Caring for your Apple Cinema Display.

[visim91]

My 24" LED ACD's AppleCare will be ending December 15th.

I recently purchased this immaculate display from a careful owner who took very good care of the monitor. It is new in every sense of the word.

Ideally I would like to use this screen for at least four more years and, afterwards, if all is well, pass it on to a younger sibling.

Any tips on how to best care for the ACD through the years?
(How often should I wipe it down? / Should I cover the display with some soft cloth in-between usage or during downtime to avoid dust? / This display is currently being used anywhere from 4-6 hours a day - how detrimental would this be to longevity?) etc.

Point me towards tips or products - anything that will help.

If you haven't noticed, I am incredibly obsessive-compulsive. Please don't tell me not to worry. It is intrinsic in my nature to worry and dote over every facet of my life; and, I like it that way. It works.

Much Appreciated.

 

[Lennyvalentin]

How often should I wipe it down? / Should I cover the display with some soft cloth in-between usage or during downtime to avoid dust?

How often? There's no set rule to when it needs to be wiped off, it depends on how dusty the immediate surroundings are; wipe it when you're bothered by dust on the screen. You sound like a person that probably keeps your place neat and tidy, so probably not very often. Excessive wiping won't help, rather the opposite since you'll risk scratching your screen if any foreign particles get caught inbetween the glass and whatever cloth you use.

Covering it up could be useful if you'll be going away for an appreciable amount of time, say a month or more, but not every day since cloth spreads dust particles. It won't harm the screen, but you'd be depositing a tiny smattering of dust just by putting on and taking off the cover every day. You might also charge the glass with static electricity by removing a cover repeatedly, thus attracting more dust instead of protecting against it.

Also avoid using any chemical products to clean your screen, you probably know this though. Mild dishwashing detergent is OK, but steer clear of anything else, including lens cleaning solutions for eyeglasses and whatnot. No way of knowing what exactly is in those kind of products.

This display is currently being used anywhere from 4-6 hours a day - how detrimental would this be to longevity?) etc.

This is it with any human-made object; using it wears it. It's the laws of physics, really. You can't fight entrophy. The more you use something the quicker it will die, and no telling when that will be. It could work for another ten years (probably unrealistic expectation though), or ten more months. Only divine beings could tell you when it'll happen, assuming there are any, and they probably won't be talking anyway heh.

Even assuming it works for a decade it probably won't be looking very good by then. LEDs (and especially bright ones) wear out too, just like any other light source; the intensity and color spectrum is going to shift as the display ages. Also, the LCD panel itself may age. I've got a 6-year-old screen that's faded along the left-hand edge, either the pixels don't want to respond like they used to (maybe they're geriatric...) or perhaps more likely, the liquid crystals have partially evaporated through the seal at the edge of the glass panel.

Best way to make sure it stays as healthy as possible is a good surge protector inbetween it and the power grid. Get a nice quality UPS, such as these here for more comprehensive protection for both your computer and screen. A UPS will better protect against lightning strikes than just a surge protector will (although the UPS may die instead, so it's damned if you do, damned if you don't...)

Oh, and don't connect the computer and the monitor to different power outlets... That could lead to an electrical potential difference, especially in the event of a power surge/lightning strike.

If you haven't noticed, I am incredibly obsessive-compulsive. Please don't tell me not to worry.

Well, lol, there's no point in worrying, because your screen will die. It's a fact. So just be happy for as long as it works, and it'll be OK.

 

[MisterMe]

My 24" LED ACD's AppleCare will be ending December 15th.

...

I have a plastic frame ACD that I purchased with my home Power Mac G5 in 2004 and an aluminum frame ACD that I purchased with my work Power Mac G5 in 2005. Both work as well today as the day I unboxed them. On occasion, I wipe them with very soft paper sprayed with alcohol or glass cleaner. My preference is Stoner Invisible Glass automobile glass cleaner. This is because this brand cuts dirt and grease and then evaporates very quickly. The best paper is lens paper. If you have a flat screen TV, then it may have shipped with a wipe cloth. This will work very well with your ACD.

Lennyvalentin gave excellent advice. You should resist your urge to perform frequent cleaning. Left to its own devices, your ACD will last a decade or longer. Your aim in cleaning it is to keep the flora and fauna growing on your monitor down to a point that it does not frighten your guests.

 

[visim91]

I think I got it.

Thank you both for helping me understand and control the ever present itch to spray, wipe & repeat.