Jun 06, 2025 08:00:00

Mysterious phenomenon where 'PC monitor turns off when lighter is lit'

Strange phenomena such as '

When I buy vanilla ice cream, my car won't start ' or ' When it rains, my Wi-Fi connection is easier to connect ' are often discussed on the Internet. Recently, a strange phenomenon was reported on the online bulletin board Reddit: 'When I ignite a lighter, my PC monitor goes off.'

The strange phenomenon was reported by Reddit user Michael86l , who has two PC monitors side by side on his desk.

When I lit the lighter, the monitor on the right went out.

After waiting a few seconds, the monitor will turn back on, with the display clear and exactly as it was before it was turned off.

I lit the lighter again and the monitor went dark as well.

At the time of writing, Michae86l's post had received over 1,300 comments, including some speculating on what could be causing the monitor to go off. The following comment, which has received over 19,000 upvotes, speculates that 'when the electronic lighter is ignited, electromagnetic waves are generated, destroying the signal that travels through the monitor cable. Replacing the cable with a high-quality one should solve the problem.'

Electronic lighters are equipped with a piezoelectric element that generates electricity when struck. When the lever is pressed down, electricity flows from the piezoelectric element, creating a spark, which ignites the gas and ignites the lighter. The electricity generated by the piezoelectric element is transmitted not only to the electrode plate inside the lighter, but also to the outside as electromagnetic waves. Around Michae86l's desk, it is highly likely that the electromagnetic waves generated by the electronic lighter interfered with the signal traveling through the cable, corrupting the data and causing the monitor to go dark. For this reason, it is believed that the problem can be solved by replacing the cable with a high-quality cable that has a built-in electromagnetic wave shield.

The electromagnetic waves generated by piezoelectric elements are quite powerful and have enough energy to destroy the oxide film of objects located at a distance. This phenomenon is called the 'Coherer effect' and was used in early radios. The following article explains how to easily experiment with the Coherer effect at home.

What is the 'Coherer effect' that can light a light bulb or communicate wirelessly using a cup containing aluminum balls or metal particles? - GIGAZINE

There have been other reports of unusual phenomena in which PC monitors turn off, and in 2023, a phenomenon in which a PC monitor would turn off when sitting on an IKEA chair became a hot topic. The prevailing theory in this IKEA chair issue is that the cause is the discharge of static electricity charged on the chair, and the problem was solved by grounding the chair.

The reason behind the strange phenomenon that 'PC screen goes black when sitting on IKEA chair' has been revealed - GIGAZINE