Flat screen LCD computer monitors and TVs are fairly uncomplicated and easy to repair at home

[NNN0LHI]

I always thought they were throw away if they failed. No user fixable stuff in them. I was wrong. If you have just some basic knowledge like which way to turn a screwdriver and can unsnap a few plastic connectors anyone can fix a lot of the problems on them. They probably cost more to have one sent out to be repaired than a new one would cost.

Like if your screen won't light up(A very common problem), that can be a fairly easy fix. Usually one or two boards for the back light have failed. About a half hour job to replace them. No big deal.

Just learned this recently. Had to repair one. You can get a lot of free advice online too. For troubleshooting and such.

Something to keep in mind.

Don

[txlibdem]

1. Where do you get the replacement parts?

I had a rear projection TV that seems to have lost its high voltage power supply (from what I read online) but I could not find the replacement part for that model.

Where do you find them?

[NNN0LHI]

2. Searched the web until I found someone who carried the parts

I have never looked inside of a projection TV but did you check the top of the capacitors on the PS board to see if any of them were bulging and/or leaking electrolytic fluid? They look like this(the round barrel shaped things):



If any of this can be seen good chance you don't need a new board. You just need to either replace or have someone replace ALL of the capacitors on the board after removing it and that should fix it. It is no big deal.

If you can solder you can do it. If not find someone who can. Even a friend or relative who is a ham radio operator or electronically inclined should be able to do that.

The capacitors themselves should be fairly common and easy to find online. Cheap too.

Good luck.

Oops. And let me guess. You didn't have this TV plugged into a good surge protector when it died did you? That is what got mine. I was waiting for the price of the surge protector I wanted to go down. I waited too long and it cost me $135 bucks for 2 new back light boards. Plus $15 dollars shipping. And the price of the surge protector that I wanted and now have in line increased. Shit.

Don

[txlibdem]

3. That's right. Now I have everything plugged into UPSes

We had a series of brown-outs that summer; I think that was what killed the TV.

[NNN0LHI]

4. The last winter storm earlier this month here got mine

Power was fluctuating anywhere from about 130 volts down to about 60 volts during the storm. I was watching it fluctuate on the Back-UPS used for the computer. Never dawned on me to ask my wife to turn the TV off for a while. Next day it was dead. Had sound and a tuner but no picture. The low voltage probably did the damage. Got a Back-UPS in line for that TV now too.

Don

[txlibdem]

5. Good idea to put UPSes (UPSie?) on everything you want to keep

That was a bad summer for us. Several thunderstorms (huge ones, not the usual pissant type), then black outs and brownouts for about a month, then more thunderstorms. I had Verizon FiOS at that time and one of the thunderstorms took out their box on the outside of the house, killed their UPS, followed their wire inside to my wireless router, my 24 port ethernet switch, 3 out of 4 USB network cards (I had 4 TIVOs at that time), and the NIC, video card and power supply of an older pc I had plugged into the router. Verizon denied any responsibility and basically said I'd have to get a lawyer to get a penny from them (whose fees we all know would have far exceeded the damaged hardware). So I canceled my accounts with Verizon and will never do any business with that company as long as I live. I also make sure to tell everyone of my crappy experience with them because it took 5 months to get a refund for the service fee (an extra month) I'd paid prior to cancellation. They kept saying I still had one of their boxes, even though I had sent to them the UPS tracking numbers, serial numbers, model #s, etc., of each box I sent back to them. They made an enemy of me for life by their tactics and their repeatedly "losing" my proof I sent to them. I had to send copies of the stuff 4 or 5 times until I finally got my refund.

That is why I will NEVER give Verizon a penny of my hard earned money ever again in my life.

Lesson learned: always make a copy of everything you send to any company.
never send the original(s).
keep a record of time and date you called and name and id # of whom you spoke to.
keep a record of serial #s, model #, etc., for all equipment returned and copies of the tracking
(NEVER send anything back without tracking numbers and signature required pickup)

And even with all of this they still jerked me around for 5 months before giving me the refund. I don't know how much money I cost them by tying up their customer support line and talking to supervisors and sending emails and letters. I hope it was far more than they were trying to steal from me.

So, that was also when we started buying UPSes for everything that could get damaged (or at least the stuff that costs more than the UPS that is). We have the microwave plugged into a surge protected multi-outlet strip and keep it turned off when not in use (same thing with the coffee maker and a few other things -- it saves vampire power anyway so it's a win, win).

[Dover]

6. What does it mean when your screen makes a loud hissing sound, like

white noise? It seems to only happen after the computer has heated up some. Then to make the noise go away temporarily I can press the screen light off for a second and then turn it back on. So it seems to be connected to the light.

[NNN0LHI]

7. Is what I did was get on line and went to one of the TV repair "help" sites

One person who answered my inquiry was very helpful and walked me right through the diagnosis and repair.

That is what I would suggest for troubleshooting your set.

Don