdebus]

Ok, you got me there.. The syntax is easier, but I don't know of a built in command to change the colors of an xterm via the command line..

I did modify a script to give a similar effect, though (comments from original):

#!/usr/bin/perl
# $XTermId: 256colors.pl,v 1.3 2006/09/29 21:49:03 tom Exp $
# $XFree86: xc/programs/xterm/vttests/256colors.pl,v 1.1 1999/07/11 08:49:54 dawes Exp $
#
# This uses 33 print-lines on an 80-column display.  Printing the numbers in
# hexadecimal would make it compact enough for 24x80, but less readable.

$|=1;
while (1) {
        for ($bg = 0; $bg < 256; $bg++) {
                # print "\x1b[9;1H\x1b[2J";
                for ($fg = 0; $fg < 256; $fg++) {
                        print "\x1b[48;5;${bg}m\x1b[38;5;${fg}m";
                        printf "%03.3d/%03.3d ", $fg, $bg;
                }
        }
}

[beetlegossip]

what the heck is that? I'm not going to try that unless i know what it does so could you please explain what exactly it does? I don't want to mess up my computer ha ha.

[anomdebus]

first get a random number less than 16 (%RANDOM% gives a larger number than we can use, so get the remainder from dividing by 16). Then we need to convert that number to hex, there is no direct way, so I use a if/else tree to convert numbers 10-15 to A-F. Do the same for another variable. Use those two variables to set the colors Wash, rinse, repeat. I did this mainly because I am not so familiar w/ batch programming, though I am familiar with shell scripting (unixy). I learned: set /a (set with arithmetic) %RANDOM% % works comparisons are stupidly named in batch

[beetlegossip]

Ahh alright so that's not a batch file then is it? i haven't tried it yet

[anomdebus]

It is a batch file, bourne shell would not drive one to claw at one's eyes. I also forgot to mention that '%%' is translated to '%' in execution; since '%' is the variable symbol, you need to tell it to be a literal '%'. Also, the effect looks nicer (?) when there is text on the screen so you can get the two color effect.

[N1CK4ND0]

its just an overcomplicated version