I just got my 21" Nokia CRT back from the local electronics shop. They did no work on it because they couldn't reproduce the symptom (screen quietly shuts off, power stays on, an undetermined amount of minutes or a good whack brings it back). They wanted to check the voltage during the symptom to determine if it was an internal power supply, in which case they would declare the monitor beyond help.

Some forums suggested it was a weakened solder joint since it could be fixed by hitting the monitor. Makes sense because the monitor has been 4 feet above a copper pipe baseboard heater for the past 3 years, which I turn off during the work day and on at night during the winter.

Problem is, how can the electronics guy find the weakened connection? They offered to take apart the monitor and review every circuit board, but that would cost $200. Couldn't they multimeter it for less-than-expected values, or would they need the schematics for that?

Or should they know based on my symptom description if it's a solder problem or not? And could the symptom description help pinpoint the physical location of the problem?

Ugh, I just want the monitor to be solid again... and not wink out when I'm at a crucial point in a video game or something. Thanks for your input.